Chapter 22
Zhu Lu will definitely stay by her side at all times.
Cui Yajie was leaning against the table, trimming her nails while smiling at me, looking like she was just there to freeload.
In the next row, Wang Dong'er was sitting in her seat, fuming.
Her short, light blue hair looked a little messy, and her fair face was full of resentment.
She shamelessly followed him to Class 9 today, hoping to find an opportunity to see through Dai Huabin's true colors and, incidentally, find a reason to beat him up, thus regaining face after being caught in the cross-dressing situation.
Xiao Xiao sat next to Wang Dong'er with her hands supporting her chin, her big eyes sparkling as she stared at Dai Huabin, clearly a typical looks-obsessed person.
Ning Tian followed Dai Huabin's finger and glanced around, a slight smile playing on her lips:
"Of course we'll all be together. We're all classmates, so it'll be more lively with more people."
She turned to look behind her: "Xiao Feng, Yun'er, you two come too."
Wu Feng was still sitting in her seat, not yet fully recovered. She stood up with a grumble, still resentful, but since the young master had spoken, she had no choice but to obey.
Nammon Yoon-ah nodded silently.
The group of eight left Shrek Academy in a grand procession.
Dai Huabin's team has an incredibly high rate of attracting attention.
Putting aside his signature blond hair, the group of girls following him were all different shapes and sizes, each with their own unique charm.
Zhu Lu's cool and aloof demeanor, Cui Yajie's alluring charm, Wang Dong'er's stunning beauty, Ning Tian's imposing nobility, plus the two little lolis, Xiao Xiao and Nanmen Yun'er.
The male trainees who passed by almost popped their eyes out.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Shrek City's busiest commercial street.
A magnificent four-story building stands in the center of the street, its exterior walls paved with precious white jade bricks that glitter in the sunlight.
The huge golden signboard reads "Jiubaoge".
This is a property of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, specializing in high-end luxury. In a place like Shrek City where land is incredibly valuable, the fact that they can open such a large store demonstrates their immense wealth.
In the top-floor VIP box, everyone took their seats in turn.
Exquisite dishes were served in a continuous stream.
Grilled ribs made from the meat of a century-old spirit beast, snow fish transported from the far north, and rich medicinal tonic soup.
The atmosphere during the meal was quite subtle.
Wu Feng remained silent throughout, treating the grilled ribs on her plate as if they were Dai Huabin, and crunching them loudly.
Wang Dong'er held a glass of juice in her hand, pretending to look at the murals on the wall, but her eyes kept darting to Dai Huabin out of the corner of her eye.
She couldn't understand it. This guy was about the same age as her, his soul power was twelve levels higher than hers, and his martial soul fusion skill could even evolve.
"If you keep staring at me like that, I'll bring this plate of peanuts right in front of you so you can eat them and stare all you want."
Dai Huabin suddenly turned around and bluntly exposed Wang Dong'er's lie.
Wang Dong'er was startled and almost choked on the juice.
"Who...who was looking at you! I was looking at the vase behind you! Stop flattering yourself!" Wang Dong'er retorted stubbornly, her face flushed.
Cui Yajie picked up a piece of fish and laughed heartily.
"Oh dear, Wang Dong'er, our class monitor is already taken. If you keep staring like that, Lulu's hands might get out of control."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Lu, who had been eating quietly, raised her right hand.
On those slender fingers, a faint glint of soul power flashed, and the nails instantly grew two inches longer, gleaming eerily. They tapped twice on the edge of the porcelain plate on the table in a defiant manner, producing a crisp sound.
"Pshaw! Who cares!"
Wang Dong'er crossed her arms, turned her head to the window, and ignored them.
Xiao Xiao covered her mouth and chuckled to herself, finding the interaction between these people incredibly amusing.
The dinner party quickly came to an end.
Ning Tian put down his chopsticks, took out a silk handkerchief, and gently wiped the corner of his mouth.
She looked around and said:
"Everyone's almost finished eating, right? Xiao Feng, take them to the mall downstairs. They just got a new batch of jewelry these days. Put it on my tab."
Everyone was taken aback.
This is clearly an attempt to get them out of the way.
Although Wu Feng was unwilling, he knew that the young master had important matters to discuss, so he stood up sullenly.
Cui Yajie, being the shrewdest person, immediately took Zhu Lu's arm:
"Come on, Lulu. When I came in just now, I saw that they sell imported face creams on the first floor. Let's go try them."
Zhu Lu did not agree immediately, but turned to look at Dai Huabin.
Only after Dai Huabin nodded slightly did she obediently stand up and follow Cui Yajie outside.
Wang Dong'er was glued to the chair, not wanting to move at all. She had a gut feeling that what they were about to discuss was an absolutely earth-shattering secret.
"I'm not leaving, I'm not full yet." Wang Dong'er grabbed an apple and took a bite.
Xiao Xiao quickly rushed over and dragged Wang Dong'er out, pulling and tugging at her.
"Oh, Dong'er, I have important business to attend to, I'm off! I've got my eye on a necklace, can you give me your opinion?"
"Alright, alright! I can walk by myself!"
As Wang Dong'er protested, the door to the private room was slammed shut.
The huge space fell silent instantly, leaving only Dai Huabin and Ning Tian sitting face to face.
Ning Tian crossed his hands on the table, sat up straight, and his previous easygoing demeanor vanished.
"Dai Huabin, let's not beat around the bush." Ning Tian looked directly into Dai Huabin's eyes.
"You transferred to our Class 9 with your fiancée. You came here for me, didn't you? Or to be more precise, you came for the support of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind me."
This is entirely in line with the way wealthy scions do things.
Although the White Tiger Duke's Mansion commands a large army, it certainly needs the support of top-tier support sects to ensure its resources of high-level Soul Masters.
It was perfectly reasonable for Dai Huabin to try and win her over.
After listening, Dai Huabin chuckled softly.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea to aid digestion.
The rising steam blurred the smile in his eyes.
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, and asked a question in return:
"Ning Tian, are you really willing to accept this?"
Ning Tian was stunned for a moment.
She had expected Dai Huabin to admit it or make some demands, but she never imagined she would hear such a nonsensical statement.
"Willing? What do you mean by that?" Ning Tian frowned.
Dai Huabin put down his teacup and leaned forward slightly.
"It means that ten thousand years ago on the Douluo Continent, there were three famous sects: the Clear Sky Hammer, the number one weapon spirit in the world; the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the number one beast spirit in the world; and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the number one support spirit in the world."
"In that era, even if the sect master's spirit could never break through to the eighth ring, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could still firmly hold its position among the top three sects. Two super Douluo were willing to risk their lives for you, and you were the absolute focus wherever you went."
At this point, Dai Huabin suddenly stopped, staring intently at Ning Tian.
"And what about today, ten thousand years later? The Body Sect acts erratically, Shrek Academy dominates, and the Sun Moon Empire produces countless level-nine Soul Masters. And what about you?"
Dai Huabin's words were like a knife, mercilessly slicing through the surface:
"Where is the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's true core strength now, besides relying on throwing money at a few idle experts from other families to win over?"
The greatest support hero in the world ten thousand years ago couldn't even keep a titled Douluo of his own.
These words were undeniably sharp, directly tearing away the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's biggest fig leaf.
The sect's spirit has flaws, preventing it from cultivating top-tier experts on its own. It can only rely on wealth to hire them, which is Ning Tian's deepest pain.
Ning Tian's expression changed after hearing these words. But unexpectedly, she did not become angry or embarrassed.
After a brief silence, Ning Tian laughed instead. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and retaliated without showing any weakness.
"You're right. Our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is indeed facing a talent shortage right now. But so what?"
Ning Tian raised his chin and stared at Dai Huabin:
"What right do you, the second young master of the White Tiger Duke's mansion, have to sympathize with us?"
Ten thousand years ago, your Dai family was the royal family of the Star Luo Empire; the entire country belonged to you. And now?
She sneered, hitting the Dai family where it hurt:
"Now that the throne has been lost, the Xu family has taken over as the master of Xingluo City. What can your Dai family do besides leading troops to eat sand on the border? You're not worthy to come here and talk about your downfall."
Ning Tian has a fiery temper and refuses to suffer any loss.
Dai Huabin was not angry at all; instead, he clapped his hands and laughed.
"Hahaha, well said."
Dai Huabin shook his head, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"However, you've got one thing wrong."
He stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window of the private room, looking down at the bustling streets of Shrek City below.
"To be honest, I don't care at all who becomes the emperor of the Star Luo Empire. As for that broken chair, let whoever wants to sit in it sit in it; I have no interest in it whatsoever."
Ning Tian's heart skipped a beat.
If this gets out, it will be a serious crime! This kid doesn't seem to care at all about the Dai family losing their imperial power?
"You don't care about the throne?" Ning Tian asked, his face full of disbelief.
"So what is it that you went to all that trouble to bet with me?"
[end of the chapter ]