Chu Qing and Xue Shiqi gathered up their cards, ready to start over.
Princess Xue Li, who had followed Chu Qing over, took an exquisite jade-colored card case from her Swan emerald ring. She rehearsed a few times in her head, then spoke up:
"Use mine!"
She held out the card case with both hands. The moment Chu Qing looked at her, she shyly lowered her head.
The responsibility she bore had been instilled in her since childhood.
She knew her fate, but she hadn't expected Chu Qing to be so handsome, good-natured, gentle, and strong as well.
Even without the matter of the marriage alliance, she would have liked him upon meeting him.
Besides, if it didn't work out, she didn't know whom she would be married off to in the future, but he certainly wouldn't be as good as Chu Qing.
So she wanted to seize the opportunity too. Her father and mother's urging had given her just the confidence she needed to pursue the one she liked.
Chu Qing, however, was somewhat troubled by the matter.
As a transmigrator, he had already held particular feelings for some of the characters. Even when he was horny, he would be more interested in those well-known supporting characters, even Ye Xishui.
Princess Xue Li was quite cute, but he had no such thoughts about her.
He wasn't a good person. Princess Xue Li looked very well-behaved, but her aptitude was too poor. In time, he would grow tired of her and would inevitably want to abandon his wife and children.
He didn't think there was any need to stain his life like that. With a record like that, it would be inconvenient to hook up with other people in the future.
He said:
"No need. I'll play against you."
As for what to do about her, he had come up with a solution that he felt would give him the best of both worlds.
"Ah!"
Princess Xue Li looked up in surprise. Chu Qing was already asking Xue Shiqi if he had any spare cards.
Li Zhongyuan took a deck out of his ring and said:
"You can use mine. I put it together specifically to counter Princess Xue Li."
"Don't underestimate her. She may look delicate and frail, but she's a veteran card player. Besides me, hardly anyone can beat her."
"Thanks. I'm Chu Qing. What should I call you?"
"Li Zhongyuan. If you're interested, you can have this deck. Use it to learn the ropes first."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Chu Qing accepted the deck, looked at Princess Xue Li, and said:
"It's fine. You don't have to go easy on me."
Princess Xue Li was a little embarrassed by that, and a blush rose to her cheeks.
"No, no."
Chu Qing had been the focus of everyone's attention from the moment he arrived. Li Zhongyuan stopped playing and watched them.
Xue Shiqi also said:
"Chu Qing, I'll help you figure it out."
After setting down their decks, both players drew five cards.
With cards in her hand, Princess Xue Li's eyes immediately took on a spirited gleam.
Chu Qing couldn't help feeling pleased as he looked at his cards. The deck was clearly much better constructed, and his hand wasn't bricked anymore.
1* Sixty-Thousand-Year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger 2* Evil God Descends 3* Nine-Thousand-Year Scorpion Tiger 4* Yin-Yang Balance Dual Soul Cores 5* Evil God Descends
Xue Shiqi said:
"A heavenly opening hand. Use the Soul Cores first and draw two cards."
"Okay."
Chu Qing played Yin-Yang Balance Dual Soul Cores and drew two cards from his main deck, then chose one to add to his hand and one to discard.
He drew two cards from the deck.
1* Nine-Thousand-Year Scorpion Tiger 2* Sixty-Thousand-Year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger
Chu Qing discarded Scorpion Tiger and added Dark Demon Evil God Tiger to his hand.
"Activate Evil God Descends."
Divine power broke the rules of the usual Martial Soul Awakening, allowing him to discard a Soul Beast card from his hand in place of a sacrifice.
He discarded the Scorpion Tiger in his hand.
"Martial Soul Awakening, Dark Demon Evil God Tiger."
He looked across at Princess Xue Li, who had yet to make a move.
Li Zhongyuan said smugly:
"Well? Xue Shiqi, my deck's much stronger than yours, isn't it?"
"As for your deck, even a god couldn't get it going."
Xue Shiqi was far from convinced.
"Then who was it I beat into submission yesterday?"
Li Zhongyuan shook his head repeatedly.
"Playing cards against someone like you is the worst. No matter how many times I've beaten you, if I slip up and lose once, you'll go around bragging about it for ten days or half a month."
"I won, anyway," Xue Shiqi said, pleased with himself.
Princess Xue Li played a gold card and said softly:
"Quadruple Martial Soul."
It could special-awaken up to four white-grade Martial Souls from the deck at once.
She turned over her main deck and awakened four ninety-year Four-Winged Swan Martial Souls from the top.
Then she set two cards from her hand face down.
"Devour her card. Don't be afraid of her face-down cards. She might just be bluffing," Xue Shiqi said.
Ten-thousand-year and hundred-thousand-year Martial Souls that required sacrifices all possessed innate abilities: one for ten-thousand-year ones and two for hundred-thousand-year ones.
Their cultivation years served as their attack and defense values.
Chu Qing attacked. The sixty-thousand-year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger destroyed one of his opponent's ninety-year Four-Winged Swans in battle without a doubt.
He activated Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's devouring ability, stacking the Four-Winged Swan beneath it. Its cultivation rose by the combined years of its stacked materials.
The two sides began the second round.
Chu Qing drew a card, a black one.
Sixty-Thousand-Year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger · External Soul Bone · Evil God Hook.
Soul Bones could be equipped directly. A smile appeared on his face, and he thought it wasn't bad. He had Dark Demon Evil God Tiger absorb it.
"Absorb Soul Bone, Evil God Hook."
"Just what you needed," Xue Shiqi said.
Across from them, Xue Li also said happily:
"My card's here too."
"Emerald Swan."
She used two Four-Winged Swans as sacrifices to awaken the five-hundred-and-eighty-thousand-year Emerald Swan, Bi Ji.
Emerald Swan Bi Ji's ability returned the Soul Beasts in her graveyard to her deck, but Bi Ji could not attack.
The two Four-Winged Swans used as sacrifices therefore returned to the deck as well.
Chu Qing still had a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and an Evil God Descends in his hand. Li Zhongyuan advised:
"Exchange Dark Demon Evil God Tiger for a Soul Ring. Pick Evil God's Protection first."
"Okay."
Chu Qing discarded Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and turned over his extra deck. He saw that it was full of black Soul Rings, including Sprint and Dark Demon Evil Thunder, all Soul Rings that went with Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
He selected Evil God's Protection. When Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was attacked, it could discard one stacked material to defend against that attack.
"Absorb Soul Ring, Evil God's Protection."
Hearing those words, Princess Xue Li secretly gritted her teeth.
"Activate the External Soul Bone skill, Evil God Hook. Hook a Soul Beast card from the graveyard and stack it as material."
He hooked back the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger he had just discarded into the graveyard. Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's cultivation had already risen past 120,000 years.
Chu Qing thought it wasn't bad. It lived up to its name as the Evil Soul Master of the Soul Beast Realm. He attacked the remaining Four-Winged Swan on Princess Xue Li's field.
After defeating it, Dark Demon Evil God Tiger devoured it and stacked it as material.
Princess Xue Li's Emerald Swan couldn't attack, so the two sides entered the next round and each drew another card.
Chu Qing drew Yin-Yang Dual Soul Cores and activated it, drawing two more cards.
1* Million-Year Deep Sea Demonic Whale King 2* Sixty-Thousand-Year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger
Chu Qing decisively discarded the million-year Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, then used Evil God Hook to fish it back up and stack it as material.
In an instant, Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's cultivation soared to the million-year level.
"Hehe!"
Li Zhongyuan looked smugly at Princess Xue Li.
"Chu Qing, our deck's almost empty. Hurry and get the Soul Ring Dark Demon Evil Thunder out."
Chu Qing discarded the sixty-thousand-year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger in his hand, hunted for a Soul Ring, and equipped Dark Demon Evil Thunder. It activated when he destroyed an opposing Soul Beast in battle, destroying as many cards in the opponent's deck as he had stacked materials.
If he attacked the opposing Emerald Swan now, he could not only destroy it in battle but also destroy the top five cards in Princess Xue Li's deck.
Princess Xue Li seemed to be in trouble, but all she did was set another card face down.
Chu Qing grew suspicious, but Xue Shiqi urged him on at his ear:
"Go, Chu Qing! Destroy Emerald Swan and you win. I reckon Princess Xue Li's hand is bricked."
"Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, attack!"
As soon as Chu Qing gave the order, Xue Li flipped over a face-down card, a sly gleam flashing in her eyes.
"You fell for it."
"Activate the trap, Black Dragon's Protection. When Emerald Swan is attacked, special-awaken the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King from the deck or hand, and destroy all enemies with the Beast God's power."
She awakened Black Dragon Di Tian from her deck and destroyed Chu Qing's Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
The Soul Bone, Soul Rings, and materials he had spent so long preparing were all sent to the graveyard.
Li Zhongyuan stared dumbfounded and couldn't help saying:
"Princess Xue Li, isn't that a fake card?"
Princess Xue Li argued back on principle.
"Is it any faker than yours?"
"Whatever anyone plays, you have to put together a deck specifically to counter them."
Li Zhongyuan was momentarily at a loss for words. A little awkwardly, he said:
"Actually, that card of yours is pretty reasonable. It's not that outrageous."
Listening to their conversation, Chu Qing grew even more certain that they were using fake cards-or rather, that none of them had real cards.
He was about to keep drawing, but Li Zhongyuan stopped him.
"We don't have a chance. We've used up most of our resources, and we can't get past her two Ferocious Beasts."
Chu Qing couldn't help remarking:
"Oh!"
"I really am as terrible at cards as ever."
Xue Li felt a little regretful, thinking she should have gone easier on Chu Qing. But when she looked across at him, there wasn't a trace of displeasure in his eyes; if anything, he looked even more interested. She realized she had been overthinking it.
"No, again!" Chu Qing said as he gathered up his cards. "I refuse to believe it."
"Okay." Princess Xue Li smiled sweetly.
Everyone played cards together, enjoying themselves in harmony.
Seeing that Chu Qing was there too, Yang Tian couldn't help walking over to watch. When he saw they were playing Soul Fighting cards, he curled his lip.
"My grandpa says everyone who plays Soul Fighting cards is good for nothing."
Everyone looked up. Xue Shiqi explained to Chu Qing:
"Don't mind him. His grandpa won't let him play."
Yang Tian left in a huff and returned to Heavenly Sun Douluo's side. Watching from afar, he saw Chu Qing having a wonderful time playing with the others and couldn't help feeling a little envious. He looked at his grandfather and wanted to speak, but held himself back.
That was how things were at the banquet. After the Dou Ling Emperor left, he learned that Chu Qing had given the Soul Bone to Xu Sanshi. Although he admired the gesture, he couldn't help sighing at having to bleed money again.
"I originally meant to give it to Chu Qing after he achieved something at the Soul Master Tournament."
"Now I'll have to have Princess Xue Li find a chance to give it to him."
Over the past thousand years, the Dou Ling Imperial Family had discovered some good things, but their Martial Souls were too weak. Using those things themselves would be a waste, yet they couldn't bear to give them to outsiders.
And with the Dou Ling Imperial Family's blood flowing in Chu Qing's veins, now was just the right time to give it to him.
After leaving the banquet, Xu Sanshi's family were also marveling at the high quality of the Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone before them in the Ease Pavilion.
Xue Lingxun and her husband immediately realized that this wasn't the one the Dou Ling Emperor had originally prepared for Yang Tian. He had specifically exchanged it for another for Chu Qing.
Xu Sanshi, however, was too excited to think that much about it. After taking the Ginger Softness Grass, he began preparing to absorb the Soul Bone.
Xu Sanshi's father sent a voice transmission to Xue Lingxun.
"We owe Chu Qing a huge favor."