Why is the story coming from Tang Hao different from what they heard from Ning Rongrong and what they learned from Xue Qinghe?
First of all, Ning Rongrong would never lie to him, so the truth of the matter became clear.
Ning Fengzhi waited until Tang Hao finished speaking before carefully choosing his words and said, "Brother Tang, to be honest, my daughter was also present at the scene. When she returned, she told me what happened, but her account differs slightly from what you've said. Would you like to hear it?"
Tang Hao wasn't a fool; he could understand the implication of Ning Fengzhi's words. Given what had just transpired, he was also beginning to doubt Yu Xiaogang's version of events. So, he nodded in agreement.
Three minutes later, after Ning Fengzhi finished recounting the story, he looked at Tang Hao and said, "This is what happened, according to Rongrong."
Tang Hao was now in a state of rage. While the differences weren't vast, the impression each version gave was entirely different.
In Yu Xiaogang's version, he had much less involvement, merely playing the role of a competent teacher. However, in Ning Fengzhi's version, from Ning Rongrong's perspective, Yu Xiaogang's presence was significant. He was the one who initiated the entire event, while Tang San was merely following orders.
"Thank you, Brother Ning. I think I know where the problem lies now," Tang Hao replied with frustration.
"No problem. After all, our three upper sects have always been closely linked and have supported each other. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Clear Sky Clan have always been on good terms. It seems that this was just the work of a petty person, and it's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared up."
Despite his words, Ning Fengzhi's expression wasn't pleasant. Yu Xiaogang, huh? He made a mental note of the name.
Seeing Tang Hao's conflicted expression, Ning Fengzhi suddenly spoke again: "Brother Tang, since neither of us took Zhu Zhuqing, this situation has become interesting. Perhaps someone is trying to manipulate both of us from behind the scenes. Of course, this is just a guess."
"It can only be the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Yu Xiaogang... what a cunning man," Tang Hao replied, following Ning Fengzhi's lead and gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"We can't be certain yet. They don't have a motive for kidnapping Zhu Zhuqing," Ning Fengzhi countered, playing devil's advocate.
"If it wasn't them, who else could it be? Brother Ning, I've been impulsive today. I'll take my leave now and visit again another day," Tang Hao said, not waiting for Ning Fengzhi's response before turning and walking out of the hall, heading towards the mountain gate.
Sword Douluo followed him silently, not daring to let him leave on his own. Who knew what trouble he might cause?
After the two figures disappeared, Gu Rong suddenly turned to Ning Fengzhi and asked, "Fengzhi, this matter probably has nothing to do with them, right?"
"I don't know, but it's unlikely. They don't have the brains for it," Ning Fengzhi replied, elegantly sipping tea as he spoke.
"And what about Tang Hao?"
Gu Rong raised an eyebrow.
"What does that have to do with us? That's just what Tang Hao believes. Besides, he unjustly blamed us for this, so not responding would make us look weak."
"Also, no matter how useless Yu Xiaogang is, he's still Yu Yuanzhen's son. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to intervene, so letting Tang Hao teach him a lesson might be for the best. A traitor of the Clear Sky Clan and the discarded son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—how fitting."
Ning Fengzhi's smile remained as kind as ever, but Gu Rong sighed inwardly, knowing that Ning Fengzhi wouldn't let this matter go easily. Perhaps this was just the beginning.
"Oh, by the way, Uncle Bone, have our people continue searching for Zhu Zhuqing's whereabouts through various channels. Don't stop for now. Since it wasn't Tang Hao, there might be someone else involved in this, and we need to find out who."
Ning Fengzhi's expression turned serious again.
"It's unlikely to be Xue Qinghe, so... could it be the Star Luo Empire? Or the Spirit Hall?"
"The Spirit Hall is more likely. But Salas can confirm that he hasn't taken any action. Could it be that someone else from the Spirit Hall has come, and we haven't noticed? Or is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan involved? But what would their motive be? I just can't figure it out."
Ning Fengzhi lowered his head, trying to piece together the entire situation.
For him, when in doubt, suspect the Spirit Hall. Even if they weren't involved, it was never wrong to include them as suspects.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was the same. Despite his earlier polite words about the unity of the three upper sects, that was just for show. Anyone who truly believed it would be out of their mind.
In the current situation, with the Spirit Hall lying low, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was a direct competitor to his sect—not just in terms of sect influence, but also in their control over the Heaven Dou Empire.
He wouldn't mind seeing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan weakened. Of course, they couldn't be destroyed, as their strength was still needed to counter the Spirit Hall, but they certainly needed to remain weaker than his sect.
...
After being escorted down the mountain under Sword Douluo's watchful eye, Tang Hao became even more furious.
But he couldn't win in a fight, and he wasn't in the right either, so he redirected all his anger toward the one responsible for this mess.
Yu Xiaogang! It's all your fault—Xiao San getting hurt, and me being humiliated at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—it's all because of you!
With this in mind, Tang Hao's pace quickened.
This time, no one would be able to save Yu Xiaogang—not even Yu Yuanzhen himself.
Although Tang Hao mentioned the involvement of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in front of Ning Fengzhi, he was just saying it to give himself an excuse to leave the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
In truth, he agreed with Ning Fengzhi's assessment: they had no reason to be involved.
Saying that was just a way for him to save face and exit gracefully.
By now, he had already lost enough face, and staying any longer might result in Gu Rong saying something even more embarrassing.
Tang Hao's anger flared up again as he hurried toward the direction of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
...
Meanwhile, as a few people in Heaven Dou City were busy speculating about the situation, Han Li and his companions encountered some unexpected individuals on their way back from the Star Dou Forest.
The group was gathered around an injured person, tending to his wounds.
The injured man's right arm was nearly severed, hanging on by just a small amount of flesh and sinew, rendering it practically useless. He had already fallen unconscious, but his left hand was still tightly clutching an herb.
Seeing this, it was easy to guess what had happened.
"Old White Bird, I've told you before, don't let your clansmen take things by force. If you find something dangerous, mark the location and come back later with help," said a tall, slender, black-haired elder, who was squatting in front of the wounded middle-aged man, looking troubled and unsure how to proceed.
Saving the man's life wasn't difficult, and he had already stopped the bleeding. However, the injury was severe, and the elder's clan was not known for its combat prowess. Now, with one of their key fighters seriously injured, he didn't know how to face his old friend.
Although no one could blame him for this, as he had warned them, and the clan had volunteered to help, the situation still made the elder sigh inwardly.
"Old Goat, it's not your fault. Bai Ming acted impulsively. Let go of his arm; saving his life is what matters," said another elder standing nearby, who looked similar in stature but had snow-white hair. He glanced sorrowfully at the wounded man on the ground and decided with his eyes closed.
No one was to blame here. Saving his life was already fortunate enough. If he hadn't been nearby and reacted quickly to the commotion, he might not have saved him at all.
"So be it," the slender elder sighed, drawing a sharp dagger from his waist as he prepared to amputate the injured arm.
At that moment, the sound of rustling came from the bushes ahead. The elders, alert, watched as several figures emerged from the undergrowth.
"Is something the matter here? Do you need any help?"
It was none other than Han Li and his companions.
...
Meanwhile, Tang Hao had finally returned to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy after rushing all the way there.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang was in his office, smiling as he spoke to Flender, who didn't look pleased.
Flender had been supervising a training session for six people when Yu Xiaogang called him over, claiming that the Clear Sky Douluo wanted to see him.
But when Flender arrived, there was no sign of Tang Hao, and instead, Yu Xiaogang had been talking to him for over an hour about nothing of substance.
Yu Xiaogang also hinted, both directly and indirectly, that he would be taking over the training of the group. He subtly suggested that Flender should approach Qin Ming about getting Tang San and Xiao Wu into the Emperor Battle Team.
"When exactly is the Clear Sky Douluo arriving? If you have nothing else to say, I'll return to supervising their training," Flender said impatiently, standing up. He didn't want to waste time on meaningless conversation.
Since the last incident, for some reason, Flender had lost all fondness for his sworn brother. This sudden shift even made Zhao Wuji give him a thumbs-up, saying it was long overdue.
"What's the rush..."
Yu Xiaogang said with some displeasure, just as he was about to continue speaking when the door burst open with a gust of wind, and a shadowy figure appeared before him.
"Clear Sky Douluo, I..."
Yu Xiaogang lowered the hand he'd used to shield his face from the wind, ready to greet the newcomer, only to see a hand rapidly enlarging before his eyes.
"Smack!"
A loud slap echoed through the office, leaving both Yu Xiaogang and Flender stunned.
Unlike the onlooker Flender, Yu Xiaogang was directly knocked off his feet by the force of the slap, crashing into the wall behind him.
The impact caused a nearby bookshelf to topple over, its contents spilling onto Yu Xiaogang, who lay on the floor in a daze.
"Clear Sky Douluo..."
Flender began, not understanding what had just happened, but he was silenced by a glare from Tang Hao.
Tang Hao then used his soul power to seal the entire room, and he approached the dazed Yu Xiaogang lying on the ground.
"You dared deceive me..."
"Smack!"
"Love making up stories, huh? I'll give you plenty to spin."
"Smack!"
"Useless at everything, but your gossiping skills are sharp."
"I've figured it out now—Xiao San's injury was all because of you, you worthless piece of trash..."
Under Flender's horrified gaze, Tang Hao, seemingly unsatisfied with the slaps, pulled out a small hammer with a menacing grin and brought it down on Yu Xiaogang's left leg.
"Aargh!"
A blood-curdling scream filled the room but was stifled by Tang Hao's soul power, keeping the sound contained within the walls.