Song Qingcheng shivered uncontrollably, fearfully conceding, "Alright, alright, I was wrong."

  She lowered her head, but her eyes were filled with resentment and humiliation. That little wretch, Nan Gong Huan, had made her lose so much face! Once she returned to the academy, she would make sure that little wretch paid dearly!

  Nan Gong Huan withdrew her hand, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. Despite the faint smile on her face, everyone looked terrified, taking a few steps back. Even Gao Luo and the others couldn't help but feel a sense of fear, swallowing hard.

  "Her Highness is a kind person, generously giving us the wind bird. We are deeply grateful," Nan Gong Huan said as she walked toward the wind bird. With a leap, she landed on its back and waved for her companions to join her.

  Dong Yan Cuo followed without hesitation, sitting beside her. The others were a bit hesitant, but under Nan Gong Huan's "enthusiastic" invitation, they climbed onto the wind bird and took off.

  Song Qingcheng was helped up again, her anger boiling over as she shouted in rage, "Nan Gong Huan, just you wait!"

  "Your Highness, please calm down! Once we return to the academy, we can make her pay!" The people around her tried to comfort her, and Manager Li, bowing and scraping, brought over another wind bird.

  The Sasuo Forest was vast, and the wind-element spirit beasts here were rampant, with almost no natural predators. Sometimes, these spirit beasts would even wander into the city, causing harm to people.

  Therefore, the academy had specifically arranged such missions to alleviate some of the pressure on Sasuo City.

  Arriving at the Glory Merchant Guild's outpost at the edge of the forest, the group temporarily settled the wind bird there and proceeded on foot into the forest.

  At this moment, Dong Yan Cuo suddenly stopped, furrowing his brows as he looked deep into the forest. His gaze grew intense, as if he were being influenced by some force, causing him immense pain.

  "What's wrong?" Nan Gong Huan noticed his unusual behavior and asked with concern.

  The teammates ahead also stopped, turning to look back.

  "Nothing, let's go," Dong Yan Cuo shook his head, trying to pull himself together, and smiled at Nan Gong Huan.

  But Nan Gong Huan clearly saw the veins bulging on his forehead from the strain, and beads of sweat forming.

  The team continued forward, with the two of them walking at the back. Nan Gong Huan gripped his hand tightly and whispered, "Is your head hurting badly?"

  "Huan Huan, I feel like something is calling me, in that direction," Dong Yan Cuo didn't try to tough it out too much. He pointed deep into the forest, his voice weak.

  Come back... come back...

  His mind was filled with a faint, echoing voice.

  Nan Gong Huan frowned slightly. She could see intense soul fluctuations in him. This wasn't just an ordinary headache—it was most likely... the call of his missing soul fragment!

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Elder Ling also confirmed this: "His soul is being torn apart. It's very likely that his missing soul fragment is calling him, but the situation of that fragment might not be good."

  "I... want to find that thing. It feels like something very important that I lost," Dong Yan Cuo held his forehead, his expression pained. It seemed that moving in that direction was the only way to alleviate the pain.

  He had a premonition, but he didn't know what exactly he had lost. All he knew was that the process would be dangerous.

  "I'll go with you," Nan Gong Huan supported his arm, letting him lean on her shoulder.

  "No, it's too dangerous..." Dong Yan Cuo looked down, his gaze filled with deep concern. He didn't want her to get hurt.

  Come back... come back...

  The faint voice grew more urgent, almost causing him to lose control and rush straight into the depths.

  Dong Yan Cuo forced himself to endure the discomfort, lowering his head to speak to her.

  Nan Gong Huan looked up, her eyes meeting his as if she had fallen into a deep abyss, momentarily stunned.

  At that moment, Dong Yan Cuo's body pressed down, pinning Nan Gong Huan against a tree trunk. His breathing was heavy, sweat dripping down his high nose bridge, his gaze intense.

  "Huan Huan, trust me. Wait for me to return."

  Nan Gong Huan sensed something was wrong and was about to speak, but he leaned in, kissing her lips.

  His kiss was deep yet simple, lingering for only a second before he pulled away. His eyes were turbulent, the softness of her lips acting like a painkiller, easing his suffering.

  Then, without warning, he vanished from her sight, leaving only a shy "I like you" lingering in her ears.

  Nan Gong Huan was left in shock.

  The teammates ahead, noticing the two hadn't caught up, turned around and saw the kiss. They were all stunned, frozen in place.

  "He just ran off like that, how annoying," Nan Gong Huan touched her lips, her face flushing slightly, her heart suddenly racing with a delayed reaction.

  She had wanted to help him, but he had left so quickly. She could no longer sense his presence.

  Well, she would trust him this time.

  Steadying her emotions, Nan Gong Huan turned to catch up with the group, only to find everyone standing there, still in shock.

  "Ahem, he had something urgent to attend to. He might need to take a long leave," Nan Gong Huan coughed lightly, trying to ease the awkwardness.

  She wasn't sure when Dong Yan Cuo would return, but she would need to help him apply for leave back at the academy.

  "Freshmen taking long leaves... will be directly expelled from the academy," Gao Luo said, pursing his lips. Although the earlier scene was a bit inappropriate, he felt it necessary to let Nan Gong Huan know the severity of the situation.

  "It's fine, let's go. I think I saw two wind-element spirit beasts up ahead," Nan Gong Huan laughed, quickly changing the subject.

  That guy had only joined the academy to follow her. Whether he could study here or not was completely irrelevant to him.

  A faint glimmer passed through Jiang Huairou's eyes as she smiled even more gently. "Then let's go."

  The group moved quickly through the forest, searching for their prey.

  The five seniors were all above the Three Spirit Life level, so hunting Three Spirit Life spirit beasts was a breeze for them.

  Due to the overabundance of wind-element spirit beasts, the group managed to hunt over seventy in just half a day, mostly small wind sparrows or wind foxes.

  The souls of the slain spirit beasts were also absorbed into the Di Ming Ring, consumed by Yan Ji and Xue Ji.

  At night, the group gathered around a campfire, the moonlight casting a gentle glow, slightly dispelling the eerie darkness of the forest.

  The cicadas chirped noisily, adding a summer night atmosphere.

  "I didn't expect Junior Nan Gong to be so skilled. Her martial arts are almost on par with mine," Gao Luo praised generously.

  During the hunt, some spirit beasts had tried to ambush the group, but Nan Gong Huan had swiftly drawn her blade and taken them down with ease.

  She had killed quite a few spirit beasts, holding her own against the seniors.

  "You're too modest. I didn't contribute much. Here, have some of this," Nan Gong Huan took out a few bottles of delicious potions, fiddling with the roasted bird in her hands.

  The wind sparrows were about the size of pigeons, with tender and flavorful meat. Drizzled with the delicious potions, the aroma was irresistible.

  She wondered how that foodie was doing now. A hint of longing flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly regretted not giving him more food before he left.