Departure

Early the next morning, Jiang Jiu knocked on Ning Rongrong's door.

Ning Rongrong's door didn't open, but the door to the room next to it did.

Zhu Zhuqing, dressed neatly, walked out from inside.

"Morning," Jiang Jiu said casually.

"Morning." Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly, then her lips moved as she asked, "Are we running today?"

She had already found out that Jiang Jiu had this habit, and if possible, she hoped to join him.

"No need for today. Besides, I suspect we'll have plenty of time to run later."

Not paying for carriage fare and making them run all the way to the Star Dou Forest—this kind of operation was all too reasonable for Flender.

"Oh." Zhu Zhuqing nodded, then stood there quietly.

"Who is it?" On the other side, a sleepy-eyed Ning Rongrong opened her door.

Seeing the two people standing before her, her eyes widened instantly. "I didn't oversleep, did I?"

"Not at all, it's still quite early. I came to you because I wanted to borrow some of your Flower Dew."

"Just for that?" Ning Rongrong's eyelids drooped halfway again.

She stepped aside, signaling for Jiang Jiu to come in.

"It's in the bathroom, go get it yourself."

Yawning again, Ning Rongrong found a chair and slumped into it as if she had no bones.

"Many thanks."

This feeling of being completely unguarded was rather subtle; Jiang Jiu left as soon as he had what he needed.

"Um, I have some here too," Zhu Zhuqing said as she walked outside, glancing at the exquisite box in Jiang Jiu's hand.

"Uh."

Just as Jiang Jiu was about to say it wasn't necessary, Zhu Zhuqing had already taken her own supply out of her storage Soul Tool.

"Thanks."

Jiang Jiu was using this slightly more special "body wash" to wash away the scent he might have picked up from being marinated by Xiao Wu; there was no harm in alternating between the two.

He could wash once in the morning, once more at the hotel outside the forest, and once more before setting off the next day; that should be fine.

By the time Jiang Jiu finished his shower, it was still very early, and he even had time to run into Suotuo City for breakfast.

Xiao Wu had already entered "seclusion" mode yesterday; since she had asked for leave, she naturally had to play the part to the end.

Besides, if Xiao Wu cultivated with this level of diligence, it might really not be a problem for her to reach level thirty-five by the time they returned from hunting for souls.

Returning to the academy with several portions of breakfast, Jiang Jiu left one for Xiao Wu before heading to the cafeteria. As for the Gold Soul Coins, he had naturally given them to Xiao Wu yesterday.

After breakfast, they gathered on the playground.

Flender was already waiting there. As expected, when going to the Star Dou Forest, transportation basically relied on one's legs. Jiang Jiu was now more worried that Flender would choose to camp instead of staying in a hotel just to save money.

"Run there? That's four or five hundred kilometers!" Jiang Jiu accepted this kind of travel, but that didn't mean Ning Rongrong could.

However, Flender didn't coddle her at all.

"If everyone else can do it, why can't you?" Flender's face turned expressionless.

Sensing that Ning Rongrong was about to be crushed by Flender's pressure, Jiang Jiu patted the back of her hand, cutting off her attempt to continue arguing.

"Just think of it as an outing."

"What kind of outing is this?" Ning Rongrong muttered, though she didn't continue to argue, instead following Jiang Jiu into the formation.

If Jiang Jiu and Zhu Zhuqing had no objections, Ning Rongrong wasn't incapable of risking her life to accompany her friends, even if they had only known each other for a few days.

Flender watched this scene silently.

The pressure didn't succeed, but it was no big deal; there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Leaving the academy, the group began their run.

Jiang Jiu and Tang San ran at the very front, responsible for leading the way.

Since he knew they were heading to the Star Dou Forest, Jiang Jiu had naturally done his homework; if nothing else, he had a clear grasp of the general direction and route.

Following behind them were Ning Rongrong and Oscar, one on each side.

Zhu Zhuqing was behind and to the side of Ning Rongrong, Ma Hongjun was on Oscar's side, and Dai Mubai brought up the rear.

Running over four hundred kilometers in a single day was by no means a simple task, but with Oscar's Recovery Big Sausage, it became a possibility.

Of course, that was assuming they could overcome the obstacle of being disgusted by Oscar's soul incantation.

An hour later, even with the aid of Soul Power, several people's stamina was dropping significantly.

"Stop for a moment. Little Ao!"

Dai Mubai told Oscar to use his first soul skill.

Perhaps because they were so exhausted from running, there was unexpectedly little lewdness in Oscar's voice when he chanted the incantation, but the words themselves were enough to make Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing look at him with disdain.

"Oscar's first soul skill is the Recovery Big Sausage, which can help us restore our stamina. If we want to reach the Star Dou Forest as quickly as possible, I suggest we all eat one," Dai Mubai said earnestly.

Jiang Jiu did not say much, and he was the first to eat one.

In truth, given his physical reserves, running over four hundred kilometers was not something he couldn't accomplish even without eating the Recovery Big Sausage.

However, this trip to the Star Dou Forest was to hunt a soul beast for him, and the others were essentially dragged along; he still had to set the proper example.

Following him, Tang San also ate one.

As another person being brought along to hunt a soul beast, his reasoning was similar to Jiang Jiu's. Moreover, his physical stamina was significantly inferior to Jiang Jiu's, so he truly needed the replenishment provided by the Recovery Big Sausage.

Besides, since Jiang Jiu had eaten one, he naturally had to follow suit.

Seeing Jiang Jiu eat the sausage, Zhu Zhuqing struggled slightly in her heart, but she eventually stepped forward, took a Recovery Big Sausage, and began to eat it.

Flender, watching from not far away, was somewhat surprised.

Overcoming the influence of Oscar's soul incantations was supposed to be a lesson he had planned, but he hadn't expected these little ones to resolve it on their own.

What surprised him even more was that Ning Rongrong, the "little witch" as Ning Fengzhi called her, also chose to step forward and eat the sausage after a moment of hesitation.

What was going on? Had Sect Master Ning been mistaken?

That shouldn't be right, or was it that children just grow up once they leave home?

In Flender's own estimation, Ning Rongrong was certainly no well-behaved little girl; he could only say that she was indeed young and possessed great potential for growth.

Oscar, for his part, was quite delighted.

It seemed these junior schoolmates didn't hate him as much as he had imagined, though he couldn't stay happy for long as they soon resumed their run.

However, this leg of the journey was a bit different.

Ning Rongrong began to use her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda to provide support.

"Seven Treasures has a name, the second is: Speed."

Her second soul skill could help everyone run faster. At the same time, maintaining the same speed as before allowed them to conserve their stamina relatively effectively.

Since Oscar could handle the replenishment of stamina, they naturally chose to advance at a faster pace.

"Rongrong, you don't need to use your support on me; you can save a bit of Soul Power," Jiang Jiu said, turning back to Ning Rongrong.

"Alright then."

Ning Rongrong thought for a moment, then withdrew the colorful light she had cast upon Dai Mubai and Tang San.