Ye Qiu pulled Xiao Lan, following the attendant arranged by Ning Fengzhi.
"Brother~ Xiao Lan's face hurts!"
"Serves you right! Who told you to be so greedy!"
Ignoring her complaints, Ye Qiu had clearly seen how she was caught by Ning Rongrong.
Upon arriving at their lodging, Ye Qiu let Xiao Lan go play, as he also wanted to wash up properly.
When he came out, Xiao Lan was in the flowerbed in the courtyard, attracting bees and butterflies, teasing the flowers and plants, completely at ease.
...
As soon as dinner time arrived, someone came to lead the way.
Inside the hall, it was resplendent, with walls and ceilings adorned with dazzling glass ornaments.
In the very center, a large table was set, laden with all sorts of delicious food.
Wine, juice, things from the water, things from the land, things from the sky—the variety was immense, everything imaginable.
The same ingredient also had different preparations, with one dish having nine ways of eating it.
Looking at the long table, Ye Qiu's mouth twitched. It was truly too extravagant; there were easily more than a hundred dishes, and his arms weren't long enough to reach so many!
"Wow! So many delicious things!" Xiao Lan's eyes lit up, and she broke free from Ye Qiu's hand, quickly running over.
"How is it? This is a banquet I specially asked Father to prepare!" Ning Rongrong ran over, took Xiao Lan's small hand, and had her sit next to her, but her eyes kept glancing at Ye Qiu.
Ning Fengzhi, Bone Douluo, and Ning Tian had already taken their seats.
Ye Qiu sat next to Xiao Lan, grabbing her restless hands.
A strange hint of joy also flickered in Ning Rongrong's eyes beside them.
"Brother Ye Qiu, thank you for saving my life!" Ning Tian stood up and bowed to him.
Ye Qiu waved his hands repeatedly, "No need for this, you've already thanked me many times!"
Compared to him, Ning Rongrong seemed much more reserved.
After tidying herself up, she was indeed very beautiful. Her brown long hair was spread out, and she wore a green long dress, exuding a gentle and noble aura. Her fair face was flushed with color.
She was about to bow to Ye Qiu, but he stopped her.
"Miss Ning, there's really no need for such formality!"
"Haha... Ye Qiu, you don't need to feel uncomfortable. Expressing gratitude is proper. Once Gu Luo and Chen Feng, those two fellows, recover from their injuries, I'll have them come in person."
"No need, School Master Ning, this grand table of delicacies is already formal enough!"
Ye Qiu quickly declined; such a grand gesture made him a bit uncomfortable.
"Brother~ Can you let go of Xiao Lan's hands? When can we start eating?"
Listening to their polite exchanges, Xiao Lan looked at the delicious food in front of her, her drool almost uncontrollable.
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, secretly chuckling.
"Haha~ The little girl can't wait any longer, so let's begin the banquet!"
Ning Fengzhi laughed heartily, clapping his hands twice, clap, clap!
Several maids stood behind them, placing tableware in front of everyone.
As soon as her hands were released, Xiao Lan couldn't hold back; she was even more ravenous now.
"Ah wuu~ wuu~" Without even using cutlery, her small mouth was instantly stuffed full.
Ye Qiu sighed helplessly, letting her be, while eating and chatting with Ning Fengzhi and the others.
During this time, Ye Qiu didn't see Ning Fengzhi's other sons; perhaps they were out managing the Sect's properties, as it was a large family business after all.
...
"Little one, this, this, and this! They're all very tasty!" Ning Rongrong kept serving things to Xiao Lan.
The maids brought over dishes from further away, replacing the empty plates in front of them.
Xiao Lan, with her cheeks being pinched and eating and drinking wildly, puffed out her mouth.
She was a bit displeased: "You wuu... gulp!"
Swallowing the food in her mouth, she pouted, "You're the little one! You were even crying earlier!"
"You, you, what nonsense are you spouting!?" Ning Rongrong's face flushed, and she gritted her teeth, looking unhappily at the maids.
Wherever her gaze fell, they lowered their heads tightly, indicating that they hadn't heard anything!
They couldn't endure the little devil's torment.
"Told you to talk nonsense!" Her secret was exposed again, and Ning Rongrong, in a fit of pique, took all the delicacies from in front of Xiao Lan.
"Ah~ That's mine! Xiao Lan wants to eat!"
"I'm not giving it to you!"
...
"Ah~ Sister Rongrong, Sister~ You're the prettiest!"
"Mwah!"
Finally, after leaving a greasy kiss on Ning Rongrong's face, she was able to 'slaughter' the food once more!
Ye Qiu covered his face; he even felt embarrassed for Xiao Lan.
Ning Fengzhi and the others, however, watched the two children playing with great interest.
"Ye Qiu, seriously, are you really only level 23?" Bone Douluo looked at him curiously.
"My spirit power level is indeed only that of a Spirit Grandmaster." Ye Qiu confessed truthfully.
"With your talent, at this age, you shouldn't just be a Spirit Grandmaster, should you?"
Bone Douluo tugged at the few hairs on his head. Someone who could use Martial Soul True Body at this level must have top-tier talent.
Ye Qiu was about to explain, but his words were interrupted by Xiao Lan, who had just let out a full burp.
"Brother is actually only a little over ten years old! *Hiccup*~"
He gave a speechless look at Xiao Lan, whose face was covered in grease.
"What! You're actually about the same age as Rongrong?" Ning Fengzhi and the others looked him up and down, "You don't look like it?"
"Cough, cough... Well, I developed a bit fast." Ye Qiu awkwardly scratched his head, only able to explain it that way.
He picked up a pastry, smiled, and forcefully shoved it into Xiao Lan's mouth.
Ning Fengzhi, meanwhile, thought of Xiao Lan; the little girl also seemed to be growing quickly. He understood, realizing that Ye Qiu didn't want to say more.
"So that's how it is."
Everyone has secrets, and he didn't want to delve deeper, so he dropped the topic. However, his desire to win over Ye Qiu grew even stronger.
Ning Rongrong was also deeply surprised. 'This guy is actually about the same age as me?'
Separated by Xiao Lan, she stared fixedly at his profile, momentarily lost in thought.
"Why do you keep looking at Brother?" Xiao Lan's voice drew everyone's attention.
Ye Qiu turned his head, just as he met Ning Rongrong's gaze.
Looking at those azure blue eyes, Ning Rongrong's gaze faltered slightly. Feeling the odd looks around her, she quickly lowered her head.
"What nonsense are you spouting!" She glared at Xiao Lan, picked up the red fruit wine beside her, and took a large gulp. The red color seemed to transfer to her face, spreading into a flush.
Ye Qiu looked at them strangely.
"What is this? Xiao Lan wants to drink too!" Reaching out, she took the wine from Ning Rongrong's hand.
"Ah! Brother~" She was 'rewarded' with a flick on the forehead.
"Children can't drink alcohol!"
Ye Qiu frowned, returning the cup in her hand to Ning Rongrong.
"Got it~" Covering her head, her eyes, however, were still fixed on the item in Ning Rongrong's hand, eager to try it.
"School Master Ning, this junior has a request..."
...
Time passed quickly. After the dinner party, Ning Rongrong originally wanted to play with Xiao Lan.
However, she was called away by Ning Fengzhi, and no one knew what he said to her.
Ning Rongrong's face showed some sadness and regret. Ning Tian was much the same.
Ye Qiu guessed that they were probably going to take the siblings to comfort the relatives of the deceased disciples.
Such matters always required an explanation, especially since she would have to take over the Sect in the future.