The noisy voices gradually faded away.

  "That nearly gave me a heart attack. Thankfully, the herb field is unharmed," Elder Shan Yi said, glancing back at the untouched field and finally letting out a sigh of relief.

  Nan Gong Huan stifled a laugh but was quickly met with a stern glare from Elder Shan Yi.

  "Don’t think I don’t know you were the one who led her here! Hmph, I’ll let it slide this time, but there won’t be a next!" Elder Shan Yi’s tone was harsh, but there was no real intention to punish her.

  Nan Gong Huan stuck out her tongue playfully. "I’ll protect every herb field too."

  She couldn’t just stand by and let Nan Gong Qian’er actually burn the field.

  In the end, the punishment for the two was as follows: Lu Sui’an was confined for half a month, while Nan Gong Qian’er was confined for a month. Both had all their credits confiscated and were warned that if they caused trouble again, they would be expelled from the academy.

  Later, it was Nan Gong Qian’er’s mentor, Elder Shui Yue, who came to bail her out, saying she would be confined within her mentor’s pavilion instead.

  With a month of confinement, it was uncertain whether Nan Gong Qian’er would still be able to participate in the Dragon and Tiger Competition.

  After a few peaceful days, the half-month herb field care task was successfully completed, and Nan Gong Huan finally obtained the Moonlit Encounter.

  Through her relentless efforts, she had managed to accumulate 1,120 credits. Song Xiran had mentioned that upon completing this task, she would receive an additional 1,000 credits.

  So, it was about time for the bait to be taken.

  Jiang Huairou was now in a state of panic. She hadn’t been able to lure Nan Gong Huan out for half a month, and with the Blood Sacrifice Day just two days away, if she didn’t complete the task, her life would be on the line.

  After class that day.

  "Huairou, I saw a delivery task in Jin City with high credits. Let’s go together. Also, we can call those senior brothers from last time. With their strength, they’ll definitely ensure the goods are delivered safely," Nan Gong Huan proactively suggested, her tone natural.

  The anxious Jiang Huairou didn’t have time to think about the potential flaws in the plan. She was delighted and quickly agreed, "Sure! I’ve kept in touch with Senior Brother Gao Luo from last time. I can call him to join us."

  "Great! Let’s pack up and head out soon. The earlier we leave, the sooner we’ll return," Nan Gong Huan said, knowing Jiang Huairou was eager and there was no need to delay further.

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  "Alright!" Jiang Huairou’s excitement was palpable, and she wore a bright smile the entire way.

  Nan Gong Huan smiled at her, but the warmth in her eyes was entirely absent.

  Soon, the three of them gathered in front of the task area. Nan Gong Huan’s peripheral vision caught sight of the Order Team members hiding in various spots, keeping an eye on them.

  "It’s great to see you two junior sisters again. I’ll make sure to protect you both during this trip," Gao Luo said, pounding his chest with his right fist as if making a solemn promise.

  He had said the same thing last time.

  Nan Gong Huan guessed they might pull the same stunt as before—pretending to be ambushed by the Divine Blood Hall and then staging a kidnapping among themselves.

  Of course, they might also directly target her this time, especially since the other four senior brothers weren’t around.

  "With Senior Brother Gao protecting us, we have nothing to fear. Let’s go; we’ll head out now," Jiang Huairou said with a gentle smile, even linking arms with Nan Gong Huan as if afraid she might run away.

  The items they were to deliver this time were from the Ronghua Auction House in Jin City, to be transported to a base in the snowy mountains. Since there were no teleportation arrays in that area, transportation was inconvenient, hence the academy students were assigned the task.

  Of course, this task had been specially arranged by the Order Team, and many people were already lying in wait here.

  Jin City was also a prosperous city, bustling with merchants and trade.

  The three of them arrived at the Ronghua Auction House, collected the items, and were even given some cold-weather gear and a windbird by the manager.

  To reach the snowy mountains, they would need to pass through a forest and two mountain ranges. With the windbird’s speed, it would take two days to arrive. The only danger was the eagles in the forest that preyed on windbirds.

  While Nan Gong Huan was checking the items, Jiang Huairou and Gao Luo quietly stepped aside, whispering, "Should we make our move once we enter the forest?"

  Gao Luo shook his head. "We can wait a bit longer. When it’s nighttime and we’re taking turns on watch, that’s when she’ll be most tired and least alert. It’ll be easier to act then."

  "Fine, but don’t mess up this time. If something goes wrong again, it’ll be on you," Jiang Huairou huffed.

  Before Gao Luo could respond, Nan Gong Huan walked over.

  "Everything’s checked. Let’s head out," Nan Gong Huan said with a friendly smile, showing no signs of suspicion.

  The three of them mounted the windbird and set off.

  Facing the wind, Nan Gong Huan looked completely at ease, as if she were on vacation.

  Her task was simply to be captured by them, drawing their attention, while the tracking and other tasks were left to the Order Team. This way, she could also observe how the Order Team operated in combat.

  The other two were in good spirits as well, their minds on the impending success of their plan. They were so relaxed that they didn’t notice the people following them from a distance.

  "This is so boring. How about I teach you guys how to play Dou Dizhu? If you lose, you’ll have to give up treasures, potions, beast cores, or something like that," Nan Gong Huan suddenly suggested, thinking she might as well squeeze some benefits out of them before they were done for.

  "Dou Dizhu?" Both of them had never heard of it and looked at her curiously as she pulled out a deck of cards.

  Of course, she had asked Mei Zhengfeng to make these during her free time.

  With a large sum of funds, the boy had been practicing machinery like crazy, making rapid progress. In just half a month, he had caught the attention of a machinery elder and was taken in as a disciple.

  When she mentioned needing a set of square cards, he had made them without hesitation. The cards had a smooth metallic texture, with a Nine Meng Dragon pattern on the back, and felt great to handle.

  In her spatial realm, Yan Ji, Xue Ji, and Elder Ling were already having a blast playing with them. But the happiest of all was Little Jiu.