"I'm telling you..."
"What are you looking at?"
Yan realized Xie Yue hadn't followed him. He turned back in confusion and followed Xie Yue's gaze into a shop.
A girl sat inside, looking like a delicate porcelain doll, with a pair of bewitching eyes.
"It's Nana!"
Yan's face lit up with joy. He'd just mentioned Hu Liena when she appeared.
He was about to go over and greet her when he saw Hu Liena chatting and laughing with a boy. A sour feeling rose in his heart.
Hu Liena was even holding a piece of...
Whale Rubber!
Yan's face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead.
He'd naturally heard all about Whale Rubber at the Soul Master Academy.
It was something noblemen used specifically to tame women.
Yan's fists clenched. Nana was still so young.
That little brat!
"Ah! Senior Brother, so this amazing thing I'm eating is called Whale Rubber!"
"It's so expensive! It costs more than two hundred Gold Soul Coins."
Hu Liena looked at the thing in her hands. She'd been startled when she found out how much it cost.
Back at the orphanage, even one Gold Soul Coin had seemed like a lot to her. It could last a long time.
Now she'd just eaten more than two hundred Gold Soul Coins' worth in one go.
"Hm? Didn't Grandmaster give you pocket money?"
Su Wen looked puzzled.
As soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed slightly.
A fiery red figure rushed over.
"Yan, it's you!"
"Yan, what are you doing?!"
Yan ignored Hu Liena and swung his fist at Su Wen.
Su Wen instinctively dodged to the side.
As he evaded,
a red Oil-paper Umbrella appeared in his hand.
He swung it, blocked the blow, then twirled it and knocked Yan's fist aside.
Su Wen leaped into the air and used Li Pi Hua Shan.
"Vmm!"
The umbrella rang out like a dragon's roar.
The sound boomed beside Yan's ears. The umbrella's edge stopped just a finger's breadth from his forehead.
Just as Yan was feeling both shocked and relieved, Su Wen sneered. The umbrella's edge curved around and struck him in the chest.
With a thud, Yan let out a pained groan.
The next moment, he flew out of the shop and crashed heavily into the street.
A crowd gathered to watch.
Ghost Bride Beats Yan
"Senior Brother, are you okay?"
Hu Liena hurried over to Su Wen.
When she saw him shake his head,
she breathed a small sigh of relief.
Then she turned to Yan,
angry as she asked,
"Yan, what are you doing? Why did you hit my senior brother?"
Yan had just clutched his chest and climbed to his feet.
When he heard Hu Liena asking after that man, he nearly spat up a mouthful of blood.
He was the one who'd been beaten, not Su Wen.
Now he was being blamed too. Yan felt thoroughly aggrieved.
"Nana!"
Xie Yue looked at Su Wen. "You said he's your senior brother?"
"Brother, you're here too!"
Only then did Hu Liena notice Xie Yue beside them.
Xie Yue: "..."
Hu Liena spoke with a hint of pride. "Of course! Senior Brother is the Pope's disciple, Nana's senior brother, Su Wen, the eldest senior brother!"
Yan froze. He hadn't expected the guy in front of him to be the Pope's disciple too.
Hearing the way Hu Liena spoke, Yan felt a pang of jealousy. "Even if he's the Pope's disciple, he still shouldn't bully you!"
Hu Liena was displeased. "Nana wasn't bullied."
"But I clearly saw him taking you..." Yan began, but Xie Yue cut him off. "Yan, there may have been a misunderstanding. The Pope's disciple wouldn't do something like that. Besides, he's so young..."
"Xie Yue, you're just too kind!"
Yan was extremely annoyed. His friend was actually taking the other guy's side. Thinking of how close Hu Liena had seemed with Su Wen just now—and how they'd even talked about some 'amazing thing'...
The sour feeling in his heart grew stronger. He looked straight at Su Wen.
"If you're a Soul Master, let's settle this the Soul Master way. If I win, I'll apologize to you. If I lose, stay away from Nana."
"Ah-woo—"
As Yan spoke, Su Wen unwrapped a candy and gently popped it into Hu Liena's mouth.
Hu Liena's cheeks flushed, but she obediently bit down on the candy.
While Yan and Xie Yue stood there stunned, Su Wen yawned and turned to leave.
Hu Liena followed behind him, not forgetting to wave at Xie Yue. "Brother, Senior Brother and I are leaving!"
"Crack!"
Yan clenched his fist, the veins on it bulging.
Flames suddenly surged around him.
He was provoking him!
He was provoking him!
"You brat!"
Yan roared. Behind him appeared the enormous phantom of a Lava Giant.
Its entire body was fiery red, with magma-like patterns running across its surface. Its scorching heat made everyone's hearts tremble.
"Yan, don't do anything reckless!"
Seeing this, Xie Yue hurried to stop him. Attacking someone in the streets of Spirit City would bring punishment—especially when the other person was the Pope's disciple.
Yan ignored him and charged forward, like an arrow released from a bow, rushing toward Su Wen.
"Vmm!"
A red Oil-paper Umbrella floated behind Su Wen.
As the Red Umbrella opened,
a gust of eerie wind rose.
The surrounding area was enveloped in sinister energy.
A strange woman's laughter rang out from all directions.
The onlookers, who had been watching for fun, suddenly felt their hearts tighten for no reason.
A chill ran through them.
Just then, two chains wreathed in ghostly flames burst out of the ground.
They shot toward Yan.
"First Spirit Skill, Hell Magma Rush!"
Yan dodged backward as the Yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up.
Scorching magma surged from beneath the ground like a crimson fire dragon. The earth turned red, and the intense heat corroded everything around it as the magma rushed toward Su Wen.
The Ghost Bride appeared. Her red wedding dress and eerie, old-fashioned appearance startled everyone around her.
The fact that her feet didn't touch the ground made her seem all the more uncanny.
The Spirit Ring beneath the Ghost Bride's feet lit up. The chains in her hands rapidly grew, quickly weaving a defensive barrier around her.
Scorching magma collided with ghostly flames, producing a thunderous boom.
The chains burst out of the flames and pierced through the magma, wrapping toward Yan. His expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly dodged.
But even more chains burst from the ground, steadily driving Yan into a dead end.
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