...
Xuan Hao looked at Ning Rongrong, whose cunning and scheming nature was already at its peak, and was about to continue refuting her peculiar logic.
However, just as Ning Rongrong was brazenly staring at Zhu Zhuqing on the field and "criticizing" her,
Seemingly sensing the penetrating, even calculating, gaze from this direction, Zhu Zhuqing, who had just finished a sprint, subconsciously turned her head and glanced in the direction of the big tree.
Just one glance.
When Zhu Zhuqing saw Ning Rongrong's cunning, fox-like expression, and the meaningful, almost murderous look in her eyes as she stared at him...
Zhu Zhuqing, who was always intelligent and perceptive, felt a sudden jolt in her heart and almost instantly realized what they had been discussing!
For the past month, there have been strange noises that could still be faintly heard every night from the next room, even though they were deliberately suppressed; and every morning, Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Na'er would appear in turn, their radiant complexions and unsteady steps...
How could she possibly know absolutely nothing?!
She just felt embarrassed and didn't want to break the unsettling barrier, so she kept trying to numb herself with intense training, pretending to be a clueless blockhead!
But now, looking at Ning Rongrong's eyes, could this girl be thinking of... dragging me into that absurd vortex too?!
"Bang!"
Just as Zhu Zhuqing's mind was racing and she was seriously distracted for a moment.
Xiao Wu, who was sparring with Zhu Zhuqing, landed a fast roundhouse kick followed by a straight punch. According to the original rhythm, Zhu Zhuqing could have easily dodged this by turning to the side.
But because she was distracted, Zhu Zhuqing didn't make any defensive moves at all!
"oops!"
Xiao Wu clearly hadn't expected Zhu Zhuqing, who was always completely focused, to suddenly stop in place like a wooden stake. It was too late for her to pull back her strength; the punch landed solidly on Zhu Zhuqing's soft abdomen.
"Hmm..."
Zhu Zhuqing groaned, lost her balance, and fell directly onto the grass.
"Zhuqing! Are you alright?!"
Xiao Wu was startled and quickly stopped dodging, running over with a look of astonishment and regret:
"I'm so sorry!
I didn't mean to!
Why did you suddenly stop dodging?"
Fortunately, Xiao Wu was just sparring and didn't use her soul skills.
Although the blow was solid, it didn't cause any real damage.
Under the big tree.
Xuan Hao also noticed the sudden situation.
He frowned, pushed away Ning Rongrong who was still secretly laughing in his arms, and quickly walked over.
"What's going on?"
Xuan Hao crouched down, looked at Zhu Zhuqing who was sitting on the ground, and asked with some doubt, "Are you injured?"
"No...it's nothing."
Zhu Zhuqing didn't dare to look Xuan Hao in the eye, especially when she thought of Ning Rongrong's strange look just now, her ears started to burn involuntarily.
She lowered her head, reached up and rubbed her lower abdomen where she had been hit, and tried to remain calm as she said:
"Well... I just spaced out."
"Distracted?"
Xuan Hao frowned even more deeply.
Among these girls, Zhu Zhuqing undoubtedly has the strongest willpower.
Her attitude towards cultivation can be described as extremely strict, even to the point of being a "workaholic".
How could someone who is always striving for breakthroughs make such a basic mistake as losing focus during actual combat?
This is very abnormal.
But seeing Zhu Zhuqing's obvious reluctance to talk more, and even her somewhat evasive manner, Xuan Hao didn't press her for details.
"It's good that you're alright.
You must concentrate when sparring, otherwise this could be fatal on the real battlefield."
Xuan Hao gave a word of advice, then stood up, turned around, and walked back.
Watching Xuan Hao's figure disappear into the distance, Xiao Wu then approached Zhu Zhuqing, her rabbit ears drooping slightly as she looked at her with some suspicion:
"Zhuqing, is something on your mind? You're never like this when you spar."
"I...I'm really fine."
Feeling a little guilty under Xiao Wu's gaze, Zhu Zhuqing turned her face away and casually made up an excuse:
"Maybe... I haven't been resting well lately, so my sleep is a little light at night and I can't concentrate very well."
Didn't get enough rest?
Light sleep?
"hiss..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu, who had just been full of concern, suddenly froze, a strong sense of guilt instantly welling up in her heart.
Could it be that...
Xiao Wu swallowed hard, her big eyes darting around.
Could it be that their nightly "fights" in my brother's room over the past month have been too noisy and disturbed Zhuqing's sleep?
Oh my god! Has she already discovered their secret with my brother?!
Oh no, oh no, we've really lost our lives!
that's all.
Because of the phrase "I haven't rested well," the two girls each had their own ulterior motives, and their minds were no longer on their competition.
The style of the next practice session changed drastically.
Because she felt guilty, Xiao Wu's punches were weak, afraid of hurting the "victim" who might already know all the secrets.
Zhu Zhuqing's mind was filled with Ning Rongrong's strange look from earlier, and her defense was full of holes; she was completely out of sorts.
The two of them were playing house, pushing each other and blocking each other, their behavior was so perfunctory it was outrageous.
A few minutes later.
Xuan Hao, who was watching the battle from under a tree, couldn't bear to watch any longer.
He stood up helplessly, walked between the two, and directly interrupted this pointless "slacking off" performance:
"Alright, alright, stop now."
Xuan Hao looked at the two distracted individuals and said irritably, "If you're not in the zone, take a break.
This kind of half-hearted training you're doing right now is a complete waste of time and energy; it's utterly pointless!"
"If you're tired, go sit over there for a while, adjust your mindset, and practice again after you've rested!"
After being reprimanded by Xuan Hao, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, who were already harboring their own secrets, became even more guilty.
The two of them lowered their heads like schoolchildren who had made a mistake, neither daring to utter a single word of rebuttal.
They turned around and ran to the other side of the woods with perfect understanding, finding a quiet corner away from Xuan Hao and Ning Rongrong, where they sat cross-legged and began to meditate and regulate their breathing.
"Did these two girls take the wrong medicine today?"
Xuan Hao watched their retreating figures and shook his head helplessly.
He was about to turn around and walk back to the big tree to continue "lying flat," but just as he turned around, he suddenly...
A very subtle yet scrutinizing and oppressive gaze, like the flick of a viper's tongue, swept across a dense canopy of trees hundreds of meters away!
Driven by his fighting instincts, the languidness in Xuan Hao's eyes vanished instantly.
Almost at the same instant he sensed the gaze, he abruptly turned his head, his sharp eyes piercing that direction like a sword.
"Whoosh!"
The owner of that gaze was clearly an extremely cautious and terrifyingly powerful veteran.
The moment Xuan Hao's gaze fell upon him, the other party decisively concealed all his aura, his figure instantly blending into the shadows of the forest, disappearing without a trace, without even disturbing a single leaf.
Xuan Hao stared at the empty canopy of trees, but did not chase after them. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You run pretty fast..."
Although the other party concealed their aura extremely well and their retreat was practically perfect, Xuan Hao knew without a second thought who this powerful individual, possessing such a level of concealment ability and interested in "spying" on them, was in the vicinity of Soto City.
Haotian Douluo, Tang Hao.
"Finally unable to hold back any longer, they've started observing from the shadows?"
It's not surprising at all that Tang Hao would be here.
Because of his appearance and Xiao Wu's departure, Tang San's condition at Shrek Academy over the past few months must have been greatly affected.
Tang Hao, who sees Tang San as both a tool for revenge and his only hope, cannot tolerate his beloved son being so distracted by a girl that his cultivation progress is even affected!
Since this old guy has set his sights on Xiao Wu, there are only two possible methods he'll use next.
Alternatively, they could create an opportunity to cruelly expose Xiao Wu's identity as a 100,000-year-old soul beast in front of Tang San!
This forced Tang San to abandon their relationship due to shock and the ethical dilemma of humans and animals being incompatible.
Alternatively, they could use even more underhanded methods.
They could secretly orchestrate a grand scheme of hero saving the damsel in distress or betrayal, forcibly severing Tang San's feelings for Xiao Wu and forcing him to refocus entirely on his cultivation.
Regardless of the method used, Tang Hao had only one goal—to make Xiao Wu, this "variable," disappear completely from Tang San's world!
If Tang Hao really intends to harm Xiao Wu, or wants to use Xiao Wu to set a trap...
That actually made things simpler.
Xuan Hao gently stroked the Qiankun Ring on his finger, feeling the vibrant aura of the Blue Silver Emperor within.
I'm not afraid of you, Tang Hao, hiding in the shadows like a coward; I'm just afraid you won't come out and cause trouble!
As long as you dare to jump out and reach out to Xiao Wu...
Then this "royal flush" that I specially tailored for you, Tang Hao, can be thrown in your face with the utmost smoothness!
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