The atmosphere was on the verge of exploding.
Hearing Xu Sanshi's words, Bei Bei looked furious, but inwardly he was secretly pleased.
"Xu Sanshi, shut your mouth! You were the one who attacked Su Ling first. Apologize to him!" Tang Ya put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
"Apologize to this freshman? No way!"
Xu Sanshi's face turned ashen. He was a big name in the Outer Court, after all. If he apologized to a freshman, where would that leave his dignity?
Especially with Jiang Nannan watching!
Su Ling's lips curled up slightly. Seeing Tang Ya angrily standing up for him somehow struck him as amusing.
"Big Brother Su Ling, have some fish."
At that, Su Ling turned around. Good grief, Huo Yuhao really had nerves of steel. They were arguing up front, and the kid had gone back to grill the fish.
Bei Bei spoke calmly. "Xu Sanshi, you must give us an explanation for what happened today. Otherwise, we'll settle this in the Soul Fighting Arena."
Bei Bei really was a clever fellow. In a moment, he'd defeat Xu Sanshi with overwhelming ease in the arena, then make him apologize to Xiao Ya.
Then Xiao Ya would give him that admiring look she used to wear, and he'd earn himself a fine reputation for sticking up for his friends, too. He'd gain both fame and fortune.
"Bei Bei, don't act like you're guaranteed to beat me. So what if we take this to the Soul Fighting Arena? Let's go!"
As Xu Sanshi spoke, he sneaked a glance at Jiang Nannan from the corner of his eye, only to meet her icy glare.
"Disgusting."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Xu Sanshi was left standing there awkwardly. A few of the students watching couldn't help laughing aloud.
Xu Sanshi's face flushed red, then went pale. He jerked his chin up and glared at the onlookers. "What are you looking at? Get lost! Bei Bei, let's go!"
The crowd scattered at once. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi headed toward the Soul Fighting Arena, bickering as they went.
"Come on, Little Yuhao, Junior Su. Let's go watch that big turtle get beaten black and blue!"
The Soul Fighting Arena was in the northwest corner of the Martial Soul Department.
It was one of Shrek's most important facilities.
All Shrek students could take part in various soul-fighting matches there. Dedicated teachers served as referees, deciding the winners and stepping in to rescue anyone in danger.
Of course, true to Shrek's ten-thousand-year-old ways, students had to pay to compete or watch.
Tang Ya paid three Silver Soul Coins and found a good seat close to the arena for herself, Su Ling, and Huo Yuhao.
Su Ling looked around.
The Soul Fighting Arena was a huge hexagon, surrounded by rows of seats that rose higher and higher, much like a football stadium. A vast open space occupied the center, clearly set aside as the combat area.
Two or three hundred people were already seated in the stands, but Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had yet to appear in the arena.
After Tang Ya gave them a quick introduction to the Soul Fighting Arena, Huo Yuhao, seated on the far left, looked utterly amazed. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked about the rules.
Tang Ya patiently explained them at length. Her account was more or less the same as what Su Ling already knew.
"Teacher Xiao Ya, who was that pretty senior just now?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
Tang Ya raised her hand and flicked him on the forehead. "You're so young, and already checking out pretty girls?"
"I..."
Huo Yuhao winced but didn't dare ask anything else. Looking all wronged, he started eating the fried noodles he'd bought at another stall for dinner.
Seeing how obediently Huo Yuhao sat there, Su Ling couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Senior Xiao Ya, I'd like to know, too."
Tang Ya rubbed Huo Yuhao's head and gave a helpless smile. "All right, I'll tell you. That senior is Jiang Nannan, supposedly the Outer Court's number-one beauty. She comes from a commoner family and is kind to everyone. She has quite a few admirers at the academy."
Then she changed tack, shifting her gaze between Su Ling and Huo Yuhao. "Do you think she's prettier than me?"
Huo Yuhao thought it over and foolishly nodded.
Tang Ya's expression instantly darkened. Her hand stopped rubbing his head and slowly curled into a fist.
Just as she was about to flick Huo Yuhao on the forehead again, Su Ling hurriedly stepped in.
"I think Senior Xiao Ya is prettier. You're much prettier than Jiang Nannan."
Looking into Su Ling's sincere eyes, Tang Ya smiled radiantly, a rare hint of shyness rising in her.
"Oh, Junior Su has such a discerning eye! I think I'm much prettier than her, too!"
Tang Ya looked rather pleased with herself. Then she turned to Huo Yuhao, grinding her teeth as she pinched his cheek. "Hmph, Little Yuhao, how did you end up as blind as that obnoxious Xu Sanshi?"
"Ow! I'm sorry, Teacher Xiao Ya. I meant to say you're prettier!" Huo Yuhao begged for mercy.
"Heh, Senior Xiao Ya, let Yuhao off. He didn't mean it."
"Hmph."
Tang Ya let him go only after Su Ling spoke up for him. Then she remembered that Su Ling had just called her pretty, and her heart began to race.
Huo Yuhao rubbed his cheek and looked at Tang Ya's flushed face, feeling guilty.
Teacher Xiao Ya was so good to me. How could I foolishly assume some other girl was prettier than her? Look, I even made her face turn red with anger...
A few minutes passed, but Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi still hadn't appeared. Meanwhile, more and more people streamed into the stands.
Su Ling estimated there were around five or six hundred people.
Just then, a pink-and-blue-haired girl squeezed through the aisle.
"Su Ling!" A voice full of resentment rang out. Su Ling, who had been chatting happily with Tang Ya, stiffened.
Oh no, how could he have forgotten about Wang Dong?
Su Ling turned around and saw Wang Dong approaching with a dark expression, two boxes of snacks in her hands.
"Weren't we supposed to look around together? How did you end up here? Do you know how long I've been looking for you?!"
"Sorry, sorry, I forgot. Come on, Little Dong, sit here." Su Ling smiled sheepishly, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the seat beside him.
Wang Dong's anger subsided, though she still wore a sulky little pout. She plopped down on the seat Su Ling had wiped clean.
"If you do that again, I'm not looking after you!" Wang Dong huffed. She handed Su Ling one of the boxes of snacks and added, "I brought this for you."
Su Ling took it and opened the box. There were grilled chicken legs, skewers, Thousand-Leaf Tofu, and all sorts of other things.
Huo Yuhao's two grilled fish had only taken the edge off his hunger. He still hadn't eaten his fill, and after sitting there for so long, he was hungry again.
"Not bad, not bad. Little Dong knows just what I like," Su Ling said offhandedly.
At the side, Huo Yuhao sensed trouble. He felt as if his place in Su Ling's heart were in jeopardy.
Watching Su Ling eat with relish, he gritted his teeth and roared inwardly, You jerk, don't even think about stealing my place in Big Brother Su Ling's heart!
He, Huo Yuhao, was the number-one underling!
"Junior Su, aren't you going to introduce us?" Tang Ya asked curiously, eyeing Wang Dong.
What a pretty young boy!
Wang Dong also noticed Tang Ya sitting on Su Ling's other side. At the sight of her delicate features, she paused for a moment, but quickly recovered.
She glared at Su Ling and huffed inwardly.
Oh, so this was what "forgetting" meant? He clearly had a pretty senior for company!
This heartless jerk, forgetting his friends for a pretty face!