Ning Rongrong Completes Her Task, Going Commando

Over the next few days, Lin Jiang and Ning Rongrong were practically inseparable.

Although Ning Rongrong had not yet been bound to the system, she had already begun voluntarily completing all kinds of little tasks Lin Jiang casually assigned.

Every time she completed a task, she felt a sense of fulfillment that was more tangible than receiving any reward.

The Shrek Academy group had run all the way to the Star Dou Forest, taking an entire day.

They spent six days hunting for spirit rings in the forest, rested for two days in a small town on the way back, then spent another day running back to the academy.

It had taken exactly ten days in total.

Over those ten days, Lin Jiang gave Tang San tasks punctually every day.

Those tasks were either absurdly simple or things Tang San had intended to do anyway—such as absorbing his third spirit ring.

Thanks to those tasks, Lin Jiang had accumulated quite a few strange item cards, which he carefully put away for future use.

Tang San was rather happy as well, since completing the tasks improved his physique and spiritual power.

What he did not know was that Lin Jiang's rewards were a hundred times greater than his.

At present, Lin Jiang's physical attributes alone were enough to crush most Spirit Ancestors.

Ning Rongrong leaned against the window, watching the people busily working in the fields.

Ever since she had started following Lin Jiang, she found that her formerly dull days had suddenly become interesting.

Although the tasks Lin Jiang gave her were all terribly embarrassing, the strange satisfaction she felt every time she completed one was something the identity of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's young miss had never given her.

"Brother Jiang, what do you want me to do today?"

She turned around, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lin Jiang.

Sunlight streamed through the window, scattering specks of light across Lin Jiang's sharply defined profile.

Without even raising his head, Lin Jiang smiled. "Don't rush. They should be back today. I've thought of something interesting."

Ning Rongrong pouted, but she could not help smiling along with him.

This feeling of being led around by the nose was unexpectedly addictive.

Dust from the Star Dou Forest still clung to their clothes when Zhao Wuji led the exhausted students to the battered gates of Shrek Academy.

From afar, they saw Lin Jiang and Ning Rongrong standing side by side on the stone steps, like family members who had been waiting for them for a long time.

"Rongrong!"

Oscar was the first to rush over. The exhaustion from ten days of rough travel was instantly forgotten, and his eyes shone brightly.

"Where did you go that morning? You weren't in the dormitory. You scared us to death!"

Two red clouds instantly rose on Ning Rongrong's cheeks. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.

"I... I had... some urgent business at home... Someone from the sect came to pick me up the night before..."

She quickly glanced at the calm Lin Jiang beside her, then immediately lowered her eyes again.

"Really?!"

Oscar's voice suddenly rose, filled with the ecstatic relief of a burden being lifted. He slapped his thigh hard.

"That's great!"

The huge stone in his heart finally dropped. So the bulging lump in Lin Jiang's bed was probably a pillow, right? I really was overthinking things!

His abrupt cry of "That's great!" made everyone else turn to look.

Xiao Wu blinked her big eyes curiously, while Dai Mubai folded his arms and swept his gaze back and forth between Ning Rongrong's unnatural blush and Lin Jiang's calm face.

Zhu Zhuqing remained expressionless, though when her gaze passed over Ning Rongrong, it seemed to pause for a moment on her overly tense fingers.

A breeze carrying the dampness of the forest mischievously swept past.

Ning Rongrong's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. Her hands swiftly, almost instinctively, pressed down on the hem of her thin goose-yellow skirt, trying to keep the soft fabric firmly against her legs.

That guilty movement made her already crimson cheeks turn red enough to bleed, and even her delicate earlobes were dyed rosy.

Zhao Wuji's thick brows knitted together as he swept his gaze over Ning Rongrong. His voice was hoarse from the long journey.

"Enough! What are you all standing around for? You're exhausted as hell, so hurry up and get back to your dormitories!"

With a wave of his hand, his gaze settled on Ning Rongrong with a hint of scrutiny.

"Ning Rongrong, since there was something going on at home, we'll let it go this time. Don't let it happen again!"

As though granted amnesty, everyone filed inside on legs that felt as heavy as lead.

Before leaving, Oscar could not help looking back at Ning Rongrong once more. He felt that she was unusually tense today...

The noisy voices faded away with the footsteps, leaving only the rustling of wind through the leaves of the old locust tree at the academy gate.

Ning Rongrong's tense shoulders finally sagged slightly. She turned a little to the side and tilted her head up at Lin Jiang.

Her large eyes, usually carrying a touch of arrogance, were now moist and veiled in embarrassed mist. Her voice trembled softly, carrying a barely noticeable desire for praise and timidity.

"Mas... Master, Rongrong... completed the task."

A playful curve formed at the corner of Lin Jiang's lips. His gaze slowly drifted from her face, which was pretending to remain calm, down to the skirt hem she was tightly pressing with both hands.

His voice was low, with a magnetic quality that seemed to bewitch the heart. "Mm, you did well. But..."

He deliberately paused, leaning a little closer. His warm breath nearly brushed against the tip of her burning ear.

"Tell me, was it... exciting?"

Ning Rongrong's body shuddered violently, as though his words had scalded her.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, nearly biting the tender flesh until it bled.

Her head lowered even further, leaving only the crown of her head facing Lin Jiang. Yet her hands tugged down harder on her skirt hem, her knuckles turning white.

A weak reply, mixed with a sobbing tone and an unusual excitement, squeezed out through her teeth.

"Ve... very exciting..."

Lin Jiang chuckled softly. He naturally reached out, but instead of taking her hand, he gently placed it on her trembling lower back.

"Let's go."

The two walked side by side toward Lin Jiang's small wooden cabin. The afternoon sunlight fell warmly over them, but Ning Rongrong could not feel any warmth at all.

A stronger gust of wind swept through without warning, carrying the scent of forest grass and trees as it suddenly lifted one corner of her goose-yellow skirt!

"Ah!"

Ning Rongrong cried out, pressing down on her skirt again with lightning speed. Like a startled rabbit, she abruptly shrank closer to Lin Jiang.

The fleeting coolness against her bare skin made every hair on her body stand on end. Her cheeks reddened as though they might burst into flames, and shame engulfed her completely like a tidal wave.

Yes, beneath her skirt, there was nothing at all.

She was going commando.

This was the "task" Lin Jiang had given her, one she had to complete despite her overwhelming shame.

At that moment, the hidden coolness that the wind had briefly exposed and then concealed again mixed with the strange satisfaction of completing her task and her immense shame, crashing wildly through her body.

She could practically hear her heart pounding like a drum. Every step felt as though she were walking on burning coals, and the emptiness beneath her skirt became unbearably clear and tormenting beneath the teasing breeze...

After that, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing switched dormitories.

That way, Ning Rongrong had a room to herself.

As for where she actually slept at night, only she and Lin Jiang knew.