Chapter 35: Unexpected Encounter with Ning Rongrong
As dusk approached, Zu Zong grew bored.
Seeing that Xiao Wu had fallen asleep, he gave Ye Lingling a heads-up and quietly left the Rose Hotel.
He didn't care much about where he stayed—he always used cultivation to replace sleep anyway. As for Xiao Wu and Ye Lingling, he wasn't too interested. Girls always had their little secrets to whisper about, even if one of them happened to be a ten-thousand-year-old rabbit.
Strolling through the streets of Soto City, Zu Zong planned to buy a few masks for the upcoming soul battle.
Back in Nuoding City, he had used Transformation Technique to hide his identity. But with the Royal Battle team around now, that wasn't an option.
There were plenty of stalls in the city, and before long, he found one selling masks.
A white fox mask with red patterns caught Zu Zong's attention.
He muttered, "This one looks just like the one Uchiha Itachi wore during his time in the ANBU."
Having made up his mind, he chose that mask.
Just then, a clear and pleasant female voice reached his ears.
"Boss, how much is this mask?"
Zu Zong turned and saw a brown-haired girl.
She looked about the same age as him. She wore a simple teal dress and had a clean, refreshing aura.
She stood around 1.65 meters tall, noticeably shorter than Zu Zong. From the side, her delicate features were even more refined than Xiao Wu's.
Her fair skin was smooth and porcelain-like. Overall, she looked naturally graceful.
Zu Zong couldn't help but think, 'You really don't know until you step outside. Forget Ye Lingling—even random girls on the street seem to outshine that rabbit. Of course, that's also because Xiao Wu hasn't matured yet. She'll probably be very pretty when she grows up. Now I just wonder what Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong, that pair of mother-daughter beauties, actually look like in real life.'
Qing Jiao: Scumbag.
Zu Zong: Tch! I'm just admiring her figure, not a scumbag.
The girl noticed Zu Zong's gaze. Her already sour mood worsened.
Just as she was about to snap, the next moment made her swallow her words.
In her view stood a boy about twelve or thirteen. He was slender, with long blue-silver hair.
His skin was pale, and his face was more delicate than most girls'. If not for the black combat uniform and masculine aura, she might have mistaken his gender.
And those clear eyes—definitely not the eyes of a pervert.
Qing Jiao: Girl, he's not a pervert. He's just been staring at rabbits too long and needs to cleanse his eyes.
As their eyes met, the girl smiled. "Hi there!"
Zu Zong nodded in response, then went back to picking masks.
Ye Lingling had a veil, so she didn't need one. But that rabbit definitely did.
Still, he decided to pick masks for both of them.
As for the girl beside him—he didn't have any special thoughts. He just thought she was good-looking, that's all.
Zu Zong's cool response made the girl chuckle in surprise.
'What the heck? He was the one staring at me, I politely said hello, and all I get is a nod? Seriously?'
After a short while, Zu Zong picked out two decent-looking masks and was about to leave the stall.
"Are you here to join Shrek Academy?"
The brown-haired girl couldn't help asking.
She sensed a powerful soul force from him—one that even surpassed her own. Since he looked about her age, she was curious.
Shrek?
Zu Zong paused mid-step and turned with a puzzled expression. "You're a student at Shrek Academy?"
He studied her again.
If she really was from Shrek, then her identity wouldn't be hard to guess. After all, in the original story, Shrek only had three female students.
First, he ruled out Xiao Wu. That rabbit was with him and probably still curled up on the bed.
Then he glanced discreetly at the girl's chest—yup, definitely not Zhu Zhuqing.
That left only one option: Ning Rongrong.
It wasn't like Tang San had suddenly raised another "little sister" out of nowhere, right?
Zu Zong shook his head. "I'm not here to join Shrek. Besides, enrollment ended yesterday. And if I'm not wrong, it's class time right now, isn't it?"
The girl was clearly caught off guard by Zu Zong's off-topic response. Somewhat flustered, she replied, "W-Well, I just enrolled yesterday. Our classes are scheduled for the evening, so we're told to rest during the day. I'm Ning Rongrong. What's your name?"
Zu Zong narrowed his eyes slightly and thought to himself, 'So it really is Ning Rongrong. Looks like she got sent out by Flender to run laps, and after one round, she bailed and came straight to Soto City for a feast. Wait a second…'
A cold sweat formed in Zu Zong's heart.
Over the years, he had stolen almost all of Flender's savings. While the grudge meter still hadn't crossed 70%, if Flender caught him, he'd definitely get beaten to a pulp.
Sure, he had the system's random teleport function, but who knew where he'd end up next? That last time, he got randomly dropped onto Xiao Xun'er's bed—that was a traumatic experience in itself.
With that in mind, Zu Zong quickly began forming a backup plan.
"Hi, I'm Zu Zong," he answered calmly.
——
Meanwhile, several hundred meters above in the clouds, Flender was hiding in the sky, silently observing Ning Rongrong.
Seeing her chatting with an unfamiliar boy, he snorted. "This little princess dares to skip class? Hmph! Just wait until I get back—I'll make her regret it."
As for the young man she was talking to, Flender didn't think much of it at first. He assumed it was just a casual conversation. As long as the guy didn't act out of line, Flender wasn't planning to interfere.
But then—he saw the boy's face clearly.
Suddenly, a surge of nameless anger welled up inside him. A very familiar anger.
He'd felt this a few times in the past—whenever his gold spirit coins had gone mysteriously missing.
"I need to question that brat. If he really is the one who stole from me, I'll make sure he pays!"
As soon as Zu Zong and Ning Rongrong parted ways, Flender could no longer hold back his fury and curiosity. He dropped straight from the sky, aiming to confront him.
But before he could land fully, a black-clad figure suddenly appeared right in front of him.
The masked figure was burly and imposing.
Flender paused, bowed slightly, and asked respectfully, "Senior, may I ask why you're blocking my path?"
After all, anyone who could appear before him without being noticed was definitely no ordinary person. Flender didn't dare be careless.
The masked figure waved a hand and spoke in a deep, rumbling voice. "Who I am doesn't matter. That person—you can't touch him."
Flender's expression changed. He instantly realized the figure was referring to the blue-haired youth he'd been tracking.
The black figure didn't elaborate further.
The next moment, a dazzling light shone from his body. Under the faint radiance, his form shifted subtly, and a violent surge of soul power radiated outward.
Eight soul rings slowly rose beneath his feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black—eight dazzling rings circled his body.
Flender gasped. "Soul Douluo!"
His jaw nearly hit the ground.
He hadn't expected that the suspect he was tailing would be protected by a Soul Douluo-level expert.
Flender chuckled bitterly. 'Someone who has a Soul Douluo guarding them… would they really care about my measly few hundred gold coins?'
Straightening his clothes, Flender clasped his hands politely. "I am Flender, headmaster of Shrek Academy—also known as the Four-Eyed Owl. I noticed that blue-haired boy has extraordinary talent and was hoping to invite him to join our school. I meant no harm."
Seeing the black-robed man make no move to stop him, Flender activated his martial spirit and quickly flew off.
Only after returning to Shrek Academy did he finally exhale and mutter, "A Soul Douluo watching from the shadows… so that brat probably didn't steal my money. I almost picked a fight with the wrong person. But who is he, really?"
Qing Jiao: That brat did steal your money, Flender.
——
Back in the city, Zu Zong had separated from Ning Rongrong, but still hadn't come up with a good plan.
He decided to just play it cool.
After all, it wasn't like Flender would definitely find him. And even if he did, it's not like he had any proof. Zu Zong had never set foot in Soto City before this.
He even prepared some prewritten lines in case of interrogation.
But after all that mental prep… Flender never even showed up.
Zu Zong sighed. 'All that effort, for nothing.'
(End of Chapter)
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