Flender immediately sensed something was wrong from Gu Rong's tone. Could it be that the morning incident, where Ning Rongrong was made to run laps, had been exposed?
Surely making her run laps wouldn't be enough to warrant a visit from one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's titled Douluo, right?
Feeling uneasy, Flender replied nervously, "Yes, Your Eminence, I am aware that Ning Rongrong is the daughter of Sect Master Ning."
Gu Rong smirked. "Oh? Since you know, then this will be easy."
"Let's settle the score, shall we?"
Flender's heart sank. He forced an awkward smile and said, "Your Eminence, surely there's been a misunderstanding. I only asked Ning Rongrong to run twenty laps around the village for some physical training. She wasn't alone—her classmates ran with her..."
It was a relief that Su Ming and the others had accompanied Ning Rongrong that morning. Otherwise, Flender's explanation might not have sufficed. Thankfully, the task had been completed without incident.
However, Gu Rong hadn't anticipated this admission. "Twenty laps around the village?" He quickly scanned the village with his spiritual power, noting its considerable size. Forcing his little princess to run twenty laps? Was this a joke?
Gu Rong's expression darkened further. Was this how they welcomed his little princess on her first day?
Running was supposed to help build endurance, and Ning Rongrong had done it regularly in the sect, but never this much! And, frankly, it wasn't that useful for someone like her.
Originally, Gu Rong had planned to merely warn Flender about keeping Dai Mubai in check, given his responsibility as the academy's student. But now, Gu Rong was in no mood to let this go lightly. He didn't care what Flender's intentions were that morning—he would find out from Rongrong herself soon enough.
Gu Rong extended his right hand, pressing down. Instantly, the pressure of a titled Douluo enveloped Flender.
Flender didn't dare resist. He knew that any attempt to fight back would only worsen his situation. He could neither fight nor flee from a titled Douluo.
"Your Eminence, there must be some misunderstanding..."
Gu Rong's voice was cold and foreboding. "You know perfectly well if this is a misunderstanding. And let's not forget that tonight, my little princess was nearly struck by your student, Dai Mubai. Consider this a warning: you'd better control him. I don't care if he's the third prince of Star Luo Empire—I will kill him if necessary. He's nothing but a stray dog."
"Considering these two incidents, me coming to settle things with you isn't unreasonable, is it? You're the dean of Shrek Academy, and my little princess has come to study here. Instead of taking care of her, you've made things difficult. Neither her father nor her two grandfathers would treat her this way—what gives you the right?!"
Flender felt the pressure weighing heavier and heavier on him. He knew Gu Rong's reputation for being fiercely protective, and it was best not to resist.
Moreover, why had Dai Mubai acted so recklessly? Didn't Flender instruct him to bring Su Ming and the others back safely? How had things escalated to the point where Ning Rongrong was nearly harmed?
Flender's expression turned grim. Did Dai Mubai truly believe his royal status gave him the right to act arrogantly toward Ning Rongrong? Tomorrow, he would get to the bottom of what had happened after they left the arena.
Ignoring Flender's pleas for mercy, Gu Rong proceeded to teach him a painful lesson. Flender couldn't resist and endured the beating, his face full of frustration.
The next morning, Flender summoned Dai Mubai to his office while the others were left to their own training.
As soon as Dai Mubai entered the room, he was shocked. "Dean, what happened to your face?!"
Flender snorted angrily, "Don't ask me what happened. You should be telling me what went down last night! I told you to bring everyone back to the academy—how did you end up clashing with Ning Rongrong?"
Seeing Flender's obvious anger and suspecting that his injuries might be connected to the previous night's events, Dai Mubai didn't dare lie and recounted everything that had happened.
"Fortunately, Su Ming was there to defuse the situation. Otherwise, you wouldn't be standing here right now. You'd either be dead or severely crippled, and your royal family wouldn't be able to do anything for you. They'd ask for compensation, but what good would that do?"
Dai Mubai paled at the implication. "Dean, are you saying that your injuries were caused by a strong member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan? Was that expert present last night?"
Flender shot Dai Mubai a sharp look. "If it were anyone else, it might be explainable. But last night, it was none other than Bone Douluo, one of the two titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan! He's extremely protective of Ning Rongrong, and I'm guessing Sect Master Ning sent him to keep an eye on her. You'd better lay low for a while and apologize to Ning Rongrong. Otherwise, no one will be able to protect you."
Cold sweat ran down Dai Mubai's back. He hadn't expected that Bone Douluo had witnessed his clash with Ning Rongrong. It was well known that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's sect master and the two titled Douluo adored Ning Rongrong. If Su Ming hadn't intervened last night...
Did that mean Su Ming had saved his life?
After all, he had been the first to attack, and the Star Luo Empire wouldn't have had any grounds to defend him. In fact, they might not have defended him at all!
His resentment toward Su Ming lessened, but little did he know, Su Ming didn't care in the slightest about Dai Mubai's thoughts. Su Ming would show no mercy to anyone who threatened him or those he cared about.
Meanwhile, as Flender and Dai Mubai were having their conversation...
On the training ground, Su Ming suddenly sensed a disturbance in space. Instinctively, he positioned Xiao Wu behind him and shouted, "Be careful! A powerful enemy is approaching!"
Everyone's eyes turned in the same direction, their expressions tense. But Ning Rongrong quickly recognized the soul power signature and called out joyfully, "Grandpa Gu, what are you doing here?!"
From the distorted space in front of them, an armored middle-aged man emerged—though, in reality, Bone Douluo Gu Rong was well over a hundred years old.
Su Ming's expression became serious. Why was Gu Rong suddenly here? This wasn't in line with the original story!
In a low voice, Su Ming whispered to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, he's a titled Douluo. Quickly hide your aura. The effect of the concealment talisman is still active, so he shouldn't be able to sense you. But if he does, I'll hold him off while you use teleportation to escape to the Star Dou Forest. Do you understand?"
Xiao Wu's heart warmed at Su Ming's concern. She whispered back, "Don't worry, Brother. I won't be discovered!"
Thanks to the system's aura-concealing ability, she wasn't worried about a titled Douluo identifying her as a 100,000-year-old soul beast.