Qi Xuan knew Xiao Xiao was rich.
When he had borrowed money from the two girls before, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao had both practically thrown gold banknotes in his face.
A single gold banknote was worth a full thousand Gold Soul Coins.
That might not amount to much in the world of Soul Masters, but for ordinary people, it was already a sizable fortune-Huo Yuhao sold his grilled fish for just five Copper Soul Coins apiece.
Wang Dong went without saying: the young mistress of the Clear Sky Sect, God-King Tang's daughter, though his later baffling antics made it hard to imagine she was his own flesh and blood.
Xiao Xiao's background, on the other hand, had never been explained at all.
This was the first time the two of them had gone out together.
Before, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had usually been there too, making it a group outing.
But with just the two of them, the atmosphere suddenly felt strange.
Qi Xuan opened his mouth several times, unsure what to say.
After all, he was the one who had suggested eating at the Sleeping Dragon Court. He had only been joking-who knew Xiao Xiao would take him seriously?
So he could only shut his mouth and keep walking.
The Sleeping Dragon Court was not far from Shrek Academy, only about half an hour away.
But the time spent waiting in line there often far exceeded the journey itself.
Qi Xuan had already made up his mind: once they reached the entrance, he would use not wanting to queue as an excuse to switch to an ordinary restaurant.
Sure enough, just as Qi Xuan had expected, the weekend was drawing to a close, and the Sleeping Dragon Court was packed.
Qi Xuan perked up. "Wow, there are so many people! How about we go some-"
Unexpectedly, Xiao Xiao ignored the crowd entirely and led Qi Xuan straight to the reception desk. She took out a membership card. "Two people. Do you have any private rooms left?"
The receptionist saw Xiao Xiao's membership card and hurriedly nodded. "There happens to be one available upstairs. Please follow me."
Qi Xuan mechanically climbed the stairs, mechanically entered the room, and mechanically sat down across from Xiao Xiao.
To be honest, the private room was lovely. Lush green plants and soft lighting complemented the bright, elegant decor, setting the mood perfectly.
But there were only two of them.
Qi Xuan could tell that the room could seat at least seven or eight people. With only the two of them there, it felt rather empty.
Xiao Xiao returned to her usual manner, pushing the menu toward Qi Xuan and blinking at him. "Have a look at what you want to eat. Order something."
Qi Xuan looked into her eyes. "Sorry to make you spend so much."
Xiao Xiao did not mind at all. "It's just a meal. Why are you so hung up on it?"
Only then did Qi Xuan realize just how clear and bright Xiao Xiao's eyes were.
Since she had mostly been a supporting character in the original story, reduced to practically a passerby later on, Qi Xuan could honestly say he knew almost nothing about her.
Only after spending these past few months with Xiao Xiao had it truly struck him for the first time-
She was a living, breathing person, the protagonist of her own life, not some supporting character in a novel.
He had once been a spectator in the audience. Now, he had stepped fully onto the stage.
His stare made Xiao Xiao a little uneasy. "Stop staring at me like that. Is there something on my face?"
"No. I owe you one this time." Qi Xuan smiled and flipped through the menu in his hands. "Next time, I'll treat you to something good."
Xiao Xiao looked suspicious. "You're not going to use another group outing to fleece Wang Dong again, are you?"
"Ahem." Qi Xuan hurriedly added, "Just us. Just us."
At this point, saying anything more would only sound insincere, so Qi Xuan began ordering with a clear conscience.
The Sleeping Dragon Court's specialty was using different cooking methods for different Soul Beasts. Its handling of Soul Beast meat, in particular, was nothing short of exceptional.
Before long, the pork belly Qi Xuan had ordered arrived.
The pork belly came from Spirit-Fat Pigs, one of the rare Soul Beasts humans had fully domesticated.
Qi Xuan could not wait to take a bite. Layers of fat and lean meat alternated, sizzling with rendered oil, and the moment he bit down, it practically melted in his mouth.
Delicious.
In all the years since he had transmigrated, he had been scraping and clawing his way along the bottom, never getting to eat anything particularly good.
Until now, the best thing he had eaten was Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.
But he was not particularly fond of seafood. Meat was the true crown jewel of the human diet!
Xiao Xiao looked at Qi Xuan in puzzlement. Why was he getting so excited over some grilled meat?
After eating and drinking his fill, Qi Xuan rubbed his belly and let out a satisfied burp in the private room.
Xiao Xiao, meanwhile, was going to settle the bill first.
Just then, the door to the neighboring private room opened too.
A blonde woman stepped out. She had an attractive face and a shapely figure, and looked about twenty-five or twenty-six.
She froze for two seconds when she saw Xiao Xiao, then covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Well, if it isn't Junior Sister Xiao. Why didn't you let your big sister know you'd come to Shrek City? We haven't seen each other in five or six years. We sisters ought to catch up."
Xiao Xiao's expression turned cold as frost. "Shen Yao, the moment you betrayed the sect six years ago, you stopped being my senior sister."
She glanced at the man beside Shen Yao, whose arm was wrapped around her, undisguised contempt in her eyes. "What happened to the man who said he'd take you away back then? He doesn't seem to be the one beside you now, does he?"
"Yaoyao, you..." The man released her and looked at Shen Yao uncertainly.
"You little bitch! I'll twist that mouth right off your face!" Shen Yao's composure shattered instantly. She lunged at Xiao Xiao, clawing wildly, as five Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black-rose around her.
Xiao Xiao was startled. Shen Yao's talent had not been outstanding back then, which was one of the reasons she had betrayed the sect for her lover.
Yet now, she had actually become a Soul King!
That pace was already comparable to the geniuses of Shrek Academy.
Xiao Xiao thrust out her hand, and the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron blocked the narrow corridor, placing itself between her and Shen Yao.
A strangely shaped musical instrument appeared in Shen Yao's hands, and she began to play.
The melody passed over the cauldron's barrier and rushed straight toward Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao's mind grew increasingly frantic. No, Shen Yao's martial soul, the Joyful Sheng, shouldn't have such powerful offensive capabilities.
This should have been music that brought people joy, yet as it rang through Xiao Xiao's mind, all it unleashed was endless resentment and poisonous grief.
Left with no choice, Xiao Xiao could only switch back to the Nine Phoenixes Saluting Flute, activating her Heavenly Sound Magpie skull bone at the same time.
Heavenly Sound Tremor!
The two sound waves clashed, and Xiao Xiao was clearly at a disadvantage.
The gap in their levels was simply too great. Besides, the Nine Phoenixes Saluting Flute did not have any Soul Rings yet. Even with the boost from her Soul Bone, she was still no match for her opponent.
Shen Yao had been waiting for the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron to disappear. She immediately lunged at Xiao Xiao again, clearly intending to strike a killing blow.
A streak of lightning flashed.
Qi Xuan stepped in front of Xiao Xiao and threw a punch at the oncoming Shen Yao.
Bam!
Shen Yao was sent flying backward, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
She had never been good at physical combat. Caught off guard by Qi Xuan's punch, she could no longer feel her left arm.
She stared coldly at Xiao Xiao and demanded, "Is this your lover?"
Qi Xuan scratched his head. "Ah, you've misunderstood. We're classmates, though Xiao Xiao really is a very important friend of mine."
"But there's something I'm wondering about. Why would that be your reaction?"
"Do you make a habit of taking lovers?"
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