Which Youngster's This Fierce?

Ning Rongrong only had time to let out a short cry before her body was violently bound and pulled taut by a powerful force!

The icy touch of vines pressed against her skin, sending a shiver through her. That overwhelming restraint robbed her of all freedom of movement,

yet strangely brought her no pain. Instead... it gave her an odd sense of security, of being completely controlled with nowhere to hide.

Like a carefully bound butterfly, she helplessly yet completely exposed herself before the ruler of the darkness.

In the darkness, Lin Jiang's steady footsteps sounded out, one step at a time, as though each landed upon Ning Rongrong's heart,

as he walked toward the petite figure wrapped in Azure Vine, fixed in place and able only to let out faint whimpers...

Within the room, only the faint friction of tightening vines remained, along with the girl's rapid, suppressed breathing and the silent, pervasive aura of utter intimacy and utter danger...

The next morning, Shrek Academy's somewhat dilapidated training ground was filled with an air of readiness.

The rising sun cast a pale golden glow over everything.

Zhao Wuji's burly, imposing figure had long since taken his place in the center of the field. His arms were crossed, and though traces of bruising still lingered on his face, his gaze was sharp and his presence solemn.

Before him, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun stood in formation, their faces bearing expressions of anticipation, gravity, or eager excitement.

However, two people were clearly missing from the lineup.

Zhao Wuji's bell-like eyes swept across the group, and his brows immediately knotted together as he demanded in a gruff voice:

"Where are Ning Rongrong and Lin Jiang? What time is it already?! Where are they?!"

Everyone's gazes instinctively turned toward Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu hurriedly replied, her voice crisp, though there was also a trace of confusion in her eyes:

"Teacher Zhao, when I woke up this morning, Rongrong was already gone from the dormitory. I don't know when she went out."

"What?!" Zhao Wuji's voice instantly rose like a thunderclap, making everyone's ears buzz.

"That little witch! Where has she run off to now?! We're about to leave for the Star Dou Forest—don't tell me she got scared and secretly slipped back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?!"

He irritably paced back and forth twice, his thick legs stirring up a gust of wind. At last, he stomped his foot furiously, making the ground tremble slightly. "Forget it! I'll deal with her when she comes back! Oscar!"

"Here!"

Oscar immediately straightened up, his face flushed with barely contained excitement.

Today was the day they were setting out to hunt his third soul ring!

He felt filled with energy from head to toe.

Zhao Wuji pointed toward the village.

"Go check Lin Jiang's house! What's that kid dawdling for too? Drag him over here!"

"Yes, sir! Mission guaranteed!"

Oscar answered energetically, then turned and sprinted full speed toward Lin Jiang's house.

At the thought of the thousand-year soul ring he was about to obtain, his steps felt light as air.

The country path leading to Lin Jiang's house lay bathed in morning light. The air was fresh, and dew clung to the wild grass along the roadside.

Oscar jogged along in high spirits, even humming his self-composed, badly off-key "Sausage Song."

Just after rounding a bend, he spotted two village women carrying vegetable baskets, huddled together by a field ridge not far ahead. They were gesturing as they spoke in hushed voices.

Oscar slowed down and curiously pricked up his ears.

"...Oh my, you have no idea! Last night, I don't know which young couple it was, but that noise... tsk, tsk, tsk!"

A round-faced auntie slapped her thigh, her face wearing an exaggerated expression that mixed gossip with disdain,

"They were screaming so loud! 'Ah—!' 'Don't stop!' 'I can't take it anymore!'..."

"Oh, heavens! My husband tossed and turned for half the night and couldn't sleep because of them! Young people these days, they have no restraint at all!"

The other, tall and thin auntie immediately chimed in, nodding fervently. Her voice was just as low, yet she could not hide her excitement:

"Exactly! Shameless, truly shameless! They probably weren't even married yet, right? From the sound of it, the girl couldn't have been very old, and the way she cried..."

"Tsk, crying and panting. Who knows whether it was from pain or... ahem! Young people these days, honestly... tsk, tsk, tsk!"

She shook her head as she spoke, but her eyes gleamed with gossip.

Oscar: "!!!"

He abruptly stopped, his eyes widening into perfect circles!

Though the two aunties had deliberately lowered their voices, those key words—"young couple," "night," "screaming loudly," "crying and panting," "pain or..."

—rang in his ears like demonic music, instantly igniting his gossiping soul and lecherous imagination!

An intensely lewd thought, vivid enough to form pictures in his mind, instantly short-circuited Oscar's brain!

Uncontrollable, indescribable scenes surfaced in his head, and he even automatically imagined a pretty face for the female lead who had been "screaming so loudly"...

"Damn! That fierce?!"

The little man in Oscar's heart let out a wolf-like howl of amazement, and a thoroughly lewd grin spread across his face.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. From the sound of it, the battle was intense! That woman... she must have been enjoying herself like crazy, right?!

He unconsciously swallowed, feeling even his wicked fire getting stirred up.

As he continued running toward Lin Jiang's house, he could not help imagining those erotic scenes, wearing a lewd smile that said, "a fellow man of culture."

Hehe, I wonder which girl is lucky enough to have that kind of fortune...

He lewdly mused, quickening his pace as though running faster would bring him closer to the source of that "fortune" and satisfy his overflowing curiosity.

Before long, Lin Jiang's familiar wooden cabin came into view.

Oscar stepped forward and pounded hard on Lin Jiang's simple wooden door. Raising his voice, he urged him on with a hint of schadenfreude:

"Lin Jiang! Are you up yet?! The sun's already on your backside! Teacher Zhao is losing his temper on the training ground! If you don't gather up soon, he says he'll come personally to 'invite' you—and that won't feel good!"

There was a moment of silence behind the wooden door before Lin Jiang's voice finally sounded. It was... hoarse, drifting, and filled with a weak, listless exhaustion:

"Cough... cough, cough... I'm here, I'm here... wait a moment...

Right away... cough, cough..."

Oscar raised a brow. That voice... why did it sound like... excessive indulgence?

He patiently waited a little longer, while the little abacus in his mind clattered away.

Creak—

At last, the wooden door opened a crack, and Lin Jiang appeared in the doorway.

He opened it only halfway, seemingly still leaning against the doorframe for support.

Oscar took a closer look and jumped in surprise!

Lin Jiang's face was pale, with two heavy dark circles beneath his eyes that rivaled a panda's. His gaze was unfocused, and his whole body radiated the listless air of someone whose vitality had been completely drained...