Even though Xiao Wu had the system's skills to protect her, seeing Su Ming so nervous about her didn't make her feel awkward. On the contrary, it made her heart warm. It showed how much Su Ming truly cared for her.
As soon as Gu Rong appeared, Ning Rongrong excitedly ran into his arms. Gu Rong immediately spread his arms wide to catch her, hugging her tightly.
Ning Rongrong beamed with joy as she looked at Gu Rong, "Grandpa Gu, what brings you here?"
Gu Rong gently patted her head, his face full of affection. "You sneaked out, didn't you? If I hadn't come to check on you, I wouldn't have known if you got bullied."
Ning Rongrong pouted playfully, "Grandpa Gu, with my strength, how could you not know I snuck out? I thought everything would be fine."
Gu Rong gave her a stern look. "Tell me what happened yesterday. I already gave that old fool Flender a good beating, so he shouldn't cause you any more trouble."
Hearing this from afar, Su Ming silently gave Gu Rong a thumbs-up in his heart. Well done! Flender deserved that for purposely creating a situation where Oscar would be alone with Ning Rongrong and assigning her an impossible task.
Under those circumstances, Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's ability to enhance wouldn't help her recover her stamina, forcing her to rely on Oscar's sausages. If she refused to eat them, she'd fail the task, giving Flender an excuse to "temper" her personality.
Gu Rong then used a spatial transfer to take Ning Rongrong aside to hear the full story in detail.
After a short while, they returned to the academy's training ground.
Ning Rongrong ran over to Su Ming and, full of excitement, introduced him, "Su Ming, this is one of the two titled Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—Bone Douluo. He's one of my grandfathers who dotes on me the most!"
Gu Rong immediately interjected, "Rongrong, what do you mean 'one of'? There's no 'one of'—I'm the one who dotes on you the most. Sword Douluo is nothing!"
Ning Rongrong sighed inwardly. She knew her grandpa Gu liked to compete with Sword Douluo over who cared for her the most. What could she do but go along with it? Smiling, she said, "Alright, alright, Grandpa Gu loves me the most!"
Hearing this, Gu Rong finally nodded in satisfaction.
Su Ming, standing nearby, looked at Gu Rong with a strange expression. Such a powerful man was acting like a child in front of Ning Rongrong. If he hadn't seen it himself, he wouldn't have believed it.
It was clear Gu Rong truly spoiled Ning Rongrong.
Then, Ning Rongrong turned to Gu Rong and said, "Grandpa Gu, this is Su Ming. He's the one who helped me yesterday. He's really strong and talented!"
Gu Rong glanced at Su Ming, and his previously serious face softened into a smile. "Kid, you did well. If you hadn't acted yesterday, Rongrong would have been in trouble."
"But even if you hadn't stepped in, I would have. And if I had to, Dai Mubai wouldn't have walked away unharmed—I'd have half-crippled him."
The Star Luo royal family wouldn't have been able to say a word against it.
As he spoke, a faint murderous aura emanated from Gu Rong, showing how truly angry he had been.
Su Ming, remaining calm, bowed slightly. "You're too kind, Senior. I just felt that what Rongrong said yesterday was right, so I couldn't let Dai Mubai harm her."
Gu Rong was pleased with Su Ming's humble yet confident attitude. However, he was a bit irked—this kid's words sounded a bit too perfect. If Su Ming claimed he had no interest in Rongrong, Gu Rong wouldn't believe him for a second!
Before Dai Mubai had even made a move, Gu Rong had sensed the faintest trace of soul power surrounding Dai Mubai's feet—clearly Su Ming's precautionary measure.
Plus, Gu Rong could tell that Ning Rongrong had already developed feelings for Su Ming. He suspected that before long, his precious little princess might fall for this boy.
With Su Ming's behavior being so upstanding, Gu Rong had no grounds to lash out. It was frustrating!
Gu Rong then turned his gaze to Oscar, his voice cold. "You must be Oscar. Let me warn you—keep your thoughts to yourself and stay away from my Rongrong. I know why your dean paired you with her for that morning run."
"Because of that, I already gave your dean a beating. You'd better not have any foolish ideas. You're just a food-type soul master!"
Oscar, feeling the overwhelming pressure from Gu Rong, turned pale and could only nod stiffly in response.
Meanwhile, Zhao Wuji, sensing the presence of a titled Douluo on the academy grounds, hurried over with a troubled expression. Why had there been two titled Douluo showing up in as many days?
Just the other night, after he had finished assessing the new students, Tang Hao had appeared out of nowhere and beaten him up. Though Tang Hao hadn't used any soul skills, his Clear Sky Hammer alone had left Zhao Wuji battered and bruised. His face was still swollen from the ordeal!
He had planned to lay low for a few days after losing face in front of the students and then being thrashed by Tang Hao. But now another titled Douluo had arrived, forcing him to investigate.
The students noticed Zhao Wuji's bruised face and were shocked. What had happened to their teacher in just one day?
But Zhao Wuji had no time to worry about that. He rushed to Gu Rong, offering a respectful bow. "So it's Bone Douluo, Your Eminence. Is there something we can help you with?"
Gu Rong snorted, "My little princess is here studying. Shouldn't I come to see if she's being mistreated? This has nothing to do with you. Step aside."
Faced with Gu Rong's blunt response, Zhao Wuji didn't dare argue and obediently moved aside.
Since Flender had been the one leading the group to the Soto Great Spirit Arena, Zhao Wuji wasn't aware of what had transpired. Otherwise, he wouldn't have seemed so calm.
Seeing Zhao Wuji in such a state, Su Ming couldn't help but feel disdain. He had the urge to mock him. Zhao Wuji had often said that a spirit master who didn't cause trouble wasn't a good spirit master.
Yet, here he was, meek as a lamb before a titled Douluo. Where was his bravado now? In reality, Zhao Wuji was a typical bully—only brave when facing weaker opponents. Why wasn't he standing up to the titled Douluo?
If he tried to fight one, a titled Douluo would probably scatter his ashes!
Ignoring Zhao Wuji, Gu Rong turned back to Su Ming. "Kid, I admire you. Your talent and strength are commendable. How about joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"