...
Hearing Ning Rongrong's offer of goodwill, Tang San did not deliberately distance himself, but politely agreed: "Okay, if I encounter any trouble in Heaven Dou City in the future, I will definitely need to trouble you."
He was perfectly clear-headed; there was no real conflict between him and Ning Rongrong. From any perspective, he had no reason to completely ruin his relationship with the heir of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School because of Dai Mubai's personal grudges.
At this moment, Xiao Wu peeked out and curiously glanced at the burly man standing behind Tang San.
She couldn't help but ask, "Xiao San, who is this big oaf?
Is he a new friend you made in Heaven Dou City?"
Upon hearing this, Tang San looked slightly embarrassed.
For a moment, he didn't know how to explain Tai Long's troublesome background to Xiao Wu, so he could only nod vaguely:
"Well... he's also a new friend I've made here."
Upon hearing that he was Tang San's friend, Xiao Wu immediately flashed a bright smile and waved generously:
"Hello, big guy, my name is Xiao Wu, the 'Wu' in 'dancing'!"
Looking at the pretty girl in front of him, with her bright, smiling eyes, Tyrone, who had just been all muscle and menacing, blushed for the first time ever.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, looking slightly awkward and shy, and stammered as he introduced himself, "You... hello, my name is Tyrone."
At this moment, Xuan Hao, hidden in the shadows of the tree canopy, took in the entire scene.
Seeing that the tension had completely dissipated and Tang San clearly had no intention of getting involved in Dai Mubai's mess, Xuan Hao was completely relieved.
As long as Tang San doesn't get involved, there won't be any major trouble ahead.
With Dugu Yan and Na'er's current abilities, they could easily handle not only a weakened Dai Mubai, but even several more.
Since there was no need to worry about this, Xuan Hao withdrew his spiritual power, turned around and left, silently heading towards Liu Erlong's courtyard.
...
Before long, Xuan Hao arrived at the secluded cottage where Liu Erlong lived alone at the end of the woods behind the academy.
However, today's situation is somewhat unusual.
The usually energetic Liu Erlong was now dressed in a close-fitting black silk nightgown, sitting on the steps at the gate of the courtyard watering flowers without any regard for his image.
She didn't even notice that the kettle had overflowed; her brows were furrowed, and she looked worried and preoccupied.
Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow; this was the first time he had ever seen the female Tyrannosaurus Rex show such a dejected expression.
He concealed his footsteps, crept up behind Liu Erlong, and gently patted her slender back.
"who?!"
Liu Erlong was already distracted, and the sudden touch startled her so much that she trembled.
Out of the instinctive defense of a high-level Soul Master, she didn't even look, and reflexively threw a powerful backhand punch, slamming it down with a sharp whoosh!
Xuan Hao stood there, neither dodging nor avoiding, and didn't even activate his soul power defense.
"Bang!"
The punch landed solidly on his chest, producing a dull thud.
Upon recognizing Xuan Hao, Liu Erlong panicked instantly, her expression changing drastically.
Although she hadn't used her Martial Soul, the instinctive punch thrown out by a Soul Saint of over seventy levels in a moment of shock was incredibly powerful!
If the opponent were a Soul Master with a slightly weaker physique, this blow would probably have shattered their internal organs, sending them straight to heaven on the spot!
"You bastard, why do you walk so silently?!"
Liu Erlong quickly withdrew his hand, his voice filled with obvious panic and lingering fear.
He hurriedly reached out to check where he had been hit, "Are you alright?
Are you hurt...?"
However, Xuan Hao simply brushed off imaginary dust from his chest and looked at her with a puzzled expression:
"What could be wrong with me? Just think of it as scratching an itch.
But you, why do you look so absent-minded so early in the morning? You look so worried..."
Xuan Hao stroked his chin, then suddenly had a wild idea and guessed, "Could it be that old bastard Yu Luomian finally got his comeuppance and died suddenly?"
The worry and panic on Liu Erlong's face froze completely the moment he heard those words.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance, pinched Xuan Hao's arm hard, and cursed through gritted teeth, "If that old bastard were really dead, I should be celebrating with gongs and drums and firecrackers in the streets of Tiandou City right now! Why would I be here looking so gloomy?!"
Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow in confusion, then leaned closer with a look of curiosity: "
So what's wrong with you?
Sitting here so early in the morning, feeling melancholy.
Come on, what's bothering you?
Tell me and cheer me up."
Hearing those irritating words, three black lines instantly appeared on Liu Erlong's forehead.
She glared at him angrily:
"You bastard, you can't stand not provoking me for a day, can you?"
"Oh, just kidding." Xuan Hao laughed and quickly went behind her, reaching out to massage her shoulders and then gently patting her back.
"I just saw you were feeling down and wanted to cheer you up with this kind of humor."
Feeling the warm, strong hand on her shoulder, Liu Erlong recalled Flander's lewd words from last night, and her expression immediately became somewhat unnatural.
As if electrocuted, she frantically shook her shoulder, avoiding Xuan Hao's touch, clearly not wanting him to touch her at this moment.
Xuan Hao noticed her resistance but didn't force her.
He sat down next to her quite naturally, turned his head and asked seriously, "What's wrong?
Are you in a bad mood?
Who's been so blind as to offend you?
Tell me, and if you can't beat them, I'll stand up for you and take them down.
Don't let my recent breakthrough to level 75 Soul Saint fool you; if it really comes down to it, I don't even consider ordinary Title Douluos a threat."
Liu Erlong was speechless for a moment, then turned and glared at him:
"Stop pretending you don't know the answer.
In this Tiandou City, besides you, who else can offend me?"
"So it was me?" Upon hearing this, Xuan Hao immediately spread his hands wide and puffed out his chest.
"That's easy. Since I'm the one who upset you, then you can vent your anger yourself. Hit me here, hit me however you want.
Anyway, I'm tough and can take a beating. I won't die."
Seeing his shameless, nonchalant attitude, Liu Erlong was completely exasperated.
She couldn't help but sigh, a complex look in her eyes.
This bastard has been like this since he was a child; she's practically watched him grow up.
All these years have passed, and his lawless nature hasn't changed at all.
"I was hoping that as you grew up and became stronger, you would at least become more mature," Liu Erlong complained, rubbing his forehead.
"But what happened?
This shameless attitude is exactly the same as when you were a child, and even worse."
Xuan Hao shrugged and argued confidently, "You can't say that.
I'm not shameless with everyone. Just ask around on the mainland, and I think I've always dealt with most people by using my fists, right?
If I can solve a problem with my fists, I won't even bother with a word."
"How dare you bring that up?!"
Liu Erlong seemed to have been hit where it hurt by those words.
Her eyebrows shot up, and she pointed at his nose, cursing,
"When you first met me, you also used your fists to settle things! You almost tore my place down along with half my life!"
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