"Han Feng, Han Feng! I want candied hawthorns!"
"How old are you? Still eating candied hawthorns? Eat too much sugar and your teeth will fall out. Here, have two steamed buns instead!"
Early the next morning, Ning Rongrong demanded that Han Feng go buy her candied hawthorns—specifically from the ones made fresh in the west part of the city. They had to be hand-pulled, properly glazed, and made with perfectly round hawthorns. The sugar coating? Crystal clear.
...And yet they were standing at the east city gate.
Almost as if she knew Han Feng would refuse, Ning Rongrong just gave him a sly smile, holding up four fingers with a cheerful gleam in her eyes.
"...Tch. Fine, wait here."
"Great! And hurry back. If the sugar melts, you're getting me another one!"
With an annoyed snort, Han Feng turned and sprinted off, activating his spirit power. It wasn't that he enjoyed running errands for Ning Rongrong—it was because last night, during her challenge to recall her entrance speech word-for-word, he messed up ten times.
Ten mistakes meant ten favors owed.
From that moment on, Ning Rongrong began her little game of tormenting him.
She wanted an entirely new, improvised, and exciting bedtime story. At midnight, she demanded a gourmet food platter. She made Han Feng list ten of her strengths in under ten seconds—no repeats, no stuttering.
Requests like these drove Han Feng to the brink of madness.
The four fingers she held up this morning? That was her way of saying, "Four more to go."
Five minutes later, Han Feng returned, slightly out of breath, with a freshly made skewer of candied hawthorns in hand.
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. She eagerly took the treat and began munching happily, her playful innocence drawing the attention of many passersby.
Han Feng, oblivious to the stares, urged, "Alright, that's one down. What about the other three requests? Just say them now."
"No way!" she said with a smirk. "I'm saving those for later."
"You can't—!"
"You're about to say: 'But we still have to go to Shrek Academy,' right?"
"You—"
"And next, you're thinking: 'How did she know that?' Come on, it's obvious. You're twelve, you're a Grandmaster-level spirit user, and you came to Soto City right at this time of year. What other place could you possibly be headed to, if not Shrek Academy?"
She beamed. "Relax. I'm going there too. We'll be classmates. I've got plenty of time to cash in the rest of those favors."
Han Feng tried twice to speak, only to be cut off both times. Looking at her smug expression, he let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"What I was trying to say was: 'I'm worried you're going to push this even further,' and 'Could you please let me finish a sentence for once?'"
Ning Rongrong's smile froze. A blush crept up from her elegant neck to her cheeks, giving her a flushed, embarrassed glow.
"Han Feng!" she snapped, glaring at him in mock anger.
"Huh?" Han Feng rubbed his ears, pretending her voice hurt them.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath to steady herself, then declared, "Han Feng! I've made up my mind. My seventh request is this: From now on, whatever I say goes. You must agree with me—no exceptions!"
"No," Han Feng replied instantly.
"Why not!?"
"Because a man can be killed, but never humiliated," he answered with absolute seriousness.
Ning Rongrong practically exploded. Her face, which had just calmed down, turned red again. "Han Feng! Can you go one day without making me angry!?"
"We've only known each other for two days," Han Feng replied, voice calm and analytical. "Don't talk like we're childhood friends. And I didn't say anything to make you mad—I was just stating facts and drawing logical conclusions. If you're upset, my preliminary diagnosis is... you're overly sensitive."
He let out a cold chuckle, not sparing her feelings in the slightest.
"Han Feng... has anyone ever told you that talking to you is extremely annoying?"
"Nope," he said proudly. "In fact, Sister Qianqian always said I'm adorable when I'm not talking. That's clearly a different issue."
"Well, you've heard it now!" Ning Rongrong huffed, turning on her heel and storming toward the east gate.
Han Feng shrugged, unconcerned, and strolled after her—not because he wanted to, but because Shrek Academy was in that direction.
To be fair, Shrek Academy was really out of the way. They left from Soto City in the morning and didn't reach the village until almost noon.
When they finally saw the so-called academy in the distance—a rundown cluster of buildings with a wooden sign—both Han Feng and Ning Rongrong were at a loss for words.
So this is Shrek Academy? They couldn't help but wonder.
If they didn't already know this was a Spirit Master academy, they'd think it was the village ancestral hall or a neglected temple.
Ning Rongrong especially was shocked. She had never imagined that the academy her father praised so highly would look worse than the outhouse at home.
"This... is Shrek Academy?" she muttered, unsure whether she was asking herself or Han Feng.
Han Feng handled it better. Though it was even more rundown than he had expected, he'd at least known what to anticipate.
"Don't judge things by appearances alone," he said mildly.
Ning Rongrong scoffed. She'd heard the same line from her father many times—Han Feng wasn't going to fool her.
"Relax, I'm not planning to go home. Since my dad said this place is special, there must be a reason. Even if you back out, I'm staying."
With that, she marched forward, not sparing Han Feng another glance.
Of course, Han Feng wasn't going to back out either. After all, ever since he transmigrated into this world twelve years ago, his first goal had always been Shrek.
Besides, he knew something Ning Rongrong didn't: within six months, this place would undergo a transformation like no other.
As they queued up for enrollment, Han Feng glanced around.
He spotted one of the instructors in charge of admissions—though he couldn't remember the guy's name.
He also noticed someone lounging in a tree nearby—Dai Mubai. His golden hair, trimmed with black highlights, contrasted with his snow-white robe. Even with his eyes closed, hiding his heterochromia, the sheer arrogance radiating from him was palpable.
Behind them in line, Han Feng saw Zhu Zhuqing.
Hard to not notice her—she stood out like a beacon.
He also noticed Tang San in front of them, but before he could get a good look at Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong stepped into his line of sight, frowning at him wordlessly.
"What?" Han Feng asked. "I just wanted to see what Xiao Wu looks like these days. It's been years, I'm curious."
"Nothing," Ning Rongrong replied with a huff, turning her face away in a sulky pout.
"Then move."
"No."
"Tch… You're a pain."
P.S: Read advanced chapters in my collection at patreon.com/Zarctus