Staring at the full plate of spicy rabbit heads in front of her, each one arranged neatly and orderly, Xiao Wu felt a strong wave of nausea.
The warmth she had felt just moments earlier vanished completely.
Grievance, discomfort, disappointment—countless emotions tangled together, bitterness welling up in her heart until she didn't know what to say.
"Brother… don't you know I really don't like eating rabbit?" she said softly. "I've told you before…"
"I know," Tang San replied, "but being picky about food isn't good for you. Besides, this rabbit meat is cooked really well. I've already tried it myself. Just have a taste—what if you end up liking it?"
Xiao Wu finally couldn't take it anymore.
Without another word, she turned around, went back into her room, and slammed the door shut.
Tang San stood there holding a rabbit head, then glanced at Xiao Wu's closed door. He shook his head, saying nothing, though a trace of dissatisfaction stirred inside him.
He felt that his good intentions had been rejected.
Xiao Wu cultivated with him every day, and it was exhausting. Eating something good to relax could even lead to twice the results with half the effort.
He knew Xiao Wu liked rabbit-related things, and even her spirit was a rabbit. But she was human, after all. Why wouldn't she eat something as delicious as these rabbit heads?
Thinking back, Xiao Wu seemed to eat only vegetables. She had never eaten chicken or duck meat either.
How could that be healthy?
She was still growing—it seemed she really needed to eat more meat.
He decided that in the future, he would put more effort into preparing food for her.
Fine, then. He would just share this plate of rabbit heads with Dai Mubai and the others. Let everyone try them—it would also help improve his image.
Completely unable to understand a girl's subtle thoughts, Tang San didn't dwell on it any further and returned to cultivation.
He didn't realize that Xiao Wu was watching him quietly through the crack in the door…
As time passed, night slowly fell.
Everyone gathered at the training ground.
But as soon as they arrived, they saw Flender standing there with a dark expression, facing Oscar and Ning Rongrong.
"Ning Rongrong," Flender said coldly, "tell me—did you complete the running task?"
Ning Rongrong blinked her large, innocent eyes and replied gently, "Of course I did. If you don't believe me, you can ask Oscar."
Flender turned his gaze toward Oscar.
"I… we completed the running task," Oscar said hesitantly.
"Hahahaha, good! Very good!" Flender laughed—but only his face moved, not his eyes.
"You ran half of the second lap, then went straight to Soto City to go shopping. You ate your fill at noon, continued playing there all afternoon, and only returned to the vicinity of the academy at night to meet Oscar before coming back together. Am I right?"
Ning Rongrong's expression changed.
"Flender, you followed me?"
"Heh. This behavior of yours is absolutely unforgivable. Disobeying the academy's arrangements and making your teammate lie for you—each one is a serious taboo for a Spirit Master. On the battlefield, this would make you a deserter, to be punished under military law and forever nailed to the pillar of shame!"
The gentleness on Ning Rongrong's face gradually disappeared. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing contempt and disdain.
"This is just a broken academy. Isn't it a bit much to compare it to a battlefield?"
Flender nodded.
"You're right. But this is my Shrek Academy. Now you have two choices. One—pack your things and leave immediately, because you are not worthy of being a student here. Two—prove that you deserve to stay."
Ning Rongrong's smile grew even colder.
"Flender, who do you think you are? Do you really believe you're someone important?"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone except Lin Xian was stunned.
All pretense vanished from Ning Rongrong's face, replaced by an air of arrogance and superiority.
"Since you look down on this place and despise me, then leave," Flender said calmly. "Shrek Academy does not welcome students who refuse to follow its rules."
Turning to Dai Mubai, he added, "Go and take all of Miss Ning Rongrong's belongings and escort her out."
Ning Rongrong stared at Flender.
"Flender, you dare? In all my life, you're the first person who's dared to treat me this way."
"Ridiculous. What wouldn't I dare?" Flender replied. "Your father may treasure you, but in my eyes, every other student here is better than you. Your presence brings nothing but shame to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
"You're talking nonsense!"
"Then tell me—which one of them are you better than?"
Ning Rongrong scanned the group. She had seen their strength with her own eyes, and she knew she was inferior. That much was undeniable.
In the end, her gaze settled on Oscar.
"At the very least, I'm better than this lowly food-type Spirit Master, aren't I?"
"Have you ever seen a food-type Spirit Master with innate full spirit power?" Flender shot back. "His future achievements are limitless—far beyond yours!"
Ning Rongrong's face turned pale. Suddenly, tears burst forth as she turned and ran toward her dormitory.
If not for the letter Ning Fengzhi had written, Flender would never have acted so decisively. With that letter in hand, however, he felt fearless.
"Mubai, no need to go after her," Flender said. "Let the little princess think things through herself. Her nature isn't bad—she's just been spoiled. Once she reflects on it, she'll be fine."
Then he looked at Oscar.
"I won't punish you today. Go comfort her."
With that, he led everyone toward the Great Soul Arena.
Flender walked ahead, the others following behind.
Along the way, Tang San was focused on cultivating his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, unaware that Xiao Wu had fallen far behind.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu said nothing. She simply lowered her head and walked in silence.
At that moment, Lin Xian and Zhu Zhuqing appeared beside her.
A voice reached her ears clearly:
"Come to my room tonight. I have a secret about Tang San. Interested?"
In the blink of an eye, the voice vanished.
Lin Xian and Zhu Zhuqing were now half a step behind her, as if nothing had happened.
Yet Lin Xian exchanged a meaningful glance with Xiao Wu…
Before long, the group arrived in Soto City.
Flender had already arrived earlier. After explaining the rules, he took Ma Hongjun to deal with his evil fire problem, telling Lin Xian and the others that once their matches were over, they could return directly without waiting.
The remaining few exchanged glances.
Since Lin Xian and Zhu Zhuqing already had a registered team, they didn't need to sign up again.
Tang San pulled the silent Xiao Wu along and registered under the name "Three-Five Combination."
After the night's battles, everyone emerged victorious, which could be considered an excellent result.
When the five of them returned to Shrek Academy and reached the school gate, they discovered Ning Rongrong and Oscar waiting there…
(Author's Note)
Hey, My Handsome and beautiful readers.
I saw the problem that some content was missing sorry for the inconveniences my dear readers but you can read it right now I have fixed it.
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