"Look, he's gotten angry from embarrassment!" Su Zi wasn't afraid of Lin Feng hitting her and continued to provoke him with a cheeky smile.

Ning Aoxue noticed Lin Feng's tone had clearly softened and couldn't help but feel suspicious. Could Lin Feng really have such a strange fetish for feet?

However, after some serious thought, Ning Aoxue decided that even if Lin Feng did have such a preference, it wasn't a significant issue. It was just a peculiar liking of his; admiring beautiful women's feet doesn't mean he's sick. Unless he reached a pathological state of secretly touching women's ankles on the street, then perhaps a mental hospital would indeed be necessary...

"Su Zi, stop talking for a moment. I want to hear what Lin Feng has to say!" Ning Aoxue looked at Lin Feng calmly, feeling a little nervous yet also a little expectant. She quietly asked, "Lin Feng, what exactly do I need to give you for you to agree to help me participate in the long-distance run?"

"It's not about what you give me..." Lin Feng explained seriously to Ning Aoxue. "It's about a problem with your body. Simply put, I can help you recover to your optimal state in less than half a day and complete the race. However, your body will bear a severe strain, and you will need about a week to recuperate... During this week, you may even have difficulty walking. Trading a week of normal mobility for an opportunity to participate in the long-distance run—that is the price you have to pay!"

So that's what Lin Feng meant... Su Zi and Ning Aoxue exchanged glances, realizing they had both misunderstood. They had thought Lin Feng wanted some form of intimate gesture, like a kiss from Ning Aoxue, as payment to satisfy him before he would agree to help her...

"Just a week of impaired mobility?" After some thought, Ning Aoxue finally nodded and said, "I'm willing! At most, I'll take a week off to study at home and just go to school for the exams."

In reality, Lin Feng judged others by his own standards. In the harsh environment where he used to live, danger was ever-present. If he were to be incapacitated for a period, it would be almost like giving up half his life. Given his personality, he naturally wouldn't be willing to put himself in such a precarious situation for some nebulous sense of collective honor.

But for Ning Aoxue, as a girl, even when perfectly healthy, there were always a few days each month when her mobility would be affected. She didn't take the terrifying consequences that Lin Feng was concerned about to heart at all.

"Alright then. The night before your race, I'll give you acupuncture!" Seeing that Ning Aoxue had made her decision, Lin Feng had no choice but to agree to her request. He planned to use the Silver Needle acupuncture method to temporarily infuse Inner Strength into the meridians in Ning Aoxue's legs, allowing her to temporarily become a simulated inner strength cultivator. Running a race would then be a simple and effortless task.

The only aftermath would be that once Lin Feng's infused Inner Strength dissipated, her overburdened meridians would remain weak and fatigued for several days.

At this point, Lu Pengju, having eaten and drunk his fill, finally emerged from the dining room. He was clutching his stomach, a toothpick dangling from his mouth, and a lazy smile on his face as he asked, "Master, and you two... beauties! It seems like you have class soon. Aren't you going to grab some breakfast?"

"Oh no... we're running out of time! I still need to shower and change clothes..." Ning Aoxue exclaimed. She had just remembered she had class soon. It was already approaching eight o'clock, less than an hour before class started. She was still in her workout clothes, with faint traces of sweat on her, and completely makeup-free...

With that, Ning Aoxue instantly regained her energy, jumped up from the sofa, and rushed upstairs in a flurry, not at all like someone who had twisted her ankle.

Lin Feng marveled at Ning Aoxue's energetic appearance. On one hand, he greatly admired his own superb medical skills; on the other, he was genuinely astonished by her dedication to her looks. Is it really such a big deal to go to school? Can't she go in her workout clothes?

"Ah... a cold front is here, and I haven't applied my skin cream yet..." Su Zi seemed to recall something as well. She smacked her forehead and also rushed upstairs.

Women! Lin Feng was speechless.

"Master, you returned so quickly. Did things go smoothly?" Lu Pengju finally found an opportunity to sidle up to Lin Feng and asked with a cheerful grin.

"They were alright..." Lin Feng casually responded. Looking at Lu Pengju's ingratiating smile, he asked curiously, "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Master, your insight is truly like a torch!" Lu Pengju nodded, smiling somewhat awkwardly. "I... I just wanted to ask, now that you're back, can I stay here a few more days? I've already spoken to my battalion commander; he approved ten days of leave for me. I still have a few days left, and I really don't want to go back to training so soon..."

"Oh!" Lin Feng nodded. He knew Lu Pengju had seized a rare opportunity to leave the military camp. Having protected Ning Aoxue and Su Zi for the past few days, he hadn't had any time to relax. Now, he was trying to use the pretext of protecting the two girls to wheedle a few more days of leave out of his commander...

Considering how many times Lu Pengju had helped him, Lin Feng felt that besides teaching him Martial Arts, he hadn't given him anything in return. This couldn't continue; otherwise, he wouldn't feel right asking Lu Pengju for favors in the future.

"Alright, you can stay here for now. Tomorrow is the weekend; I'll take you out for a couple of days to experience some things..." Lin Feng said with a chuckle, patting Lu Pengju's shoulder and speaking in a low voice.

"Ah... really? Master, you're too good to me!" Lu Pengju knew Lin Feng had guessed his little scheme, but Lin Feng offering to personally take him out still surprised him. After all, finding fun on his own couldn't compare to going out with Lin Feng, this local bigwig!

"Yes, and I'll introduce you to a few friends while we're at it..." Lin Feng said with a smile. He thought to himself that it had been a while since he last visited Xie Nan; he wondered how that guy's business was doing lately.

Having secured Lin Feng's promise, Lu Pengju was naturally delighted to stay at the villa. Ning Aoxue and Su Zi had gotten along reasonably well with him over the past few days and didn't question Lin Feng about letting Lu Pengju remain.

「It was Friday」

The final class of the day was a boring theory lecture. Coupled with the cold snap and the absence of their beautiful class advisor, only about forty-odd students from the Industrial Management program showed up, making the classroom feel somewhat deserted.

In the back row of the classroom, Zhong Jialiang elbowed Wang Zikai, who was half-slumped over his desk, and teased, "Hey, Kai Zi, you've been looking listless these past few days. What's wrong? Kidney deficiency?

"There's no such thing as a field plowed too much, only an ox worked to exhaustion. You'd better be careful! Yi Hongmei might be spicy, but don't overindulge... You don't want to be unable to 'get it up' by the time you're thirty..."

Wang Zikai listlessly raised his head, shot Zhong Jialiang an exasperated glare, and said in a low voice, "Get it up your grandpa... What the hell do you know? I haven't even gone to see Yi Hongmei for days, alright!"

"Oh... then you must be lovesick..." Zhong Jialiang smirked triumphantly.

"Lovesick, my ass!" Wang Zikai slapped the back of Zhong Jialiang's head and said through gritted teeth, "I'm just a bit worried about Brother Feng!"

[Sorry, I was out at a gathering tonight. It's New Year's Day, after all, hehe~ Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!]

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