"I know, I know!"
"I'll tell Flender next time I head out," Ning Rongrong said helplessly.
To Ning Rongrong, Long Jian looked exactly like Ning Fengzhi right now. Yet, when it came to Long Jian, she possessed a level of patience she showed no one else.
"That's good!" Long Jian nodded with a smile, then added, "Since that’s settled, let’s hurry back to the academy! Rongrong, you still need to go back and finish the task Dean Flender assigned you."
"Huh? Why!" Ning Rongrong pouted. "It was so hard for me to sneak out! Besides, I haven't even eaten my cake yet!"
"Rongrong, failure is not shameful. Giving up—that is what is shameful," Long Jian said earnestly.
"I..." Ning Rongrong wanted to retort, but faced with Long Jian's gaze, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Long Jian sensed Flender's presence and a mischievous smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He leaned in close to Ning Rongrong's ear and whispered, "Besides, you walked out of Shrek Academy, and there’s a good chance someone is following you right now!"
"And that person might just be waiting for you to fail and give up, so he can criticize you, use you as an example, and establish his authority in front of the new students!"
Ning Rongrong’s cheeks flushed, and she took a quiet half-step back. After pondering Long Jian's words, she suddenly felt as though she had fallen into a trap. Ning Rongrong was naturally clever; otherwise, she wouldn't have been chosen by Ning Fengzhi as the heir to the sect. Though only twelve, she was already well-versed in such schemes. She was exceptionally bright.
Once she realized this, Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth and silently cursed Flender. Seeing that she seemed to have figured it out, Long Jian smiled.
"Let’s go!"
"Dragon Battle Flash Chariot!"
Watching the "Dragon Battle Flash Chariot" suddenly appear beside Long Jian, Ning Rongrong’s beautiful eyes widened. "What is this?"
"Get on! It’ll be faster this way!" Long Jian said with a faint smile, swinging a leg over to sit down.
Ning Rongrong’s eyes lit up, and she was about to imitate Long Jian, but Zhu Zhuqing sat behind Long Jian first. She placed one hand on Long Jian's waist and patted the spot behind her. "Rongrong, come on up."
Ning Rongrong squinted her eyes with a smile, then sat lightly behind Zhu Zhuqing, her hands naturally resting on Zhu Zhuqing’s waist. "Zhuqing, you have a great figure! How about we sleep together tonight?"
Zhu Zhuqing’s face turned red, and she gently swatted away Ning Rongrong’s prying hands. "Stop it!"
Long Jian glanced back and said in a gentle tone, "Hold on tight!"
Under the shocked gazes of countless people on the street, Long Jian steered the "Dragon Battle Flash Chariot" and slowly drove toward the city gates.
"Wow—!"
"It's so fast—!"
"This is so exciting!"
Hearing Ning Rongrong screaming in her ear, Zhu Zhuqing’s cold expression darkened.
"Long Jian, can you go any faster?" Ning Rongrong poked her head out and shouted at Long Jian.
"There's no need for that," Long Jian said helplessly. This wasn't a prison break. At the current speed, they would reach Shrek Academy before long, and there was still plenty of time before dark. Even if Ning Rongrong didn't finish, Flender surely wouldn't be too harsh.
Before long, the three arrived at the gates of Shrek Academy. Just then, Oscar came running over, drenched in sweat. He was slightly surprised to see Ning Rongrong back so soon after leaving. Noticing Long Jian and Zhu Zhuqing there as well, he seemed to realize something.
"Rongrong, you can do it," Long Jian said, smiling as he patted Ning Rongrong’s shoulder, a wisp of energy quietly flowing into her body.
"Long Jian, Zhuqing, don't worry!"
Feeling an inexhaustible amount of strength within her, Ning Rongrong shot a glance at Oscar, gave a light huff, and immediately began running laps around Shrek Academy. Seeing this, Oscar's eyes nearly popped out of his head. *How did Ning Rongrong change so much just from going out?* he wondered.
Just then, Dai Mubai, who had been punished with thirty laps, ran over. Seeing Oscar standing still, he was about to mock him when he noticed Zhu Zhuqing and Long Jian together.
"Long Jian, let's go," Zhu Zhuqing said, looking up at Long Jian and speaking softly. "You must be tired from your spirit battle earlier."
"It’s alright, I didn't use much strength," Long Jian said with a shy smile.
Watching the two enter the academy laughing and talking, Dai Mubai nearly ground his teeth to dust. His eyes turned blood-red, as if they were burning with flames.
"Dai, just stop looking," Oscar said, patting Dai Mubai’s shoulder to comfort him. "It’s very likely Zhuqing is already that guy’s girl now; you don't have much of a chance left."
"What did you say?!" Dai Mubai whipped his head around, his eyes filled with fury as he glared viciously at Oscar.
"Nothing! It's nothing!" Oscar nearly wet himself under Dai Mubai's gaze. It was the first time he had seen such a look from him—he looked exactly like a tiger ready to devour a human.
"I still have half my laps to go, I’m off," Oscar said with a forced laugh, turning to leave.
Dai Mubai fixed his gaze on Zhu Zhuqing’s retreating back, a sense of shame he had never felt before rising in his heart.
"Bastard!"
A roar, accompanied by a surge of Spirit Power, echoed into the academy. Hearing the angry shout, Long Jian was about to turn around, but Zhu Zhuqing asked, "Long Jian, are you really just a level 30 Spirit Master?"
Long Jian was momentarily stunned. Before he could answer, Zhu Zhuqing added, "Long Jian, has anyone ever told you that you’re very special?"
"No," Long Jian shook his head. "Though someone did once say I like to play the third wheel." That person was Huo Linfei from his previous life in the Super Beast world.
"Huh? A third wheel?" Zhu Zhuqing was stunned at first, then tried to suppress a laugh, the corners of her mouth curling up involuntarily.
"I remember they were just taking pictures, and I happened to walk by," Long Jian said helplessly.
Zhu Zhuqing thought about it and immediately understood what he meant. "They? Were they a couple?"
"I suppose... you could say that," Long Jian said with a smile. "They were both willing to give their lives for each other. Even though they had known each other for less than seven days, the bond between them felt like it had been tested for a hundred thousand years."
Zhu Zhuqing stood frozen upon hearing this. Seeing her reaction, Long Jian smiled and asked, "Do you find that unbelievable?"
"It is quite unbelievable," Zhu Zhuqing nodded gently, deep within her eyes lay a profound sense of envy.
Can such a bond really exist, where two people who have known each other for only seven days are willing to die for one another?
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head in contemplation. In an instant, many thoughts flooded her mind, mostly occupied by the unbearable memories of her past. After awakening her Spirit, her older sister, who had always doted on her, suddenly began trying to kill her. She was inexplicably betrothed to a prince named Dai Mubai and was expected to compete against her own sister for the position of future Empress.
But the result? Her fiancé, Dai Mubai—whom she had barely seen a handful of times—had fled the Star Luo Empire out of fear, leaving her behind to shoulder it all alone.