Chapter 262: The Ultimate Simp, Truly Deserving the Title, Danger Approaches!

Gu Rong coldly snorted, "Fine, for the sake of Rongrong, I'll follow you all from the shadows. If you encounter any danger you can't handle, I'll step in."

Hearing this, both Su Ming and Ning Rongrong were overjoyed. Su Ming knew he could defend himself, but since they weren't traveling alone, he couldn't guarantee everyone's safety. If something unexpected happened, it would be troublesome.

Without another word, Gu Rong vanished, seemingly too frustrated to stay and look at Su Ming any longer.

Now alone with Ning Rongrong, Su Ming hadn't expected her to speak up for him earlier. After all, she was a true heiress, and it would have been understandable if she didn't want to share her partner.

Although they hadn't officially confirmed their relationship, it was almost a given.

Su Ming decided to ask, "Rongrong, does it not bother you that I'm already with Xiao Wu?"

Ning Rongrong clasped her hands behind her back, pacing as she spoke. "Of course it bothers me. After all, I'm still a woman, and my status is much higher than yours. But what can I do? I came into the picture later."

She continued, "I don't deny I have feelings for you, but we aren't at that level yet. That's why I asked Grandpa Gu to let us develop naturally."

Ning Rongrong had indeed struggled with this. Initially, when she and Xiao Wu had joked about it, she hadn't thought much of it. But over time, she realized she truly liked Su Ming. He was exactly her type—though his fondness for women was a bit of a downside. Still, she had to live with the consequences of her own teasing.

She wasn't naive enough to think Su Ming would only be with her. Given the nature of things, Su Ming would likely have many women in the future. If she started getting possessive now, she might as well leave.

Su Ming was surprised by Ning Rongrong's openness but was pleased. After all, it worked in his favor.

Midnight soon approached.

**Ding! Congratulations, host. You've completed today's diary entry. You have received: Encyclopedia of Immortal Herbs and Growth Catalyst."

Seeing the rewards, Su Ming couldn't help but marvel at how thoughtful the system was. These items would come in handy soon.

The Encyclopedia of Immortal Herbs was especially valuable. Unlike Tang San, Su Ming didn't know much about immortal herbs beyond a few from his previous life. But there were many more in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The Growth Catalyst was also excellent. It could significantly speed up the growth of herbs. Once he harvested a batch, he could spray this, and soon enough, they'd regrow!

**Ding! The woman mentioned most frequently in today's diary is Dugu Yan. Reward: One-time Mind-Reading Card and 1,000-year Increase for the First Three Spirit Rings."

Dugu Yan: ...

It wasn't a bad reward, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the system had ulterior motives.

The Mind-Reading Card? This felt a bit too obvious. It was likely meant for either Su Ming or Yu Tianheng.

System: What can I say? It's all fair and square. Care to use it?

Early the next morning, Su Ming's group, along with Dugu Yan and the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy team, set off for Heaven Dou City.

As for Qin Ming, he traveled with Flender and the others, also heading for Heaven Dou City. Su Ming's departure had essentially rendered Shrek Academy defunct.

Even Flender had lost his motivation to keep the academy going. He planned to merge with an existing academy—in this case, Lanba Academy, run by Liu Erlong in Heaven Dou City.

Little did Yu Xiaogang know that his long-lost flame, Liu Erlong, had started her own academy. He would soon be in for quite the surprise when they reunited.

The Ultimate Simp strikes again!

Meanwhile, Su Ming and the Heaven Dou team set out. The students were a bit confused—hadn't their captain said he had a plan? Were they really just heading to Heaven Dou City on their own?

Although it was only a few days' journey at full speed, danger could still lurk along the way.

Dugu Yan, however, was confident. "None of us are weak. We can fight opponents above our level. Together, we're a formidable force. No one would dare mess with us."

Reluctantly, the team decided to trust her instincts. As the vice-captain, Dugu Yan commanded great respect, often more than Yu Tianheng, especially since she typically led during battles.

What they didn't know was that the previous night, Dugu Yan had paid a large sum to the manager of the Great Spirit Arena to send a powerful, fast soul master to Heaven Dou City to inform her grandfather.

She had made sure the message would reach him quickly, promising another payment once it was delivered.

The manager, not knowing why she needed this, was happy to accept. It wasn't every day you got to make a deal with a titled douluo's granddaughter!

After making these arrangements, Dugu Yan finally felt at ease, though she couldn't shake a nagging feeling that something would happen on the road.

As Su Ming's group reached the halfway point, just a day away from Heaven Dou City, they breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing bad had happened so far.

But Dugu Yan began to grow concerned. Her grandfather should have arrived by now—had something gone wrong? Could his poison have flared up, forcing him to visit the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for treatment, causing him to miss the message?

At least, nothing dangerous had happened so far.

Meanwhile, Yu Tianheng grew anxious. Why hadn't anyone from his clan come to intercept them? If Su Ming reached Heaven Dou City, it would be much harder to act.

Suddenly, Su Ming's spiritual sense detected several strong soul power fluctuations rapidly approaching them.

"Everyone, be careful! There's danger ahead!" Su Ming's face darkened as he shouted.