Ning Rongrong's Invitation, Oscar

Zhao Wuji's words had gotten through to Lin Xiao.

But Lin Xiao had no intention of giving up Spirit Hall's bounty missions.

The reason was simple: he still needed money.

Without enough Gold Soul Coins, everything he wanted to do later would be difficult.

Spirit Hall's allowance could cover his basic living expenses, with some left over.

But if he wanted to do anything else, like forge equipment or buy Soul Bones or rare treasures, that allowance clearly wouldn't be enough.

"I understand what you mean, Teacher Zhao. I'll give it serious thought."

Lin Xiao's expression was solemn.

Zhao Wuji was thoroughly pleased. A monstrous talent who listened to advice left a good impression.

After leaving Zhao Wuji's office, Lin Xiao considered when to visit Spirit Hall in Suotuo City.

Taking on Spirit Hall's bounty missions wasn't difficult. He only had to register.

When the system rewarded him by awakening the Four Swords of Zhu Xian Martial Soul, it had included a Spirit Hall Awakening Certificate.

Anything produced by the system was bound to be flawless.

He didn't have to worry about his identity being exposed.

As he walked, a voice suddenly called out to him.

"Lin Xiao."

Lin Xiao stopped and looked over. It was Ning Rongrong.

More than thirty meters away, Ning Rongrong lifted her skirt and trotted toward him.

By the time she reached him, she was panting.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing her like this, Lin Xiao scratched his head.

The Little Demoness from the original story didn't seem to have shown her true nature yet.

Once she did, things would probably get interesting.

But it made no difference to him.

He already knew what Ning Rongrong was really like.

Put plainly, she was a pampered little princess.

She wasn't bad at heart.

Besides, the Goddess Codex's information mentioned that Ning Rongrong desperately wanted friendship.

She had grown up a little princess surrounded by admirers.

Everyone in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect spoiled her and gave way to her, but that was because of who she was.

She had never had a single friend.

She longed for one; she simply didn't know how to make one.

The information from the Goddess Codex couldn't be wrong.

Those details were invaluable for raising her affection.

It could even track each goddess's current state in real time, letting him adjust his approach as he went.

Ning Rongrong caught her breath and said, "I went to your dormitory just now, but you weren't there."

"I didn't expect to find you here. Were you taking care of something?"

Lin Xiao nodded.

"I went to ask Teacher Zhao how to earn money."

"Earn money?"

Ning Rongrong was baffled.

The idea of earning money was utterly foreign to her.

She had never lacked it.

Her storage bracelet held plenty of Gold Soul Coins, along with Gold Soul Cards.

The smallest Gold Soul Card held at least a million Gold Soul Coins.

She was a little heiress through and through.

"Yeah. My Martial Soul only just awakened, and I came out of the mountains without much money."

At that, Ning Rongrong took a money pouch from her storage bracelet and pressed it straight into Lin Xiao's hand.

"Here's some money. Will you take a walk with me?"

Lin Xiao stared at the pouch in his hand, stunned.

What was this?

Why did it feel like she was paying to keep him company?

Judging by the weight, it probably held several hundred Gold Soul Coins.

Without a second thought, he pushed the pouch back to her.

"I can walk with you, but I can't take your money."

"Why not?"

Ning Rongrong was curious. Hadn't he said he needed money?

Yet he wouldn't accept her Gold Soul Coins.

"A man should stand on his own feet. I'll earn the money myself. I can't take yours."

Ning Rongrong seemed to understand, and she didn't insist.

"Then will you walk with me?"

"Shall we go eat at the dining hall?"

Dusk had fallen. It was almost dinnertime.

"Sure."

Lin Xiao didn't give it much thought.

He still didn't quite understand why Ning Rongrong wanted to get close to him.

Hearing his answer, Ning Rongrong couldn't hide her delight.

"Great! Shall we look around the academy first?"

The academy was shabby, but its grounds were fairly large.

One look at Lin Xiao's face made her excited all over again.

He was just too handsome!

She considered herself good-looking and had seen plenty of handsome people.

But Lin Xiao was without question the best-looking person she had ever seen.

Someone like him ought to be her friend.

The word friend flashed through her mind, and her resolve instantly firmed.

[Ding! Ning Rongrong's affection +3. Current affection: 28!]

Only then did Lin Xiao seem to understand.

In terms from his previous life, that look in Ning Rongrong's eyes belonged to a lovestruck girl!

So Ning Rongrong believed good looks were justice?

She was an absolute sucker for a pretty face!

Having figured that out, he opened the Goddess Codex and checked its information.

One entry caught his eye.

[Ning Rongrong felt delighted that she had invited Lin Xiao and looked forward to spending time alone with him.]

There was other information as well.

As he read through it, one detail confirmed his guess.

As the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong had a powerful appreciation for beautiful things.

Beautiful things?

Good looks counted as beautiful too.

For Ning Rongrong, attraction began with looks.

She would initially feel some fondness for anyone good-looking, man or woman.

But to build that fondness further, he would have to start with their day-to-day interactions.

When it came to looks, people everywhere seemed much the same.

There was a saying: if you were good-looking, you could get away with anything.

It sounded absurd, but there was some truth to it.

"Lin Xiao, you're already at rank twenty-five Soul Power. You'll definitely be much stronger by the time we graduate."

"Have you thought about where you'll go after graduation?"

"I heard Shrek Academy is amazing. I wonder if studying there is hard."

"Lin Xiao, Lin Xiao, should we go look around Suotuo City sometime?"

Ning Rongrong seemed to have an endless supply of things to say as they walked.

After reading her detailed profile, Lin Xiao naturally understood why her behavior had changed so much.

This Ning Rongrong really was a little different from the one in the original story.

Even his occasional replies were enough to excite her.

After making a circuit of the grounds, they finally reached the dining hall.

There really wasn't much good food at Shrek's dining hall.

Money was tight, and the students' meals were prepared with little care.

By the time they went inside, darkness had fallen completely.

Xiao Wu and the others had arrived, along with several more people.

The moment they entered, someone hurried over.

"Hey, beautiful. Let's get acquainted. I'm Oscar."

The newcomer winked and broke into a broad grin.

Ning Rongrong had been talking to Lin Xiao. The sudden interruption gave her a real fright.

She stepped back twice and nearly fell.

Lin Xiao reacted instantly and caught her around the waist.

"Careful."

[Ding! Ning Rongrong's affection +2. Current affection: 30!]

Wow. Such a tiny gesture earned him two affection points?

Fifty points suddenly didn't feel far away at all!

Once she had steadied herself, Ning Rongrong's cheeks flushed.

But as soon as she recovered, she glared at Oscar.

"Who are you, mister? Are you trying to scare me to death, jumping out at me after dark?"