"Roar!"
The roar surged toward the red-haired boy in the form of tangible sound waves, but he easily dodged it.
Since he was carrying Xiao Wu in his arms, the Titan Giant Ape acted with extreme caution. It didn't dare use any soul skills, nor did it dare employ its usual throwing techniques. It didn't even dare roar too loudly.
Though the sound wave seemed powerful, its speed was sluggish, and its actual damage was negligible.
Ma Hongjun judged that this was more of a show of threat than an actual attack.
Let's just see who gives in first.
He snorted coldly and flapped his flaming wings, scattering glowing feathers like embers across the sky.
"What a beauty..."
Xiao Wu reached out, catching a warm feather. She gazed at it in a daze as it disappeared under the moonlight.
In the silence among the clouds, the only sounds were the boy's steady breathing and his strong heartbeat.
She leaned in gently.
"Hey, Hongjun... we never finished what we were talking about earlier, right?" the girl asked softly.
Without realizing it, she had dropped the usual formal suffix when addressing him.
"Oh, right. Go ahead," the red-haired boy replied, glancing around to see if there was a temporary place to hide. Hearing her speak, he nodded casually.
He had nothing else to do at the moment—might as well chat to pass the time.
"I never got to ask you earlier, Hongjun..." Xiao Wu's delicate face flushed with pink. Her lips trembled slightly, and her beautiful eyes grew misty.
"You remember the White Lady... What did you think of her?"
Hmm?
What did he think?
The boy subconsciously recalled the drama he had seen years ago and suddenly felt nostalgic.
"Yeah... I quite liked her," he said with a nod.
Beautiful, elegant, strong, and gentle—it would be strange not to like her.
"Well... then, would you mind that she was... you know... a snake?" Xiao Wu's voice softened further, barely louder than a whisper. She clutched at her robe nervously, hands trembling.
"Mind?"
The red-haired boy looked at her, surprised. "Why would I mind?"
Xiao Wu: ?
A giant question mark formed in her mind.
Ma Hongjun's reaction was nothing like what she had expected.
She had mentally prepared herself for disgust, hatred, maybe even contempt—but not this surprised curiosity.
She had never even imagined this kind of response.
"Come on, that's a plus!" Ma Hongjun grinned.
Her question reminded him of all the fox- and snake-spirit characters in the novels and comics he used to read. Excitement suddenly lit up his eyes.
"Who could resist a snake-tailed girl? Smooth, cool, and elegant. Or a fox-eared girl whose ears twitch and turn red when she gets shy!"
"And of course, the ultimate one is the bunny-eared girl. Ears just the right length, soft and warm to the touch, and—"
The boy trailed off mid-sentence.
Realization dawned.
Oops.
He'd gotten too excited talking about it… and completely forgotten that the one in his arms was a real bunny-eared girl!
Crap, crap, crap! This is bad!
Did I just blow my chances!?
Damn it.
"You... you..."
Xiao Wu's mind went blank after hearing everything he said.
She got the answer she wanted—and then some. So much more that she was stunned speechless.
Her thoughts were filled with the image of Ma Hongjun's eyes lighting up as he excitedly described bunny girls.
Even her ears started to burn, as if someone was grabbing them gently.
Ahhhh!!!
She shook her head frantically, trying to dislodge the vivid imagery, but it was no use. The thoughts were rooted deep in her mind.
Meanwhile, memories of the boy saving her—again and again—surged in at the same time.
Her exposed skin glowed pink; her lips parted slightly as she struggled for words. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and a faint white mist curled off her skin.
Ma Hongjun could feel her growing warmth, smell her sweet scent... and suddenly found his instincts stirring.
He lost focus for just a moment.
"ROAR!!"
Another sound wave blasted through the air. By the time the boy reacted, it was too late. The flaming wings were blown away instantly, and the two of them plummeted toward the ground.
"Roar?"
The Titan Giant Ape blinked in surprise at the falling figures, then roared and rushed over.
It didn't expect that to work—how did it work?
Weren't they flying just fine? Where'd they go?
SPLASH!!
In a crystal-clear spring beneath a waterfall, two figures fell, locked tightly in each other's arms.
At the last moment, the flaming wings spread again and beat hard against the air, halting their fall—but not entirely. They still landed in the water with a splash.
"Phew... talk about bad luck," Ma Hongjun muttered after poking his head out of the water. He shook himself off, glanced at the distant lights, and sighed.
A classic case of "desire is a blade hanging over your head."
"I'm sorry, Hongjun... I got you into this," Xiao Wu whispered as she surfaced, guilt filling her lovely eyes.
After all, only she knew why the Titan Giant Ape had been chasing them.
"But I think... we're at the edge of human territory now. Soul beasts shouldn't come any farther."
She seemed to be comforting him.
"Hope you're right. Let's head up."
Ma Hongjun nodded. Since Xiao Wu—big sister to Da Ming and Er Ming—said it, it was probably true.
"Let's go back and find the teachers, I guess—"
He stopped abruptly.
Under the moonlight, Xiao Wu stepped onto the shore, her long legs glistening. Her clothes had been torn by the flames and soaked by the water, revealing her figure.
Droplets trickled from her hair, down her collarbone, and into the snow-white curves that glowed in the moonlight.
It was dreamy. Irresistible.
"You..."
Ma Hongjun's throat went dry. His Adam's apple bobbed. He couldn't finish his sentence.
Little did he know, Xiao Wu's heart was also pounding.
The way he looked at her—open, intense, filled with desire—made it impossible for her to stay calm.
Those images from earlier surged up again, overwhelming her thoughts.
"Actually... it's okay if we don't go back right away," the red-haired boy said, stepping forward slowly.
"It's okay," Xiao Wu replied with a beautiful, shy smile.
Ma Hongjun wrapped his arms around Xiao Wu's waist and kissed her cherry-like lips.
"Mmm"
Xiao Wu's beautiful eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly closed them and sank deeper into the kiss, her hands gripping the young man's clothes.
Sweet and soft
Those were Ma Hongjun's thoughts as he kissed Xiao Wu's soft lips. He felt the heat inside him boil, and his manhood hardened inside his pants.
His breathing became irregular as his desires surged.
He hugged her slim, shapely body tightly, and his hand touched her firm, shapely buttocks, causing Xiao Wu to moan in the middle of her kiss with Ma Hongjun.
"Mmm"
I can't take it anymore
This time he started tearing Xiao Wu's clothes who was drunk from her first ever kiss.
After he tore off her clothes and revealed Xiao Wu's perfect body, the two of them who were kissing each other intensely pulled back with a string of silver saliva between their mouths.
A touch of embarrassment appeared on Xiao Wu's face, with a layer of mist in her beautiful eyes.
"Brother Hongjun"
Suddenly, there was the sound of earth-shattering footsteps approaching.
Ma Hongjun's expression changed when he heard the sound.
He looked at Xiao Wu, whose face was shy and flushed, with a layer of mist in her eyes and her small, cherry mouth open seductively.
He looked at her naked body, and his blood began to boil. Her long, beautiful legs, her slender body, her soft, medium-sized breasts, and her beautiful, flushed face, while her wet skin reflected the moonlight, were alluring.
His eyes reddened, and he grabbed Xiao Wu and jumped into the lake.
Since there was no danger, there was no need to run away and miss this opportunity.
Splash.
The water splashed again.
But this time, only torn clothes remained on the shore.
The waterfall roared. The waves surged.
There were sounds of groaning and splashing water inside the lake.
High above the falls, the Titan Giant Ape sniffed the air and shifted uneasily.
Sister Xiao Wu's scent is here... but I can't pinpoint where she is.
After scanning the area and still finding nothing, it scratched its head and slowly walked away from the waterfall.
Guess I was wrong... maybe I'm just homesick like that other beast crying in the water.
On the other side, Flander and Zhao Wuji continued leading the Shrek Academy students in a careful search.
"Fire feathers from Hongjun... Looks like he's okay!" Flander breathed a sigh of relief, though he still looked confused.
"Strange. Did the Titan Giant Ape have no aerial attacks? All we've seen is damage from its movements."
"Exactly! Hongjun can fly fast and high. That monkey can't do anything about that!" Zhao Wuji patted him on the shoulder. "I bet he's hiding with Xiao Wu and waiting for the ape to leave."
"Alright, kids—take a break."
Upon hearing that, Dai Mubai and the others finally relaxed.
There was no better news than this.
"Hey, Qingqing, do you feel... weird?" Ning Rongrong asked during the break, pulling Zhu Zhuqing aside.
She pointed at her head, confused.
"It feels heavy... like I'm wearing a hat. You feel that too?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly.
"That's weird... maybe we're just tired?" Ning Rongrong muttered.
Nearby, Tang San's expression changed slightly.
He had that same strange feeling too.