Tang San looked up and saw a burly woman pointing at him with an arm thicker than a thigh.
Without a second thought, he turned and ran.
"Kid, so it was you! Stop running!"
The burly figure behind him sounded furious.
Tang San ran even faster.
He made up his mind never to take this street again.
It was far too dangerous.
He jogged all the way, even taking several extra turns.
Only then did he head toward Spirit Hall.
Elsewhere.
Su Mo and Xiao Wu had also left the academy.
They planned to register as Soul Masters at Spirit Hall that day, which would earn them one Gold Soul Coin every month.
That was no small income.
Besides, they no longer had to do their academy cleaning work themselves.
After they defeated Xiao Chenyu and his group, those fellows actually volunteered to clean for them.
Of course, the wages still belonged to Su Mo and the others.
That gave Su Mo and Xiao Wu time to go shopping in the afternoon.
Along the way, perhaps because registering as a Soul Master meant receiving a Gold Soul Coin every month, Xiao Wu hurried ahead.
Su Mo could barely keep up with her.
Xiao Wu was practically a money fanatic now, chattering about Gold Soul Coins the whole way.
Su Mo followed behind her, amused.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and they finished quickly.
When his Soul Power was tested, even Su Mo was surprised. His Soul Power had actually reached rank fifteen.
Could this be the power of a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?
However, he felt the increase should have been greater. He guessed that some of the Soul Power had gone into transforming his body.
After they left Spirit Hall, Xiao Wu skipped along, looking delighted.
"Su Mo, we can collect our Gold Soul Coins in a few days! I wish these next few days would hurry up and pass."
It was the end of the month. Now that they had registered, they could collect their Gold Soul Coin allowance at the start of the next month, just a few days away.
Whatever else could be said about Spirit Hall, providing allowances to every Soul Master was certainly a lavish undertaking.
Perhaps many high-ranking Soul Masters thought nothing of such a paltry number of Gold Soul Coins.
But for low-ranking Soul Masters, one Gold Soul Coin a month was already a substantial income.
Take them, for example. Cleaning for the academy earned them ten Copper Soul Coins a day, or three Silver Soul Coins a month. It took roughly three months to earn one Gold Soul Coin.
One Gold Soul Coin equaled three months of their wages.
That was no small sum.
For Soul Masters at the bottom, the monthly Gold Soul Coin allowance from Spirit Hall alone could support an entire family.
After leaving Spirit Hall, they were in no hurry to return to the academy.
Since they rarely got a chance to come out, they planned to enjoy a proper stroll.
Xiao Wu was quite excited, tugging Su Mo over whenever she spotted something tasty.
As for where the money came from, Xiao Chenyu had contributed it, of course.
Su Mo had not forced him. The fellow had offered the money himself.
At this point, he was only a step away from becoming Su Mo's lapdog.
All Su Mo could say was that nobles certainly lived up to their reputation for having money.
"Su Mo, Su Mo, doesn't this sugar figurine look like you?" Xiao Wu held a plump sugar figurine in her hand.
Su Mo glanced at it and was left speechless.
"How does that look like me? I'm so handsome. If anything, it looks like you. Look at those chubby cheeks-they're just like yours."
"Pah! Su Mo, you're shameless. Who calls himself handsome?"
"Besides, Sister Xiao Wu is a natural beauty. How could I be that fat?"
Xiao Wu lightly punched Su Mo's chest.
"Heh, you've got the nerve to criticize me when you're calling yourself a natural beauty?" Su Mo was speechless. How was what Xiao Wu said any different from insulting herself?
"Hmph, Sister Xiao Wu is a natural beauty. I'm only telling the truth." Xiao Wu put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin.
"Yes, yes, you're a natural beauty." Su Mo nodded perfunctorily.
"You rotten Su Mo, here, take this. Consider it your lackey's fee for accompanying Sister Xiao Wu shopping today." Xiao Wu shoved the sugar figurine she had bitten into Su Mo's hand.
Su Mo looked at the missing corner of the figurine, where Xiao Wu's tiny tooth marks were still clearly visible.
He did not mind and took a bite. "Isn't my fee a little low? You're sending me off with just one sugar figurine?"
"It's your honor to accompany Sister Xiao Wu shopping. You're already getting a bargain with that sugar figurine. What more do you want?" Xiao Wu huffed twice, looking thoroughly haughty.
Su Mo smiled and shook his head, then pulled a cloth pouch from inside his clothes. "Yes, yes, it's my honor to accompany Sister Xiao Wu shopping."
"Take this. Buy whatever you want." He pushed the pouch into Xiao Wu's hands.
"Wow, so much money! Su Mo, where did you get all this?"
Xiao Wu counted the money in the pouch. There were dozens of Silver Soul Coins and even several Gold Soul Coins.
"Xiao Chenyu offered it to me as a tribute, of course." Su Mo made no attempt to hide it. "Buy whatever you like. No need to save."
Clutching the money pouch, Xiao Wu grinned. "Then I'll spend it all. Don't regret it later."
Su Mo shrugged. "What's there to regret? It wasn't my money anyway, so spending it doesn't hurt."
Xiao Wu turned and ran off. "Then I want ten skewers-no, twenty skewers of candied hawthorn!"
"Wait, can you even finish that many?" Su Mo hurried after her.
"If I can't, there's always Wang Sheng and the others, right? They're my underlings, after all. As their boss, I'll be generous for once today."
Well, well. Using my money to cement your position as boss, are you?
Wait, it isn't my money either. Never mind, then.
For the rest of their outing, things proceeded accordingly.
Xiao Wu truly went into a buying frenzy.
Su Mo had never imagined that even after transmigrating to another world, he still could not escape accompanying a girl shopping.
Whenever Xiao Wu saw something fun, she wanted to buy it.
She even wanted to buy a large rabbit-shaped wardrobe when she spotted it.
Fortunately, Su Mo stopped her in time. Otherwise, he really would not have known where to carry the thing.
Su Mo was speechless. Xiao Wu seemed to want to buy anything related to rabbits.
Although she was a hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit who had taken human form, surely she did not have to want everything rabbit-related.
"How is it? Does it look good?" Xiao Wu put a new rabbit-ear hair clip on her head.
"It does." Su Mo nodded. "It might look even better if they were real."
"Hmph... who wears real ones on their head?" Xiao Wu snorted.
At the other end of the street.
Tang San had gone to a different blacksmith shop. He still wanted to find a job.
He also wanted to forge some hidden weapons while he was at it.
He was nearly out of hidden weapons.
But then he suddenly spotted Su Mo and Xiao Wu.
He held a few Copper Soul Coins in his hand, intending to buy some pieces of iron to forge hidden weapons.
Instead, he saw Xiao Wu pulling Su Mo through the crowd, her smile blooming like a flower.
His footsteps suddenly halted.
That damned Su Mo again.
Why does Xiao Wu spend every day with that guy?
An inexplicable pang of jealousy rose in Tang San's heart. He wanted to go shopping with Xiao Wu and buy things together, too.
He longed for Xiao Wu to hold his hand as they chatted and laughed.
Hmph, Teacher said that fellow is useless. Once Xiao Wu realizes he's nothing but a good-for-nothing, she'll surely see reality clearly.
I'm the only one worth relying on. I have twin martial souls.
As he watched Xiao Wu buy one thing after another, the smile never left her face.
He watched how excited Xiao Wu became when Su Mo handed her the money pouch.
He glanced at the Copper Soul Coins in his hand. So what if you have money? Xiao Wu definitely isn't the kind of person who loves money.
Out of sight, out of mind. If Xiao Wu had been alone, he would certainly have pretended to run into her by chance. But with Su Mo there, he simply turned and left.
Before you continue