Upon hearing this, Liu Erlong gave an awkward smile. Her trip out this time had a singular purpose—she was looking for someone. Having heard that he had arrived in Heaven Dou City...
How could she explain this to her students?
Even though she had a fiery temper and usually didn't care what others thought, there were some things that just weren't appropriate to share in front of the students. After all, she still had some sense of propriety.
"Ahem. I came out to find someone. You two should head back and focus on preparing for the tournament. I'll take my leave."
After saying this, Liu Erlong hurried off, leaving Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing staring at each other in confusion.
"???"
The two exchanged a baffled glance.
"Zhuqing, do you like that guy Li Si? The way you look at him, tsk tsk..." Ning Rongrong whispered mischievously.
Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks flushed crimson. She hadn't expected Ning Rongrong to be so cheeky, bringing up something like this out of the blue.
"My benefactor already has someone he likes..." Zhu Zhuqing mumbled, her voice barely audible, like the buzzing of a mosquito.
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong felt her suspicion confirmed. As she had guessed, Zhu Zhuqing did have feelings for Li Si. Even though Li Si wasn't much to look at before, he was undeniably handsome now!
"It's often said in the Soul Master world: 'A life-saving debt can only be repaid by devoting oneself.'"
"Rongrong!"
"Hahaha, I'm just joking. But honestly, I like Li Si too. If it's possible, how about we marry him together?"
Ning Rongrong's serious tone left Zhu Zhuqing momentarily stunned.
Marry him together???
How could Ning Rongrong even come up with such an idea?
"Are you serious?"
"Mm!" Ning Rongrong nodded earnestly. "With Li Si's talent, barring any accidents, he'll undoubtedly become one of the strongest figures on the Douluo Continent within twenty years!"
"By then, the position of my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan..."
She trailed off, leaving her thoughts unspoken.
As the daughter of Ning Fengzhi, how could she not see the bigger picture? Despite her outwardly carefree and playful demeanor, she wasn't naive.
"The best solution to this problem is an alliance through marriage," Ning Rongrong thought to herself.
"Rongrong, I didn't think you'd consider things so thoroughly?"
Zhu Zhuqing raised her brows in surprise. Ning Rongrong had always been like a little troublemaker, yet here she was, carefully considering such serious matters.
"Uh..." Ning Rongrong's mouth twitched. Did Zhu Zhuqing really think she was just some clueless little girl?
"If Li Si really joins the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Zhuqing, you wouldn't want to end up opposing your benefactor, would you?" Ning Rongrong whispered. Her words made Zhu Zhuqing shiver, though she couldn't pinpoint why they sounded so strange.
"If I marry him, and you marry him too, wouldn't that resolve everything?" Ning Rongrong said with a sly smile.
In a powerful clan, personal freedom was limited. Even as the daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's patriarch, Ning Rongrong couldn't escape this reality. If not for Li Si, she might one day be forced into an arranged marriage with someone she didn't like.
Better to choose someone she actually cared for than to be forced into an unpleasant union.
This was Ning Rongrong's most honest thought.
As for Oscar? What did he count for? Ning Rongrong had never paid him any mind.
Zhu Zhuqing was stunned. She had just managed to break off her engagement, and now they were talking about arranging another one for her?
No matter how she thought about it, it seemed absurd.
That said, if it were Li Si... she wouldn't oppose the idea.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing blushing silently, Ning Rongrong shook her head. Her friend was definitely hopelessly lovestruck. She probably wouldn't even notice if she were being sold out.
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament was proceeding steadily, while Li Si and his group had arrived at their destination: the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was located in a mountain range on the border between the Star Luo and Heaven Dou Empires. Its structure was somewhat similar to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's.
Outer disciples guarded the foot of the mountain, while the true entrance to the clan lay at the summit—a symbol of the exalted status of those who lived there.
However, they seemed to overlook one thing: it was quite cold at the top of a mountain.
Yu Longliu had entered the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan ahead of time to inform Yu Yuanzhen and the others of the good news—Li Si's "return."
The purpose, of course, was to organize a grand welcome. If Li Si had come all this way only to be greeted with indifference, he might very well have turned and left!
This was a rare opportunity to bring back such a formidable figure.
Without hesitation, Yu Yuanzhen summoned all the clan members who were present, leaving only those who were away on assignments. They all gathered at the foot of the mountain to await Li Si's arrival.
This spectacle left many uninformed clan members utterly bewildered.
What was going on here? Even if the Pope of the Spirit Hall visited, would they need such a massive turnout?
Time passed, and when everything was ready, Li Si, Gu Yuena, Xiao Wu, and Yu Tianxin finally appeared at the base of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's mountain.
"Clan Leader, elders, brothers, this is my fourth uncle, Li Si!" Yu Longliu eagerly introduced.
The clan members who had been confused earlier suddenly understood. Over the past year, their clan had gone to great lengths to search for Li Si, but he had seemed to vanish without a trace.
"Greetings, Fourth Uncle (Fourth Grandfather, Fourth Ancestor)!"
Li Si twitched at the corners of his mouth. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan really went all out, didn't they?
The mass of people stretched out as far as he could see, including both outer and core disciples. How were there so many of them?
Wait a minute—he had come here to clarify that he had no connection to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. How had things turned out like this?
"Fourth Brother, welcome home!"
A tall, imposing elder who looked to be in his seventies or eighties stepped forward, his face lined with authority but softened by a warm smile.
Li Si: "..."
This "Fourth Brother" wasn't referring to his rank in the family but rather to his given name.
Calling him anything else would have felt less intimate, so addressing him as "Fourth Brother" instantly added a sense of camaraderie.
Large clans always had their ways of pulling people in, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was no exception. It just depended on whether they found someone worth using these methods on.
Li Si shrugged helplessly. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.
Should he just accept this "Big Brother" Yu Yuanzhen? That way, Yu Xiaogang would have to call him uncle!
No, no, absolutely not! Who in their right mind would want to be Yu Xiaogang's uncle?
Caught in this situation, Li Si had no idea what to say. After a long silence, he finally opened his mouth:
"Clan Leader Yu, I came to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to..."
Before he could finish, Yu Yuanzhen interrupted him with a wave of his hand.
"Fourth Brother, calling me 'Clan Leader Yu' breaks my heart! Among our generation, I am the eldest. Just call me Big Brother."
Li Si: "..."
Li Si was completely dumbfounded. Was everyone in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan crazy?
No matter how much he denied it, they refused to believe him!
Yu Yuanzhen then turned to the gathered disciples and declared:
"Let me introduce you to someone. This is Li Si, an elder of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and my peer."
"Fourth Brother has been traveling across the Douluo Continent all these years. Now that he has returned home, from this day forward, all of you..."
(Chapter ends here.)