A Dinner Where the Loser Pays Up

Heaven Dou City, as lanterns were lit.

As the imperial city of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City became even more prosperous and magnificent at night than during the day. The glow of soul guiding lamps illuminated the streets as brightly as day, while all manner of shops and restaurants bustled with voices, traffic, and endless crowds.

"Drunken Immortal Tower," situated on the busiest central avenue of Heaven Dou City, was the undisputed "most expensive restaurant." It was no ordinary restaurant, but a nine-story Tower Building with flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted pillars, and luxury beyond measure. Rumor had it that the royal family held shares in it, and its patrons were all high officials and nobles, as well as powerful soul master clans. One meal here was enough to bankrupt an ordinary soul master family.

Huo Wu stood before the glittering entrance of Drunken Immortal Tower, which carried the scent of sandalwood. Watching the elegantly dressed, extraordinary-looking people enter and leave, she felt a complicated mix of emotions.

She was still wearing Blazing Fire Academy's red team uniform and had not dressed up specially. It was not that she did not care about this dinner, but she felt that showing up in formal attire would make it seem as though she cared deeply about this... forced dinner. She wanted to wear her uniform to remind that guy—and herself—that this was merely a transaction where the loser paid up!

Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the inexplicable nervousness in her heart and... a trace of anticipation she did not wish to examine. Then she stepped into Drunken Immortal Tower.

A beautiful maid wearing a brocade qipao immediately came forward. Her attitude was respectful, and she did not slight Huo Wu in the least because of her uniform. Anyone who could come here was either rich or noble. Perhaps this uniform was the symbol of some newly risen, powerful sect?

"Hello, miss. Do you have a reservation?"

"...Zhang," Huo Wu said awkwardly.

The maid checked the records, and an even more enthusiastic smile immediately appeared on her face. "So you are Young Master Zhang's guest. Please follow me. Young Master Zhang is already waiting in Cloud Heaven Pavilion."

Cloud Heaven Pavilion was the private room on the highest floor of Drunken Immortal Tower. It had the best view and was the most luxurious and expensive private room, without question. It was said that dining here allowed one to overlook the nighttime scenery of nearly half of Heaven Dou City.

The maid led Huo Wu into a silent, steady elevator powered by a soul guiding mechanism and took her directly to the top floor. When the heavy private room doors, embedded with gemstones, were pushed open, even Huo Wu, who came from no ordinary background, was slightly stunned by the sight before her.

The private room was immensely spacious. The floor was covered in a soft, unknown animal skin carpet, while Landscape Soul Guiding Paintings with profound artistic conception hung on the walls—ones that moved. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a soft yet bright glow. Most eye-catching of all was the enormous floor-to-ceiling window. Beyond it lay the brilliant myriad lights of homes in Heaven Dou City, like a River of Stars on the Ground, magnificent beyond compare.

Zhang Bufan sat at the head of the enormous dining table by the window, large enough to seat more than a dozen people. He had changed out of the Imperial Dou Team uniform and into a simple fitted black casual outfit. There were no excessive decorations, yet it made his upright figure and exceptional bearing stand out even more. He held a glass of amber liquid, gently swirling it as he gazed at the night view outside. Under the light, the contours of his profile were sharply defined.

Hearing the door open, he turned around. When he saw Huo Wu, a hint of amusement flashed through his eyes. He set down his wine glass and rose to his feet.

"You're here?" His tone was natural, as though they were old friends who had known each other for years rather than "enemies" who had been at each other's throats yesterday.

"Mm." Huo Wu answered somewhat awkwardly, walked to the table, and sat in the seat opposite him at his gesture. The huge dining table made the distance between them feel much safer.

"The view here isn't bad, right?" Zhang Bufan sat down again and signaled for the maids to begin serving the dishes.

"It's alright." Huo Wu tried to remain calm, but her gaze was unconsciously drawn to the night view outside. From this angle, Heaven Dou City truly possessed a different kind of grandeur.

"A wager is a wager, but a meal should still be enjoyed properly." Zhang Bufan acted as if he had not noticed her indifference and continued on his own. "I ordered some of this place's signature dishes. I don't know whether they suit your taste. If you don't like them, we can order more."

Before long, the maids entered in a stream, carrying exquisite silver platters. One dish after another, complete in color, aroma, and flavor, was placed on the table. Many were dishes Huo Wu had never seen before, their fragrance enticing and presentation impeccable. There were even delicacies requiring specific soul beast ingredients and extraordinarily complicated preparation methods.

Just how rich is this guy...? This table alone probably costs more than Blazing Fire Academy's annual budget, doesn't it?!

The meal began amid a somewhat silent and awkward atmosphere. Huo Wu merely lowered her head and took small bites of the food before her. It truly tasted excellent, but she could hardly appreciate it.

Zhang Bufan did not seem to care. He ate leisurely and contentedly, occasionally commenting on the dishes.

"This Ice Fire Profound Dragon Tendon comes from the most essential main tendon in the back of a Thousand-Year Ice Fire Python. It is prepared with a special method, making it pleasantly chewy. The Ice Fire Attribute energy it contains is quite beneficial to fire attribute soul masters, so eat more."

"And this Seven-Colored Spirit Finch Soup is stewed from seven spirit birds of different attributes together with rare medicinal herbs. It is especially nourishing for soul power."

His introductions were so professional that he sounded like a seasoned gourmet.

After a while, perhaps feeling that the atmosphere was too dull, he began taking the initiative to find topics of conversation. However, he did not discuss soul master cultivation or the competition situation, but rather some... bizarre and fantastical "things he had heard."

"Miss Huo Wu, do you believe it? On the other side of the world, someone created a steel giant bird called an 'airplane.' Ordinary people can sit inside it, fly ten thousand meters into the sky, and travel thousands of miles in a single day."

"There is also a little square object called a 'mobile phone.' Even when separated by an entire continent, two people can see each other's faces, hear each other's voices, and chat in real time."

"The people there do not cultivate soul power, but they developed something called 'technology.' They can go into the sky and beneath the earth, and have even begun exploring the Sea of Stars..."

What he described sounded utterly fantastical to Huo Wu, like myths and legends. At first, she listened with doubt and perfunctory interest, but as she continued listening, she could not help being drawn in by those novel concepts.

"How can steel fly?"

"Talking face-to-face across an entire continent? How is that possible?"

"Without relying on soul power, ordinary people can explore the stars too?"

She could not help asking questions, and Zhang Bufan smiled as he explained in simpler terms—though they still sounded utterly unimaginable to her. Although he claimed that he had only heard about many things and did not understand the principles very well, the world he described still filled Huo Wu with longing.

When Zhang Bufan mentioned that world had something called a "computer," which could store enormous amounts of knowledge and could also be used to play something called "games," where one could become a hero and go on adventures, Huo Wu curiously asked, "Then in those 'games,' can you defeat opponents without using your Martial Soul like you do?" Zhang Bufan answered with a straight face, "In theory, yes. As long as you top up enough." Huo Wu asked, "Top up? Is that some kind of self-created soul skill?" Zhang Bufan replied, "...It is a Law Power comparable to a divine skill."

Amid these absurd yet amusing conversations, the atmosphere gradually eased without either of them noticing. Huo Wu's tense nerves slowly relaxed. Occasionally, Zhang Bufan's deliberately ridiculous remarks made her unable to suppress a laugh, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

She realized that, setting aside the outer layer of "lecher" and "arrogant madman," Zhang Bufan truly knew a great many things. He spoke humorously and possessed broad knowledge—though much of it sounded made up. Being with him seemed... not nearly as unpleasant as she had expected.

This guy... doesn't seem quite so annoying anymore? At least he's far more interesting than those people who hover around me all day spouting boring flattery...

Seeing the smile finally appear on Huo Wu's face, though it was faint, like ice and snow melting and spring flowers blooming, so beautiful that it was breathtaking, the amusement in Zhang Bufan's eyes deepened.

The plan worked! Cultural Dimensionality Reduction Strike really is an unbeatable girl-charming artifact! Next, I just need to make her get used to my presence, and then... hehehe.

However, just as the atmosphere was becoming pleasant, Huo Wu seemed to realize her own "loss of composure." She immediately withdrew her smile, put on a stern little expression again, lightly coughed, and emphasized, "Don't think that just because you treated me to a meal and told me some strange stories, I'll forgive your earlier rudeness!"

Yet those emphatic words sounded less resolute than before and carried more of a blustering bravado.

Zhang Bufan nodded agreeably. "Of course. Miss Huo Wu is pure and untainted. How could a single meal possibly buy her over? There will be plenty of time."

He deliberately stressed the words "there will be plenty of time," causing Huo Wu's heart to accelerate again despite herself.

The meal gradually approached its end amid this subtle, awkward, yet strangely harmonious atmosphere. Outside the window, the night deepened further. Starlight and lamplight intertwined, as though foretelling that the tangled relationship between the two of them had only just begun.