Ning Rongrong stood frozen in place, her eyes vacant, as though she had lost her soul. There was no telling what she was thinking. Clearly, Lin Kong's words, each striking straight at her heart, had thoroughly awakened her, and she was now caught in profound shock and reflection.
Lin Kong and Oscar exchanged a glance. Neither intended to leave her behind and walk away.
Although they were certain Flender had arranged for people to protect them from the shadows nearby, it was better to fear the unexpected than trust the odds. Leaving a support-type Soul Master with little fighting ability here alone was simply too dangerous.
Oscar quietly nudged Lin Kong with his elbow, admiration filling his eyes, and lowered his voice. "Bro, what you just said was fucking amazing!"
"Nothing special," Lin Kong replied lightly, without the slightest trace of smugness in his tone.
"You're only twelve. How do you know so much? You're incredible!" Oscar seemed to have opened the floodgates and kept heaping praise on him. Recalling Lin Kong's neatly laid-out arguments, he could only prostrate himself in admiration.
"I know a little, just a little." Lin Kong waved a hand with breezy indifference.
Oscar's eyes darted around before he suddenly leaned closer, lowering his voice even further with a hint of gossip. "Seriously, are you interested in Ning Rongrong?"
Lin Kong was perfectly frank. "She's pretty."
Oscar nodded repeatedly, then stole another glance at Ning Rongrong, wholeheartedly agreeing. "True, true. You can't fault those looks."
He had originally harbored a vague fondness for Ning Rongrong, but after what had just happened, he had seen her spoiled nature clearly and immediately beaten a retreat-even if she was a peerless beauty, he couldn't handle that young miss temper.
Lin Kong said nothing more, merely resting his gaze on Ning Rongrong while making his own calculations.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect-one of the illustrious Upper Three Sects on the Douluo Continent. That was unquestionably a thick thigh to cling to.
He was all alone now, with no one to rely on. If he could establish a connection with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, wouldn't he have another layer of protection when traveling the Douluo Continent in the future?
With that thought, his gaze toward Ning Rongrong deepened a little.
A few seconds later, Ning Rongrong finally came back to her senses. Her confused gaze turned resolute, and she gritted her teeth. "I... I'll go find the dean right now..."
But after only two steps, she stopped abruptly, turned around, and hurried back to Lin Kong, asking sincerely, "If you were me, what would you do?"
"'If' is meaningless." Lin Kong shook his head. He didn't spell it out, but it was enough to provoke thought.
Ning Rongrong paled, understanding his unspoken meaning-rather than argue with Flender, she should first get down to work and prove herself through action.
Yes, "if" was the most meaningless word of all.
She clenched her fists, her chest heaving violently, clearly undergoing an intense internal struggle.
A moment later, she abruptly raised her head and shouted across the empty fields, her voice filled with a stubborn refusal to lose. "Fine, I'll run! I refuse to believe I can't finish! I refuse to believe I can't complete this task! Who am I? I'm the princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! How could I back down!"
After shouting, she turned toward Lin Kong and Oscar, lifting her chin slightly with a rare seriousness in her tone. "Come on, let's run together!"
The three moved forward shoulder to shoulder, their footsteps sounding on the dirt road in a reasonably orderly rhythm.
As they ran, Ning Rongrong seemed to remember something suddenly. Her steps faltered, and she looked at Lin Kong in confusion. "Lin Kong, running is the task the dean assigned Oscar and me. Why are you running with us?"
Oscar also caught on and chimed in curiously, "Yeah, do you have a habit of running?"
Lin Kong chuckled inwardly-he wasn't simply running. He was clearly here to "fish." And sure enough, without them noticing, he had quietly drawn these two future core teammates over to his side.
Of course, he couldn't say that outright.
He cleared his throat and explained with a perfectly straight face, "I just arrived at Shrek, so I'm not familiar with the surroundings yet. Running a few more laps is a good chance to learn the terrain. If I run into danger in the future, I'll know where to escape."
It sounded quite reasonable at first, but on closer consideration, there was something rather dubious about that nonsense.
Oscar's eyes lit up, however, and he slapped his thigh in admiration. "Brilliant, bro! Your mind works so fast!"
Ning Rongrong nodded along, realization dawning on her. "So it's for safety. Keeping yourself safe is the most important thing!"
The two support-type Soul Masters, who had little ability to protect themselves, felt they had learned another trick from Lin Kong. Their gazes held even more heartfelt admiration.
Lin Kong smiled, his tone becoming a little gentler. "As for right now, just consider it keeping you two company."
After the second lap, Oscar and Ning Rongrong's pace visibly slowed. Both were panting heavily, sweat streaming down their cheeks from their foreheads and soaking their collars. Clearly, they were already beginning to struggle.
Lin Kong beside them, meanwhile, remained as leisurely as ever, his breathing impossibly steady and his steps light. He clearly had plenty left in reserve and had deliberately slowed down only to accommodate the two of them.
Use their Martial Souls to help? It wasn't as though they hadn't considered it. But summoning their Martial Souls consumed Soul Power, and using Soul Skills to enhance their legs also consumed Soul Power. No matter how they worked it out, there was hardly any difference; it would only exhaust them sooner.
"Can't go on?" Lin Kong turned to look at their bedraggled state and spoke lightly.
Oscar braced his hands on his knees and took several heavy breaths, unable to stop himself from cursing under his breath. "Fucking idiot dean, always assigning tasks no human could do!"
He had to curse. That pent-up anger clogging his chest was enough to suffocate him. Of course he understood that Flender surely had some deeper intention behind this arrangement, and he had resolved to persevere and finish the task. But he felt stifled! What was wrong with letting off steam with a few curses?
That fucking idiot dean deserved to be cursed!
"Pfft-" Ning Rongrong couldn't help laughing when she heard that. Wiping away her sweat, she teased, "I thought you really were an honest-to-a-fault idiot, still overflowing with gratitude toward that fucking idiot dean after suffering like this."
"Gratitude, my ass!" Oscar retorted, stiffening his neck, his tone indignant. "He's a fucking idiot through and through!"
"Mm-hmm, he really is a fucking idiot!" Ning Rongrong hurriedly agreed, finding herself on the same side as Oscar for once.
"Really can't go on?" Lin Kong asked again, sweeping his gaze over them.
Oscar's face sagged as he answered weakly, "I'm exhausted. At this pace, there's no way we'll finish by noon. Even making it in time for dinner is doubtful."
"Exactly!" Ning Rongrong looked at Lin Kong as though she had found her savior, her eyes sparkling. "Lin Kong, why don't you go prepare lunch for us first? Once we've rested enough and eaten, we'll keep running!"
Lin Kong didn't answer. With a thought, Dark Blue Silver Grass emerged from the soil beneath his feet. He casually waved a hand forward, and the black-and-white-patterned blades rapidly spread ahead, forming a "grass carpet" barely a palm high that stretched into the distance.
"I'll give you a hand," Lin Kong's voice rang out. "Run on this grass. Oh, and remember to expose your ankles."
The three set off again, stepping onto the path paved with Dark Blue Silver Grass.
Oscar and Ning Rongrong soon noticed something unusual.
The Dark Blue Silver Grass beneath their feet seemed alive, continuously extending forward with their steps. Every time their feet landed, they could feel a gentle force coming from the blades, lightly supporting their soles and making their heavy steps considerably lighter.
More wondrous still, whenever the blades brushed their bare ankles, a warm, gentle vitality seeped through their skin into their bodies. Their aching muscles gradually relaxed, and their depleted stamina slowly recovered, allowing them to hold out longer.
As Oscar ran, he couldn't help exclaiming, "Bro, you're incredible!"
Lin Kong glanced sideways at him, a faint smile curling his lips. "Call me Brother Lin."
"Brother Lin!" Oscar called out without hesitation, crisp and decisive, not minding in the slightest that they were the same age. "Brother Lin, you're my own flesh-and-blood brother!"
Lin Kong then turned his gaze toward Ning Rongrong, raising an eyebrow and giving a slight shrug, his tone casual. "Your choice."
Ning Rongrong bit her lip. After a moment's hesitation, she still called out brightly, "Brother Lin!"
Afterward, as though afraid he would get the better of her, she hurriedly added, "Don't get any ideas! I'm only calling you that today. Once today's over, it doesn't count!"
Lin Kong smiled without a word.
Their footsteps sounded across the fields once more, this time a little less heavy and a little lighter.
Watching this scene, Flender's face darkened. He turned angrily toward Li Yusong beside him. "Old Li, did you call me over just to listen to them curse me?"
Li Yusong pointed, his face full of feeling. "Look at Lin Kong. What a good kid!"
He had heard everything the three had said and was very satisfied with Lin Kong. Then, realizing the plan had changed, he had called Flender over and told him everything exactly as it had happened.
"Good! Wonderful! Very good indeed!" Flender ground his teeth.
I was fucking waiting for Ning Rongrong to fail the task so I could enjoy giving her a dressing-down.
You fucking beat me to it and gave Ning Rongrong a dressing-down first.
So you got your satisfaction?
Where am I supposed to get mine?
What about me?
Lin Kong, you little brat, just wait until I pile on extra tasks to torment you later. Just you wait!