The little beggar sobbed hoarsely, as if finally releasing some massive grievance that had been festering deep inside her heart.
"Keke, what's going on here…?"
Dugu Yan rushed over from the other side. Seeing the unexpected scene, she looked toward the equally dumbfounded Yu Keke, clearly confused.
"I-I don't know either."
Yu Keke stroked the soft fur of Fire Meow Meow in her arms and gazed at the situation before her, equally shocked and puzzled.
"Who even is this…?"
Dugu Yan, blunt as ever, walked over. But the moment she got a good look at the beggar leaning against Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder—
"Holy crap, Ning Rongrong?!"
A voice laced with shock and disbelief burst from Dugu Yan's mouth. She stared at the dirty little face and messy hair in front of her, utterly incredulous.
"Wuuuu~"
The moment Ning Rongrong heard someone call her name, she instinctively looked up.
Realizing it was Dugu Yan—the same girl she'd brawled with before—she clutched Zhu Zhuqing's arm even tighter.
"Wait, what the hell…?"
Dugu Yan pointed at herself, then at Ning Rongrong, completely baffled.
The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—one of the Upper Three Clans, guarded by both the Sword and Bone Douluo, and boasting the most powerful support-type spirit in the world…
How long had it been since they'd last seen her? How the hell did she end up like this?
A noble heiress reduced to a filthy beggar? Had she been exiled from her clan?
In Dugu Yan's memory, Ning Rongrong had always been a proud, temperamental brat. No wonder she jumped to conclusions.
Still, even so… wasn't this a little too pitiful for a clan princess?
"Rongrong, what happened? Why are you here?"
Seeing that Ning Rongrong's sobs were finally quieting down, Zhu Zhuqing gently held her by the shoulders, heart aching at the sorry state she was in.
"Wuuuu…"
Ning Rongrong burst into tears again the moment Zhu Zhuqing asked her anything.
"Rongrong, stop crying, please…"
Zhu Zhuqing, at a loss for what to do, could only look on as Rongrong's lips trembled and she wept once more.
Meanwhile, the shopkeeper who had been bullying the little beggar earlier now realized the girl actually knew these dangerous-looking noble ladies. He was already trying to back away quietly, but the nearby guards had surrounded him before he could slip away.
"Zhuqing… please… save Grandpa Sword…"
Ning Rongrong finally managed to choke out some words between sobs as she wiped her tears.
"Grandpa Sword?"
Zhu Zhuqing blinked, clearly not following. She didn't know who this "Grandpa Sword" was.
Dugu Yan, however, gasped sharply at the name. Growing up around her grandfather, Dugu Bo, she naturally knew who "Sword Grandpa" referred to.
Even her grandfather held that Sword Douluo in high esteem and never spoke lightly of him.
And now Ning Rongrong was crying and asking someone to save him?
So it wasn't some bratty tantrum or petty exile… had something really happened to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?
Before Zhu Zhuqing could ask further, Ning Rongrong suddenly tugged on her and pulled her along, eager to leave.
But after just a few steps, she abruptly stopped—something had clearly come to mind.
She turned around and glared at the shopkeeper, who now looked like he neither dared leave nor stay.
"You greedy scumbag! Give me back my jade!"
"Uhh…"
The shopkeeper's face twitched. He glanced nervously at Zhu Zhuqing and the surrounding guards. He thought of how valuable that jade was, then gritted his teeth.
"You used that thing to pay for the food you've been stealing these days! You're not getting it back!"
People kill for wealth, birds die for food, right? This brat did take food without paying. Taking the jade was just a little "interest." Even if this went all the way to the royal court, he'd have the law on his side!
"Rongrong, what happened exactly?"
Zhu Zhuqing had already asked this question a dozen times today, and she still didn't have a clue what was really going on.
"Zhuqing, I… I don't have any soul coins… I took some food here, and the shopkeeper tried to catch me…"
"I can't be caught! Grandpa Sword is still waiting for me!
"So I left a jade my dad gave me with him… I came today to redeem it, but he said I didn't bring enough money. But I brought so much!
"I panicked… I tried to snatch the jade back when he wasn't looking…"
Ning Rongrong spoke in broken sentences, clearly aggrieved. From the looks of things, not only had she failed to get her jade back, but the shopkeeper had also publicly humiliated her.
"..."
Though the explanation was fragmented, Zhu Zhuqing managed to piece together the gist of what had happened. She turned to the shopkeeper.
"How much food did my friend take from your store?"
"Uh…"
The man hesitated. The guards nearby began raising their weapons, and he instantly regretted not running when he had the chance.
"Speak."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes narrowed.
"Eleven… eleven buns over the past few days…"
Zhu Zhuqing frowned and looked at Ning Rongrong.
"Rongrong, how many soul coins did you give him?"
"Ten… ten copper coins…"
Ning Rongrong lowered her head, clearly embarrassed.
"Ten gold soul coins could buy your entire shop several times over!"
Zhu Zhuqing grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar and lifted him off the ground, clearly infuriated.
If she paid, and he still didn't return the pawned item, and even extorted for more—how thick was this bastard's face?!
"L-Lady! Not gold soul coins, copper! Copper soul coins!"
The shopkeeper wasn't a soul master. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free from Zhu Zhuqing's grip and had no choice but to quickly clarify.
"Eh…"
Zhu Zhuqing paused. It seemed she'd misunderstood.
Ever since leaving Shrek Academy, her life had been far from frugal. Traveling with His Excellency, Paimon and Keke would casually toss around gold soul coins like candy.
And Ning Rongrong, being the princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—wasn't she supposed to be just as wealthy?
Still, she thought about it. Even if it was copper coins, ten should've easily covered the cost of eleven buns.
"Don't tell me even ten copper soul coins weren't enough?"
She hoisted the shopkeeper again. He frantically flailed.
"They were! They were! Please, milady, have mercy…"
"Hmph."
Zhu Zhuqing flung him aside. He landed hard on his backside.
She held out her hand.
"Give me the jade."
"Y-Yes, milady…"
The shopkeeper, clearly a paper tiger, trembled as he reached into his robes and pulled out a gleaming piece of vivid green jade and handed it to her.
"Here."
Zhu Zhuqing passed the jade to Ning Rongrong. Then she gave a glance to the side.
The guards took the cue immediately. Two of them stepped forward, grabbed the shopkeeper by the arms, and dragged him away.
"Thank you… thank you, Zhuqing…"
Seeing the man who had tormented her being taken away, Ning Rongrong was overwhelmed with emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes once more.
"Alright, alright. Rongrong, who is it you wanted to save earlier? We'll go with you and take a look."
Though Rongrong was technically older than Zhu Zhuqing, due to her petite stature and noble upbringing, Zhu Zhuqing often seemed more like the big sister in moments like this, soothing her gently.
"Yes… yes!"
Ning Rongrong immediately grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's hand and dashed forward.
"Zhuqing, you have to help me… we have to save Grandpa Sword!"
_
(CAUGHT UP WITH THE RAWS IN MY PATREON)
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