The Gap Between Them Was Too Great!

"Pfft..."

Dai Mubai tasted blood in his throat. A mouthful of bloody froth surged up, only to be forcibly swallowed back down.

He knelt on one knee, bracing himself against the floor. Veins bulged on his forehead, and every bone in his body trembled.

Zhu Zhuqing stood to one side, watching the scene. The emotions in her cat-like eyes were so tangled that even she could not sort them out.

She hated Dai Mubai's cowardice and evasiveness. She hated that he had left her alone to suffer in the family. She hated how he indulged himself outside, surrounded by women.

Yet now, seeing him sent flying by Yun Tian's punch and coughing blood on his knees, the corner of her heart called "heartache" began to throb faintly again.

But she bit her lip and did not step forward.

This was a fight Dai Mubai had started himself, so he could bear the consequences himself.

Yun Tian stood in the center of the hall, looking down at Dai Mubai as he knelt there, gasping for breath.

He held two fingers together like a blade and slowly raised the Earth Tiger Claw. It was the opening stance for Earth-Splitting Cleave.

Earth-yellow soul power gathered along the claw blades, radiating a cutting intent that made people's scalps tingle.

Dai Mubai raised his head and looked at the Earth-Splitting Slash taking shape. His grayish-white tiger fur was blown backward by the gusts of force.

Then he suddenly smiled.

There was blood at the corners of his lips, and his smile carried bitterness and self-mockery.

It was over.

He could not beat this man.

His fiancée had linked arms with this man and said she belonged to him.

He had thought he could take her back with his fists, only to be pinned to the ground and beaten with one hand.

He had utterly humiliated himself before Zhu Zhuqing, losing even the last shred of a man's dignity.

Dai Mubai closed his eyes and waited for the Earth-Splitting Cleave to fall.

Yet Yun Tian's hand blade stopped in midair.

Looking at the stubborn profile of the blond youth before him, eyes closed as he awaited death, Yun Tian quietly sighed to himself.

Though the Dai Mubai of the original story had been a profligate playboy, he had been a responsible man at heart.

This battle had already pushed him to his limits. Continuing any further would be going too far.

"Enough."

Yun Tian withdrew his Earth-Splitting Cleave stance and dismissed the Earth Tiger Armor fusion.

The brown glow of the armor faded, revealing his original appearance.

His expression remained calm, and his tone was as even as ever. "Are you convinced of your defeat?"

Dai Mubai opened his eyes and looked at the face before him, one even younger than his own. He remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he gritted his teeth. "...I am."

Yun Tian nodded and turned back toward Zhu Zhuqing.

As he passed her, he said in a low voice, "He's finished. The rest is for you two to talk out yourselves."

Zhu Zhuqing stared at him blankly, her gaze impossibly complicated.

She knew Yun Tian was handing the initiative over to her.

The fight had been fought, her anger had been vented, and her pride had been reclaimed. Now it was up to her to decide whether she wanted to lay everything out with Dai Mubai.

Xiao Wu leaned over and tugged Yun Tian's sleeve, muttering softly, "Brother Yun, you were really ruthless. You beat him that badly."

"He brought it on himself," Yun Tian said blandly.

Tang San stood behind them and shook his head.

Though he did not know Dai Mubai well, the aura Dai Mubai had displayed when fully unleashing the White Tiger Vajra Transformation had indeed been far from weak.

Had the Tang San of six years ago encountered Dai Mubai, he probably would not have lasted three moves.

But the one standing opposite Dai Mubai was Yun Tian.

A monster who had spent six years cultivating himself to become a four-ring Soul Ancestor, with four purple soul rings.

Dai Mubai slowly rose from the ground and dusted off his knees.

He glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, then at Yun Tian. In the end, he said nothing and turned toward the hotel entrance.

The two beautiful sisters had long since been scared into hiding in a corner, not daring to make a sound. Only when they saw him leave did they hurriedly follow after him.

When the doors of the Rose Hotel closed behind Dai Mubai, they gave a soft click.

The hall returned to silence.

Zhu Zhuqing stood where she was, staring at the closed doors. A breath seemed lodged in her chest, neither rising nor falling.

She should have felt satisfied. That coward had finally received his lesson.

But she simply could not feel satisfied.

Yun Tian walked back to the counter and tapped its surface, rousing the stunned innkeeper. "The key. Room 307."

Only then did the innkeeper come back to his senses. In a fluster, he dug out a bronze key and handed it over, looking at Yun Tian as though he were a monster.

The innkeeper's hand trembled as he passed over the key, and the bronze key clinked against the counter.

Yun Tian took it, then waved to the others. "Come on. Let's head upstairs and rest."

The four of them went up the stairs to the third floor.

Room 307 was indeed spacious. It was a suite with a living room, and the inner room held four single beds. It was not especially roomy, but it was more than enough for four people.

Outside the window, Soto City's nightscape unfolded beneath the darkness. Countless lights twinkled like stars, making it far more prosperous than Notting City.

The moment Xiao Wu entered the room, she threw herself onto the innermost bed, buried her face in the pillow, and mumbled, "I'm exhausted, I'm exhausted. We fought and traveled all day today. I'm going to get a proper night's sleep."

Tang San sat beside the bed by the window, but his gaze could not help drifting toward Zhu Zhuqing.

From the Rose Hotel hall to the trip upstairs, Zhu Zhuqing had remained silent. Nothing could be read from her icy little face, but her tightly clenched fists exposed the turmoil in her heart.

"I'm going to wash up first." Zhu Zhuqing suddenly spoke. Her voice was several degrees colder than usual. Without waiting for anyone to respond, she went straight into the suite's washroom.

The door closed softly, yet it carried a distant air that said, "No one come disturb me."

Xiao Wu rolled over and lay on her side as she looked at Yun Tian. "Brother Yun, do you think she'll be okay?"

"Let her be alone for a while." Yun Tian leaned against the headboard, eyes closed. "After running into something like that, no one would be able to get over it right away."

Tang San nodded. "She was right. Dai Mubai really was cowardly. But I don't think that guy is completely bad either. Even after being beaten that badly, he didn't say anything spiteful. He still has some backbone."

Yun Tian opened one eye and smiled. "You're a pretty good judge of character."

Xiao Wu grumbled, "Who cares whether he's good or bad? Bullying a girl is wrong! If I run into him again, I'll definitely kick him twice!"

The three chatted for a few more moments, then each made up their beds.

After a while, the washroom door opened, and Zhu Zhuqing emerged. Water droplets still clung to her face, while the loose strands across her forehead were damply stuck to her skin.

She swept her gaze across the room, then walked straight to the empty bed against the wall and sat down. Pulling the blanket over herself, she curled into a small ball, revealing only half her face and a pair of deep-blue cat eyes.

"I'm sleeping," she said in a muffled voice, then turned over and faced away from everyone.

Xiao Wu exchanged glances with Yun Tian and Tang San, and neither of them spoke again.

The lights soon went out, plunging the room into darkness and silence.

Moonlight filtered through a gap in the curtains, casting a long, slender streak of silvery-white light across the ceiling.

Outside the window, the night wind passed softly beneath the eaves, letting out a gentle, mournful whine.

Yun Tian lay on his bed with his hands behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The events of the day had truly been extraordinary. He had saved Zhu Zhuqing in the Star Dou Great Forest, then fought Dai Mubai at the Rose Hotel that night.

They had not even reached Shrek Academy yet, and the excitement had already begun.

But that was fine.

Only a lively life made being transported here worthwhile.

He turned over and closed his eyes.