A Different Kind of Kitten

Bala Kingdom, north of Suotuo City, Shrek Academy.

Half a month had passed since the start of the term at Shrek Academy. Much like the original story, Ning Rongrong was scolded severely by Flender on the second day for slacking off, Oscar broke through to level thirty on the third morning, and Zhao Wuji led the team to the Star Dou Great Forest on the fourth.

Shortly thereafter, they encountered the Titan Giant Ape, and Tang San absorbed a Man Faced Demon Spider soul ring that exceeded his limit by two thousand years, gaining an External Soul Bone. Everything proceeded much as it had in the original timeline.

Zhu Zhuqing had initially decided to leave Shrek Academy during this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest to seek out Lan Si at Blue Tyrant Academy, driven by the incident involving Dai Mubai's twins, her confrontation with Ning Rongrong, and the realization that Lan Si had left an indelible impression upon her heart.

However, after witnessing Zhao Wuji risk his life to face the Titan Giant Ape, she ultimately decided to stay.

There were two reasons for this.

First, she was not a coward who feared death. Zhao Wuji had risked his life to hold off the Titan Giant Ape to cover her and the other students; if she had simply walked away, she would never have been able to forgive herself.

Second, safety.

Although the living conditions at Shrek Academy were poor and devoid of any cultivation resources, it provided her with a relatively safe environment for cultivation. If they were willing to risk their lives against a Titan Giant Ape to protect their students, what could the Zhu Family, far away in the Star Luo Empire, possibly do? Not to mention that Zhu Zhuyun could not represent the Zhu Family alone.

With two Soul Saints and several Soul Emperors providing protection, there was no need to worry about any incursions from Zhu Zhuyun.

At the same time, she had calmed down.

If she were to go to Blue Tyrant Academy to find Lan Si now, the methods of the Star Luo Empire and the Zhu Family would surely uncover it. At that point, the two of them, still far too weak, would be unable to withstand the fury of the Zhu Family and the Star Luo Royal Family.

Staying behind would create a false impression for the Star Luo Empire, at the very least preventing Lan Si from being targeted by them.

Early morning, the sun bathed the earth in light, its warmth bringing a crisp, vibrant vitality to the land. All things awakened in the bright sunshine; a new day had begun.

"Zhuqing, time to get up and have breakfast." A crisp voice echoed in the room, rousing Zhu Zhuqing from her meditation.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see a girl with long brown hair.

The girl was Ning Rongrong, roughly the same age as Zhu Zhuqing, dressed in a simple tea-green dress that gave her a very clean appearance. She stood about 1.65 meters tall, slightly shorter than Zhu Zhuqing. Her small face was exquisite, her skin as fair and tender as a peeled lychee; even Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but sigh that the girl was a natural beauty.

"Wait a moment, let me wash up first." A rare, faint smile appeared on Zhu Zhuqing's cold, pretty face as she rose and walked to the washbasin, leaving Ning Rongrong with a graceful silhouette. Clearly, the two had grown quite close.

Watching the charming curves displayed by Zhu Zhuqing as she moved, Ning Rongrong's face flushed slightly, her cheeks puffing out. From every angle, Zhu Zhuqing was perfect, especially that "evil" pair on her chest, which filled Ning Rongrong with a sense of playful malice.

A mischievous thought rising in her heart, Ning Rongrong got up and hugged Zhu Zhuqing from behind. She felt the latter's body stiffen for a moment before relaxing, and she smiled, "Hey, Zhuqing, there's something I want to ask you."

"Go ahead." Zhu Zhuqing struggled slightly, then gave up, finding it pointless. She wrung out her towel and washed her peerless face.

"Hee hee." Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing wasn't repulsed this time, Ning Rongrong's eyes curved into shallow crescents as she giggled, "I've noticed that you don't seem to want to interact with anyone at Shrek Academy. Can you tell me why? Xiao Wu has asked me several times if she offended you somehow, since you never seem to want to talk to her."

"No, you're overthinking it. I just like being quiet by myself." Zhu Zhuqing was never one to gossip behind people's backs.

But if she had to provide a reason, there were a few. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun went without saying—the "brothel duo" had long been blacklisted.

As for Oscar, she simply didn't like men, especially those like him who couldn't keep their eyes off a pretty face. When he first saw her and Ning Rongrong, he had practically been drooling.

Of course, Lan Si was the exception, because Lan Si's inability to look away when he saw her made her happy. However, if Lan Si acted that way toward other women, she would have to consider unleashing her Hell Hundred Claws and Hell Stab.

But Lan Si was clearly not that kind of person, for her sister Zhu Zhuyun's looks were no less than her own, and in terms of figure, she was even superior, yet he had chosen to save her instead.

As for Tang San and Xiao Wu, aside from the time she saw them checking into a room together, the most important reason was that Lan Si disliked them.

The only one left was Ning Rongrong, and that was because on the night after the second day of school, when Ning Rongrong was knocked back by Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing had caught her out of a distaste for bullying. Later, in the Star Dou Great Forest, Zhu Zhuqing had protected her again.

It was only then that their relationship had gradually improved.

"Oh." Ning Rongrong let go of Zhu Zhuqing, looking suspicious. She guessed that something must have happened to Zhu Zhuqing before she arrived at Shrek, otherwise she wouldn't have distanced herself from Xiao Wu from the very beginning.

"Let's go." After washing up, Zhu Zhuqing tidied her clothes, checked herself in the mirror to ensure there were no flaws, and a faint, imperceptible smile touched the corners of her lips as she walked out of the dormitory with Ning Rongrong.

When the two beauties arrived at the cafeteria, they were surprised to find that the academy had seemingly changed its ways; instead of cabbage, steamed buns, and rice soup, there were quite a few meat dishes.

"Wow, what day is it? The food is actually this good. I've been eating until I'm almost sick of it." Ma Hongjun, the "Brothel Phoenix," was wolfing down his food. Seeing Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong arrive, he wiped his greasy mouth and stood up to greet them, "Yo, Zhuqing and Rongrong are here too. Hurry up and get your food; the meals today are a once-in-a-decade occurrence."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly in acknowledgment, never sparing him another glance, and headed toward the serving window. Ning Rongrong gave an awkward smile and followed.

Watching Zhu Zhuqing's retreating back, Ma Hongjun curled his lips and said to Oscar, "I'm telling you, Little Ao, this Zhuqing is just too cold. No wonder Boss Dai, who prides himself on being a master of romance, has never been able to win her over. Rongrong is much better; compared to the day she enrolled, she's reined in her young miss temperament quite a bit."

"That's only natural. Just look at who she's interested in," Oscar said, looking smug, his mouth practically stretching to his ears.

Ma Hongjun widened his eyes and sighed, "I say, Little Ao, you aren't planning on pursuing Ning Rongrong again, are you?"

Oscar nodded with self-satisfaction, "Since she's already started to change, why shouldn't I give it a try?"

Ma Hongjun patted Oscar on the shoulder, "Alright then, good luck. If you ever manage to latch onto the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, don't forget about me." Though he said this, he didn't believe Oscar could succeed. Putting aside whether he could win Ning Rongrong over, even if he did, would the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect ever look favorably upon poor boys like them?