Ma Hongjun's Thankless Task

"Understood!" Ma Hongjun hurriedly straightened his desk, picked up the books from the floor, and sat up straight.

The surrounding students were holding back laughter until their faces turned red.

Xiao Wu, sitting in the front row, glanced back at Ma Hongjun's dejected appearance, the corners of her mouth curling upward. As she turned back around, she winked at Ning Rongrong.

At Spirit Academy, students were free to attend classes as they pleased. Whether they showed up or not didn't matter, as long as their spirit power met the quarterly assessment standards.

The minimum requirement for the next quarter was level 60.

There were still several students in the class hovering right around that line. Even though Ning Rongrong had been level 59 yesterday, she technically hadn't met the mark.

But now, Ning Rongrong was already level 61, completely free of pressure.

Zhao Wuji returned to the podium, picked up the roster, and continued speaking.

"For the three-on-three team combat drills, the groups are as follows—"

He read off a string of names. Xiao Wu was assigned to Group B, paired with two boys. Zhu Zhuqing was in Group D, and Bai Chenxiang was in Group E.

"Did everyone hear clearly? Assemble at the training grounds in five minutes. Anyone late runs twenty laps around the field."

With a clatter, the whole class stood up and headed out.

Ma Hongjun blended into the crowd, rubbing his chin, which had been knocked red, while cursing under his breath.

He had spent the entire morning class either sleeping or getting scolded; he hadn't accomplished a single serious task.

Xiao Wu and the others acted exactly as they always did during class—listening when they were supposed to, taking notes when they were supposed to—without the slightest hint of anything unusual.

The morning's three-on-three combat drills lasted for a full hour and a half.

After his own group finished, Ma Hongjun leaned against a stone pillar at the edge of the training ground, hands tucked into his pockets, his eyes constantly darting toward Xiao Wu's side.

Xiao Wu was playing very conservatively.

Her pink gauze skirt fluttered across the training ground, and her scorpion braid swung incessantly, but her movements lacked intensity. The two boys she was paired with charged ahead, while Xiao Wu occasionally threw a kick from the back before retreating.

Ma Hongjun muttered to himself: This girl, she's hiding it deep. The person who could kick Third Brother flying yesterday is playing the little lamb here today.

It was the same with Zhu Zhuqing. Her black leather-clad figure moved across the field with speed, but she was clearly holding back her strength. Ma Hongjun remembered what Dai Mubai had said yesterday about Zhu Zhuqing's speed doubling. Yet, looking at her now, she was running much like she always did.

As for Bai Chenxiang, it went without saying; she drifted around the field in her light green dress, barely making a move, relying on her teammates to win the match.

Ma Hongjun rubbed his temples, feeling a surge of irritation.

He had spent the whole morning monitoring them and hadn't caught a single thing.

These women were all acting like normal people—attending class, training, and answering questions. If it weren't for the injuries still visible on Tang San and Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun would have almost thought yesterday's events were a dream.

Zhao Wuji announced the end of training, and the students headed toward the teaching building in twos and threes.

Ma Hongjun followed behind Xiao Wu and the others, keeping a distance of about twenty meters. He pulled the hood of his gray jacket up, kept his head slightly lowered, and tried his best not to attract attention as he walked.

Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were in the lead, arms linked, chattering away non-stop.

Zhu Zhuqing followed half a step behind, her black leather outfit hugging her sturdy waist, her strides long. Bai Chenxiang walked beside Zhu Zhuqing, her two low ponytails bobbing with every step.

The four of them entered the teaching building, climbed the stairs, and returned to their classroom to sit down.

Ma Hongjun followed them in and took a seat in the back row.

The afternoon class was Advanced Spirit Theory, taught by Yu Xiaogang again.

Ma Hongjun almost cursed out loud on the spot. It was this hypnosis master again.

In the front row, Xiao Wu lay on her desk, chin resting on the back of her hand, her gaze unfocused.

Ning Rongrong was diligently taking notes, her silver hair clip glinting under the fluorescent lights.

Zhu Zhuqing sat with her eyes closed, leaning against the back of her chair, though it was unclear whether she was listening to the lecture or dozing off. Bai Chenxiang kept her head down, flipping through her book and occasionally drawing circles in her notebook with her pen.

Everything was normal. As normal as could be.

Ma Hongjun was filled with frustration. Dai Mubai had told him to get to the bottom of this within two days, and now, more than half the day had passed, and he hadn't even caught a single thread of evidence.

He finally managed to endure until the afternoon dismissal bell rang.

Xiao Wu stood up and stretched, her scorpion braid sliding from her shoulder down to her back.

"Let's go, time to eat!"

Ning Rongrong closed her notebook and rose from her seat, the hem of her blue skirt brushing against the table leg.

"My treat today, let's go to the third floor of the cafeteria."

"The third floor? Isn't that the faculty dining hall?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.

"I have connections," Ning Rongrong laughed. "Let's go, call Zhuqing and Chenxiang."

The four of them headed toward the cafeteria together.

Ma Hongjun followed from a distance, watching them enter the third-floor dining hall. He hesitated for a moment before following them in. The third floor was sparsely populated, and it would be troublesome if he were discovered. However, Ma Hongjun found a corner seat, ordered a bowl of roast meat rice, pulled his hat down, and pretended to be there just for a meal.

The four girls sat at a table by the window.

Xiao Wu started flipping through the menu as soon as she sat down, shouting about wanting braised pork ribs. Ning Rongrong helped everyone order, even adding two desserts. Zhu Zhuqing ordered a bowl of white porridge and a side of pickles, eating simply. Bai Chenxiang ordered a bowl of wontons.

Ma Hongjun pricked up his ears and listened for a long time, but all they talked about were trivial, everyday matters.

Xiao Wu mentioned that the ribbon for her scorpion braid needed replacing, Ning Rongrong suggested a nice accessory shop near the academy, Zhu Zhuqing chimed in with a word or two, and Bai Chenxiang kept her head down, focused on eating her wontons.

That's it? That's all?

Ma Hongjun was mentally collapsing. He had expected to overhear key intelligence like "Title Douluo passing on techniques" or "coordinates to a mysterious realm," but instead, this group was discussing hair accessories.

The meal lasted forty minutes; Ma Hongjun finished along with them, nearly biting his chopsticks in half.

On the way back, the four of them walked together again.

Ma Hongjun trailed far behind, his heart already starting to waver. This lousy errand—he would have been better off letting Tang San do the tailing himself.

5:00 PM was free training time; students could head to the training grounds, the library, the cultivation rooms, or return to their dorms to practice on their own.

Ma Hongjun watched from a corner of the hallway as the four of them split up.

Zhu Zhuqing and Bai Chenxiang headed toward the training grounds together. Zhu Zhuqing's straight, long legs were wrapped in black leather pants, her pace brisk, with Bai Chenxiang jogging to keep up behind her.

Xiao Wu went toward the library, her scorpion braid swinging back and forth, the hem of her pink gauze skirt fluttering in the hallway.

Ning Rongrong went alone, turning toward the direction of the school gate.

Ma Hongjun's eyelid twitched.

The other three were staying on campus, yet Ning Rongrong was heading for the gate. It was afternoon class time; what was she doing leaving the school?

Ma Hongjun made a split-second decision and followed Ning Rongrong.

Ning Rongrong wasn't walking fast, the hem of her blue skirt swaying gently with her steps, her calves wrapped in white silk stockings glowing softly in the sunlight, the sound of her short boots clicking crisply against the stone path.

She signed in at the guard station by the school gate and stepped out of the academy.

Ma Hongjun waited half a minute before signing in and following her out.

Outside the gate was a pedestrian street. There weren't many shops open in the afternoon; a blacksmith shop was at work, the clanging of hammers drifting out from the windows. The herb and medicine shop was deserted, with a fat cat squatting at the entrance.

Ning Rongrong first ducked into a snack shop.

Ma Hongjun watched from twenty meters away as she emerged from the shop with a paper bag in hand; judging by the size, it held two or three portions of food.

Then, Ning Rongrong continued forward, walking to the western section of the pedestrian street.

Ma Hongjun slowed his pace, not daring to get too close. If Ning Rongrong turned around, there would be nowhere to hide in this narrow alley.

Fortunately, Ning Rongrong didn't look back; she stopped in front of a shop.

Ma Hongjun squinted to read the plaque above the shop door, which bore five crooked characters: "Happy Claw Machine."

The storefront was small, about twenty square meters, and through the glass, one could see several square cabinets glowing with colorful lights inside.

Ma Hongjun found an alley across the street and slipped inside. There was a tea shop in the alley that hadn't opened yet, with two bamboo chairs set out front. Ma Hongjun sat down, crossed his legs, and from this angle, he could see the entrance of the claw machine shop perfectly.