After saying those words, Oscar suddenly grabbed Ning Rongrong's small hand, pulled it to his lips, and planted a firm kiss on it. Then, his face brimming with excitement, he turned and ran off. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished from sight.
Did his silence count as consent? Ning Rongrong stared blankly at the spot where Oscar had disappeared, feeling the lingering warmth of his touch still on the back of her hand. In that moment, she found herself somewhat dazed. She knew that there was indeed a place for him in her heart, but that place was unstable for various reasons. Yet watching Oscar leave in such a state of elation, Ning Rongrong felt her heart gradually beginning to melt. His joy was entirely because of her, and that scorching feeling was something she had never experienced before in her entire life.
"Rongrong, what are you doing here?" At that moment, a familiar voice came from another direction, snapping Ning Rongrong out of her stupor. She turned to look and saw Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong approaching from the direction of the teaching building, accompanied by Zhao Wuji.
Ning Rongrong was startled and quickly composed herself. "Father. Are you leaving already?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "The clan still has many matters that need Father to attend to. While you're here, listen to your teachers and continue to train hard. Father hopes that when I see you again in a while, you'll be able to give me another pleasant surprise. Teacher Zhao, I'll be entrusting Rongrong to your esteemed academy. Should your academy ever need anything in the future, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan will be duty-bound to assist."
Ning Fengzhi's promise was arguably more effective than that of any Titled Douluo. Although Zhao Wuji was a proud and unyielding man himself, he conducted himself with considerable modesty before Ning Fengzhi.
"Clan Master Ning, rest assured — we will take excellent care of Rongrong. Please travel safely." With that, Zhao Wuji tactfully turned and walked back into the academy, leaving the private space for Ning Fengzhi and his daughter.
Ning Fengzhi reached out and gently stroked his daughter's head. "Oh my, Rongrong, why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?" He touched her cheek and found that Ning Rongrong's small face was not only flushed but also noticeably warm.
Ning Rongrong hastily pulled her father's hand away. "No, I'm perfectly fine. Father, aren't you going to stay a little longer?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly. "Silly girl, you're almost fourteen now — practically a young lady. Study hard at the academy. During this time, your progress has made Father very pleased. Not just in terms of your strength, but more importantly, you've come to understand many principles of how to conduct yourself. You should spend more time with your Third Brother in the future. That boy Tang San is a rare talent — there's much you can learn from him."
Ning Rongrong watched her father and Bone Douluo depart until they were out of sight, then slowly walked back into the academy. After thinking about it for a long time, she still decided she needed to find Oscar and clear things up. At the very least, she had to let him know about her clan's rules. He was right — a short pain was better than a long one. No matter what, she couldn't allow herself to cause him emotional harm down the road.
With that thought, Ning Rongrong strode back into the academy and headed straight for the dining hall.
Given Oscar's Food Type Martial Soul, the dining hall was naturally the most suitable place for his mimicry cultivation.
When Ning Rongrong arrived at the dining hall, she spotted Oscar in a corner, already deep in cultivation. From the look on his face, she saw an intensity of focus she had never witnessed before. Even with her own immature understanding of feelings, she understood that Oscar's focus was entirely because of her.
In that moment, Ning Rongrong found herself somewhat lost in thought.
If she told him about her clan's rules right now, would he give up on himself entirely? If that happened, wouldn't she be the one who ruined him? He was a genius Soul Master too. Even if they couldn't be together in the future, she couldn't let him throw his future away like that.
Forget it — she'd talk to him later.
With that thought, Ning Rongrong actually felt a sense of relief wash over her. Deep down, she really didn't want to reject Oscar outright either — it was just that even she herself couldn't quite sort out her own feelings. Ning Rongrong silently decided that she would wait until after the advanced Soul Master tournament before having a proper talk with Oscar.
Life at the academy returned to normal after the Great Strength God and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan Master Ning Fengzhi and the others departed, though it was accompanied by a flurry of gossip.
Tang San, Ning Rongrong, and the others had undeniably become the subjects of heated discussion among the students.
Even the academy's advanced class received unusual attention from the teachers.
Starting from the day after Titan had recognized Tang San's identity, a new figure had appeared at Tang San's side — Tailong.
Every day, as soon as Tang San appeared, Tailong would immediately fall into step beside him. His reasoning was simple: Titan had ordered him to personally protect Tang San and serve as his attendant.
Tang San found this rather disagreeable, but with Tailong stubbornly sticking to him every single day, there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't as if he could just beat him up again.
And the look on Tailong's face made his position crystal clear: either you beat me to death, or you let me follow you.