A Meal on Me

Xiao Chenyu abruptly halted his forward charge and strained with both legs. His wolf Martial Soul had given him strength far beyond that of an ordinary person. His muscles swelled, and his veins bulged.

But the Blue Silver Grass wrapped around his legs did not budge. It even tightened a little more as Xiao Chenyu struggled.

"Don't bother trying," Tang San said slowly. "You can't break free. Even if you manage to force your way out, I have plenty more."

No sooner had he spoken than another equally thick strand of Blue Silver Grass shot out of Tang San's hand and wrapped around Boss Xiao's thighs and waist.

Xiao Chenyu's limbs and body were bound tight by the Blue Silver Grass. Only his head could move; the rest of him was completely immobilized.

A deathly silence fell over the spectators.

Every student stood open-mouthed, eyes wide and round. Not a sound came from any of them. No one had expected the fight to be so one-sided, much less that the loser would be the upper-year student Xiao Chenyu.

Xiao Chenyu struggled for a long time. His Soul Power drained rapidly, his breathing grew quick and heavy, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but the vines binding him did not loosen in the slightest.

At last, Xiao Chenyu stopped struggling.

"I concede," Xiao Chenyu said.

With a thought from Tang San, the Blue Silver Grass around Xiao Chenyu receded like the tide, swiftly withdrawing along the ground.

Free again, Xiao Chenyu flexed his arms, which had gone numb from the tight binding.

Tang San looked at him and said, "Since you've conceded, let's do as we agreed."

"Then should I acknowledge you as my boss, or her?" Xiao Chenyu asked, torn.

Boss Xiao might have been used to throwing his weight around, but he hadn't tried to wriggle out of his loss in the soul fight. Tang San couldn't help thinking a little more highly of him.

"Of course Xiao Wu is your boss. She's the head of Dorm Seven," Tang San said hastily.

Xiao Chenyu turned his gaze to Xiao Wu, sizing her up from head to toe.

Xiao Wu seemed to sense his scrutiny and lifted her chin. "What? You still don't accept it?"

The moment she finished speaking, a yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath her feet.

"My name is Xiao Wu, a first-year work-study student. My Martial Soul is the Soft Bone Rabbit, and I'm a level-twelve Battle Soul Master with one Soul Ring."

Xiao Chenyu felt as though he'd seen a ghost today. How had two monsters popped up all at once? He swallowed hard and hurriedly said, "Sister Xiao Wu, I accept it."

Before long, Xiao Wu became the academy's new boss, and Xiao Chenyu, the city lord's son, took responsibility for all the work-study students' cleaning duties.

Of course, Xiao Chenyu certainly wouldn't do it himself. Plenty of other self-funded students eager to curry favor with him would do it instead.

Once everything was settled, Tang San prepared to go to Nuoding City's Spirit Hall to complete his registration.

The Soul Master allowance wasn't much, but one Gold Soul Coin a month was still a considerable income for Tang San. It would be a waste not to take it.

Tang San found Xiao Wu and got straight to the point. "Xiao Wu, I'm going to the Spirit Hall to get tested and register. We can collect an allowance. Want to come?"

Xiao Wu tilted her head, her big eyes blinking twice. "An allowance? The kind that pays you every month?"

"That's right." Tang San nodded. "Soul Masters can collect an allowance from the Spirit Hall every month: one Gold Soul Coin for a Soul Master, ten for a Soul Grandmaster, and a hundred for a Soul Elder."

"I'm coming!" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, and even her rabbit ears stood straight up.

"Let's go." Xiao Wu patted Tang San on the shoulder and swaggered toward the academy gates, her scorpion braid swinging behind her.

Seeing Xiao Wu acting every bit the big boss, Tang San shook his head with a wry smile and followed her.

Nuoding City's Spirit Hall stood just south of the city center. It was a gray-white building, not particularly tall, but quite imposing for such a small city.

The two soon arrived at Nuoding City's Spirit Hall and quickly completed their Soul Power tests and Soul Master registrations.

As expected, Tang San's Soul Power had reached the peak of level thirteen, while Xiao Wu was level twelve.

When they came out of the Spirit Hall, the sunlight was a little brighter than before, warm against their bodies.

Tang San and Xiao Wu walked side by side down the street, each now carrying a Soul Master certificate and a Gold Soul Coin.

After a few steps, Xiao Wu suddenly slowed down and glanced sideways at Tang San. "Third Brother, didn't you just say you'd treat me to a meal after we collected our allowances?"

Xiao Wu had suddenly changed how she addressed him, her voice sweet and ingratiating. She seemed a completely different person from her usual carefree self.

Tang San glanced at her, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

This little rabbit had called him "Little San" back at the dorm, but as soon as she heard there was food, it became "Third Brother." With how fast she changed faces, it was a pity she didn't go into acting.

Tang San didn't mind, though. A meal wouldn't cost much anyway. Besides, when he'd gone to the Soul Hunting Forest a few days ago, Xiao Wu really had helped him finish his work-study duties.

"All right, my treat," Tang San said.

Xiao Wu immediately beamed, her rabbit ears standing up again. She patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Third Brother, you're the best!"

The two soon arrived at a good restaurant in Nuoding City.

Tang San ordered several dishes with practiced ease. Xiao Wu thought it wasn't enough and added several more dishes and desserts without batting an eye. She wasn't the one paying, after all.

The food arrived quickly. Once Tang San had eaten his fill, he put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and quietly watched Xiao Wu.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across Xiao Wu's profile, making her rosy little face look almost translucent. Her long eyelashes dipped slightly as she ate, casting small, fan-shaped shadows beneath her eyes. Her rabbit ears twitched occasionally, as though expressing some silent pleasure.

Watching the scene, Tang San couldn't help feeling a rush of emotion.

In the original story, Xiao Wu had come to the human world partly to escape the Spirit Hall's pursuit, and partly in the hope of learning about human society before taking revenge on the Spirit Hall.

Xiao Wu seemed carefree and thoughtless, even somewhat prone to causing trouble, laughing and joking all day long.

But Tang San knew that, as a Soul Beast, Xiao Wu was actually very simple at heart and took her feelings quite seriously. Otherwise, she could never have earned the Lovesick Heartbreak Red's recognition.

As for Xiao Wu's tendency to fight and cause trouble, that was probably because she had spent too long among Soul Beasts. Their world was more direct and more cruel than the human world. With two forest emperors protecting Xiao Wu, what sensible Soul Beast would dare offend her? That might have been what gave rise to her lawless nature.

After coming to the human world, she should have been able to change quickly if someone had given her plenty of guidance. Yet the original Tang San had only indulged and protected her, his eyes nearly splitting with rage even when she suffered a little injury in a soul fight. That had made Xiao Wu feel even more secure in doing as she pleased.

"Xiao Wu," Tang San suddenly said.

"Hm?" Xiao Wu raised her head, still chewing her food, a trace of bewilderment in her eyes, as though asking, What did you call me for?

Tang San looked at her for two seconds. The way she ate was truly adorable, and he smiled. "Nothing. Eat slowly. No one's going to steal it from you."

Xiao Wu gave a "hmph" and lowered her head to continue eating, though she did slow down a little.

After the meal, Tang San went to pay. The proprietress calculated the bill and said, "Two Silver Soul Coins."

Tang San took two Silver Soul Coins out of the Oriental Pearl and placed them on the counter, then turned to Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu was leaning back in her chair, rubbing her round belly with a look of satisfaction. She had collapsed limply in the chair, her rabbit ears hanging motionless on either side of her head. Clearly, she had eaten too much.

"Let's go," Tang San said.

"Mm..." Xiao Wu responded lazily, sliding off the chair and following Tang San out of the restaurant.

The sun had begun to sink westward, bathing the entire street in a warm orange-red glow. The street was bustling, vendors' cries mingling with the sounds of talking and laughter in a lively din.