Engaged to Ning Rongrong

[You knew the sect's routines well. The outer-sect servant responsible for looking after Oscar would not arrive for at least another two hours.]

[You pushed open the door. The scent of medicine washed over you, and beneath it lingered a sweetness unique to a young woman.]

[Ning Rongrong lay half-reclined on the bed, dozing. She did not notice you come in.]

[First-person perspective.]

Gao Yang gazed at Ning Rongrong's graceful figure. Three months of longing made him bold in that moment.

Perhaps they were of one mind. As he reached her side, Ning Rongrong opened her eyes sleepily.

Seeing that it was Gao Yang, she shifted into a more comfortable position and closed her eyes again without a trace of wariness.

"You're too old to nap like that. If you're going to sleep, get into bed."

She did not answer. She merely lifted a foot.

Gao Yang looked at her dainty red boot and understood.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took Ning Rongrong's ankle and rested her calf across his lap.

Off came her boot, then her sock.

He began massaging the pressure points on the sole of her foot with practiced ease, soothing her fatigue.

Before long, her eyes were still closed, but her lips had parted to help her breathe.

Cool air went in; warm air came out.

"Ah!"

Her face flushed as she suddenly sat up and pressed both hands over Gao Yang's.

The look in her dewy eyes could mean only one thing.

"Rongrong, what's wrong?"

Her cry had been loud enough for even Oscar, who was a little hard of hearing in the next room, to hear. He called out in concern.

"Mm... Nothing... I knocked my foot by accident. Go back to... to sleep!"

"Oh, all right. By the way, have you seen Gao Yang? He said he was going to the bathroom. Why isn't he back yet?" Oscar's voice came through the wall.

"N-no... I haven't seen him. Something probably came up, so he left early!"

"Oh, right. Gao Yang's even busier than the deputy sect master these days, but he still spent the whole afternoon with me. What a friend!"

At that, Ning Rongrong turned and glared at Gao Yang for teasing her.

"Sorry, Rongrong. I haven't seen you in three months. I missed you too much." Gao Yang ignored her reproachful look and pulled her into his arms. "What about you, Rongrong? Did you miss me?"

"I did... Mm..." Ning Rongrong's cheeks turned crimson, and her voice softened. "Gao Yang, we're in the clinic. Someone might see us."

She could clearly feel him pressing harder as he massaged her foot.

At this rate, it would not be long...

"All right. But I'm collecting a little interest first."

"Hm?"

Before she could make sense of his words, he captured her soft red lips in a kiss...

A long while later.

"Gao Yang, tell me what Father's tests for you were."

Ning Rongrong sipped her tea as she looked at Gao Yang's clear-eyed face.

When Ning Fengzhi had confined her, Bone Dragon Douluo had taken pity on her and told her to be patient.

In a year at most, she would see Gao Yang again.

After much pleading, Ning Rongrong had finally learned that Ning Fengzhi had set Gao Yang three conditions. Only after he met every one would her father let her go and allow the two lovers to be together.

Bone Dragon Douluo had estimated that Gao Yang would need at least a year to fulfill them.

Yet here he was before her again after just three months.

She was delighted, but her heart ached for him too.

She did not need to ask to know Ning Fengzhi's demands could not have been easy. They might even have put Gao Yang's life in danger!

That was why she had willingly set aside her status as the sect's little princess and staked everything on him.

"Nothing much. The hardest was just hunting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

"What!"

[That evening, Ning Rongrong went straight to your bedroom when she returned, then chased out a grumbling Xiao Tian.]

[That night...]

[When you looked at Ning Rongrong the next day, you had a faint sense that pink heart-shaped patterns had appeared deep in her eyes...]

[You understood then: the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had fallen for you completely!]

[Once Oscar's injuries had healed, Ning Rongrong did not hesitate. She immediately brought you to him, explained everything, and made it clear that their relationship was over. To your surprise, Oscar did not fly into a rage. Instead, he seemed relieved. He even asked Ning Rongrong whether ending things with her meant he had to keep his distance from Gao Yang too.]

[The moment she heard that, Ning Rongrong bristled and planted her slight body between you and Oscar. But you knew Oscar had become utterly absorbed in Swordsmanship. All he saw now were swords and opponents. And you were the opponent he most wanted to surpass.]

[Ning Rongrong knew nothing about swordsmanship, but she was pleased with the outcome. In a love triangle, nothing was more frightening than love turning to hate. The three of you could still be friends; that was as close to perfect as it could get.]

[A few days later, with Ning Fengzhi presiding and the entire sect bearing witness, you and Ning Rongrong became engaged.]

[After the engagement, you and Ning Rongrong grew ever less restrained, often only managing to fall asleep at dawn. Oscar, meanwhile, became increasingly withdrawn. He would clutch his sword and meditate for days and nights on end.]

[Several years passed in the blink of an eye.]

[One day, Ning Rongrong took you to find Oscar. She said the Shrek Seven Devils' five-year reunion was only days away and wanted you to come too. You agreed, and the three of you set off at once.]

[At Shrek Academy, you finally met the others Ning Rongrong had so often mentioned: Zhu Zhuqing, the youngest yet the most physically mature, along with Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. Greetings and small talk were inevitable. Perhaps their bonds had once run so deep that even Oscar seemed a little less reserved and a little more lively.]

[When Ning Rongrong introduced you as her fiancé, you could plainly sense Dai Mubai's and Ma Hongjun's resentment and hostility. Not even Oscar's attempts to dissuade them could settle it.]

[For Ning Rongrong's sake, however, the two confined themselves to verbal barbs. They even proposed a friendly sparring match.]

[But you noticed Zhu Zhuqing whisper something in Ning Rongrong's ear, and Ning Rongrong nodded, her face bright red.]

[Before long, a handsome man named Tang San arrived, and the group exchanged another round of greetings.]

[What followed was dull. As Shrek students who had defeated the Golden Generation at the Soul Master Tournament, they naturally had to show off a little at Shrek Academy. Their sparring partners were Zhao Wuji, the Immovable Wisdom King, and Headmaster Flender. As a performance, you would have given the match full marks.]

[After everyone had caught up, Tang San was eager to go to the Star Dou Great Forest and see his Soul Beast lover. He also made another pact with the others to meet again in five years.]

[Before he set off, however, you called out to him and motioned for him to follow you.]

[Tang San was cautious, but he followed you anyway.]