Grudges Deepen, Tang San's Killing Intent

Dai Mubai fell back on his old habit of avoiding the problem.

He had done it before, and he was doing it again.

Back then, convinced he could never defeat his older brother, he had given up and sunk into despair.

Now, even though he wanted to team up with Qin Yun, Dai Mubai still did not dare ask him.

Knowing he was no match for Qin Yun, he would not even try.

Flender saw that neither side would budge.

"Enough," he said. "Focus on finishing tonight's matches. We'll discuss this tomorrow."

"Now get on with what you're supposed to be doing!"

Qin Yun said nothing. He merely shifted aside to clear the space beside the bench.

Then his gaze passed over the crowd and settled on Zhu Zhuqing.

When Zhu Zhuqing saw him looking at her, she gave a slight nod and pressed her lips together without a word.

"Let's go."

Those were the only words Qin Yun said as he passed her.

Zhu Zhuqing did not hesitate. She turned and followed him.

As they walked down the corridor toward the registration desk, one behind the other, several soul masters who had watched the entire evening could not help following them with their eyes.

Someone gave a low whistle;

Another nudged his companion. "Look, look. It's that kid again. That's his third partner, isn't it?"

In the two-on-two arena, Qin Yun and Zhu Zhuqing worked together far more smoothly than Qin Yun and Xiao Wu had.

Zhu Zhuqing was a true agility-type combat soul master. Qin Yun did not need to divide his attention to protect her or adjust to her pace.

Once she activated her Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul, she moved like a swallow skimming the water, swift and precise. Every advance and retreat was cleanly efficient.

Qin Yun barely needed to direct her. He only had to hold their opponents' attention from the front, and Zhu Zhuqing would slip in from the flank, strike hard, then quickly withdraw to safety.

Their opponents this time were two power-type assault soul masters whose Soul Power Levels were close to Qin Yun's.

But between Qin Yun's Nitrogen Barrier and Directed Explosion and Zhu Zhuqing's swift strikes, the entire match was one-sided from start to finish.

In less time than it took to drink half a cup of tea, both opponents gave out and raised their hands in surrender.

As they stepped down from the arena, Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her Martial Soul.

Her black catlike pupils returned to normal. She was breathing a little hard, and a few strands of hair at her temples were damp with sweat, but her eyes held an uncommon brightness.

Fighting alongside Qin Yun had felt remarkably comfortable to Zhu Zhuqing.

Since Qin Yun had largely controlled the fight, he also offered her a few pointers.

Zhu Zhuqing listened closely.

She turned his words over in her mind, recalling several moments when she had made her moves during the match. Her brow creased, then relaxed. "I understand!"

"Thank you!"

In the stands beside the arena, the chatter was louder than it had been for any earlier match.

"How many partners has that kid brought tonight?"

"First it was that girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, then the girl with the scorpion braid, and now a cold-faced beauty in black... Is he here to fight or to pick partners?"

Someone nearby chimed in. "Who cares who he brings? He wins with every one of them. That's skill."

After three matches that night,

Qin Yun's name had spread, at least among the regulars at the Soto Great Soul Arena.

It was not because his Soul Power Level was especially high, but because he fought in a way utterly unlike traditional soul masters—and because each face beside him seemed prettier than the last.

As the night wore on, the clamor of the Spirit Arena gradually died away.

The Shrek group gathered their things and returned to the academy in silence.

Several windows in the dormitory building glowed yellow.

One of them belonged to Tang San's room.

His injuries had kept him from the Great Soul Arena that night, and he had spent the whole time in his room recuperating.

Hearing footsteps in the courtyard, Tang San opened his door and came out.

But when he spotted the braided figure being supported through the crowd, he froze.

Two people were half-carrying Xiao Wu toward the dormitory.

The side of her face was ashen, her lips still had a greenish tinge, and the scorched curl at the end of her braid stood out starkly under the lights.

Tang San hurried over and caught Xiao Wu by the shoulders.

When he looked down at her furrowed brow and pale lips, his fingers trembled slightly.

He turned to the nearest person, his voice tight. "What happened to her? Who hurt her?"

Dai Mubai had been walking at the back of the group. At Tang San's question, he stopped.

He glanced at Qin Yun a short distance away.

Then he looked at Tang San's suddenly darkened eyes.

"It was Qin Yun," he said quietly. "He hurt her."

"It happened in the arena. Some say it was an accident; others say it was deliberate. Either way, Qin Yun was the one who brought her down."

Tang San's gaze snapped toward Qin Yun.

He had seen the singed hair at Xiao Wu's temple, seen the slight furrow in her brow even as she lay unconscious.

His breathing grew heavy. His chest rose and fell twice, and veins stood out faintly on the fist clenched beneath his sleeve.

The images churned through his mind again and again.

Qin Yun had injured his left arm with a rebounding Dragon Whisker Needle. Qin Yun had pierced his Eight Spider Lances with a Steel Nail.

And now he had hurt the person Tang San cared about most.

In that moment, Tang San wanted to kill Qin Yun.

Qin Yun stood where he was, meeting Tang San's glare, fierce enough to burn through him, without much change in expression.

Of course he noticed the killing intent in Tang San's eyes.

But Tang San as he was now? Qin Yun did not consider him a threat.

Qin Yun turned toward his room and walked away at an unhurried pace.

Only after Qin Yun had left did Dai Mubai continue. "Tang San, you saw it too—Qin Yun thinks his strength means he can disregard everyone else."

"He seriously injured Xiao Wu today. Tomorrow he might do something even worse to someone else."

"We have to find a way to stop him from doing whatever he pleases."

Tang San did not answer at once.

He crouched beside Xiao Wu, gently lifted one eyelid with two fingers to check her pupil, then leaned close to smell her breath. His brow slowly tightened.

Xiao Wu had been poisoned by a mixture of chlorine gas and Hydrogen Chloride.

The chlorine irritated her airways and mucous membranes, while the Hydrogen Chloride created an acidic environment in her lungs. Together, they would worsen her symptoms more quickly.

He checked Xiao Wu's pulse, then sent Soul Power through her body. Only after confirming that the toxins had not yet penetrated her organs did he breathe a little easier.

He stood and turned to Dai Mubai, his expression calm.

But a coldness he could barely contain lay in his eyes.

"I'll treat Xiao Wu first. Everything else can wait until she wakes up."

Dai Mubai nodded and did not press him further.

He knew Tang San's silence did not mean he had let the matter go.

"All right. Saving Xiao Wu comes first."

Tang San took out a small celadon bottle.

He carefully applied the medicinal liquid inside to Xiao Wu's lips and temples.