Chapter 27: The Second Prince is Assassinated
"Young Master, you're back! Did the Crown Prince need something from you?"
Returning to the dorm, Ning Bei thought that the reason Xue Qinghe had called him wasn't just to support him as the crown prince. If that was the case, he could have simply contacted Ning Fengzhi, given the teacher-student relationship between them.
"Oh, nothing much. We just had a meal together and caught up," Ning Bei replied.
After taking the Awakening Pill, Ning Bei cultivated for an hour and then went to sleep.
In the morning, before Ning Bei had even woken up, there was a knock on the door.
"Ah Bei, are you awake? Open the door quickly."
It was Dugu Yan's voice.
Ning Tao opened the door and let her in.
Dugu Yan greeted her and then walked over to Ning Bei's bedside.
"Ah Bei, wake up! The pill you gave me works so well. I spent the whole night cultivating last night."
Ning Bei was so annoyed by the noise that he opened his eyes and looked at the excited Dugu Yan in silence.
"What? How could I lie to you? Cultivation should be done in moderation, or your body won't be able to handle it."
"I couldn't resist the temptation of rapidly increasing my soul power, but I'll be more careful in the future," Dugu Yan said playfully, sticking out her tongue. Then she grabbed Ning Bei and dragged him out of bed to go eat breakfast together.
In the following days, Ning Bei had a comfortable routine. He practiced cultivation at night and teased Dugu Yan during the day. Life was quite enjoyable.
During this time, Ning Bei also came to a realization. He felt that there was no need to stop Dugu Yan's feelings for him, but in front of her original partner, Yu Tianheng, it still felt a bit awkward.
Over the week, Ning Bei selected his third soul beast for the team: a nearly 2000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider. He also had the Dark Gold Fearsome Claw Bear, Ah Bao, but he wasn't ready to reveal its existence yet. He planned to use it as a trump card.
Firstly, Ah Bao's soul power was still not that high, and it wasn't much stronger than the Man-Faced Demon Spider at the moment.
Secondly, Ah Bao's role overlapped somewhat with the Golden Armored Bear's role.
Currently, the soul beast team included the Hurricane Falcon, which was a sensitive attack soul beast with air control; the Golden Armored Bear as a heavy attacker and tank; and the Man-Faced Demon Spider, which provided control, enriching Ning Bei's tactics in battle.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider could not only spin webs to trap enemies but also had potent toxins, making it more suited to the team than Ah Bao right now.
Ning Bei could be considered a one-man team at this point.
After a week of school, Ning Bei returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School with Ning Tao. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, Ning Rongrong came running out, hugging Ning Bei's leg.
"Brother, where is Ah Bao?"
Before Ning Bei had the chance to feel happy, his face turned dark, and he lifted Ning Rongrong by her arms.
"You little brat! Shouldn't you ask how your brother is doing at school first? You've only just seen me, and you're already asking about Ah Bao?"
Ning Rongrong's face scrunched up as she looked at Ning Bei, clearly struggling to process the situation at her age, unsure of how to make her brother happy while also getting Ah Bao.
At that moment, Ning Fengzhi stepped out, amused, and looked at the brother and sister.
"Bei'er, are you bullying Rongrong again? Hurry up and give her the bear."
Seeing Ning Fengzhi taking sides, Ning Bei rolled his eyes. "Your heart is completely with the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus Sect."
However, he didn't refuse. He summoned the Dan Tower and called out Ah Bao.
With a look of utter disinterest, Ah Bao took Ning Rongrong and placed her on its back.
After nearly two months of nurturing, Ah Bao's soul power had reached nearly 500 years, and it had grown larger in size.
It was hard to imagine that the clumsy little bear beneath Rongrong now had the battle power of a soul beast comparable to those around a thousand years.
Its terrifying claws casually slashed through the floor tiles of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, like slicing tofu.
Seeing that Rongrong had a companion to play with, Ning Fengzhi turned his attention to Ning Bei, signaling him to come inside for a discussion.
They sat down in a room, and Ning Fengzhi gave Ning Bei a strange look.
"I heard that you've been getting very close to Dugu Bo's granddaughter recently?"
Ning Bei knew that he couldn't hide this from Ning Fengzhi's sharp eyes. He cleared his throat.
"Ahem, ahem, as the son of the sect master, it's my duty to make connections with the granddaughter of a Title Douluo and bring powerful reinforcements to our sect. I'm fully aware of this responsibility!"
Ning Fengzhi stared at him, face full of black lines. What a shameless thing to say. That's a guest elder my soul bones bought back! How did you make wooing women sound so fresh and refined? Whose shamelessness did you inherit?
Ning Bei seemed to understand Ning Fengzhi's thoughts and calmly stared back, as if saying, "You explain your little concubines first before saying anything to me. How dare you criticize me?"
Yes, as the sect master, Ning Bei, who preached about not putting all eggs in one basket, had several younger concubines.
Ning Fengzhi also understood the look in Ning Bei's eyes. He awkwardly shifted the topic.
"Let's not talk about that for now. Did Xue Qinghe approach you?"
Ning Bei nodded.
"That's right. We had a meal together, and he asked me about my thoughts on the crown prince position, but there seemed to be more to it."
Ning Fengzhi was surprised, not expecting Ning Bei to think so far at such a young age.
"Oh? Him asking us to support him for the crown prince isn't strange, but what do you think he meant by 'more to it'?"
"It seems he's eyeing the talents I've shown and wants to win me over. Of course, he also wants to draw the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to his side to serve him."
Ning Fengzhi nodded as he listened to Ning Bei's analysis.
"Hmm, Xue Qinghe is someone with a certain level of scheming, but you should avoid getting too close to him."
"Oh?"
Seeing Ning Bei's confusion, Ning Fengzhi continued:
"Just a few days ago, the second prince was poisoned and killed in his own home."
Ning Bei instantly understood. It seemed that Xue Qinghe had started taking action. The second prince had been too talented, which caused Xue Qinghe to feel threatened, and soon, the third prince would meet the same fate. The third prince was the most gifted of all the princes, at least more so than Xue Qinghe, and in the end, only the young Xue Beng, pretending to be a playboy, survived.
Ning Fengzhi noticed that Ning Bei wasn't speaking and thought he was still pondering who was behind the second prince's death. So, he continued:
"This is a crucial time for choosing the crown prince. I suspect that Xue Qinghe is most likely behind this."
Ning Bei, interrupted in his thoughts, didn't refute Ning Fengzhi's opinion and nodded.
"Other princes will probably be in danger as well. But don't worry, Father. I know how to handle the Crown Prince. For now, he needs our help. As long as we don't directly take sides with the other princes, he won't make a move against us."
Ning Fengzhi nodded in satisfaction. Ning Bei was the successor he was most satisfied with. Ning Fan also had a good disposition, but his cultivation talent was a bit lacking.
Concerned that Ning Bei might be too cautious, he explained:
"His becoming the crown prince doesn't conflict with our interests, so we don't need to be too careful, just avoid forming too deep a relationship with him."
(END CHAPTER)
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