Why was she here? Wasn't she being hunted? How had she ended up here again?
Would she recognize me? There had been a box between us at the time, but it was possible she'd let me go on purpose...
I can't risk it. Run!
Several thoughts flashed through Ning Rongrong's mind. In the end, she didn't take another step forward. She turned around, lowered her head, and hurried away.
Inside the grilled fish shop, Huo Shengsheng had just taken a bite of fish. She looked up, caught sight of that flash of green, and couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from rising.
Then she spoke softly. One word, "Forbidden Movement," reached Ning Rongrong's ears.
In an instant, Ning Rongrong found herself frozen in place.
If she couldn't still move her eyes and make tiny movements with her fingers, she would have suspected that the person who'd controlled her before had returned.
Of course, reality wasn't much better. She wasn't being controlled by that person, but she was still under someone's control. If a fight broke out, she might as well concede defeat now.
She remembered that Huo Shengsheng was a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.
"Has anyone ever told you that wearing all green makes you stand out? Just kidding. You're the one who stands out."
A familiar voice came from behind Ning Rongrong. A pair of arms wrapped around her, and at the same time, Ning Rongrong felt something soft press against her back.
She stood in the middle of the road, yet the people around them seemed not to notice anything. They even unconsciously steered clear of the two of them.
It's over.
Imagining that she'd be killed on the spot and dragged away as a hostage, Ning Rongrong broke out in a cold sweat. Her father and Bone Grandpa were dealing with the Saintess Ritual, so Sword Grandpa must be holding down the fort at the sect. No one would come to save her right now. The only person she could count on was the one who'd controlled her earlier, coming back to make her fight back. But the timing didn't add up.
It's over.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not trying to take your life. You aren't my target."
Just as Ning Rongrong braced herself for the worst, the familiar voice sounded beside her ear. Warm breath tickled her ear.
"This is the second time we've met. You should know that I let you go at the Saintess Ritual last time. I thought they could deal with you, but you turned out to be quite the surprise."
A hint of teasing colored Huo Shengsheng's voice.
"What do you want? To use me to threaten my father and the others?"
Ning Rongrong grew more uneasy and asked cautiously.
"Threaten you? No, no. I told you, you aren't my target. I came here because I just want to chat with you. Under the effects of my Soul Skill, no one will notice us. Once we're done chatting, I'll let you go without a scratch. I could even... treat you to some grilled fish?"
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and said, "What do you want to talk about?"
"Zhu Zhuqing. She's your companion now, right?"
Ning Rongrong's pupils jolted. "Is she your target?"
She'd never expected Huo Shengsheng to know so much about what was going on inside Shrek Academy.
"Eh, not really. I was just asking. What, do you care about her?"
Ning Rongrong gave a slight shake of her head. They'd only known each other for a little over a day; she couldn't say she cared about her.
"You don't care about her? All right, then."
Huo Shengsheng sounded a little disappointed. She released Ning Rongrong and walked around to face her.
"Then there's nothing to talk about. We'll chat again when you're closer... By the way, want some grilled fish?"
"No, thanks."
"Ah, what a shame. The grilled fish here is pretty good."
Huo Shengsheng shook her head in disappointment again, snapped her fingers to release her Soul Skill, and vanished from Ning Rongrong's sight.
Ning Rongrong turned around and saw that Huo Shengsheng had somehow returned to her seat.
"I survived," she murmured, her feet already moving.
After what had just happened, she didn't want to stay in the city anymore. The sooner she got back to school, the better. Then she could tell them...
Before she could finish the thought, the familiar voice sounded by her ear again.
"By the way, what happened between us today is a secret. Don't tell anyone I exist. In return, I'll let you know that the Holy Spirit Cult has its eye on you. Watch your back."
Ning Rongrong's heart sank again. She didn't doubt that Huo Shengsheng would kill her if she revealed the secret. It looked like she'd have to keep it buried in her heart. And—
What did she mean, the Holy Spirit Cult had its eye on her? Was it because she'd disrupted the Saintess Ritual once?
This is so unfair! I wasn't even the one who did it. My body did!
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed. Ning Rongrong stopped thinking and made a beeline for Shrek Academy.
By the time she returned to Shrek Academy, she'd lost her appetite.
She hurried back to the dormitory. Zhu Zhuqing was still working hard at her cultivation. Ning Rongrong watched her for a few seconds, but in the end, she didn't say a word.
At the grilled fish shop, Huo Shengsheng ate her fish and finally got the person she'd really been waiting for.
The black-haired girl sat down across from her. Looking at the three fish picked clean in front of her, she hesitated before speaking. "Why did you ask me here? Someone's hot on my heels. You'd better have a good reason, Miss Coordinator."
"Oh, I wanted you to pay for my food."
"And then?"
"That's it."
"That's it? Nothing else?" The black-haired girl scratched her head, unable to make sense of the way Huo Shengsheng thought.
"Yep." Huo Shengsheng replied without the slightest shame.
"Hey, what are you doing~" The black-haired girl threw a tantrum.
"Here, try some too. It's delicious."
Huo Shengsheng pushed a grilled fish in front of her, picked off a piece, and forced it into the girl's mouth.
"Mmm... It's pretty good, actually. Fine, I forgive you." As the black-haired girl ate the fish, she abruptly changed the subject. "Since you don't have anything else, I'll say it. There's a traitor in the Holy Spirit Cult. Do you know who it is?"
Huo Shengsheng paused, and the piece of fish in her chopsticks fell onto the plate.
"A traitor? People join the Holy Spirit Cult and still become traitors? Even spies should've been converted by now."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too. But then how do you explain the location of the Saintess Ritual being leaked?"
"Huh? It really got leaked?" Huo Shengsheng resumed eating with practiced ease. "If it really had been leaked, how could you be here, a candidate for the Third Saintess Ritual? Your being here means the Third Saintess Ritual must've already succeeded."
The black-haired girl's expression suddenly fell.
"It's not that easy to succeed."
Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong had been investigating the Third Saintess Ritual for a day. Ever since they'd received the intelligence a day earlier, they'd been searching all over Suotuo City.
The faint black haze hanging over Suotuo City showed that the Saintess Ritual was about to take place here, but they couldn't find a single location in the city that met the requirements.
It was giving them both a serious headache.
"Could the intelligence be wrong?" Gu Rong asked Ning Fengzhi, glancing at the black haze in the sky.
"The information came from a spy inside the Holy Spirit Cult. The spy was personally certified by Spirit Hall, so we can trust it completely..."
Ning Fengzhi shook his head.
"Oh? Who's the spy?"
"I can't say, and Spirit Hall didn't tell me either."
Before you continue