Tang Hao's face turned a little green. He couldn't understand it—he had only casually reprimanded a disciple guarding the mountain gate, yet Sword Douluo had drawn his sword against him. Was that necessary?
In truth, it wasn't entirely his fault. The way he had been raised didn't encourage him to think in such terms, and the management style of the Clear Sky Clan was vastly different from that of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
In the Clear Sky Clan, the core members were all from the Tang family. But the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was different. Their core disciples included not only the Ning family members with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul but also their spouses and other talented individuals who had been recruited over time.
Strictly speaking, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's development model was more like that of a typical sect. While the Ning family members held significant status, the clan operated in a mutually beneficial relationship with other sect members due to their martial soul's nature.
In contrast, the Clear Sky Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, though called sects, were more like large extended families. Anyone who didn't possess their main martial soul was considered an affiliate or a subordinate.
If this situation had occurred in the Clear Sky Clan or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, as long as the person you beat wasn't one of the main martial soul holders, the incident could be brushed off as nothing, assuming the parties involved held equal status.
Moreover, despite his decline over the years, deep down, Tang Hao still viewed the Clear Sky Clan as the world's undefeated top sect, and he had always been arrogant and domineering.
So, how could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan dare to confront him like this? At this moment, Tang Hao felt an urge to fight them, even though he was still severely injured and might not even win in a one-on-one duel against the Sword Douluo.
But after much deliberation, considering his current state, his need to keep his identity hidden, and the certainty that Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo would immediately join the fight if it broke out, he chose to endure.
Thus, before the situation had even escalated, Tang Hao's momentum was already subdued.
"I don't want to fight. I came here today because I have business with Ning Fengzhi."
Determined not to lose face, Tang Hao stubbornly raised his head and looked at Chen Xin.
Is this all the mighty Clear Sky Douluo amounts to?
Coward, where did all that bravado go when you attacked our guard? Why don't you dare to fight me now?
Chen Xin lightly rubbed the hilt of his sword, feeling a bit disdainful.
To be honest, he had hoped Tang Hao would show more backbone. His Seven Kill Sword hadn't been drawn in a long time, and fighting the same old Bone Douluo over and over had become boring—they knew each other's moves too well to break through.
When Tang Hao had made his name, Chen Xin had already been a titled Douluo, and it wasn't appropriate to bully a junior. But by the time Tang Hao became a titled Douluo, he had disappeared.
Chen Xin had been stuck at level 96 for a long time, and he thought today might be an opportunity to break through to level 97. After all, Tang Hao had once killed a Super Douluo above his level, so he probably had some tricks up his sleeve. But it turned out Tang Hao was just going to back down.
Even though Tang Hao had backed down, and despite his desire for a fight, Chen Xin still had to prioritize the interests of the sect and couldn't act on personal desires.
"Follow me, but I don't want to see anything like what just happened again."
Chen Xin sheathed his sword and warned Tang Hao before leading the way inside the mountain gate.
As they passed by the guard, Chen Xin conveyed Ning Fengzhi's message: someone would soon replace him, and although he wasn't injured, he would still be excused from his sect duties for a month.
Noticing the guard's admiring gaze toward Chen Xin, Tang Hao felt somewhat uncomfortable. It seemed like he had become a tool for boosting the guard's loyalty and favor towards the sect.
But after the earlier events, he pretended not to see this and merely made a mental note of it.
Chen Xin, walking ahead of Tang Hao, also noticed his change in expression and mood, and his disdain deepened.
Starting trouble, only to back down at the first sign of real opposition, and now bearing a grudge over something so trivial—this is not someone to be trusted.
The actions of the Clear Sky Clan back then had already put them in a difficult position, and this guy had outright abandoned the sect, disappearing without a trace. Now, he seemed even less reliable than before.
I must remind Fengzhi—people from the Clear Sky Clan can't be trusted. Their personalities are nothing like their martial soul and offensive style; they're just weak.
Due to the sensitivity of Tang Hao's identity, Sword Douluo led him along a secluded path where few people ventured. The road was tough, but with their cultivation levels, it wasn't a problem.
After winding through several turns, the two entered the grand hall where all the guards had been discreetly relocated. Inside the hall were only Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo.
When the two appeared, Ning Fengzhi greeted them warmly, "Brother Tang, what a rare visitor! It's been some time since we last met. Have you completed the hidden weapons we discussed earlier and come to deliver them?"
From the situation with the guard, Ning Fengzhi knew Tang Hao's visit was not friendly. Moreover, Gu Rong had just informed him of the sword aura emanating from the mountain gate, indicating that Chen Xin had been involved.
Ning Fengzhi decided to take the initiative, aiming to seize control of the situation.
"The hidden weapons are still being rushed, and it'll take some more time."
Tang Hao was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained his composure, replying without missing a beat.
He hadn't expected Ning Fengzhi to bring up this matter right away. He had been in the Sunset Forest recently, not paying any attention to the hidden weapons. Naturally, he intended to delay as much as possible.
"Oh? If they're not ready yet, what brings you here today? Did you encounter any difficulties in the production process that require our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's assistance?"
"If it's about the hidden weapons, even though our sect isn't as specialized as yours, we can still offer some assistance. Brother Tang, why not speak plainly, or provide the blueprints so we can manufacture them ourselves? Of course, we'll cover all costs."
Ning Fengzhi admitted that he was being deliberate.
Hidden weapons were a strategic resource of great importance to the soul masters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, so how could he trust the other party completely based on a verbal agreement alone?
After the last verbal agreement with Tang Hao, Ning Fengzhi quickly started monitoring any forces that might have had contact with Tang Hao.
However, despite all his efforts, he couldn't find any evidence of Tang Hao interacting with anyone else, so he temporarily let the matter rest.
As for the few hidden weapons Tang San had previously gifted to Ning Rongrong when they dismantled them privately, the critical components had self-destructed. They were still trying to reverse-engineer the parts, but so far, all attempts had failed.
In Ning Fengzhi's eyes, Tang San's blacksmithing skills and hidden weapon techniques naturally came from his father, Tang Hao. He never considered that these might be Tang San's skills.
After all, Tang Hao had once been recognized as one of the Three Divine Craftsmen of the time, so it wasn't surprising for him to have inherited hidden weapon techniques.
Hearing Ning Fengzhi's words, Tang Hao felt a bit embarrassed. Offering help? It was an attempt to get hands on the blueprints. Though Ning Fengzhi's cultivation wasn't high, he certainly had guts.
These hidden weapons were something that belonged to his son, something even he, the father, didn't know how to make. Yet Ning Fengzhi was trying to take them without any effort—how ridiculous.
It seemed that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had some ambitious intentions.
However, Tang Hao deliberately ignored the question of how his son, who had grown up right under his nose, had suddenly acquired these remarkable skills.
"You don't need to worry about the hidden weapons, Sect Master Ning. I, Tang Hao, can handle it."
Tang Hao responded in a firm but not overly aggressive manner. He wasn't here to argue with Ning Fengzhi; there were more important matters to address.
"Sect Master Ning, you still owe me an explanation. Where exactly have you hidden Zhu Zhuqing? She injured my son, and this matter cannot be brushed aside so easily."
There was a hint of accusation in Tang Hao's tone.
"When did the people of the Clear Sky Clan learn to play the blame game? Oh wait, you've always been good at it."
Gu Rong, standing behind Ning Fengzhi, couldn't hold back and retorted sarcastically.
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo didn't blame him for his words; instead, they both turned their gaze toward Tang Hao, their expressions calm but with a strange look in their eyes.
Do you not know what you did, Tang Hao?
And now you're claiming it was our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan that did it, even demanding we hand over Zhu Zhuqing?
"What do you mean by that, Bone Douluo?"
Tang Hao's face darkened at Gu Rong's words, and he glared at Ning Fengzhi, seemingly waiting for an explanation.
Under these circumstances, Tang Hao was still somewhat mindful of the situation. If he acted rashly, there would only be one outcome, so he could only use his gaze to assert some intimidation.
"That joke isn't funny, Brother Tang."
This time, Ning Fengzhi didn't try to smooth things over. Instead, he looked at Tang Hao with a cold expression.
"You should know very well who took Zhu Zhuqing. Trying to pin this on our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and playing the victim—is that because you think I'm easy to bully? Or do you think Uncle Sword's Seven Kill Sword isn't sharp enough? Are you prepared to declare war on our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"
As Ning Fengzhi finished speaking, Tang Hao felt two spiritual pressures locking onto him, and the killing intent from the Seven Kill Sword pricked at his back.
"If it wasn't you, then who else could it be? I haven't been in Heaven Dou City for some time. Besides your sect, I can't think of anyone else who would have taken Zhu Zhuqing."
Even though Tang Hao was being targeted, he didn't panic. He frowned, realizing that Ning Fengzhi's reaction seemed overly intense.
If it was them, they would have hesitated a bit, instead of all three of them immediately directing their attention toward him after he spoke. Gu Rong had even taunted him, and now they were ready to act.
Ning Fengzhi also sensed something was wrong. If what Tang Hao said was true, then his previous assumptions were incorrect, meaning something was going on that he wasn't aware of.
"I thought it was you/your people who took Zhu Zhuqing." ×2
Tang Hao and Ning Fengzhi almost simultaneously voiced their thoughts.
"If it wasn't you/your people, then who could it be?" ×2
The two fell into silence again.
The atmosphere in the hall was tense and strange.
After a while, it was Ning Fengzhi who broke the silence: "Brother Tang, it seems that something is going on here that neither of us is aware of."
After a brief pause, Ning Fengzhi continued, "But I must ask, why did you believe that Zhu Zhuqing was taken by my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? Or, where did you get this information?"
As he asked the latter question, Ning Fengzhi's smile remained, but his eyes gleamed coldly.
Someone's scheming against my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, even stirring up Tang Hao to cause trouble. This person must have malicious intent.
If either of them had asked one less question, conflict would have been inevitable.
Even now, there was still tension between the two sides, and though their relationship hadn't been great to begin with, it had never been this strained.
This was a clear sign of the schemer's malice.
"It was Yu Xiaogang who told me."
Tang Hao felt a bit awkward, but he also wanted to ease the tension, so he immediately shifted all the blame onto Yu Xiaogang.
And he wasn't lying—this speculation had indeed come from Yu Xiaogang first; Tang Hao had simply not objected.
"Yu Xiaogang?"
Ning Fengzhi frowned, surprised to hear that name from Tang Hao.
"Then what exactly did Brother Tang hear about this situation?"
Having been deceived once, Ning Fengzhi became more cautious, carefully questioning Tang Hao.
Tang Hao understood his meaning and decisively recounted everything he had learned from Yu Xiaogang, exactly as he had heard it.