Soto City

A few days later, at dusk, the carriage carrying Qian Renxue and her three companions rolled into a small city.

Chen Qi had been outside for so long that his mental state had begun to deteriorate.

Had he not appeared inside the carriage in time, he might have already gone insane.

Feeling bored inside the carriage, he pulled back the curtain to gaze at the scenery outside.

The more he looked at the city scene, the more familiar it felt; why did it look so much like a very important city in Douluo Continent?

Just as he was pondering this, the three characters "Soto City" on a certain shop sign instantly cleared up his thoughts.

"So this is where Shrek Academy is located. No wonder it looks so familiar!"

Speaking of this heaven-defying academy, Shrek, a whole host of things came to Chen Qi's mind.

Whether it was the Dean, Flender, opening a dilapidated shop to sell junk at exorbitant prices, or the ten gold soul coin registration fee that was non-refundable, it was truly outrageous.

Even Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would have to bow down; he had thought himself quite the swindler, but it turned out Flender was a cut above.

Then there were those ridiculous school rules, like "those who don't cause trouble are cowards."

Screw you, if you're so damn impressive, why don't you go provoke Spirit Hall instead of picking on academies weaker than yourselves?

Just to make yourselves look tough?

It was precisely because of this that Chen Qi went from being a Douluo fan to a professional hater, cursing Douluo Continent from beginning to end.

He had been one step away from going to San Shao's house to "rid the world of a scourge."

"Chen Qi, what are you thinking about? Your expression is so grim."

Qian Renxue noticed Chen Qi's tense face and, thinking something had happened, asked.

"It's nothing."

"Chen Qi, just hold on a little longer, we'll be at the hotel soon."

Seeing that Chen Qi wouldn't explain, Qian Renxue subconsciously assumed his "shut-in" syndrome was acting up from being away from his room for too long.

She hurriedly urged Snake Spear Douluo and Pufferfish Douluo to drive faster.

Before long, the carriage stopped in front of a building that every transmigrator felt compelled to visit.

The Rose Hotel.

Chen Qi stepped off the carriage, looked at the hotel, and scratched his head.

Was this the only hotel in all of Soto City? Why did everyone come here!

The things inside those hotel rooms would corrupt the youth.

"Master, are there no other hotels?"

Qian Renxue was stunned by his words, not expecting Chen Qi to dislike this hotel.

"This is the best hotel in Soto City. As for the others... they are unspeakable. Why, are you not satisfied?"

No wonder Dai Mubai and Tang San both chose to stay here.

So the other hotels weren't fit for humans, and the beds were likely covered in "strawberry stains" at any given moment.

"It's not that I'm dissatisfied, it's just that... the name of this hotel is a bit..."

Qian Renxue was puzzled and glanced at the sign, but didn't see any issue.

"What's wrong with the Rose Hotel?"

Qian Renxue's reading material was still too wholesome; how could she not see such an obvious name for a lovers' hotel?

Chen Qi didn't want to explain, so he sighed and followed Qian Renxue inside.

"Hello, boss, two rooms, please."

The receptionist looked at Qian Renxue and Chen Qi, who had come to book a room, and revealed a mysterious smile.

"I'm sorry, miss, we only have one room left."

Heh.

Classic, truly classic.

Even if the King of Heaven himself brought a woman to book two rooms, they would still be told only one was left.

What? You ask why the next guest could book three rooms and still have space?

Are you blind? Can't you see those were three grown men?

"One room doesn't seem right."

"Oh, just squeeze in and make do for the night, it'll be fine."

The receptionist persuaded them.

Qian Renxue had no choice but to book one room, then took the key and led Chen Qi upstairs.

"I'm afraid Uncle Pufferfish and Uncle Snake Spear will have to suffer a bit."

Just as the two of them left, Pufferfish Douluo and Snake Spear Douluo walked in after parking the carriage.

Pufferfish Douluo and Snake Spear Douluo looked toward the front desk and, without a word, booked a room.

The young receptionist glanced at the two scruffy, burly men before her, furrowed her brows, and asked with a puzzled look.

"Would two rooms be alright for you two?"

"No!"

Snake Spear Douluo rejected the idea flatly, thinking to himself that this hotel was a total rip-off, trying to swindle them into paying for another room.

On the third floor of the Rose Hotel, Qian Renxue found the corresponding room. The moment she opened the door, a fragrant scent of roses rushed out to meet her.

Directly facing the door was a bed covered in rose petals, arranged into the shape of a heart.

"Wow! How beautiful!"

It was the first time in her life Qian Renxue had seen a bed covered in roses, and she dove onto it with curiosity.

Thump!

The petals bounced up and danced through the air before settling onto Qian Renxue.

Chen Qi shook his head helplessly as he watched her. With such a lack of worldly experience, where was the poise of a young lady?

"Huh? Chen Qi, why are there whips here?"

Qian Renxue noticed a wall to the side covered in a pile of strange objects.

Just as she reached out to take one down for a closer look, Chen Qi's hand shot out to stop her, and he casually grabbed a cloth to cover the wall.

"Chen Qi, what are you doing?"

"Master, you can't touch those. Who knows if they're clean? They might have just been used to whip a horse."

Qian Renxue nodded in confusion; that seemed to make sense. It wouldn't be good if there were bacteria or something on them.

She turned away from the wall, and Chen Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Huh? Chen Qi, what are these long things in the drawer?"

Qian Renxue opened the nightstand and grew curious about the contents.

Chen Qi's heart skipped a beat at the sight. Why did Qian Renxue have to rummage through everything?

He rushed over, slammed the drawer shut, and said, "That's clearly nothing good. Let's just be good and stay put on the bed."

Qian Renxue nodded doubtfully and actually went off to the bathroom to wash up, behaving herself.

"Ah! Chen Qi, what is this stuck on the bathroom wall?"

"Chen Qi!"

"Chen Qi!!"

All night long, Chen Qi scrambled to take away the various messy things Qian Renxue kept digging out of the room.

It wasn't until the second half of the night that Qian Renxue finally fell asleep, while Chen Qi was so exhausted he was rolling his eyes back in his head.

The next morning, Qian Renxue skipped toward the front desk to check out, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Chen Qi, however, was utterly drained, with deep dark circles under his eyes, following behind her listlessly.

Seeing this, the receptionist couldn't help but look at Qian Renxue with newfound respect. To be able to exhaust a man to this extent—she really was a hidden talent.

Just as the two of them left, Pufferfish Douluo and Snake Spear Douluo walked over with their arms around each other's shoulders.

They were holding hands, looking incredibly intimate.

"Checking out."

The receptionist suppressed her discomfort, silently took the room key, and returned their deposit.

"Pufferfish, thanks to you, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to walk today."

"We're brothers, we help each other out."

Upon hearing this, the receptionist had already imagined a hundred different scenarios in her mind.

Outside the Rose Hotel, Chen Qi and Qian Renxue watched the two of them walk over with their arms linked.

Qian Renxue asked Snake Spear Douluo with some confusion.

"Uncle Snake Spear, what happened to you?"

Snake Spear Douluo waved his hand and said, "Don't even ask. I didn't sit steady while using the toilet last night and got my butt stuck. It's still throbbing with pain."

One had to admit, this was a miserable turn of events. Getting one's butt stuck in a toilet—was that even a plotline a human could come up with?

"Enough nonsense! Let's go!"

"Help... mph."

A group of masked individuals beside the hotel were coercing a woman into a small alleyway.

Seeing this, Qian Renxue couldn't help but furrow her brows, pulling Chen Qi along as she walked over.