Brainwashing Ning Rongrong

Li Yusong recognized Ning Rongrong's martial soul almost instantly.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, the hereditary martial soul of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!

This put Li Yusong in something of a difficult position.

After all, direct descendants of the Upper Three Sects simply did not attend the continent's soul master academies, because their martial souls had been passed down for many years, and each sect had its own thoroughly developed training program.

Yet now a direct descendant of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was standing right in front of his registration desk. Should he admit her or not?

Admit her?

If this child had run away from home, once the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect found out, even Shrek Academy might suffer along with her.

But if he refused, Li Yusong did not seem to have any grounds to turn her away.

After hesitating briefly, Li Yusong asked Ning Rongrong:

"Does your family know you've come here?"

"They say education should make no distinctions. As long as I meet the academy's requirements, you have no reason not to admit me, do you?"

Li Yusong nodded. This girl was indeed no ordinary child; she had a quick tongue.

He then said to Dai Mubai behind him:

"All right, take both of them inside."

Li Yusong pointed at Lu Qian and Ning Rongrong.

Dai Mubai nodded, then said to Ning Rongrong:

"Ning Rongrong, right? Let me take you inside."

"Lu Qian, let's go!"

Ning Rongrong called out to Lu Qian, but he was looking toward the back of the line, hoping to spot Zhu Zhuqing. Unfortunately, she had not appeared.

At Ning Rongrong's call, Lu Qian simply waved a hand and said:

"You go in first. I'll come in later."

"You're such a strange guy."

Ning Rongrong did not know Lu Qian was waiting for someone.

Dai Mubai, however, seized the opportunity to say to Ning Rongrong:

"Ning Rongrong, right? Let me take you inside first. There are a few procedures in there, and they'll go faster with my help."

"Oh, all right. We'll go ahead, then. Hurry up, Lu Qian."

With that, Ning Rongrong was about to turn and leave with Dai Mubai, who even gave Lu Qian a rather smug sneer.

See? I'm taking the girl you brought with you!

That got under Lu Qian's skin. I didn't provoke you, but you just had to provoke me?

He simply turned toward Ning Rongrong and said:

"Wait for me."

"Oh."

Ning Rongrong immediately stopped, while Dai Mubai looked thoroughly displeased.

Lu Qian walked over to Li Yusong and asked:

"Teacher, did a girl named Zhu Zhuqing go inside just now?"

"Zhu Zhuqing? I don't think I've heard that name."

"Oh, thank you, Teacher."

"Mm. Go on, now."

"All right."

Since there was no sign of Zhu Zhuqing either in the line or inside the academy, that meant the girl really did seem to have left Suotuo City!

Although Lu Qian was somewhat frustrated, his most pressing concern was to finish Shrek Academy's entrance exam as soon as possible.

After all, Lu Qian's mission here was to prevent Tang San's growth. This mission had been issued by Qian Daoliu himself, and as Pope Bibi Dong's personal disciple, Lu Qian certainly would not disgrace his master!

Thus, Lu Qian decided to finish the entrance exam as quickly as possible, then leave the city to look for Zhu Zhuqing.

"Let's go!"

Ning Rongrong could not quite figure Lu Qian out, either. He had been perfectly unhurried just a moment ago, yet now he had suddenly become so rushed.

Still, she had heard the name Lu Qian mentioned: Zhu Zhuqing!

When they reached the site of the second test, given his grudge against Lu Qian and the fact that Ning Rongrong's attention remained fixed on Lu Qian, Dai Mubai simply decided not to invite further humiliation.

"Just line up."

With that, Dai Mubai left.

Still somewhat puzzled, Ning Rongrong asked:

"Why did he suddenly turn so cold?"

"No idea. Maybe his girlfriend ran off with someone else."

"Hmph, you can't get ivory out of a dog's mouth."

Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes at Lu Qian, completely unaware that he really was not joking.

Lu Qian looked through the line for the second test but did not spot Tang San or Xiao Wu. Presumably, those two were already waiting in the fourth test area.

Just then, shortly after Dai Mubai had left, someone suddenly approached Lu Qian and the others, pushing a little cart:

"Sausages! Sausages for sale! Come take a look! Don't pass up your chance as you pass by! Oscar-brand sausages, delicious and fragrant, cheap and generously sized, just five copper coins apiece!"

"Eat Oscar-brand sausages, and you're guaranteed an easier time passing the entrance exam!"

It was none other than Oscar, the least noticeable member of the Shrek Seven Devils and Ning Rongrong's original partner. (Now the plaintiff!)

Oscar wore simple gray clothes, with neatly trimmed short hair and a full beard, yet he had a pair of large, flirtatious eyes that roamed specifically over the girls in the line of applicants.

Naturally, Ning Rongrong, standing beside Lu Qian, received particular attention from him.

Unfortunately for him, this time his dream of a toad feasting on swan flesh could never come true.

Before long, Ning Rongrong was drawn over by the wafts of meaty fragrance from Oscar's little cart.

It was hard not to be drawn in, considering Oscar was practically circling Ning Rongrong as he hawked his wares.

Ning Rongrong looked at Lu Qian and said:

"Want a sausage? My treat."

"No, especially not one sold by such a sleazy-looking old guy. They don't look clean."

Lu Qian began brainwashing Ning Rongrong.

"Well... all right."

Hearing Lu Qian's words, Ning Rongrong took another look at the scruffy-faced Oscar, silently nodded, and abandoned the idea of eating a sausage.

Since Oscar was standing right beside them, however, he naturally heard Lu Qian and immediately spoke up:

"Hey, hey, hey! Who are you calling an old guy? I'm only fourteen!"

"Hahaha, I don't believe you! Not with all that beard."

Ning Rongrong laughed as she spoke.

"Really! I'm a student at the academy. Ask anyone, and they'll tell you I'm fourteen."

Oscar put particular effort into explaining himself to Ning Rongrong.

"Oh, really? Sorry, then."

"No problem. Want a sausage? Only five copper coins!"

Having misunderstood Oscar, Ning Rongrong naturally wanted to buy two as an apology.

"Sure, I'll take two, then."

Ning Rongrong glanced at Lu Qian beside her.

"Coming right up!"

But before Oscar could get Ning Rongrong her sausages, Lu Qian suddenly said:

"I want them freshly made. Five Silver Soul Coins is fine, too."

"Huh? Freshly made, for five Silver Soul Coins?"

At such a high price, Oscar found it hard to turn Lu Qian down.

Especially when Lu Qian casually tossed him ten Silver Soul Coins.

"All right! Just wait!"

Oscar had intended to run a little farther away to make them, but Lu Qian spoke again.

"Right here. Another ten."

He casually tossed over another ten Silver Soul Coins.

"Well..."

Oscar looked at the twenty Silver Soul Coins in his hand, then at Ning Rongrong. Finally, he gritted his teeth and directly released his sausage martial soul.