Shi Shaoyang immediately said anxiously, "Ruoqi, didn't we agree to stay away from Thousand Wave Lake and start over?! Did Ning Fa force you into this?"
Meng Ruoqi shook her head and sighed, "How could Fellow Daoist Ning force me? I'm the one who asked him for help. Nowadays, within Thousand Wave Lake, only the Ning Family can protect us Meng Family members."
Shi Shaoyang let out a long sigh and said as if accepting his fate, "Alright, then I'll stay with you in the Ning Family."
Ning Fa looked at him with a puzzled expression and said, "Are you sure you're not mistaken? When did I ever say I'd take you in? And besides..."
Ning Fa put on a smile. "Besides, Ruoqi is about to become my Dual Cultivation Dao Companion. Are you staying in the Ning Family to congratulate us? That's not entirely impossible, though."
Hearing this, Meng Ruoqi's delicate body trembled slightly.
She glanced at Ning Fa in surprise, her cherry lips parting, but she didn't speak in protest.
Shi Shaoyang became furious, but still retained a shred of reason as he looked at Meng Ruoqi, almost begging, "Ruoqi, Ning Fa is just trying to provoke me, isn't he? You won't become his Dao Companion, right?"
Meng Ruoqi's body trembled even more intensely. She closed her eyes and said, her voice low but clear, "Fellow Daoist Ning is correct. I will marry him and we will become Dao Companions."
Shi Shaoyang looked as if struck by lightning, staring at her in disbelief.
He stumbled backward several steps, shouting with a laugh that sounded like crying, "Meng Ruoqi! How could you be so heartless! I was so devoted to you, my master even died saving your Meng Family, and now you cruelly abandon me!"
His face contorted, and he said sternly, "You all remember this day! I won't let you go!"
With that, he unleashed a flying Magic Tool and sped north.
Ning Fa, however, let out a cold snort and pointed his right hand forward abruptly.
A moon-white light shot out and struck Shi Shaoyang's back.
This was a tracking secret technique called the [Chasing Moon Technique], attached to the third layer of the Moon God Art.
With Ning Fa's current cultivation of the Moon God Art, as long as this person was within a hundred-mile radius after being hit by this technique, Ning Fa could find him.
Ning Fa looked at Meng Ruoqi with a calm expression and said, "Shi Shaoyang seems to have developed hatred from love for you. Do you want me to eliminate him?"
Meng Ruoqi, however, shook her head vehemently, saying sadly, "I owe Fellow Daoist Shi too much. Please, Brother Ning, spare his life!"
Ning Fa's expression was indifferent, but his heart felt somewhat eased.
He had deliberately said that to test Meng Ruoqi.
After all, Shi Shaoyang was devoted to her, and his own master had even died saving the Meng Family.
If this woman was truly so cold-blooded.
Although he would protect the remaining Meng Family members as agreed, this woman would essentially be sentenced to death by him.
Ning Fa himself could be cold-blooded, but he couldn't accept it if those around him were also so cold-blooded.
If that were the case, Meng Ruoqi would have no chance of getting close to him.
After the test, Ning Fa still shook his head and said, "Shi Shaoyang has considerable potential. I don't want to leave such a great threat alive."
With that, he took out a Swiftness Talisman and was about to pursue.
Meng Ruoqi, however, tightly grabbed his hand, tears streaming down her face, "Brother Ning, I beg you to spare his life! I will repay you!"
Immediately, Meng Ruoqi's voice transmission reached Ning Fa's ears.
Ning Fa looked at her with a look of surprise, his heart filled with both shock and joy. He slowly nodded.
Although he feigned a slightly displeased expression, Meng Ruoqi's standing in his heart had risen a notch.
Seeing this, Meng Ruoqi, with tear-blurred eyes, quickly thanked him.
Ning Fa then surveyed the other Meng Family members.
There were over twenty of them, almost all young adults, with cultivation levels mostly in the mid to late stages of Qi Condensation.
There were also very few female cultivators; apart from Meng Ruoqi, there were only two or three others.
At this moment, these Meng Family members all had expressions of having survived a disaster, but their gazes towards Ning Fa were complex.
Tense, reverent, and full of anticipation.
After all, everyone had heard what Ning Fa had said about him and Meng Ruoqi becoming Dual Cultivation Dao Companions.
And these Meng Family members were all more or less aware of Ning Fa's current fame, knowing that he was a rising star in the Ning Family, holding a high position.
If he and Meng Ruoqi were to become Dao Companions, it would greatly impact the future survival of these Meng Family members.
With his protection, they would not only have personal safety but also a decent life within the Ning Family in the future.
At this moment, Meng Ruoqi pulled a black-clothed youth beside her forward to Ning Fa and said softly, "This is my younger brother, Meng Ruofu."
The youth glanced at Ning Fa before quickly lowering his head.
Ning Fa's eyes showed a hint of admiration.
As expected of Meng Ruoqi's brother. Although still young, his appearance was already outstanding.
Though still a bit inferior to his own, of course.
And this youth, appearing to be at most fifteen or sixteen years old, was already at the Sixth Layer of Qi Condensation, clearly possessing excellent talent.
It seemed he was the future rising star of the Meng Family.
If Ning Fa truly became Meng Ruoqi's Dao Companion, he would also become Ning Fa's brother-in-law.
Ning Fa hadn't actually made up his mind about becoming Dao Companions with Meng Ruoqi at first.
He had only said that deliberately just to anger Shi Shaoyang.
However, what Meng Ruoqi had transmitted to him earlier had made him decide.
"This isn't a place to talk. Follow me," Ning Fa said in a deep voice, then led the Meng Family members away.
Not long after, they arrived at Pingchang Island.
Of course, this was the brand-new Pingchang Island they were assigned after securing their position as direct descendants.
Since Ning Fa had made preparations, he led everyone to a manor in the southeastern corner of the island to settle in.
Then, Ning Fa took Meng Ruoqi to a hall to discuss matters privately.
Ning Fa relayed Ning Zhongjiu's words again, but in a more tactful manner.
Meng Ruoqi not only showed no resistance but also breathed a sigh of relief. She said, "This price is actually much lower than I expected, so let's proceed. I'll count out fifty thousand Spirit Stones for Brother Ning later."
Meng Ruoqi said gratefully, "I know your family is definitely doing this because of Brother Ning's influence. Ruoqi will never forget this."
Ning Fa smiled.
Dealing with intelligent people made things so much easier.
Without his protection, it would have been impossible for the Meng Family to find a place within the Ning Family without paying a hefty price.
The Meng Family, after all, had a heritage of several hundred years and must have accumulated considerable wealth and resources.
Now, without being searched, they only had to pay fifty thousand Spirit Stones to settle down safely, which was indeed a very low price.
In reality, Ning Fa had only asked for thirty thousand Spirit Stones, and Meng Ruoqi had voluntarily increased it to fifty thousand. One had to admit she knew how to handle things.
Afterward, Meng Ruoqi very shrewdly took out a brocade box and gently handed it to Ning Fa.
Excitement flashed in Ning Fa's eyes.
He gently opened the brocade box, and a verdant green light radiated out.
An unimaginable pure Bamboo Spirit Qi burst forth.
The concentration and purity of this aura were even greater than that of Small Bamboo Island, which was filled with green bamboo.
A small, green, luminous bamboo lay within the brocade box.
Its surface even faintly showed naturally formed spirit patterns, pulsing with spiritual light as if it were breathing.
The Five Elements Thunder Rune Pattern within Ning Fa's body manifested. The young branches of the green wood seedling, symbolizing the Supreme Wood Divine Thunder, fluttered, clearly reacting very strongly to this bamboo.