Chapter 285
: We've staked the entire future of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School on you!
Ning Fengzhi's heart clenched. Looking at his daughter's pale face and trembling body, a strong sense of reluctance and heartache welled up in his heart.
How old is Rongrong?
Twelve years old!
He was about to be thrown into this top-level business war vortex, which even he felt was like walking on thin ice.
He knew Lin Xia's methods all too well; when she was gentle, she was like a spring breeze and rain, but when she was ruthless, she was as cold as ice from the heavens!
Can Rongrong handle it?
But he knew even better that this was the hardship Rongrong had to go through to become a true successor!
Flowers grown in a greenhouse can never survive in the cruel world of Soul Masters in Douluo Continent!
In the end, all the worry and reluctance turned into a heavy sigh. Ning Fengzhi nodded forcefully, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Of course... Brother Lin Xia's willingness to personally teach me is a great blessing for Rongrong. Everything... is in your hands now."
Ning Fengzhi paused, his gaze falling on his daughter again, his eyes filled with complex emotions, which finally settled into an almost tragic determination.
"Let her see for herself! Let her see the reality of Douluo Continent!"
Let's see what kind of treacherous schemes lie behind this soul tool transaction!
Let her see how unpredictable people can be and how deep their scheming can be!
Let her understand that behind the seemingly glamorous business of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, every transaction and every collaboration embodies countless hours of effort, wisdom, and even… the price of blood and fire!
Ning Fengzhi's voice suddenly rose, carrying an almost cathartic pain.
"Fine! Fine! Let her stumble a few times, let her get hurt! Let her know the pain! Let her know fear! Let her completely put away that arrogant and ignorant attitude!"
Otherwise... otherwise I'm really scared!
I fear that one day when I close my eyes, this vast Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will truly be completely ruined by her naivety and ignorance!
Ning Fengzhi practically roared out the last few words, which contained a father's deepest worry and despair for his daughter's future!
This heavy sense of despair, like a solid lead weight, slammed into Ning Rongrong's heart.
"It's over..."
Ning Rongrong's delicate body trembled violently, her lips quivering as she repeatedly chewed over those three words.
This time, she no longer harbored any resentment or wishful thinking.
Her father's almost desperate gaze and Lin Xia's profound calm were like two cold mirrors, making her see her own ignorance and insignificance with crystal clarity.
She finally realized that she seemed to be in a really serious situation.
She had no other choice.
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong was completely stunned, as if struck by an invisible thunderbolt!
Follow him?!
Why should she follow this guy who just moments ago made her incredibly embarrassed and is now coldly uttering such terrifying words as "it's all over"?!
Father actually... he actually nodded in agreement?!
"Father! I..."
Ning Rongrong was eager to speak, her face flushed red with panic and resistance.
"I do not……"
She wanted to say, "I don't want to follow him!"
But as soon as she tried to speak, she met her father Ning Fengzhi's tired, heavy, yet incredibly determined gaze, especially the deep, unyielding worry in his eyes—the fear that the sect would truly be destroyed in his hands. It was like a cold dagger that pierced through all of Ning Rongrong's resistance.
The words "I don't want to" were ultimately left unsaid, stuck in her throat, making her chest feel tight.
She could only look at Ning Fengzhi in despair, her glass-like eyes welling up with tears of grievance and helplessness.
Lin Xia seemed oblivious to Ning Rongrong's resistance. His professional smile returned as he addressed Ning Fengzhi:
"Don't worry, Brother Ning, I will let your daughter 'see' what a real deal is."
His tone was calm, yet carried a chilling certainty. Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress all the reluctance and worry in his heart.
He took one last look at his daughter, his gaze complex and indescribable, which ultimately turned into a deep sigh.
"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Brother Lin Xia. Rongrong... is now in your care."
He turned to Ning Rongrong, his tone more serious than ever before, even carrying a hint of command.
“Rongrong, remember! Follow City Lord Lin Xia, observe more, listen more, and think more! Put away all your petty temper! His words are my words! If you dare to disobey, or give up halfway…”
Ning Fengzhi didn't finish speaking, but the sternness in his unfinished words made Ning Rongrong shiver involuntarily.
"Lin Xia."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin, who had always stood behind Ning Rongrong like a guardian angel, finally spoke.
His voice remained cold and steady, as if carved from ancient ice, but when his sharp, sword-like eyes looked at Lin Xia, they carried a hint of solemn entrustment.
"Rongrong...please."
The weight of those words, "Please," uttered by Sword Douluo, was enough to shake the entire continent.
Lin Xia met Chen Xin's sword-like eyes, which seemed to pierce through her soul, and calmly nodded.
"Don't worry, Uncle Jian."
These four simple words contain an invisible promise.
Chen Xin said no more, but his hand on Ning Rongrong's shoulder tightened slightly, and a steady and powerful soul force flowed into Ning Rongrong's body like a warm current, instantly dispelling the chill brought on by her fear and pressure, and giving her a slight support.
After doing all this, Chen Xin withdrew his hand and took a half step back, like a sharp sword sheathed, its sharpness completely concealed, but the invisible protective intent still remained.
Ning Fengzhi took one last deep look at his daughter, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end it just turned into a silent sigh.
He and Chen Xin exchanged a glance, and the two pillars of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School became blurred in the moonlight. The powerful soul energy fluctuations flashed by and disappeared silently, as if blending into the night.
They left decisively, without the slightest hesitation. Leaving Ning Rongrong behind was like throwing an unpolished gem into a raging furnace.
Ning Rongrong stared blankly in the direction where her father and Grandpa Jian had disappeared. Only the cold night wind and Flander's suppressed sobs in the distance remained on the empty playground. An unprecedented sense of bewilderment and helplessness, like a cold tide, instantly overwhelmed her.
Is Father really gone?
Grandpa Jian has passed away too?
So they just dumped her on this unfathomable Lin Xia?
A tremendous panic gripped her heart, making her feel so small and helpless.
"Miss Ning."
Lin Xia's cool voice rang out from behind her, interrupting Ning Rongrong's thoughts.
Ning Rongrong turned around abruptly, looking at him warily like a startled fawn.
Lin Xia's face showed little expression, remaining calm to the point of indifference.
He casually put his hands in his pockets, and the moonlight shone on his handsome profile, outlining his deep features.
"It seems that your father and His Majesty Sword Douluo have high hopes for you."
Lin Xia's tone was flat, making it impossible to tell whether it was a sigh or sarcasm.
"Or rather, the future of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is staked on this 'simple' deal with you." (End of Chapter)