Playful Xiao Wu

Afterward, Qian Yun stayed behind under the pretext of touring the academy. Frank was in no mood to concern himself with other matters at the moment, so he simply let Qian Yun be.

Oscar forcefully dragged the reluctant Ma Hongjun and Dai Mobai away with his arms slung around their shoulders. As for what they were going to do, only they themselves knew. Regardless, they had the legitimate excuse of buying new clothes for Young Master Dai, so they didn't fear anyone's gaze.

Hu Liena enthusiastically approached Ning Rongrong, who looked like a well-behaved young lady. Before leaving, Qian Yun glanced at Xiao Wu, then turned and walked away.

Xiao Wu stood dazed for a long while, looking conflicted as she stared in the direction Tang San had left. In the end, she stomped her foot and chased after the direction Qian Yun had gone.

Before long, the lively young girl, dressed in pink with rabbit-ear ornaments on her head, led a black-haired, golden-eyed youth to a grassy clearing surrounded by dense vegetation.

Qian Yun looked around; this place was undoubtedly much quieter than the others. There was only one small house, and a drying rack at the entrance held a girl's intimate clothing.

Qian Yun felt his face flush with rare embarrassment. He averted his gaze and asked Xiao Wu, "What kind of place is this?"

Xiao Wu turned back to look at her surroundings, realizing that bringing a boy to the girls' dormitory was highly inappropriate. However, at this moment, there was no place in Shrek Academy more private than this. At the very least, she wouldn't have to worry about other boys wandering over here for no reason.

"This is the girls' dormitory; boys can't get in. Zhuqing should still be cultivating right now, so let's be quiet and not disturb her."

"Oh." Hearing her say this, Qian Yun felt relieved. He looked at Xiao Wu with a faint smile on his face.

Xiao Wu felt uncomfortable being stared at by him. She glared back at him with a slightly flushed face, "What are you looking at me for?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask how your mission is going."

"Mission? I've been working on it the whole time." Speaking of this, Xiao Wu felt it was strange. When she had originally followed his orders to go to Nuoding Academy to find Tang San, she had thought the other party was some incredible figure, but she hadn't expected him to be just a little brat.

Out of curiosity, she had tested him and found that he did have a little bit of skill, though of course, only a little.

"Then tell me, what has happened to Tang San over the past few years?" Although Qian Yun felt it was unlikely that any major deviations had occurred, he wanted to confirm it once more to ensure the smooth implementation of his plan.

"Oh, alright." Hearing this, Xiao Wu tilted her head to recall, then began: "Back then, I followed Boss's orders to make contact with Tang San. When I arrived at Nuoding Academy, Tang San was indeed there. Since I was also using a work-study student slot, when I arrived at the dormitory, I found he was already the dormitory head."

"After that, we had a fight, and I won. I'm the boss, so I got a bed to myself."

Qian Yun nodded, "Go on."

Next, Xiao Wu recounted her experiences with Tang San in detail. Aside from her slightly exaggerated account of her own combat record, the situation was much as Qian Yun had expected.

"In the end, you guys arrived." Xiao Wu sighed as she reached this point. Without realizing it, she and Tang San had already been through so much together. The two had spent every day together, and the feelings between them could no longer be summarized as mere classmates.

"Hmm, not bad. It seems you really did complete the mission well; you deserve praise." Qian Yun gave Xiao Wu a compliment without hesitation.

Xiao Wu looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed. She admitted that at the very beginning, she had indeed kept the mission in mind, but later on, she had naturally forgotten it entirely.

"By the way... Boss. Why did you want me to monitor Tang San? I don't see anything particularly noteworthy about him." Xiao Wu finally gathered the courage to ask the question that had been puzzling her the most.

As she had interacted more and more with Tang San, she slowly realized that he was actually a decent person, and later on, she had even recognized him as her brother.

Qian Yun smiled mysteriously and changed the subject, "Want to know? I'll tell you slowly later. Tell me, how is your strength now?"

Speaking of her own strength, Xiao Wu couldn't help but puff out her chest, "I'm already level twenty-seven."

Qian Yun, however, frowned. How was it even lower than it should have been? He looked at the proud Xiao Wu and said, "Have you been slacking off?"

Xiao Wu's eyes widened, and she shrieked, "Slacking off? Do you know how hard I've worked? I've been diligent day and night to reach this level!"

Qian Yun naturally didn't believe her at all and gave a disdainful snort, "With your special constitution, your spirit power growth rate should never be at this level, no matter what! Your so-called hard work has actually been surpassed by Tang San! And you dare say you haven't been slacking?"

Qian Yun directly pierced through Xiao Wu's flimsy excuse, especially emphasizing the words "special constitution."

"I..." Xiao Wu wanted to retort, but after being glared at by Qian Yun, she couldn't come up with anything to say for a long while.

Qian Yun was right. Ever since she became the big sister of Nuoding Academy, she had been lawless for years—truly lawless!

If it weren't for the special talent brought by her reincarnation as a Spirit Beast, given Xiao Wu's lazy habits, her spirit power would likely be even lower now.

Qian Yun reached out a hand toward Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu was confused, "What for?"

"Money. What did I tell you back then?"

Hearing this, Xiao Wu thought back carefully, and suddenly her heart skipped a beat. She seemed to remember that when she first met Qian Yun, he had given her seventy silver coins, saying that later she would have to return... ten times that amount.

Seeing the changing expression on Xiao Wu's face, Qian Yun knew she had remembered, "Well? Remember now? Seventy silver coins times ten is seven gold coins. As a Spirit Master, you should have that much, right?"

Xiao Wu's face turned crimson, and she whispered, "I spent it all."

"..."

"Sigh." Qian Yun rubbed his temples in frustration. He didn't know if he was being too harsh on Xiao Wu or if he had expected too much of her.

Hearing Qian Yun's sigh, Xiao Wu thought he was disappointed and hurriedly leaned in, "Don't sigh! I'll definitely turn over a new leaf and earnestly complete the missions you give me."

Seeing the innocence in Xiao Wu's eyes, Qian Yun laughed, "I remember promising you that once the mission was complete, I would set you free."

Xiao Wu hurriedly waved her hands, "Ah, there's no rush for that. I'm voluntarily following Boss's orders, so if you have any missions, just feel free to command Xiao Wu!"

Over these few years, Xiao Wu had figured it out. She had finally managed to gain a foothold in human society; how could she just give that up easily?

It was true that Qian Yun knew her real identity, but as long as she was still useful to him, Qian Yun had to ensure her safety. Moreover, Qian Yun's influence was powerful; even if someone wanted to move against her, they would have to weigh their own strength first.

It could be said that by working for Qian Yun, she didn't even have to worry about her own safety.

"Fine, I'll count that as you being self-aware. I do have a mission for you, but not right now. Let's end today's meeting here. Remember to cultivate properly. After all, this is related to your own life, so could you please take it a little more seriously?"

Seeing that Qian Yun intended to leave, Xiao Wu felt a surge of anxiety and reached out to grab him.

"What is it?"

Xiao Wu swallowed hard, finally summoning the courage to touch her index fingers together. "Boss, can I... uh, can I spar with you? Just for a little while."

"Oh?" Qian Yun turned around to look at the restless Xiao Wu. Although she was a bit flustered, the anticipation in her eyes could not be hidden.

In an instant, Qian Yun understood what Xiao Wu was thinking. She had submitted to him before, but back then it was a two-ring fighter against a zero-ring fighter, a total crushing victory. Her submission had been more out of helplessness than anything else.

Now, while there was still a gap in their strength, it was no longer the hopeless situation of the past. Plus, after not seeing each other for a few years, the formidable image he had established in her mind had gradually blurred, which was why she now had the urge to struggle.

"Heh, you want to resist me?" Qian Yun asked bluntly.

"No." Xiao Wu was startled and hurriedly waved her hands. "I just... this is... uh..."

Xiao Wu scrambled to find a reason, but she couldn't come up with anything coherent. Suddenly, something occurred to her, and her eyes lit up as she stated firmly, "A spar! Yes, just a spar, hehe."

Since the idea of resistance had already sprouted in Xiao Wu's mind, heaven knows what kind of trouble she might stir up if he ignored it.

It seemed necessary for him to consolidate his authoritative image in her heart.

However, he didn't rush to agree, instead saying pointedly, "You really know how to pick your moments."

Xiao Wu quickly added, "We won't use our Spirit Souls to fight; that would be too easy to lose control. Let's just do close-quarters combat."

Since Xiao Wu was determined to have this match, Qian Yun couldn't very well refuse, so he sighed, "Alright then."

"Wow, Boss, you're so good to me." Xiao Wu hadn't expected him to actually agree. After all, whether in the world of Spirit Beasts or human society, daring to resist a powerhouse inevitably invited ruthless annihilation.

Watching her back as she hopped away happily, Qian Yun sneered. His gaze drifted from her slender waist down to her stunning, long legs.

He was indeed willing to grant Xiao Wu freedom, but that didn't stop him from teaching her a profound lesson so she would never dare to resist him again.

After they stood facing each other, Xiao Wu didn't choose to rush forward immediately. Instead, she blinked at Qian Yun and said in a sugary voice, "Master, am I beautiful?"

Even though they had agreed not to use Spirit Souls, she could still use the innate talent of the Soft Bone Charm Rabbit to captivate the mind. At that moment, a seductive red glow appeared in her eyes, and a subtle, imperceptible mental force probed toward Qian Yun.

Facing Xiao Wu's charm, Qian Yun remained completely unaffected, instead saying earnestly, "To be honest, pretty average."

Xiao Wu's coquettish expression froze instantly. She had used a shameful tactic only for it to be ineffective and even dismissed, leaving her feeling a surge of embarrassment and annoyance.

Xiao Wu withdrew her charm, and a smile broke across her stiff face. In an instant, she transformed from a seductive young woman back into that vibrant, lively girl. She stepped forward with a smile.

Qian Yun became alert immediately, lifting his foot to step back in sync with her movement.

Xiao Wu froze for a moment, then took another step forward, but Qian Yun mimicked her again, retreating another step.

"Eh?" Xiao Wu let out a soft sound of surprise, and as if refusing to believe it, she chased after him again. Qian Yun remained unhurried; as Xiao Wu advanced, he retreated, and as she chased, he moved away.

In any case, Qian Yun kept a safe distance from Xiao Wu at all times.

For a while, the small courtyard became the stage for a game of tag. Seeing that she couldn't get close, Xiao Wu finally stopped, pointed a delicate finger at him, and complained, "Hey, what are you doing?"

Qian Yun retorted, "What are you doing?"

"Fighting! How am I supposed to fight if you keep running away?" Xiao Wu said as if it were obvious.

Hearing this, the look Qian Yun gave her was tinged with pity. He had previously thought this rabbit was just a bit dim, but now it seemed her brain might truly not be working well.

"So, I should just stand still and let you hit me?" Qian Yun said, speechless.

Xiao Wu nodded. "Otherwise? Close-quarters combat is my specialty. If you don't let me get close, how am I supposed to fight?"

Qian Yun rubbed his forehead. "Who taught you such twisted logic?"

"Grandmaster did. Besides, this is just a spar. Since it's a spar, it should be give-and-take."

Qian Yun took a deep breath, thinking to himself that time was short and he should end this quickly. "Fine, come on then."

"Heehee." Xiao Wu giggled, walking over with her hands behind her back. Suddenly, her expression changed, and she whipped her leg toward him.

The experienced Qian Yun had been prepared for this; he stepped back and simply raised his palm to block the strike at his cheek.

Missing the first hit, Xiao Wu twisted her body, using her waist to drive her leg. Her slender waist turned at an astonishing angle, and an even fiercer whip kick lashed out at him.

Qian Yun didn't dare to be careless. He parried her rapid-fire offense while retreating, knowing full well how terrifying her soft-body techniques were. He made sure to touch and go, never giving her a chance to latch onto him for leverage.

Gradually, Xiao Wu felt something was wrong. On the surface, she was pressing the attack, but only she knew that while her strikes were being neutralized, her stamina was draining rapidly. Without using her Spirit Soul, she was going to lose at this rate.

After attacking fiercely for a long time with no results, Xiao Wu pulled back, her delicate brows arched as she glared at the calm and collected Qian Yun. "You!"

Qian Yun brushed the dirt from his sleeve that had been kicked up by Xiao Wu's shoe and smiled. "Any other advice?"

"Hmph, take this!" Having failed to land a hit with her continuous assault, she decided to go for something heavy.

She kicked again, but this time it was the rabbit's specialty: a thrusting kick. Her long, perfect legs carried the force of the wind as she lunged at him.

Even as her opponent, Qian Yun couldn't help but marvel at her reach. If he didn't know her so well, who would have guessed she could still deliver a kick to his face from such a distance?

That's right, she delivered it!

Qian Yun first used his elbow to deflect the attack, then seized the opportunity to turn his hand into a claw, grabbing her ankle. Xiao Wu's pretty face flushed red instantly.