Suotuo City, the granary of the Balak Kingdom, was also the most prosperous trade center in the region.
Its streets were wide, and shops stood in neat rows. Soul Masters and merchants streamed back and forth without end.
Compared with a remote little town like Notting City, this place really did feel more like a bustling metropolis brimming with desire and opportunity.
"Wow! Brother Su Yun, it's so lively here!"
Xiao Wu was like a little bird just let out of its cage, excitedly looking this way and that with a candied hawthorn skewer in her hand.
Su Yun twirled his folding fan, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The moment they had stepped through the city gates, that long-missed system notification had sounded once more.
[Ding! The host has arrived at the important map location, Suotuo City.] [Sign-in successful!] [Reward: Charm Aura MAX (Advanced Version).] [Note: Once activated, this aura will double the host's attraction to the opposite sex and increase the rate of favorability gain by 200%. You are walking hormones; you are a firefly in the dark of night. Host, please take care of yourself lest you be overwhelmed by all the enthusiasm.]
"Tsk. I was already handsome enough. And now you're adding more?"
Su Yun instinctively touched his face.
Sure enough, every woman passing by—whether a noble young lady, a commoner girl, or even a middle-aged woman at a stall—found her gaze stuck on Su Yun the moment she laid eyes on him.
His look-back rate was a full 300%.
"Brother Su Yun, why does that big sister keep staring at you? She's even drooling!"
Xiao Wu keenly noticed the gazes around them and tightened her hold on Su Yun's arm, as if declaring her claim on him.
"Because your big brother's handsome."
Su Yun said it without the slightest shame, then pulled out his diary and began writing as he walked.
[Date: X/X/X. Suotuo City. Sunny. Auspicious for slapping faces.]
[We've finally arrived. If the story's still on track, that lecherous tiger Dai Mubai should be booking a room at the front desk with a pair of twins right about now.]
[I have to admit, this Sick Cat may be a lousy person, but he sure knows how to have fun. Red Ocean? A romantic suite? Tsk, tsk. Isn't he worried about his kidneys?]
[Zhu Zhuqing should be arriving soon, too, right? A classic Shura Field is about to begin.]
[As for that kid Tang San, he's probably still trudging along and eating dirt.]
[Tsk, tsk. How can the difference between people be so huge? While the protagonist's still struggling to level up, the villain's already enjoying life.]
[Let's go! I'll take Xiao Wu to the Rose Hotel and teach Young Master Dai a lesson! And while we're at it, let Zhu Zhuqing see what it means to compare goods and toss out the inferior ones—and to compare people and feel like dying!]
"Come on, Xiao Wu. Your big brother's taking you to the best hotel in the city."
Su Yun closed his diary, straightened his clothes, took Xiao Wu by the hand, and headed straight for the peculiar building shaped like a giant rose.
The Rose Hotel.
It had only three floors, but its decorations were extravagantly luxurious.
A huge rose sculpture stood in the middle of the lobby, and the air was thick with the suggestive scent of perfume. It was less a hotel than a paradise for couples.
At the front desk.
"Bang!"
A large hand slammed down hard on the counter.
"The usual. Red Ocean."
The speaker was a tall young man with dazzling blond hair and handsome features. His unusual, mismatched eyes held a hint of arrogance.
He was Dai Mubai, a student of Shrek Academy and the third prince of the Star Luo Empire.
At that moment, he had one arm around each of two identical, stunningly beautiful twins with fiery figures. A roguish grin—the kind every man understood—played across his face.
The front-desk manager was a middle-aged man. The moment he saw Dai Mubai, he hurriedly put on a smile.
"Yes, yes. It's this little shop's honor to have Young Master Dai grace us with his presence. We've kept your room ready for you..."
Dai Mubai nodded in satisfaction, then started toward the stairs with the twins in his arms, teasing them as he went.
"Tonight, I'll make sure you two feel properly cherished..."
The twin sisters nestled shyly against him, giggling. Just then—
"Hold it."
A clear, lazy voice rang out from the entrance, carrying an unmistakable note of authority.
Dai Mubai stopped in his tracks, his brow instantly furrowing. A cold glint flashed in his unusual eyes.
In all of Suotuo City, on his own turf, someone actually dared to stop him, Dai Mubai?
He turned toward the entrance.
A white-clad youth was walking in, holding the hand of a girl dressed in pink, both striding along as if they didn't care who they offended.
The youth had sharp brows and bright eyes, and his noble bearing made him seem like an immortal descended from a painting. Even standing there casually, he made the opulent surroundings seem dull by comparison.
In particular, his indescribable charm seemed to freeze the air in the lobby for a moment.
And then there was his "Charm Aura MAX."
"Hiss!!!"
The twin sisters in Dai Mubai's arms had been gazing at Young Master Dai with affection.
But the instant they saw Su Yun, their eyes went completely straight.
So... so handsome!
Compared with this young man, Young Master Dai was handsome enough, but his arrogant air seemed downright tacky!
It was like comparing a nouveau riche to a true young nobleman.
"Who are you?"
Dai Mubai noticed the women in his arms losing focus. His irritation deepened, and he stared coldly at Su Yun.
"You stopped me, Young Master Dai. What do you want?"
Su Yun twirled his folding fan and walked up to the front desk without even looking Dai Mubai in the eye. He simply spoke to the manager, who was staring at him in a daze.
"I'll take the Red Ocean."
Then he slapped down a Gold Soul Coin Card.
Of course, it was spending money Qian Renxue had given him.
"What?!"
Dai Mubai laughed in fury, his Soul Power surging as he released the imposing aura of the king of beasts.
"Kid, you're not from around here, are you?"
"You dare steal my room? Do you even know who I am?"
Only then did Su Yun turn his head. He looked at Dai Mubai as if he were an idiot, a mocking smile curling his lips.
"Of course I do."
Su Yun paused, looked him up and down, then suddenly said something shocking:
"You're none other than the famous Young Master Dai, aren't you? What, with those weak kidneys, you still need such a big room?"
The Rose Hotel, lobby.
The air seemed to freeze in that instant.
The front-desk manager huddled behind the counter, drenched in cold sweat.
On one side stood the white-clad youth, generous with his money and exuding an air of mysterious nobility. The Gold Card in his hand practically radiated, "I've got money, and I do what I want."
On the other stood Young Master Dai, a regular at the Rose Hotel, powerful and hot-tempered, with his trademark twins in his arms.
It was a clash of titans!
"What did you say?"
Dai Mubai's arrogant expression froze on his face. His unusual eyes narrowed slightly, brimming with a dangerous, savage gleam.
He pushed the twins aside, stepped forward, and looked down at Su Yun.
"Weak kidneys?"
"Kid, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Otherwise, you'll disappear in this Suotuo City—and you'll disappear horribly."
Faced with Dai Mubai's threat, Su Yun wasn't the least bit afraid. Instead, as if he'd just heard a joke, he opened his folding fan and hid his face behind it with an elegant laugh.
"Pfft—"
"Disappear?"
"You think you can?"
Before you continue