As night fell and dinner ended, Shrek Academy resumed its long-lost evening classes.
However, Chu Chengzhou didn't attend this time—he wasn't interested in soul fights lately.
Flender, who was well aware of Chu Chengzhou's strength, agreed. After all, at the rank of a three-ring Soul Elder, he knew Chu Chengzhou was invincible.
Since Chu Chengzhou didn't go, and Ning Rongrong was feeling unwell, she also skipped it. But Xiao Wu went along with Zhu Zhuqing to attend the evening class.
At this moment, back in his room, Chu Chengzhou wasn't meditating or cultivating but instead waiting for Ning Rongrong to knock on his door.
During dinner, Ning Rongrong had been sneaking glances at him frequently. This made Chu Chengzhou realize that, unless something unexpected happened, she would definitely come looking for him later.
Knock, knock, knock—
Sure enough, before long, there was a knock at the door.
Sensing the familiar presence outside, a slight smile appeared on Chu Chengzhou's lips. The fish had taken the bait!
When he opened the door, he saw Ning Rongrong standing there in her pajamas.
"Is this... Plan B? If temptation by benefits doesn't work, she's switching to seduction?"
Looking at Ning Rongrong's pajamas and her slightly damp hair from a recent bath, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but think.
Of course, he knew he was probably overthinking it.
Even if Ning Rongrong were to use feminine charm on him, she wouldn't need to go this far!
Besides, Ning Rongrong wasn't like Zhu Zhuqing—she was still too inexperienced for this kind of trick.
"Rongrong, didn't you say you weren't feeling well? What do you need from me?"
Chu Chengzhou asked lazily.
Hearing this, a trace of embarrassment flashed across Ning Rongrong's face. Feeling unwell was just an excuse—she had something to discuss with Chu Chengzhou, which was why she didn't go to the Great Soul Arena with the others.
"Senior Chu, I want to discuss something with you~"
"Again? Rongrong, it's late at night. Aren't you afraid I'll take advantage of you?"
Chu Chengzhou said playfully.
Ning Rongrong: "..."
She shot him a glare and walked straight into his room.
"Take advantage of me? Ha! If you dare, my father and my two grandfathers will break your legs!"
Bang—
Watching her walk in uninvited, Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow before shutting the door.
"Rongrong, you're still thinking about that forging technique, aren't you? You can forget it. Even though we're friends, this is my future livelihood—I can't just give it away."
After motioning for Ning Rongrong to sit down, Chu Chengzhou shook his head.
"Senior Chu, let's not talk about the technique for now. Let's be honest with each other!"
Ning Rongrong waved her hand, looking serious.
"Honest with each other?!"
Chu Chengzhou's eyes widened.
Was she talking about that kind of honesty?
Before he could say anything, Ning Rongrong continued, "Senior Chu, let's make a deal!"
"A deal? Let's hear it~"
"Could it be that this little girl is willing to sacrifice herself in exchange for the technique for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"
Chu Chengzhou wondered.
He had to admit—he was interested in Ning Rongrong. But wasn't this a bit too soon?
Besides, while he wasn't exactly a good guy, he wasn't a bad one either. He had no interest in under-the-table deals like this.
"Senior Chu, I owe you an apology."
Ning Rongrong said sincerely.
"An apology?"
Chu Chengzhou was puzzled. What had she done to him?
Before he could think further, Ning Rongrong raised her right hand and solemnly vowed, "Senior Chu, as long as you pass down your forging and body tempering techniques to my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, I, Ning Rongrong, the clan's eldest young miss, swear on our clan's honor that we will be your greatest support!
Anyone who tries to harm you, we will stand in their way. This promise will remain until you and Xiao Wu become Titled Douluo!"
Ning Rongrong knew Chu Chengzhou was difficult to persuade, but that didn't mean impossible.
After thinking for several days, she realized what he wanted most wasn't soul bones, money, or beauty—but safety.
A 13-year-old Soul Elder, a 12-year-old Soul Ancestor, with no powerful backers—having strong protection was more reliable than even a 100,000-year soul bone.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was one of the top three sects on the continent. With two Titled Douluo, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, as guardians, they feared no one except the Spirit Hall.
Even if Chu Chengzhou offended the Spirit Hall, as long as it wasn't too serious, they wouldn't go all out against him with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan backing him.
Although she hadn't discussed this with her father, Ning Fengzhi, she was confident that he and her grandfathers would support her decision. Investing in two future powerhouses was a smart move, especially with two supreme techniques on the line.
Besides, she already saw Xiao Wu as her sister. Even without the techniques, she would naturally want to ensure their safety.
In other words, as long as Chu Chengzhou agreed, she would essentially be getting the techniques for free—a deal she could never lose.
"You investigated me?"
After a moment of silence, Chu Chengzhou's pupils shrank as his expression darkened.
Ning Rongrong's apology, her promise to protect him and Xiao Wu, and the black folder she had received from the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce's manager all pointed to one thing—his and Xiao Wu's secrets had been exposed!
"Uh~ About that… Senior Chu, please understand. Our clan had to check whether the Star Luo Empire had planted spies in the academy, so we gathered intelligence on the teachers and students. It wasn't targeted at you and Xiao Wu."
Ning Rongrong bowed slightly and explained.
The excuse about checking for spies wasn't true, but with Dai Mubai—royalty of the Star Luo Empire—at the academy, it was a reasonable cover.
"Senior Chu, don't worry. I won't tell anyone about your and Xiao Wu's secrets!
And the ones who gathered the intelligence are trusted disciples of the clan—they would never betray us."
Seeing Chu Chengzhou's grim expression, Ning Rongrong quickly reassured him.
"Hmph~!"
Chu Chengzhou snorted coldly.
He never expected that the age he and Xiao Wu had deliberately hidden would be exposed so soon.
The real question was—had Ning Fengzhi found out yet?
Ning Rongrong was easy to deal with, but her father was a cunning old fox. If he knew, he might try to rope them into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. While it wouldn't endanger their lives, it would certainly complicate things.
"You want my forging and body-tempering techniques?"
After a pause, Chu Chengzhou looked at Ning Rongrong.
"Mm-hmm! Senior Chu, are you agreeing?"
Ning Rongrong's face lit up with joy.
"In ten years, I'll give you the forging technique. As for the body-tempering technique—I can't."
Chu Chengzhou raised a finger.
In ten years, he would be strong enough that giving away the forging technique wouldn't matter.
Besides, he had a bigger plan—having a child with Ning Rongrong so that their son could inherit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan!
After all, wouldn't his son with a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Spirit be the perfect heir?
"Why not the body-tempering technique?"
Ning Rongrong asked, puzzled.
"It's a family heirloom—not to be passed outside the family! Unless..."
"Unless what?"
Ning Rongrong blinked curiously.
Chu Chengzhou didn't answer. Instead, he took a step toward her...
Watching Chu Chengzhou approach slowly, Ning Rongrong immediately sensed that something was wrong and hurriedly stood up.
Chu Chengzhou advanced step by step, forcing Ning Rongrong to retreat step by step.
The room wasn't large, so soon, Ning Rongrong found herself backed against the wall.
"What do you want?"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou staring at her intently, with nowhere left to retreat, Ning Rongrong shrank her neck slightly and spoke with a hint of fear.
"What do you think~"
The 1.75-meter-tall Chu Chengzhou extended his left arm, pressing it against the wall, as he looked down at the slightly over 1.6-meter-tall Ning Rongrong.
"You already have Xiao Wu~"
Perhaps guessing what was about to happen next, Ning Rongrong quickly spoke up.
"It's fine. You're Xiao Wu's best friend—she won't mind!"
Chu Chengzhou said with a smile.
After all, Xiao Wu wasn't here. He could say whatever he wanted, couldn't he?
"Scumbag, go to hell!"
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong, worthy of her title as the little witch, clenched her fist and delivered a fierce punch to Chu Chengzhou's stomach.
"Bang—"
A dull thud sounded, and Chu Chengzhou winced from the pain.
Good thing he had cultivated a powerful body-refining technique, making his physique strong. Plus, Ning Rongrong, as a pure support-type spirit master, didn't have much strength in her punches. Otherwise, this punch might have made him spit out the dinner he had just eaten.
Enduring the pain, Chu Chengzhou, emboldened by the moment, leaned in and kissed the soft, red lips before him.
Initially, he hadn't planned to go this far—just teasing this little girl a bit. But given the current situation, if he didn't take a little interest, wouldn't he have gotten punched for nothing?
"My girlfriend's best friend came to stay at my place, and I took advantage of her while my girlfriend wasn't home..."
Tsk~ Why does this feel like a scene straight out of a certain type of Japanese film?
Feeling the warmth on her lips, Ning Rongrong's mind went completely blank.
My first kiss... just gone like that?
Before she could react, Chu Chengzhou had already pulled back.
He had taken the little witch's first kiss and left his mark, but he didn't continue pushing his luck—he didn't want to be too abrupt with her.
Uh... or maybe he already was?
Oh well, just a minor detail—no need to dwell on it.
When Ning Rongrong finally came to her senses and saw Chu Chengzhou looking at her with a teasing expression, she was immediately furious.
Grabbing his arm, which was still propped against the wall, she opened her small mouth and bit down hard.
Given Chu Chengzhou's strength, he could have easily pulled his arm back before she bit him—but he didn't.
After stealing someone's first kiss, could he really deny her a bite?
Besides, his skin was thick and tough. A little bite wouldn't hurt. And honestly, wasn't it kind of romantic when a girl bit you?
"Are you done biting?"
Half a minute later, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but ask as Ning Rongrong still clung to his arm.
"Chu, you scumbag! You stole my first kiss! A single bite isn't enough—I wish I could tear you apart!"
Letting go, Ning Rongrong looked at his arm, which only had a faint imprint of her teeth, and angrily spoke.
Was Chu Chengzhou's body-refining technique effective? Ning Rongrong had now personally experienced it.
She had used all her strength, but all she managed was a shallow bite mark that would probably disappear in under two minutes.
"How about I help you relive your first-kiss experience? That way, you won't feel so regretful."
Chu Chengzhou shamelessly suggested.
"Go to hell!"
Blushing furiously, Ning Rongrong punched him again.
"Tsk~ Your punches are so soft and weak. If someone didn't know better, they'd think you were flirting with me."
"You—! Ugh, you're infuriating!"
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth in anger.
"Alright, my dear Miss Ning, it's getting late—I need to cultivate."
Having teased Ning Rongrong enough for the night, Chu Chengzhou pointed toward his bedroom door.
"My technique?"
Ning Rongrong extended her hand.
"What technique?"
"Scumbag! You stole my first kiss, and now you're just walking away like nothing happened?"
Ning Rongrong was furious.
"Ahem, Rongrong, mind your words. We just kissed—that kind of phrasing could easily be misunderstood."
"Hmph~ I don't care! You have to teach me! Otherwise, I'll tell my dad you bullied me!"
She snorted coldly and threatened him without hesitation.
Losing her first kiss and not gaining a technique in return—Miss Ning had never suffered such a loss and wasn't about to let it slide.
If not for the fact that Chu Chengzhou was handsome, talented, and, apart from already having Xiao Wu as a girlfriend, an ideal boyfriend choice, she would have already called people over to beat him up instead of just arguing with him.
"Rongrong, my technique is a family secret—I don't teach outsiders. Are you planning to become part of my family?"
Chu Chengzhou stroked his chin and smiled.
"Get lost! Who wants to be part of your family?"
"Well, trying out the role of a girlfriend first is also an option."
Chu Chengzhou lowered his requirements slightly.
"You already have Xiao Wu, and now you're trying to seduce me too?"
Ning Rongrong glared at him.
"It's fine. Xiao Wu can be the older sister, and you can be the younger sister. You two are already like sisters, aren't you?"
"Then what about Zhuqing? Is she going to be the third sister?"
Ning Rongrong asked.
"Uh? You're surprisingly open-minded?"
Chu Chengzhou was a little surprised.
"Hmph~ You're just a total scumbag."
Ning Rongrong snorted coldly. Men—none of them were any good!
Chu Chengzhou, her father Ning Fengzhi—they were all untrustworthy!
Well, except for Grandpa Jian and Grandpa Bone. Grandpa Jian only had eyes for his Seven Kill Sword, and Grandpa Bone only had eyes for Grandpa Jian.
"How is this being a scumbag? This is called filial piety, okay?"
Chu Chengzhou declared righteously.
Ning Rongrong: "..."
"One sentence—are you teaching me or not?"
Ning Rongrong realized she couldn't give Chu Chengzhou any leeway. If she did, she wouldn't just fail to learn the technique—she might end up completely at his mercy.
"I'll teach you, of course! Since you're willing to be Xiao Wu's little sister, of course, I'll teach you!
I already said my family technique isn't taught to outsiders, but you're family now, so it's fine!"
Of course, Chu Chengzhou planned to hold back.
His body-refining technique had both external martial movements and internal spirit power circulation. He would only teach Ning Rongrong the external martial arts.
Unlike Xiao Wu, who was alone in the world, Ning Rongrong belonged to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If he taught her everything, she might take it back to her sect, and before long, it could end up in Bibi Dong's hands.
But just the external martial movements? That was different. Even if leaked, they wouldn't have the full power of the technique.
"You—! I never agreed to be part of your family!"
"That's not up to you. Once you learn it, you're family. Tomorrow, I'll explain the technique to Xiao Wu—if you want to learn, you can join us.
But once you start learning, you can't go back on your word."
Waving his hand, Chu Chengzhou ended the conversation.
Waving his hand, Chu Chengzhou said:
"Want to freeload my body-tempering ultimate technique? No way!"
"If you learn my ultimate technique, then from now on, you'll be one of my people!"
"Even if Ning Fengzhi doesn't agree, once I display eight or nine hundred-thousand-year-old spirit summons in the future, let's see if he dares to say no."
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong fell into deep contemplation.
If she learned it, this guy would take a liking to her—but how could her future husband be a scumbag?
Her ideal man was supposed to be super handsome, incredibly powerful, and only devoted to her! That's how it was written in all the romance novels.
But if she didn't learn it, wouldn't she have suffered a huge loss by giving away her first kiss?
With a conflicted heart, Ning Rongrong walked to the door, ready to return to her own room.
But just then, a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and spun her around.
"Rongrong, won't you give me a farewell kiss?"
Lowering his head, Chu Chengzhou said affectionately.
"Go to hell! Who wants to kiss you?"
Ning Rongrong, both shy and furious, threw another punch at him.
"Beating means affection, scolding means love; if you neither beat nor scold, it means you don't love me. Rongrong, every punch you throw at me is filled with love in my eyes!"
Hearing such a cheesy pickup line for the first time, Ning Rongrong was completely dumbfounded.
Seizing the moment, Chu Chengzhou once again moved toward her rosy lips.
"Mm-mm~"
Snapping back to reality, Ning Rongrong tried to struggle free.
Unfortunately, as a delicate auxiliary-type Soul Master, how could she possibly match Chu Chengzhou in strength?
Feeling the warmth of his lips, for some reason, the young girl who had never experienced love before suddenly felt a strange thrill in her heart.
As a little troublemaker, how could she not experience the magic of a first love?
You say he's my bestie's boyfriend? Tch~ Doesn't that make it even more exciting?
Gradually, Ning Rongrong's resistance weakened. In less than a minute, she even started taking the initiative.
"Stop! Rongrong, don't play with fire!"
Noticing that Ning Rongrong was becoming more and more proactive, Chu Chengzhou quickly lifted his head and stopped.
If they kept going, he was afraid he might lose control and actually go all the way with this little vixen.
If it were a few years later, it would be perfectly natural.
But if things really got out of hand now, once her father Ning Fengzhi found out—along with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, who doted on her—wouldn't they rush over overnight and break his legs?
At these words, Ning Rongrong suddenly snapped back to her senses.
Remembering how she had taken the initiative just now, her face turned red.
Damn it, it's all this scumbag Chu's fault! If not for him, how could she have lost control like that?
But in the next moment, Ning Rongrong put on a stern face.
"Hmph~ A scumbag who has dirty thoughts but no guts!"
With a disdainful snort, she tidied up her nightgown, opened the door, and left without looking back.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
Did this fish just swim into my fishpond?
Outside the room, Ning Rongrong's previous disdainful expression completely disappeared, her cheeks visibly turning red.
So embarrassing!
Earlier, she was obviously being bullied by that scumbag Chu, and since she was weaker, she couldn't fight back—that was understandable.
But why did she take the initiative?
Still… kissing felt really nice!
'Pah! Ning Rongrong, you can't keep thinking about this!'
Scolding herself in her mind, Ning Rongrong covered her burning face and hurried back to her room.
"Bam—!"
Shutting the door, she immediately buried her head under the blanket.
Thinking about how she was like a little lamb, slowly falling into the big bad wolf's trap—not only failing to obtain the ultimate technique but even losing her first kiss—Ning Rongrong was both ashamed and angry, secretly cursing Chu Chengzhou in her heart.
But as she cursed, she couldn't help but recall that wonderful feeling again...
"Rongrong, come down! Zhuqing and I brought you a late-night snack!"
She didn't know how much time had passed when Xiao Wu's voice from downstairs pulled her back to reality.
"Ah, uh, I'm not feeling well, I won't eat!"
Ning Rongrong replied.
If she went downstairs for the late-night snack, wouldn't she have to see that scumbag Chu again? No way, no way, she was too embarrassed—she didn't want to see him today!
"Not feeling well? Brother, didn't you treat Rongrong?"
Xiao Wu looked at Chu Chengzhou with confusion.
"Rongrong didn't ask me to~"
Chu Chengzhou shrugged.
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Wu leaped into the air. Her toes lightly tapped on a few protrusions of the wooden building, and she flipped into Ning Rongrong's room through the open window.
Moments later, an urgent voice rang out from upstairs:
"Brother! Come quick! Rongrong has a high fever! Her whole face is red, and she's burning up!"
Chu Chengzhou: "..."