A Chance Encounter with Ning Rongrong

As evening approached, Zu Zong grew bored. Seeing that Xiao Wu had actually fallen asleep, he said goodbye to Ye Lingling and left the Rose Hotel.

Zu Zong did not care much about lodging. No matter where he went, he used cultivation in place of sleep. As for Xiao Wu and Ye Lingling, he was not particularly interested in what they did. Girls always had their little secrets to share, even if one of them was a hundred-thousand-year-old female rabbit.

Strolling along the streets of Suotuo City, Zu Zong planned to buy a few masks in preparation for tomorrow's Soul Fighting Tournament. Back in Nuoding City, he had always used the Transformation Technique for soul fights. With the Royal Fight team here, he could not pull that trick.

There were quite a few stalls along Suotuo City's streets. Before long, Zu Zong found one selling masks.

A white fox mask with red patterns caught Zu Zong's attention.

Zu Zong murmured softly, "This mask looks a lot like the one Uchiha Itachi wore during his ANBU days."

Having made up his mind, Zu Zong chose that mask.

Suddenly, a clear female voice entered Zu Zong's ears.

"Boss, how much is this mask?"

Zu Zong turned to look and saw a brown-haired girl.

The girl looked about the same age as Zu Zong. She wore a simple tea-green long dress that gave her a very clean impression. She was around 1.65 meters tall, considerably shorter than Zu Zong. Since she stood to his right, he could see her profile. Her little face was even more exquisite than Xiao Wu's. From the skin on her face down to her neck, it was clear that her complexion was exceptionally fair and delicate.

Zu Zong could not help sighing inwardly. You never realize it until you come out. Forget Ye Lingling—even some random girl I meet now looks better than that rabbit. Of course, that is only because Xiao Wu has not fully grown up yet. She should become much prettier when she grows up. I wonder what Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong, the original mother-and-daughter beauties, look like?

Chinjao: Scumbag.

Zu Zong: Pah! I just covet their bodies. That does not make me a scumbag.

The girl noticed Zu Zong's gaze, and her already foul mood became even worse. Just as she was about to lose her temper, what happened next made her swallow the curse that had reached her lips.

Before her stood a boy about twelve or thirteen years old, tall and slender, with Blue Silver Hair. His skin was fair, and paired with a pretty face no less lovely than a girl's, she would have struggled to tell his gender apart if not for his black masculine outfit and the manly aura between his brows.

Then she looked into his clear eyes. Mm! Not a pervert. (Chinjao: Girl, he really is not a pervert. He has just been staring at rabbits for too long and needs you to cleanse his eyes.)

The girl and Zu Zong met each other's eyes. She smiled and said, "Hello!"

Zu Zong nodded in response, then continued choosing masks. Ye Lingling did not need one because she wore a black veil, but that rabbit did not have one. Even so, Zu Zong intended to pick one out for both of them.

As for the young girl beside him, he had no other thoughts about her. He simply thought she was pretty.

Zu Zong's indifferent response made the girl laugh awkwardly. She thought, What is going on? He was clearly the one who looked at me first. I only greeted him to give him some face, and all he does is nod? What is that supposed to mean?

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Zu Zong picked out two decent masks and prepared to leave the stall.

"Are you here to join Shrek Academy?"

The brown-haired girl spoke. Seeing that Zu Zong was around her age and sensing a powerful fluctuation of Soul Power from him, even much stronger than her own, she could not help asking.

Shrek Academy?

Zu Zong stopped mid-step, a puzzled look appearing on his face. "Are you a student of Shrek Academy?"

Zu Zong examined the girl again. If she was a student of Shrek Academy, her identity was easy to guess. There were only three girls at Shrek Academy in the original story.

First, he ruled out Xiao Wu. That rabbit was following him and was probably still lying on the bed. Then, from the corner of his eye, he glanced at the girl's chest. Damn, so small. Not Zhu Zhuqing. That meant she could only be Ning Rongrong. It was not as if Tang San had raised another "little sister" somewhere, was it?

Zu Zong shook his head. "I am not here to join Shrek Academy. Even if I were, Shrek Academy's registration period ended yesterday. Besides, should this not be class time?"

The girl was clearly stumped by Zu Zong's irrelevant answer. She replied guiltily, "W-well, I only enrolled yesterday. Classes do not begin until the evening. During the day, we are supposed to rest and conserve our energy. My name is Ning Rongrong. What about you?"

Zu Zong narrowed his eyes. So it really is Ning Rongrong. It looks like Flender ordered her to run, then she came to Suotuo City for a big meal after running only one lap. Wait, does that mean...

Zu Zong secretly broke out in a cold sweat. Over the past few years, his thefts had practically emptied Flender's savings. Though his Hate Value had still not exceeded seventy percent, if Flender caught him, he would definitely get a beating. Even if he could use the system to randomly teleport elsewhere, there was no telling what dangerous place he might end up in. The last time he randomly teleported onto Xiao Xun'er's bed had been a bloody lesson.

Thinking of this, Zu Zong began considering countermeasures.

"Hello, my name is Zu Zong."

The scene shifted elsewhere.

Several hundred meters in the air, Flender hid among the clouds and secretly observed Ning Rongrong's every move. At that moment, Ning Rongrong was chatting with an unfamiliar young man.

"This spoiled young lady actually dared to skip class. Hmph! Just wait and see how I deal with her when I get back!"

As for the young man beside her, Flender did not think much of him. He assumed Ning Rongrong had simply been approached by someone, and as long as the other party did not do anything outrageous, he could not be bothered to interfere. Yet for some reason, when he saw the boy's face clearly, an inexplicable fury suddenly rose in his heart.

That anger was not unfamiliar to him. He had felt it several times in the past few years—each time his Gold Soul Coins had been stolen.

"No, I have to ask that brat about this. If he really stole my Gold Soul Coins, I will make him regret it."

After Zu Zong and Ning Rongrong parted ways, Flender could no longer suppress his curiosity and anger. He planned to question Zu Zong.

Swoosh! Swoosh! The moment Flender landed, he discovered that a black figure had somehow appeared in front of him.

The black figure wore a mask. Judging by his build, he was quite muscular.

Flender cupped his fists respectfully and asked, "May I ask why you are blocking my path, Senior?"

After all, anyone who could appear before Flender in an instant without him noticing was certainly no ordinary person. Flender could not afford to take him lightly.

The black figure waved a hand and spoke in a deep voice. "Who I am is not important. But that person is not someone you can touch!"

"That person?" Flender was startled. It was obvious that the man meant the blue-haired boy Flender intended to find.

The black figure had no intention of answering Flender further.

The next moment, dazzling light flared from the black figure's body. Beneath the faint glow, his body began to undergo subtle changes. A violent aura of Soul Power rippled around him. Eight Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black. The eight rings circled around his body.

Flender cried out, "Spirit Douluo!"

This time, Flender was so shocked that his jaw nearly dropped. He never imagined that the thief he suspected would have a Spirit Douluo-level bodyguard following him.

At that thought, Flender laughed bitterly inwardly. Would someone with a Spirit Douluo as a guard really covet his few hundred Gold Soul Coins?

Flender immediately cupped his fists and said, "I am the Dean of Shrek Academy, Four-Eyed Owl Flender. I saw that the blue-haired young man possesses extraordinary talent, so I wished to invite him to join Shrek Academy. I mean no harm. Since that is the case, I shall take my leave."

Seeing that the other party did not stop him, Flender immediately activated his Martial Soul and flew away.

Only after returning to Shrek Academy did he finally let out a breath of relief. He could not help muttering, "With a Spirit Douluo secretly protecting him, it seems that boy was not the one who stole my money. I nearly provoked a powerful enemy! But who exactly is that boy?"

Chinjao: That brat, Zu Zong, really is the one who stole your money.

Elsewhere, after parting with Ning Rongrong, Zu Zong thought it over from every angle but still could not come up with a good solution. He could only act as usual. After all, Flender might not find him, and even if he did, he had no evidence to accuse Zu Zong of stealing. Zu Zong had never even been to Suotuo City before.

Zu Zong had even prepared his lines in advance. In the end, after all that fuss, Flender never came at all.

Well, that was a wasted effort.