Douluo: I am a biologist, awakening the weapon spirit?

Chapter 176 Suspicion
Hearing Bai He's words, Niu Gao chuckled coldly:

"How come I didn't know the Haotian Sect was so reasonable? Do those people even care about whether they're in the right or not? It's just that after the old sect leader disappeared, they lost their guts too."

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

The old sect leader that Niu Gao mentioned refers to Tang Hao's grandfather, Tang Chen, because the sect leader they recognized was Tang Hao's father.

As for Tang Xiao, they didn't recognize him as the sect leader at all, since the mountain closure incident happened during Tang Xiao's tenure, and he was involved in it to some extent.

After a while, the white crane sighed softly:

"I wonder what happened to the old sect master, and whether he is still alive?"

“With the old sect leader’s strength, there aren’t many people who can be his opponent. I think he might be trapped somewhere,” Titan guessed.

“I have traveled to many places, but I have not found any trace of my grandfather,” Tang Hao said.

"Is it possible, overseas?" Baihe asked.

“Grandpa went overseas before, but he returned safely. However, he may go to sea again, but the chances of finding him overseas are slim.” Tang Hao shook his head.

Niu Gao looked at him and asked:
"Tang Hao, what are your thoughts on me and Old White Bird joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?"

Bai He also looked at Tang Hao, clearly concerned about this issue.

Tang Hao was somewhat puzzled. "Back then, Xiao Feng asked me if he could win you over, and I agreed at the time. Didn't he tell you about this?"

Niu Gao and Bai He exchanged a surprised glance and shook their heads. "No, neither the sect leader nor Xiao Feng mentioned this."

"Maybe they felt it wasn't necessary to mention it?" Tang Hao said.

Titan couldn't help but ask:
"Master, why did you allow that child to win over the old white bird and the old rhinoceros?"

Tang Hao paused for a moment, then said:

"The Haotian Sect can no longer provide you with protection. I know that your four clans have had a hard time over the years, so there is no need to continue. It would be good to find a better backer."

Titan wanted to say something, but then realized he had nothing to say.

Just as Tang Hao said, it was the Clear Sky Sect that abandoned them first, so there's no point in them persisting in this futile way.

Moreover, when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was trying to win over the Min and Yu clans, they did not use any dishonorable means; they followed the proper and righteous path.

Not to mention that Tang Hao now says he gave permission long ago, which makes the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's actions even more legitimate.

This is what Chen Feng told Ning Fengzhi back then: when doing things, one must be legitimate and justified so that one can proceed smoothly.

Just like now, Chen Feng and Ning Fengzhi's methods are all out in the open. Even if Tang Hao meets and chats casually with the four clans, it doesn't matter, because Chen Feng and the others are using open strategies.

Conspiracy is different; underhanded tricks can't be openly discussed, and they'll be exposed as soon as the two sides communicate.

However, intrigue is not entirely useless; in certain situations, it can be indispensable.

For example, what Chen Feng told Niu Gao before about "infiltrating from the inside and attacking from the outside" was a standard scheming tactic.

If Bai He and Niu Gao had some unavoidable hesitation about joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School before, their hesitation completely disappeared now that they knew Tang Hao had already given Chen Feng permission.

The new master treated them well, and the old master allowed them to switch allegiances, so they naturally had no psychological barriers.

However, Titan remained persistent, and he said to Tang Hao:
“Master, this old servant wishes to follow you forever.”

Tang Hao shook his head. "Following me will only bury your talents. Xiao Feng and Xiao San are doing something big right now and need a lot of help."

Titan remained silent.

Seeing this, the white crane thought for a moment and said:

"How about we compromise? Old gorilla, you don't have to be like us. You can just work with Xiao San. Anyway, Xiao San and Xiao Feng are good friends. What do you think?"

Tang Hao looked at Titan, "What do you think?"

Titan thought for a moment, then nodded and said:

“Yes, I am willing to follow the young master.”

“Speaking of which, should we bring that old goat guy over too?” Niu Gao suddenly said.

"I'm afraid the chances aren't very high. We've met a few times over the years, and Old Goat knows about our joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, but he hasn't really mentioned it. I guess he doesn't want to continue living under someone else's roof," Bai He said, shaking his head.

Among the four clans, Yang Wudi, the patriarch of the Po clan, had the best relationship with him. Before the Min clan joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Yang Wudi was the main force that funded them.

As the saying goes, those who sell their looks can't compete with those who sell medicine. The Po clan's main business is in pharmaceuticals, and their money-making ability is arguably the best among the four clans. That's why they have the resources to support the impoverished Min clan.

The abundance of funds also gave Yang Wudi enough confidence to maintain the independence of the clan without having to find a backer like others.

“Whether he wants to join or not, now that we’ve all found our way, we should at least let him know. Our annual gathering is coming up soon anyway,” Niu Gao said.

“That makes sense. Let’s send him a message then,” Bai He nodded and said.

While Tang Hao was meeting with the three clan leaders, Chen Feng also accompanied Ning Fengzhi to a teahouse.

In an elegantly decorated private room, Chen Feng met a young man, Xue Qinghe, whom he had met once before.

"Teacher, why didn't you tell me you were coming to Tiandou City? I could have arranged for someone to welcome you. If you hadn't sent someone to find me, I wouldn't have known you were here," Xue Qinghe said to Ning Fengzhi with a smile.

"I just suddenly had the idea to come see my Rongrong, so I didn't notify her beforehand, and there was no need for a big fuss or any kind of welcoming ceremony." Ning Fengzhi waved his hand with a smile.

Xue Qinghe looked at Chen Feng and said with a warm smile:
"We meet again, young man."

"Oh? You've met Xiaofeng before?" Ning Fengzhi asked curiously.

“That’s right. We happened to run into him when he came to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy looking for Poison Douluo,” Xue Qinghe said.

"I see, that's quite a coincidence," Ning Fengzhi nodded and said.

"Teacher, why did you bring this young man here today?" Xue Qinghe looked at Ning Fengzhi with a questioning gaze.

"Oh, is that so? Xiao Feng is an outstanding junior in the sect, and also Uncle Jian's disciple, so I wanted to introduce you two," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.

A hint of surprise flashed in Xue Qinghe's eyes. "This young man is actually Sword Douluo's disciple? I think he also has the surname Chen. Could he be related to Sword Douluo by blood?"

Ning Fengzhi hesitated for a moment, and then Chen Feng smiled and spoke:

"Actually, it's a coincidence. My master saw that I had good talent and that my martial soul was a sword, so he took me as his disciple. Perhaps my surname played a role in that." "Ah, so it's a coincidence." Xue Qinghe said with an unchanged smile, "I thought you were a relative of the Sword Douluo, just like that Master Chenfeng."

“Disciples are like family,” Chen Feng said with a smile.

"Oh, right, Qinghe, there's something else I need to tell you." Ning Fengzhi suddenly seemed to remember something.

"What is it, teacher?" Xue Qinghe asked.

“I’ve already decided to get Xiaofeng and Rongrong engaged. They’re about the same age and have grown up together, so I think they’re a good match.” Ning Fengzhi said, while observing Xue Qinghe’s expression.

After hearing Ning Fengzhi's words, Xue Qinghe was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said:
"That's good too. I think Brother Chenfeng is a handsome young man and he and Rongrong are a good match."

Ning Fengzhi's smile deepened. "Hey, I brought this up mainly because I was worried you might overthink it, Qinghe. After all, you often talked to me about Rongrong, and I thought you..."

"Teacher, you've misunderstood. I only see Rongrong as a younger sister; I don't have any other thoughts," Xue Qinghe said, shaking her head.

"So that's how it is. I was overthinking it. By the way, Qinghe, do you have any ideas about who should be the Crown Princess?" Ning Fengzhi asked.

Xue Qinghe sighed, "Sigh, there are naturally many people who want to be the Crown Princess, but I feel that none of them are quite suitable. Perhaps I need to consider it for a while longer."

"It's best to decide this matter as soon as possible; it will be beneficial to the stability of the court," Ning Fengzhi advised.

"What the teacher says is true, I will consider it as soon as possible." Xue Qinghe looked at Chen Feng and suddenly said with a smile:

"It's a pity that Brother Chenfeng is a young man. If he were a woman, I might be tempted."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness," Chen Feng said, somewhat speechless.

The three chatted for a while longer before Chen Feng and Ning Fengzhi took their leave.

Watching them leave, Xue Qinghe suddenly spoke softly:

"Elder Bloodthorn".

"Young Master." A middle-aged man walked in from outside the door. He waved his hand and sealed the entire private room with his soul power to prevent the sound of their conversation from being leaked out.

"Elder Ci Xue, what do you think of Chen Feng?" Xue Qinghe, or rather Qian Renxue, asked.

After thinking for a moment, Ci Xue said:
"It feels too coincidental. Master Chenfeng is said to be a blood relative of Sword Douluo who was separated from his family. Now there is another disciple of Sword Douluo, Chenfeng, and both of them have some connection with Notting City. This is really strange."

Qian Renxue nodded. "That's what I think too. Before, I thought Chen Feng was too young and had a weapon spirit, so it was unlikely that he could be that famous biological pioneer. But now it seems that although the possibility is small, it cannot be ignored."

"Can a child of this age really have that kind of wisdom?" Ci Xue found it somewhat unbelievable.

Qian Renxue paced back and forth in the private room a few times, pondering as she spoke:

“When I asked Chen Feng if he was related to Sword Douluo by blood, the teacher seemed to hesitate for a moment. Although Chen Feng quickly answered the question, it is still a rather suspicious point.”

After thinking for a moment, Ci Xue said:
"Moreover, this child's martial soul is a sword, and his surname is Chen, so he seems to be a member of the Sword Douluo clan."

Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly, "If that's the case, then the two Chen Fengs could very well be the same person."

"But this is just our guess; we still can't find any conclusive evidence," Bloodstain sighed.

Qian Renxue smiled and said, "Elder Cixue, we're not investigating a case, so why would we need evidence? You're just too concerned about this."

“You killed the second and third brothers before without leaving any clues, but that doesn’t stop others from suspecting me.”

Ci Xue paused for a moment, then said, "That's true."

Xue Qinghe put his hands behind his back and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Having doubts is enough. We will have many more opportunities to deal with this boy and gradually determine his identity."

"Speaking of which, young master, what do you think of Ning Fengzhi's engagement?" Ci Xue frowned. "Originally, we could have used a marriage alliance to further our relationship with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, but now I'm afraid there's no chance."

Qian Renxue said nonchalantly:
"Let's get engaged then. Anyway, I didn't really want to marry that girl."

"But the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School..."

“Ning Fengzhi is already my teacher, that relationship is enough. Do you really want me to marry a girl?” Qian Renxue frowned and said.

"Your subordinate dares not," Ci Xue said, kneeling on one knee.

"Get up."

"Yes."

Qian Renxue was silent for a while, then suddenly sighed:

"But what the teacher said is true. The matter of the Crown Princess needs to be dealt with, or at least there needs to be some word about it. But how should we do it?"

Silence fell over the private room for a moment.

Returning to Ning Fengzhi's residence with Gu Rong, Chen Feng couldn't help but ask:
"Uncle Ning, why are you suddenly bringing up the engagement?"

He had brushed this off before by saying he was too young, but now Ning Fengzhi had suddenly brought it up with Xue Qinghe, and it was probably going to become an open secret.

It wasn't that Chen Feng disliked Ning Rongrong; it was just that it was his first time experiencing something like this and he didn't know how to handle it.

And most importantly, Zhu Zhuqing didn't know what to say either.

We can't expect Ning Rongrong to become the powerful one and Zhu Zhuqing to become the concubine, can we?
Regardless of whether Zhu Zhuqing is willing or not, Ning Fengzhi probably wouldn't be happy to see his son-in-law having a lover.

Hearing Chen Feng's question, Gu Rong patted Chen Feng on the shoulder and said:
"What, you don't want to get engaged to Rongrong?"

"Uh, I just feel a little surprised."

Ning Fengzhi sighed softly, "The reason I brought this up in front of the Crown Prince is because he seemed to have some feelings for Rongrong in the past. So I have to make things clear as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the Crown Prince takes the initiative to propose marriage in the future, it will be easy to offend people if we bring this up again."

"But didn't the Crown Prince say that he only sees Rongrong as a younger sister?" Gu Rong asked, puzzled.

Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "He was just saying that. He probably doesn't really mean it. But since he made his stance clear today, he probably won't mention Rongrong again."

"So, the engagement was just an excuse?" Chen Feng asked.

"What are you thinking? Of course I'm serious, and I'm ordering right now!"

Chen Feng:
(End of this chapter)