Su Ming affectionately patted Xiao Wu's bunny ears and said, "This life-saving item won't do much for you, but it's an invaluable treasure for Rongrong."
He then smiled slyly at Xiao Wu, "If you want a reward, I'll give you one later—just for you!"
As he spoke, his gaze at Xiao Wu took on a mischievous glint.
Since they were on break now, Su Ming thought it wouldn't be a problem to spend some time training with Xiao Wu privately later. After all, the training area was well-protected with thick wooden walls, and Ah Yin was there to keep watch. No one would catch them.
Despite the subtle meaning behind his words, Ning Rongrong didn't pick up on it. She innocently assumed that Su Ming meant he would give Xiao Wu a special gift later. However, Xiao Wu quickly caught on to the hidden meaning behind Su Ming's words. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks as she realized what kind of "reward" he was hinting at.
Unable to say anything with Ning Rongrong right there, Xiao Wu pouted and shot Su Ming a playful glare.
Seeing this, Ning Rongrong was confused. "Xiao Wu, what's wrong?"
Xiao Wu quickly composed herself, "It's nothing. Let's go, Rongrong. I'm starving."
As they entered the cafeteria, they were surprised to find that the menu had drastically improved. There were big chicken legs, nourishing dishes, and of course, Xiao Wu's favorite—carrots.
Soon after, they spotted Zhu Zhuqing, who had already arrived. The three girls sat together, and Ning Rongrong quietly asked, "Zhuqing, what's with the fancy food today?"
It wasn't that Ning Rongrong was unfamiliar with such meals—they were common in her clan. But at Shrek Academy, where resources were limited, it was surprising to see such lavish food. It felt as if the sun had risen in the west. Why was the academy spending money like this all of a sudden?
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, signaling she didn't know either.
At that moment, Master Yu Xiaogang, dressed in a chef's uniform, walked out with a smile and said, "Children, enjoy the meal. From now on, this will be the standard for your meals. That miser Flender doesn't understand how important proper nutrition is for soul masters! The meals before were nowhere near enough for you all."
Flender, knowing he couldn't bear to see the cost, had stayed away from the cafeteria. If he had heard Yu Xiaogang, he would've been heartbroken. After all, these meals weren't coming out of Xiaogang's pocket—Flender was the one feeling the pinch. And it wasn't like the students didn't receive stipends from the Spirit Hall. If they wanted extra food, they could've gone to town for it themselves!
Flender imagined gold soul coins flying out of his pockets as he sighed in despair.
Xiao Wu leaned toward Su Ming and whispered, "Su Ming-ge, do you know what's going on here?"
Su Ming thought for a moment before quietly replying, "While it's likely that Master is doing this for our health, I suspect it's mainly for Tang San's sake. We're just benefitting from it because Tang San is his disciple, and Master would never let him go without."
"Of course, this is just a guess. I can't exactly ask Master about it, and he'd never admit it anyway."
Though Su Ming played it off as speculation, Xiao Wu found his reasoning convincing. After all, knowing Flender's stingy nature, it was hard to believe he would suddenly splurge on lavish meals. The real reason was likely Yu Xiaogang, wanting to ensure his beloved disciple was well-fed.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang turned toward Su Ming and the others with a smile. "Rongrong, Su Ming, make sure you eat well. If there's anything lacking, I'll ask Flender to provide more nutritious food for you!"
Though Yu Xiaogang's gesture seemed kind, the trio didn't think much of it. After all, providing proper meals was the academy's responsibility. With such strict admission requirements and no other training equipment, the least they could do was feed them well. They felt it was only fair.
Su Ming, however, couldn't help but wonder if Yu Xiaogang's newfound generosity was part of a ploy to build rapport and eventually ask for Lingbo Weibu. He laughed inwardly. If that was the case, he had another thing coming!
Before long, lunch ended, and Ning Rongrong prepared to leave for her clan, packing her belongings into a storage soul tool.
At that moment, Su Ming handed her a small item and said, "This is a life-saving soul tool called the Reverse Invincible Shield. It's an absolute defense soul tool that can trap any soul master below the rank of Soul Douluo for a quarter of an hour."
"If you find yourself in danger, use this. It will buy you time to escape. Of course, I hope you never need to use it."
Ning Rongrong was deeply moved upon hearing this. A soul tool like this must be incredibly rare. She had never heard of such a thing existing on the Douluo Continent!
Su Ming silently chuckled to himself. This item was from a future version of the Douluo Continent, where soul tool technology was far more advanced. In the current era, the development of soul tools was still in its infancy, with soul masters relying primarily on their abilities. He wondered how far soul tool technology had progressed in the Sun and Moon Continent by now.
If anyone asked about the soul tool later, he would simply say it was something he came across by chance. And if he had to, he might even reveal the existence of another continent. For now, though, keeping an air of mystery didn't hurt.
As Su Ming was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a soft body press against him. Looking down, he saw Ning Rongrong hugging him tightly.
Inwardly, Su Ming smiled to himself. Was this an unexpected bonus? All he wanted to do was give her a life-saving tool—he hadn't expected such a response.
Feeling Ning Rongrong's warmth, Su Ming was filled with emotion. Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong's face flushed bright red, even her earlobes were tinted with embarrassment.
This time, her gesture wasn't like the impulsive kiss she gave him before. Now, she was fully aware of what she was doing—it was an intentional act. For the first time, she was getting this close to someone who wasn't a family member. But she didn't mind. She had started to realize that her feelings for Su Ming were more complicated than simple friendship.
As she hugged Su Ming, she couldn't help but think about how warm and safe his embrace felt. At that moment, the relationship between them had undeniably crossed the boundary of friendship.