Chapter 25: You Focus on Moving Forward, I Will Protect You

"That is the situation, so I want to go to the Far North myself to see what is happening." After Wang Dong explained the reason, Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu exchanged glances. "We are going too!"

"The Far North is bitterly cold. I don't want you to take risks with me," Wang Dong refused without hesitation.

Ning Rongrong replied, "If you can endure the hardship, so can I."

"Exactly!" Xiao Wu echoed.

"Endure what hardship? Has someone been bullying you?" Chen Xin's voice came from behind them.

He had spent five full days absorbing the immortal herb. Every night, Ning Rongrong had worriedly gone to the roof to look at his room, only returning to sleep once she was certain he was safe.

Wang Dong keenly noticed that there was a significant change in Chen Xin's aura. If he was not mistaken, the Seven Kill Sword had evolved.

"Sword Grandpa!" Upon seeing him, Ning Rongrong rushed directly into Chen Xin's arms.

"What is it, little princess? Has someone been bullying you?" Sensing that something was off in her tone, Chen Xin asked.

Ning Rongrong shook her head. "Sword Grandpa, I'm just glad you're okay. Can you help me persuade Xiaodong?"

Persuade?

Chen Xin tilted his head slightly and turned his gaze toward Wang Dong. Wang Dong, holding Xiao Wu's hand, walked over to Chen Xin. After glancing at Xiao Wu, Chen Xin nodded. Xiao Wu felt a sense of relief wash over her.

"Sword Grandpa, I want to go to the Far North to investigate that matter." Wang Dong did not mince words and went straight to the point. The black insects and that Ice Jade Empress Scorpion all pointed toward the Far North. If their appearance was truly related to him, he had to go resolve it himself.

Chen Xin pondered for a moment before suggesting, "How about... I accompany you?"

"There is no need, Sword Grandpa. His Highness the Crown Prince said he would arrange for people to go with me," Wang Dong said with a sincere expression. He knew that if he went alone, they would certainly not allow it, but invoking the Crown Prince's name made it much more credible.

Sure enough, upon hearing that Xue Qinghe had made arrangements, Chen Xin hesitated. After all, before Wang Dong came to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he had been living in the Crown Prince's palace.

After thinking it through, Chen Xin said, "This matter still requires a word with your Uncle Ning."

Wang Dong looked solemn. "Don't worry, Sword Grandpa, I will."

***

Ning Rongrong had hoped Chen Xin would persuade him not to go to such a dangerous place, but to her surprise, Chen Xin agreed immediately. She took Xiao Wu's hand and ran toward Ning Fengzhi's study.

"Daddy! Daddy—"

Ning Fengzhi had been busy examining blueprints with the master of the Hundred Refinement Hall, but hearing the anxious voice of his daughter, he set his work aside and hurried out of the room, leaning down to ask, "Rongrong, Xiao Wu, what's the matter?"

"Daddy, you won't agree to let Xiaodong go to the Far North, will you?" Ning Rongrong stared at him, desperately seeking an answer.

Back in the secret chamber that day, Ning Fengzhi had sensed from Wang Dong's situation that he would eventually go to the Far North himself, though he had not expected it to be so soon.

Ning Fengzhi crouched down and pulled Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu into his arms. "Rongrong, Xiao Wu. Xiaodong is a bird destined to soar through the nine heavens; the small Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect cannot contain him. He will have a much larger stage."

This remark was overheard by Wang Dong and Chen Xin, who had followed close behind. Chen Xin looked at the small figures in his arms, his eyes reflecting an unusual firmness.

"But isn't our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect the number one auxiliary sect on the continent? How could it be small?" Ning Rongrong was full of confusion.

"There is a larger world, and there is the end of the path for spirit masters," Ning Fengzhi said, looking at the traces of doubt on his six-year-old daughter's tender face.

"What is the end for a spirit master?" Ning Rongrong asked, her voice soft and sweet after glancing at Xiao Wu.

Ning Fengzhi looked at their faces and said with a smile, "Once a spirit master breaks through level one hundred, they can become a god. By then, what they protect will be more than just the Douluo Continent."

Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu were stunned by these words.

"Fengzhi, they are still young. Isn't it a bit too early to talk about such things?" Chen Xin's voice came from behind.

Ning Fengzhi sighed softly and reached out to stroke the heads of Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu. "They are still young. I only hope you can grow up happy."

Wang Dong felt a tremor in his heart. Is it true that all parents in the world only wish for their children to be happy and joyful? And what about his own parents...

As he was thinking, he heard Ning Rongrong's voice again. "But the Far North is really dangerous, and Xiaodong, he..."

"Rongrong, when you absorbed that five-hundred-year spirit ring, it was also dangerous. You chose to face that danger yourself, didn't you?" Ning Fengzhi paused and continued, "What Daddy could do then was to protect you with all his might, not to deny your choices outright."

Ning Rongrong fell silent. It seemed that was true; her father had never interfered with her decisions as she grew up, choosing only to protect her from behind.

"So, since Xiaodong has chosen to go to the Far North, Daddy will do everything in his power to protect him, rather than deny him. Do you understand?"

Wang Dong walked forward, stood beside Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong, and said to Ning Fengzhi, "Thank you, Uncle Ning."

***

In Ning Fengzhi, he felt a long-lost sense of family affection.

Ning Fengzhi tapped him on the nose. "Alright, wait until Uncle Ning has everything prepared for you before you set off."

"Yes!"

When night fell, Wang Dong tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Feeling that something was amiss, he went alone to the top of the mountain behind the sect. The swing was still there, the frame now covered in flowers, and the quilt and pillow that Xue Qinghe had brought last time were still neatly placed upon it.

Wang Dong leaped onto the swing frame, feeling that it brought him a little closer to the stars.

"Hmph! You always show up when there's nothing going on, but now that I actually need you, I haven't seen a shadow of you for days," Wang Dong muttered to himself.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the pile of rocks behind him.

Wang Dong curled his lips into a smile. He knew Xue Qinghe had left people here, and whatever he said would surely reach his ears. Although Uncle Ning would trust him, he had to inform Xue Qinghe just in case. He didn't know how long this trip would take, and he needed to make sure their stories stayed consistent.

Xue Qinghe's subordinates possessed a unique method of secret transmission. That very evening, he received word that Wang Dong was looking for him, which left him puzzled.

"This brat, he's so arrogant even when he needs a favor," Xue Qinghe shook his head and sighed.

Despite his words, he was still worried and decided to rush to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect that night. Just as he stepped out the door, he remembered something and asked toward the darkness behind him, "Has he arrived?"

No one appeared, but a voice replied, "He is expected to arrive tomorrow."

"Tell him to wait for me outside the city of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"Yes!"