Tang San's gaze turned cold, and he turned around at the same time as Xiao Wu.
At the entrance, a blond girl leaned against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest and long legs crossed.
His gaze lingered on Tang San's face, swept over Xiao Wu, then finally settled on the row of wooden tags engraved with room numbers behind the counter.
"Three rooms, right? I'll take them all."
Tang San narrowed his eyes. "We were here first."
"So what?" Dai Mubai straightened and strode to the counter, slapping a hand onto it.
"Owner, three premium rooms. I'll take them all."
The middle-aged man behind the counter hunched his shoulders, looking from one to the other before murmuring, "Miss, we only have two rooms left..."
"I'll take both, then," Dai Mubai said.
Xiao Wu exploded at once. She stepped forward, planted her hands on her hips, and demanded, "Hey, what's a girl like you booking rooms at a lovers' hotel for?
"There are two pink lanterns hanging outside. Aren't you embarrassed to walk into such a sultry, suggestive place?"
Dai Mubai's face flushed crimson.
"Y-you mind your own business!" He stiffened his neck and flicked his blond ponytail. "Anyway, this hotel is mine! You two can find somewhere else to stay."
Tang San frowned, staring at him. "Our teacher told us to book rooms. If you're going to stand in our way, you owe us a reason."
"Teacher?" He sneered, as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world.
"That pretty boy in blue? Sending two little girls to book lovers' rooms with him-he clearly has filthy intentions. How does someone like that deserve to be a teacher?"
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth in indignation. Clearly, he had misunderstood, taking Li Hanqiu for a teacher who was a beast in respectable clothing, and his tone grew harsher.
Tang San's face darkened.
"Hey, watch your mouth!" Xiao Wu rolled up her sleeves.
Dai Mubai ignored her. Instead, he stepped half a pace forward, lowered his voice, and stared at Tang San. "Tell me, what's that man who came with you doing right now?"
Without thinking, Xiao Wu blurted out, "Buying whale rubber. What else?"
Dai Mubai's face flushed scarlet all the way to his ears.
B-buying whale rubber?!!
Of course he knew what whale rubber was.
In the current Douluo era, whale rubber had yet to see widespread use for tempering the body. It was used more for its ability to stir lust.
A grown man had brought two underage female students along, sent them ahead to book rooms at a lovers' hotel, then turned around to buy whale rubber himself.
Wasn't that a beast wearing a human face?
Shame and fury surged through him. His chest heaved as he pointed at Tang San's nose, his voice rising sharply. "Are you two idiots? He's trying to hurt you!"
"You're making things up!" Tang San clenched his fists.
"Making things up? Fine, who told you to book this hotel? Him, right? How many rooms? Two? Is he staying in one alone, or..."
Tang San abruptly raised his head.
"I'm sharing with Teacher. What right do you have to stop me?"
Dai Mubai choked, then shouted, his face red:
"You're a girl! Have you no shame, saying something like that?"
"If you ask me, any teacher who raises a shameless disciple like you is rotten through and through! Shameless, perverted, small fry, trash!"
Tang San's little face turned utterly cold.
"Insult me, and I can let it go." His voice was soft, but icily cold. "Anyone who insults Teacher deserves to..."
Before he finished, his right hand rose.
Blue silver grass erupted from his sleeve. More than a dozen stems twisted into a single cord and lashed through the air toward Dai Mubai's face.
Dai Mubai tilted his head aside, pushed off the floor, and darted backward.
He had already been on guard against the two little girls, whose soul power levels were close to his own.
Thus, the instant the blue silver grass struck, his body's instincts carried him out of its path.
Even so, the wind whipped up by the blue silver grass cut painfully across his cheek.
That strike fully ignited Dai Mubai's anger. He twisted his neck, producing a faint crack.
"Hmph, fine! Since you won't listen to reason, this lady will beat some sense into you!" Dai Mubai snorted coldly, slapped a palm against the floor, and sent his soul power surging.
Three soul rings rose beneath his feet-yellow, yellow, purple. It was the optimal configuration for three soul rings.
And that was not all. White Tiger Possession.
A pale golden layer of soul light poured from his body. His hair stirred without wind, his nails shot out half an inch, and his pupils turned to vertical slits. Dai Mubai looked like an enraged tigress.
"Little girl, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget." He stepped forward, his figure shooting like a golden arrow.
Tang San remained composed. First, he reached out to stop the eager Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, let me handle this alone. I'm going to beat the person who insulted Teacher with my own hands."
Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue, a little disappointed, but obediently stepped aside. "Go, San! Whip that tigress's backside!"
Tang San flicked his left hand. A strand of "blue silver grass" shot from his wrist and stuck to a second-floor beam with a ding.
Then he pulled against it, lifting himself off the ground and flipping over Dai Mubai's head like a nimble spider.
Dai Mubai's claw grasped empty air. Watching Tang San shoot blue silver grass from his wrists and swing between the beams, he blinked in bewilderment.
"Blue silver grass can be used like that?" For the first time in his life, Dai Mubai felt as though the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.
This was Tang San's self-created soul skill, "Blue Silver Spider Silk," which he had devoted himself to developing with ideas and suggestions from Li Hanqiu.
Blue Silver Spider Silk allowed him to shoot blue silver grass from his wrists like Spider-Man, wind it around beams, and use the tension to move and pull himself around.
"Over here!" Xiao Wu hopped excitedly at the side. "San, hit him! Hit him!"
While still airborne, Tang San flicked his other hand, shooting a second strand of spider silk diagonally toward the doorframe.
Then he crossed his arms and pulled, bending his course midair amid the pink lantern light before planting both feet against a bare wall to bleed off his momentum.
The instant he landed, a thin layer of blue silver grass spread beneath his soles.
This was his second self-created soul skill, Blue Silver Cushion.
It had little effect on its own and was mainly used in conjunction with "Blue Silver Spider Silk."
Because the tremendous impact of landing could injure his ankles, he formed blue silver grass beneath his feet to cushion it, naming it Blue Silver Cushion.
Effect: formed a thin, resilient layer of grass beneath himself or others to temporarily cushion the impact of a fall.
As Tang San pushed off with his ankles, the grass layer spread beneath his point of contact with a soft thump. Light yet tough, it dissipated the impact completely.
Tang San's knees bent only an inch before he sprang away.
Dai Mubai lunged several times, but Tang San evaded him with the slightest movements.
In a head-on clash, Tang San was no match for Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai's speed and strength both surpassed his by a small margin.
If Tang San took one sharp White Tiger claw head-on, he might be injured on the spot.
Since that was the case, Tang San simply refused to meet him head-on, attacking through evasive maneuvers instead.
Like a spider, Tang San swung back and forth on strands of silk within the small hotel lobby.
Every time Dai Mubai thought he was about to catch him, Tang San used a strand of spider silk to shift away at the final inch.
More than ten exchanges passed.
Dai Mubai's breathing gradually grew heavier.
"Do you... only have the guts to dodge? Come down and fight if you've got any ability!" Gritting his teeth, he swung a claw backward and tore through two strands of blue silver grass winding toward him.
A sharp gleam flashed through Tang San's eyes. This was the moment. The blond girl before him was breathing heavily now; his strength was giving out.
"Second soul skill, Life-Force Seed Planting."
He murmured the words.
Several seeds as fine as dust had long since crept silently across the floor, around table corners, and through the air, covering Dai Mubai's forearms.
Before Dai Mubai could react, his arms grew heavy, as though dozens of tiny mouths had bitten into them at once. His soul power began leaking away.
Alarmed, he exploded with soul power, using every ounce of strength to shake the blue silver seeds off his arms.
When he looked up again, Tang San had vanished. Only Xiao Wu remained nearby, watching him with narrowed eyes and a cheerful grin.
No, behind me! Dai Mubai realized the danger and immediately tried to turn and slash with his tiger claws, but he was already too late.
Tang San was already standing behind him.
In the next second came Blue Silver Spider Silk, Cross Throat Lock.
More than a dozen grass threads twisted into a cord, wrapped from the back of his neck to the front, and tightened gently.
Dai Mubai froze.
"Move again, and I'll sever your neck." Tang San's icy voice came from behind his ear.
Dai Mubai panted heavily, the blond hair over his forehead plastered down with sweat. The blue silver grass felt as thin as cicada wings, pressed tightly against his neck like strands of steel wire.
The terror of death surged into his heart.
Cold light flickered in Tang San's eyes. This person had dared to insult Teacher. It was unforgivable.
With that thought, Tang San applied a little more force through his wrist. The blue silver spider silk bit into Dai Mubai's delicate skin, drawing dark red lines of blood...
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu, who had been laughing and enjoying the show from the sidelines, abruptly stopped smiling.
"San, don't be rash! Calm down!"
Noticing the icy crimson of Tang San's eyes, she finally realized he truly intended to kill and hurriedly lunged forward.
Just as killing intent overwhelmed Tang San and Dai Mubai's life hung by a thread,
a beam of holy light quietly descended, melting the Blue Silver Spider Silk binding Dai Mubai.
Freed from the restraint, Dai Mubai clutched his throat and sank to his knees. Traces of blood seeped between his fingers, and fear flickered uncertainly in his eyes.
At the same time, Li Hanqiu's voice rang out, tinged with anger:
"San, what are you doing?"
Before you continue