Ch. 81Caught Checking Out a Beauty
Chapter Summary: “Caught Checking Out a Beauty”
1. Key Plot Points and Events
- After their stunning three-versus-seven victory over the Imperial Fighting Team, the Skywater group meets the manager of the Suotuo Great Soul Arena in the VIP room.
- The manager praises their victory, saying it has caused a sensation throughout Suotuo City and that spectators are openly mocking the defeated Imperial Fighting Team.
- He gives Shui Qinghan the team’s winnings: 3.8 million Soul Coins, after deducting the arena’s commission.
- Although the manager invites them to compete again the following day while their odds are high, Shui Qinghan declines because they have other business.
- The group travels to the Suotuo Auction House, where crowds are gathered to discuss their match. The group passes unnoticed despite being the subject of everyone’s conversations.
- They register for the auction and are escorted to a VIP lounge. They receive instructions about number plates, masks, and bidding procedures.
- Shui Qinghan asks to consign an item for auction. An appraisal master is summoned, and the auction house explains that it will take a ten-percent commission from the final sale.
- The group discusses how to bid efficiently. Shui Qinghan insists that they use only one number plate so they do not accidentally raise prices against one another.
- Their main objective is the auction’s headline item: a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone.
- Shui Qinghan warns that if they cannot buy it through normal bidding, they may need to obtain it by force. She plans to handle any danger alone and instructs the others to return first after the auction.
2. Character Developments
- Shui Qinghan demonstrates authority, practicality, and strategic thinking. She manages the group’s money, negotiates with the auction house, controls the bidding strategy, and calmly prepares for the possibility of conflict.
- Wu Changkong remains outwardly composed but is briefly embarrassed when he admits that one of the female attendants is attractive. His reaction reveals a more human and vulnerable side beneath his usual serious demeanor.
- Shui Bing’er shows restrained jealousy or irritation when Wu Changkong looks at the attendant. Rather than openly confronting him, she silently pinches him while maintaining an impassive expression.
- Xue Wu acts playfully and mischievously, deliberately teasing Wu Changkong about the attendants’ appearance and enjoying his embarrassment.
- The group’s victory has significantly increased the Skywater Team’s public reputation, even though the members themselves remain anonymous in the crowd.
3. Significant Themes
- Reputation and public perception: The Skywater Team’s victory transforms them into the talk of Suotuo City, while the Imperial Fighting Team becomes the subject of ridicule.
- Money and strategy: The characters carefully manage their winnings and plan their bidding method to avoid wasting funds.
- Power and danger in the Soul Master world: The possibility of stealing or defending the Soul Bone shows that strength and violence exist alongside formal institutions such as auctions.
- Protection and responsibility: Shui Qinghan takes on the danger herself, prioritizing the safety of the younger members and emphasizing her role as their leader.
- Hidden identities and anonymity: The group walks unnoticed through a crowd discussing them, highlighting the contrast between public fame and private identity.
- Romantic tension and teasing: Wu Changkong’s glance at the attendant creates a lighthearted interaction that hints at emotional tension between him and Shui Bing’er.
4. Character Interactions
- The arena manager respectfully congratulates Shui Qinghan and personally escorts the group out, demonstrating the importance of their victory.
- Xue Wu openly jokes with Wu Changkong about the female attendants, prompting him to make an unguarded comment about one of them.
- Shui Bing’er responds with silent physical punishment rather than an argument, while Wu Changkong tries to preserve his calm appearance.
- Shui Qinghan leads the discussion in the VIP lounge, inviting the others to bid on items but insisting on a unified bidding approach.
- When Xue Wu worries about the danger surrounding the Soul Bone, Shui Qinghan reassures her through decisive planning, offering to confront any pursuers alone.