Xiao Wu nodded at Fu Qin, a hint of reassurance in her eyes. Then she turned, half supporting and half carrying Ning Rongrong.
"Come back to your room with me and get some rest. A girl needs to take good care of herself."
The two soon disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving Fu Qin standing alone where he was, deep in thought.
By the washbasin not far away, Zhu Zhuqing had just splashed cold water on her cheeks, and her cool, fair skin was flushed.
She had seen everything. Watching Ning Rongrong being gathered into Fu Qin's arms, and seeing the thick, unbreakable affection between them, she felt a strange pang of envy.
Fu Qin's gentleness, strength, and sense of responsibility had long since left their mark on her heart. But the engagement she bore was like an invisible shackle, reminding her that she was Dai Mubai's fiancée and leaving her without even the right to reveal her feelings.
Her gaze was incredibly complex, filled with longing, unwillingness, and a hint of bitterness she could hardly put into words.
Fu Qin keenly caught Zhu Zhuqing's gaze. He didn't read too much into it, simply giving her a hearty smile.
His smile was open and sincere, yet it made Zhu Zhuqing's heart skip a beat. She hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to keep sorting her clothes, while the tips of her ears quietly turned red.
A quarter of an hour later, the assembly whistle sounded right on time on the training grounds of Shrek Academy.
Everyone arrived one after another, and Fu Qin immediately spotted Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong standing together.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, speaking in low voices and occasionally exchanging a glance, their understanding of each other unmistakable. They were clearly much closer than before.
To Fu Qin's surprise, the fear and vulnerability that had been on Ning Rongrong's face that morning were gone. In their place was her usual sweet, lively expression.
It was as if last night's awakening of her memories and their tender entanglement had all been nothing but a dream. She showed no sign of anything unusual to anyone else.
She even winked at Fu Qin as she always did, a bashful, dependent look in her eyes that only the two of them understood.
Fu Qin praised her inwardly. This girl really is clever. She knows to conceal her strength and memories until the situation becomes clear.
He discreetly scanned those present. Tang San still looked gentle and composed, his eyes full of trust when he looked at Fu Qin.
Dai Mubai was holding his lower back, his face still a little pale. His gaze toward Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing carried a hint of greed that was difficult to detect.
Ma Hongjun looked around, his eyes murky.
Oscar stood at the back, a false smile hanging from his lips. Deep in his gaze as he looked at Fu Qin, the flames of jealousy seemed ready to burst out.
Just then, Fu Qin's System Panel suddenly displayed line after line of small text. They were Ning Rongrong's innermost thoughts, held back until now.
[In my previous life... near the end of Peerless Tang Sect, that sinister Black Shadow suddenly appeared. It was too powerful. Zhuqing and I were no match for it at all, and it possessed us...]
[We had died long ago! The ones who remained in the Divine Realm afterward were nothing more than bodies controlled by the Black Shadow. No wonder nobody noticed...]
[Oscar! Dai Mubai! You two beasts! You actually fooled around with those divine officials right in front of Zhuqing and me! And in my previous life, I'd treated you as my husband and companion! But Zhuqing hasn't recovered her memories, and she still has hopes for Dai Mubai...]
Fu Qin's eyes instantly filled with confusion.
The truth about Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's deaths was that they had been possessed by the Black Shadow?
And Oscar and Dai Mubai had done something so vile in their previous lives—fooling around with divine officials right in front of their partners. It was simply... too depraved.
Even he, a Cao thief who liked married women, thought their tastes were twisted.
Shrek's training grounds.
The morning breeze stirred Ning Rongrong's hair. Without thinking, she touched the shining ring on her ring finger.
It was an auxiliary magical artifact Fu Qin had crafted for her from scraps of a Thousand-Year Soul Bone.
After awakening her memories of her previous life, the hatred and fear in her heart had nearly driven her out of control, but the cool sensation beneath her fingertip had quickly steadied her.
If those two beasts, Dai Mubai and Oscar, learned that she had recovered her memories, they would surely make a move. She had to stay put and wait for the best opportunity.
Besides, Oscar had already been abandoned by everyone.
His selfishness and willingness to sell out his teammates had left Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and even Dai Mubai maintaining only a superficial relationship with him. Ning Rongrong could clearly feel the disdain in the way those around them looked at Oscar.
The situation filled her heart with hope.
She only needed to add one more spark and stamp that scoundrel into the dirt for good. Then she could be with Fu Qin openly, without having to hide it any longer.
She turned her head toward Xiao Wu beside her, and the two exchanged a knowing look.
After Xiao Wu had helped her back to her room the previous night, Ning Rongrong had vaguely revealed Oscar's despicable conduct in her previous life, especially the humiliating past of him fooling around with divine officials right in front of them.
Xiao Wu had been so furious that she immediately allied herself with Ning Rongrong.
"Don't worry, Rongrong. We'll protect Zhuqing. I won't let that bastard Dai Mubai defile her again!"
The two tacitly maintained a peaceful front and said nothing about their respective entanglements with Fu Qin.
Xiao Wu cherished her alliance with Ning Rongrong, and Ning Rongrong understood that unity was the most important thing right now. Matters of the heart could wait.
Just then, steady footsteps sounded from the entrance to the training grounds.
Dean Flender walked at the front. Behind him followed a short-haired man in a plain long robe, his gaze keen. It was his close friend, the Corner of Wisdom of the Golden Iron Triangle, and Tang San's teacher, Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang's gaze swept across the entire group. When it landed on Fu Qin, a satisfied smile flickered in his eyes.
He had learned that Fu Qin was not only powerful, but had also saved Tang San's life in Star Dou Forest. Meticulous and loyal, he was a rare talent.
Not long afterward,
Flender quietly recounted what had happened in Star Dou Forest to Yu Xiaogang.
When he heard that Tang San had insisted on absorbing the three-thousand-eight-hundred-year Soul Ring of a Soul-Devouring Demon Spider and had nearly burst apart, only surviving by chance after Fu Qin replaced it with a hundred-year Solitary Bamboo Soul Bone, Yu Xiaogang's face darkened at once.
He looked at Tang San with an expression of exasperated disappointment and spoke sternly.
"Little San! You're far too arrogant! Being the reincarnation of a God King doesn't give you license to act recklessly. How could you possibly control a Soul Ring beyond your limit at your current level? If Fu Qin hadn't stepped in, the Soul Ring would have burst you apart!"
Tang San lowered his head as he was scolded.
Though he felt deeply grateful to Fu Qin, he sneered at Yu Xiaogang in his heart.
Fu Qin had saved him. What the hell had Yu Xiaogang done?
If not for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan backing him, Tang San would have quit long ago.
The training plan for the day also changed because Yu Xiaogang had arrived.
All one could say was that Yu Xiaogang's training was a complete pile of crap.
It had absolutely no value whatsoever.
But Tang San and the others had all lived through two lifetimes, so none of them voiced any complaints.
Deep into the night.
A tremendous pressure suddenly enveloped the wooden cabin where Flender and Zhao Wuji were staying.
Feeling the aura, the two men's expressions changed dramatically, and they rushed outside.
A tall Black Shadow was walking toward them at an unhurried pace. It was Tang Hao, just returned from the cave where Ah Yin was.
The smell of liquor had yet to fade from him, but his gaze was as sharp as a tangible blade. As it swept over everyone, the air itself seemed to freeze.