From atop the horse came the girl's cry for help. "Someone hold this thing down! I'm about to be thrown off!"
If an ordinary person had dared to cause trouble in front of the Crown Prince's residence, the guards would have already subdued them.
But when facing this girl, the guards acted extremely restrained.
They naturally wanted to rescue her, but if she were injured in the process, they would not be able to answer for it.
Thus, they could only clear the street while praying the horse would calm down.
Chang Kong chuckled. "Brother Wu, should we help? With your movement technique and speed, saving her wouldn't be a problem."
"Since ancient times, beauties admire heroes. Maybe you could even bring powerful support to the Spirit Hall."
Wu Qi shrugged. "Such a good opportunity—I'll leave it to you. Go on. I'll cover for you."
Chang Kong's eyes lit up. He even took out a mirror from his pocket and fixed his hair.
The next moment, he rushed past the line of guards from the Crown Prince's residence and stood directly in the path of the galloping horse.
The guards were shocked. Some wanted to stop him, but their captain held them back.
In this situation, no one could guarantee whether the horse might charge into the residence. If they interfered and caused the girl to be injured, they would not be able to bear the responsibility.
Since someone had voluntarily stepped forward to resolve the situation, why not let him?
If blame were assigned afterward, it would not fall on them.
The Coiling Dragon Staff appeared in Chang Kong's hand. He leapt forward, yanked the girl off the horse, and slammed one end of the staff into the stone pavement as a pivot.
He pulled hard at the corner of her clothing to keep her from hitting the ground.
Unfortunately, the fabric could not withstand such force. A piece of her dress tore away, and the girl stumbled, falling to the ground and scraping her knee.
Not far away, Wu Qi covered his face.
Chang Kong had pulled and dragged so roughly that it hardly looked like a rescue—more like he was trying to embarrass her.
With no rider on its back, the horse gradually calmed down. The guards led it away. One group hurried to the girl's side, while another surrounded Qian Gu Chang Kong.
"Miss Rongrong, are you alright?" The captain of the guards cast a sympathetic glance at Chang Kong before helping the girl to her feet.
Rongrong. Ning Rongrong?
Wu Qi thought to himself that it was exactly as expected.
Riding recklessly and causing a scene, such behavior fit Ning Rongrong's temperament. However, in this incident, the greater fault did not lie entirely with her.
Her knee scraped and aching, tears welled in Ning Rongrong's eyes.
Supported by the guard captain, she stood up and pointed at Chang Kong. "Why did you throw me to the ground?!"
"I…" Gu Chang Kong was speechless.
His intention had been good, but his method had been clumsy.
Since Ning Rongrong was injured, someone had to take responsibility. The guards naturally pushed him forward to bear the blame.
Wu Qi sighed and stepped forward slowly, taking a letter from his pocket. "We are friends of His Highness the Crown Prince. Gentlemen, could this matter be left to His Highness to decide?"
Given Qian Renxue's temperament, she would certainly lean toward those from Spirit Hall. Most likely, this matter would end without consequence.
After seeing the signature on the letter, the guard captain ordered Chang Kong released.
From the moment Wu Qi appeared, Ning Rongrong's gaze had not left him.
Inwardly, she could not help but marvel, There is actually such a handsome young man in this world.
The commotion outside finally caught the attention of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
He walked to the entrance of the residence alongside a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious robes and asked, "What happened?"
"Your Highness…" As he spoke, the guard captain could not help glancing back at Ning Rongrong.
Everyone knew that the Crown Prince was a disciple of Ning Fengzhi. With Ning Fengzhi's daughter causing trouble, how could the Crown Prince's residence pursue the matter seriously?
Wu Qinan!
Wu Qi noticed the man standing beside Xue Qinghe. He was the current head of the Wu family.
Last year, the Wu family had rendered distinguished service to the empire again. Their title had been elevated to Marquis, raising the family's status once more.
Wu Qinan noticed Wu Qi's gaze. It felt somewhat familiar, but he did not recognize him.
So many years had passed. The skinny boy of the past had grown into a sturdy and handsome youth. The change was so great that anyone not close to him would struggle to identify him.
"Rongrong, you're injured?"
Without needing further explanation, Xue Qinghe already understood what had happened. He immediately arranged for a healing-type Spirit Master from the residence to treat Ning Rongrong's injury.
"Your Highness, those two…" The guard captain reported the earlier events.
Xue Qinghe sensed the aura of powerful elders upon them and nodded in acknowledgment.
After a pause, he cupped his hands toward Wu Qinan. "Marquis, two of my friends have come today. Regarding the matter we discussed earlier, I will give you an answer tomorrow. Would that be acceptable?"
Wu Qinan did not press further and took his leave.
After entering the Crown Prince's residence, both sides tacitly avoided discussing Spirit Hall matters.
With a warm smile, Xue Qinghe asked, "You two young talents are you satisfied with the academy life I arranged for you?"
The "story" had long been prepared.
To the outside world, Wu Qi and Chang Kong were talents Xue Qinghe had recruited years ago and secretly arranged to study on the continent for six years.
Wu Qi replied respectfully, "Thank you for Your Highness's appreciation. Over these six years, we have benefited greatly."
Behind them, disregarding her injury, Ning Rongrong brushed past the healing-type Spirit Master and hurried over.
"Crown Prince Brother, who is he?"
Xue Qinghe was slightly surprised.
The usually willful and unruly Ning Rongrong had actually restrained herself?
"This is a talent I recruited. His name is Wu Qi. Rongrong, is there something you need?"
Ning Rongrong's gaze had not left Wu Qi since earlier. Staring at his face, she felt he somewhat resembled a little boy from years ago.
Only when Xue Qinghe spoke again did she snap back to reality. She quickly asked, "Wu Qi, did you live in Heaven Dou City when you were young?"
Xue Qinghe answered on his behalf. "Rongrong, I'm afraid you're mistaken. Xiao Wu is not from Heaven Dou City."
Chang Kong waved at her and explained, "Miss Rongrong, I think there's a misunderstanding between us. Just now, I—"
As the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, who in Heaven Dou City would dare offend her?
If he did not explain things clearly, he feared someone might knock him unconscious in the night.
However, the moment Ning Rongrong heard his voice, her expression turned displeased, completely different from the way she looked at Wu Qi.
Xue Qinghe smiled helplessly. "Rongrong, I still have important matters to discuss with my two friends. As for the unpleasantness between you, I will personally visit another day to offer an apology. How about that?"
Though Ning Rongrong was willful, she understood priorities. She nodded and took her leave.
After she left, Xue Qinghe glanced at Chang Kong. "How did you end up provoking her?"
"Clan Master Ning is my teacher. If he decides to pursue this matter, it won't be easy to handle."
Xue Qinghe had seen Chang Kong when he was born. To her, he was like a younger brother.
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