Clever Words Lightly Tease the Pretty Lady

Zhang Lexuan's voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's gaze away from Su Qing. Aside from Bei Bei and Su Qing, everyone else present stared at the beautiful woman before them in bewilderment.

"Sister Lexuan? You came too? Didn't Senior Bei Bei say you were busy?"

Facing that exquisite face, cold yet revealing a hint of gentleness, the corners of Su Qing's mouth curled up a little higher. Although he didn't know why Zhang Lexuan had come at this moment, the joy of seeing her could not be hidden.

"I couldn't just not come once I finished my work. What if some wild savage caused trouble? Since I was the one who recommended him, I have to be responsible until the end, don't I?"

Zhang Lexuan glanced at him, then reached out to ruffle Xiao Xiao's hair, prompting her to accept the Mystic Water Pill. A dazed Xiao Xiao silently tucked both Mystic Water Pills into her pocket, her gaze darting between the two.

"Oh, so that's how it is. I thought Sister Lexuan came because you were worried about me..."

As he spoke, Su Qing's expression became visibly dejected—though, of course, it was feigned.

"Speaking of which, I wanted to ask: you're handing out Mystic Water Pills to everyone else, so why didn't you think of me?"

Zhang Lexuan shot him an annoyed look. He had distributed three Mystic Water Pills without a second thought, yet he hadn't considered her at all; she didn't know whether to call him generous or biased.

"Sister Lexuan is already at the eighth ring, so of course I couldn't give you a Mystic Water Pill. I was thinking of finding something more suitable to give you as a gift later."

He had expected this reasonable answer to satisfy Zhang Lexuan, but unexpectedly, the Inner Court Senior Sister changed the subject:

"I see. Then I'll thank Little Qing in advance. However, you must have said similar things to other girls, haven't you?"

"! What?!"

Bei Bei never dreamed that the usually quiet and gentle Sister Lexuan could have such a side. He wouldn't even know how to answer such a question, let alone Su Qing, who was just a child. Yet, Su Qing's level of skill was not low at all...

"Oh? Sister Lexuan, have you only asked me that question?"

Su Qing's flawless reply caused sparks of a different kind to ignite in the eyes of the onlookers. This kind of back-and-forth was far too interesting. Tang Ya, however, silently glanced at Xiao Xiao, who was watching the spectacle—had this little girl forgotten something?

"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

Zhang Lexuan remained calm on the surface, but her eyes were gradually filling with amusement. This little rascal was quite clever.

"That depends on whether Sister Lexuan wants to tell the truth to make me happy, or tell a lie to make me sad."

Su Qing's answer appeared to be a discussion about truth and lies, but in reality, he had made his point clear: the answer he wanted to hear was the truth, and the answer he didn't want was the lie.

"Wow, so you can chat like this!"

Huo Yuhao's horizons were broadened. For an honest person like him who wasn't good with words, he couldn't have come up with such lines even if he racked his brain.

"I ship them so hard! Bei Bei, it turns out our attempts to play matchmaker were completely unnecessary!"

Hearing this, Xiao Xiao finally realized something was wrong. Wait, I was the one who arrived first, so why have I become a spectator? But she was too curious about what they would say next to speak up.

"Kid, here is the one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coin balance you're owed!"

Just then, Xu Sanshi, who had returned from the bank with a card loaded with one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, interrupted their conversation.

"Come to think of it, I should thank you. I bet a Gold Soul Coin on you earlier, and I've made quite a profit now."

There were many people paying attention to this duel because of the presence of the long-renowned Xu Sanshi of the Outer Court. Most had bet on Xu Sanshi, and those who bet on Su Qing, aside from Tang Ya and the others, were just fence-sitters hedging their bets.

This allowed Zhang Lexuan to make a killing; she now had seventy thousand more Gold Soul Coins than she had started with.

A miserable-looking Xu Sanshi scanned the crowd, spotted Bei Bei, and immediately rushed over, draping an arm over Bei Bei's shoulder as he spoke to himself:

"Bei, my heart is bitter. This new kid is just not human. He sent me flying with a single strike and nearly killed me with the pain. Now, not only have I lost the Mystic Water Pill, but I've also lost one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins! I can't go on like this!"

"You deserve it, who told you to bully my junior brother!"

Tang Ya kicked him, making him wince in pain.

"What? He's from your Tang Sect? You should have said so earlier! If I'd known, I wouldn't have had to take that beating. Bei Bei, you have to take responsibility for me!"

Seeing Tang Ya say that Huo Yuhao was from the Tang Sect, Xu Sanshi's eyes widened. Although the Tang Sect was short on people, they couldn't just take anyone, could they? This kid only had eleven levels of soul power? He didn't say it out loud, though; he knew what should and shouldn't be said, or else his father would have beaten him to death long ago.

"Ah? Senior Brother knows this person?"

Seeing the two acting like brothers, Huo Yuhao was stunned. How had they become partners?

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is Xu Sanshi, a fourth-year student in the Outer Court. His martial soul is a Water Tortoise..."

Seeing Huo Yuhao's confusion, Bei Bei introduced Xu Sanshi. After all, since the guy was his good friend, it wouldn't be good for the relationship with his junior brother to be too strained. He might as well use this opportunity to let bygones be bygones...

"I'm sorry, little brother. I was just eager to show off in front of my crush, that's why I acted that way. I'm actually very easy to get along with, really."

Xu Sanshi looked at Huo Yuhao with a face full of apology. Seeing this, Huo Yuhao didn't hold a grudge and repeatedly said it was fine, as long as he patronized his business more in the future.

Seeing that Zhang Lexuan and Su Qing were still engaged in their back-and-forth, Bei Bei didn't want to disturb them. After chatting with Xu Sanshi, he took Huo Yuhao toward the freshman dorms, explaining the effects of the Mystic Water Pill as they walked.

"Little sister Xiao Xiao, let's go back too. You have to use a Mystic Water Pill as soon as you get it, otherwise, the medicinal power will dissipate."

With that, Tang Ya gave Xiao Xiao a wink and pulled her away.

Seeing that everyone had left, Zhang Lexuan, who had been silent for a long time, turned her gaze back to Su Qing:

"Walk with me?"

"I'd be honored!"

Su Qing took the initiative to take her hand, and they strolled toward Sea God Lake...

Separated from Bei Bei, Huo Yuhao recalled how Su Qing had defeated the same-level Xu Sanshi with a single move and couldn't help but pray that he wouldn't run into him during the round-robin tournament, or he would surely be expelled.

Then, his gaze fell on the Mystic Water Pill, and he thought silently: "I owe more and more to others. I can only repay their kindness once I become stronger."

After thinking this, he swallowed the Mystic Water Pill in one gulp. A long while later, Wang Dong returned to the dormitory and, just like in the original story, fled the room while holding his nose...