Flender's Panic, the Frantic Search for Ning Rongrong

Shrek Academy was located in a small village west of Suotuo City.

Calling it an academy was generous. It was really just a few dilapidated wooden houses surrounding a small courtyard, without even a proper signboard.

There was a wooden board erected at the village entrance, with the five crooked characters "Shrek Academy" written on it. After years of wind and sun, the writing had faded so badly that it was nearly illegible.

It was early morning. The sunlight had just crested the distant hills and spilled across the shabby little courtyard.

Normally, the students would have already risen, assembled, and begun their morning training. But today, the assembly whistle had yet to sound.

Flender stood outside Ning Rongrong's room, his face livid.

The room was completely empty. The bed was neatly made, but the bedding was cold; she had clearly been gone for a long time.

A low-grade storage Soul Tool lay on the table. It was the luggage Ning Rongrong had brought when she enrolled, containing a change of clothes and daily necessities. She had not taken it with her, which meant she had never intended to return when she left.

Flender reached out and touched the ice-cold bedding. After a moment of silence, he turned to look at the four students standing behind him.

Dai Mubai leaned against a corridor pillar with his arms crossed, his brows slightly furrowed.

Ma Hongjun stood beside him with a blank look on his face, clearly not fully awake yet.

Oscar had dark circles beneath his eyes and looked sleep-deprived, but the sudden situation had startled him awake for the most part.

Tang San stood at the very back, calm in expression, though there was a trace of contemplation in his eyes.

"Who can tell me what's going on?" Flender's voice was low, but the suppressed fury within it made the scalps of everyone present tingle.

No one answered.

Flender's gaze swept across the four students before finally settling on Oscar. "Oscar, did you hear anything last night?"

Oscar hurriedly shook his head. "No, Dean. I went to bed early last night and didn't hear a thing."

"And you, Fatty?" Flender turned to Ma Hongjun.

Ma Hongjun shook his head as well. "I cultivated until midnight last night, but I didn't hear anything unusual either."

Flender's brows twisted even tighter.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and forced himself to calm down.

He knew Ning Rongrong's identity better than anyone.

She was the only daughter of Ning Fengzhi, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's sect master, and one of the most promising support-type Soul Masters on the entire continent.

Ning Fengzhi had sent her to Shrek out of trust in him. Now, he had scolded her into running away. If anything happened to her, forget Shrek Academy—even whether Flender could keep his head would be a question.

"Dai Mubai, you're the oldest among them. You didn't notice anything either?" Flender shifted his gaze to Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai lowered his crossed arms, his tone calm. "Dean, everyone was cultivating or resting in their own rooms last night. Who would have expected her to run away in the middle of the night? Besides, she's only been at the academy for a few days and isn't close to anyone. Even if she had something on her mind, she wouldn't have told us."

Flender's expression darkened further.

Dai Mubai's words were unpleasant, but they were true.

Ning Rongrong had only been at Shrek for a few days before he scolded her in front of everyone. She had no friends here and nothing to miss. It had only been a matter of time before she ran away.

At the time, he had only wanted to temper her arrogance, but he had overlooked just how strong that little girl's pride was.

He paced back and forth several times before stopping and saying to the others, "Don't just stand there. Split up and look for her. Dai Mubai, search the city. Check the taverns, restaurants, inns—anywhere crowded. Oscar, search outside the city. Follow both the main roads and the smaller paths. Ma Hongjun, ask around the nearby villages and towns to see whether anyone has seen her. Tang San, search around the academy and see if she left any traces."

"Yes!" The four answered and hurried off in different directions.

Flender stood in the courtyard, staring at the empty grounds as an unprecedented wave of anxiety and regret surged through him.

He turned and entered his office, sat down in his chair, and fell silent for a moment before taking a letter from a drawer.

Ning Fengzhi had sent that letter through someone else. The envelope bore the words, "For Dean Flender's Personal Attention," written in neat, forceful handwriting.

He opened the letter. He had read its contents countless times before, but now, every word felt like a thorn piercing his heart.

"Dean Flender, my daughter Rongrong has been pampered since childhood, so she is inevitably somewhat willful. I have sent her to your academy in the hope that she may temper her character in a strict environment and grow into a qualified Soul Master. If she does anything wrong, I ask that you be tolerant and discipline her strictly. But she is still young and far from home, and loneliness will surely weigh on her heart. While holding her to strict standards, I also hope you can offer her some care and warmth. Ning thanks you in advance."

After reading the letter, Flender folded it and returned it to the drawer. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh.

"Sect Master Ning... I've failed you..."

He opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and walked out of the office. He had to search as well.

No matter what, he had to bring Ning Rongrong back. Otherwise, he would have no way to answer to Ning Fengzhi.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Suotuo City, Dai Mubai stood at a crossroads on the main street, staring at the passing crowd with his brows tightly knit.

He had been searching for nearly two hours. He had asked at every inn and restaurant in the city, yet no one had seen Ning Rongrong.

It was as if she had vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace.

He stood in the street and watched the sun gradually sink toward the west, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

That spoiled little girl was out there alone, and he did not even know whether she had brought any money. If she ran into trouble...

He shook his head, casting aside those grim thoughts, and continued toward the next inn.

On a small road outside the city, Oscar was running, drenched in sweat.

He had followed the main road out of the city for more than ten miles, asking everyone he met whether they had seen a little girl in a white dress. Every answer had been a shake of the head.

His strength was nearly spent, but he did not dare stop.

He leaned against a tree and gasped for breath, sweat dripping from his cheeks onto the ground. Raising his head, he looked down the winding road ahead, helplessness swelling in his heart.

"Ning Rongrong... where did you run off to...?"

What he did not know was that the person he was desperately searching for was currently held in Lin Chen's arms, soaring high above the clouds.

Suotuo City grew smaller and smaller beneath their feet until it became a hazy outline and vanished beyond the horizon.

Ning Rongrong nestled against Lin Chen's chest, listening to the howling wind by her ears and feeling the cool current rushing toward her. A faint, relaxed smile rested on her lips.

She glanced back at Suotuo City, which had already disappeared from view, then turned forward toward the even vaster sky ahead.