Jiang Nannan found Jin Su secretly wiping away tears.
"The president was far too heavy-handed. He doesn't know the first thing about cherishing a delicate flower."
Jiang Nannan walked over and comforted her.
Jin Su was still upset that she had failed to get her revenge, and she could hardly understand what Jiang Nannan was talking about.
Seeing Jin Su calm down, Jiang Nannan tried to find something to talk about.
"Susu, this is the imperial capital of Dou Ling, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. After the way you fought just now..."
"I'm afraid you'll have to pay a lot in compensation, won't you?"
At the mention of money, Jin Su immediately understood.
"I don't have any money."
"Then I'd better hurry up and run."
With that, she left at once, without a moment's hesitation.
Jiang Nannan stared after Jin Su as she ran off. She froze for a moment, then slowly realized that her words seemed to have given Jin Su the wrong idea.
She had simply grown up poor, so she was sensitive about such things and couldn't help thinking of them.
She returned alone and said,
"I couldn't find Jin Su."
"Maybe the beating made her shut herself off."
Chu Qing noticed that none of them seemed to realize the Emperor Auspicious Beast had come to assassinate him, so he decided not to mention it. Jin Su? What an awful name.
Jiang Nannan looked again at the mess in front of the Swan Grand Hotel and said worriedly,
"I'm afraid we'll have to pay a lot in compensation. We also held up their business."
Seeing this, Xu Sanshi immediately stepped forward, eager to show his responsible side.
"This whole thing started because of me. Don't worry, I'll take care of the compensation."
Princess Xue Li sighed and said,
"I'll ask about it later. We should only need to restore the square to its original state. It shouldn't come to a fine."
"That's good, then," Jiang Nannan said.
Tang Wutong, however, grabbed Xue Li's hand and said,
"Whoever broke it should pay for it."
"Didn't my junior brother hook up with a princess of the Star Luo Empire? That little bit of money is just a drop in the bucket to him."
"A Star Luo princess?"
Jiang Nannan couldn't help looking at Chu Qing. Unlike Xue Li, whose eyes had taken on a hint of anger, there was a touch of bleakness in her smile.
Chu Qing wordlessly wiped his forehead and asked,
"It's lively today. What does everyone want to eat? My treat."
Tang Wutong's eyes lit up at once, and she suggested,
"I know a good place. I'll take you there."
The youths enjoyed their gathering.
Chu Qing had just finished a fight and had a hearty appetite, so he ate to his heart's content. But when it was time to pay, the astronomical bill left him dumbfounded.
"Why is it so expensive?"
The shopkeeper gave him an ingratiating smile.
"President Qing, besides your bill for tonight, there's also what Miss Tang has been putting on your tab."
"Damn!"
Chu Qing had no choice but to pay.
On the way back, Tang Wutong seemed to sense something and said,
"Has it gotten cold?"
"Why do I keep feeling a chill down my back?"
She soon noticed that something was off with Chu Qing. She walked up to examine him and chuckled.
"You'd better save up your own spending money," Chu Qing said.
Just for the sake of their late master, he had only spent some money to protect his reputation, so he couldn't very well say much to his senior sister about it.
"Of course. Big Daddy passed away early, so your senior sister still has to save up a bride price for you."
Chu Qing wiped his forehead, feeling utterly speechless.
"What a sin!"
The Soul Fighting Society was peaceful again for the time being, if one didn't count Xu Sanshi finding new ways to court Jiang Nannan every day, and Tang Wutong and Princess Xue Li gossiping about Jiang Nannan together every day.
A few days later, people from the Star Luo Empire arrived to coordinate the order with Li Zhongyuan.
Jiang Nannan was slightly lost in thought as she watched Princess Jiujiu leave with Chu Qing.
Xu Sishi had sidled over at some point. He sighed.
"Ah! I don't even know how many times I've tried to talk Chu Qing out of it."
"My aunt also told him not to be so fickle, but he wouldn't listen. Unlike me..."
He went on, absorbed in his own words, while Jiang Nannan frowned slightly and patiently listened to him finish.
Two days later, they prepared to set out to hunt a Soul Ring for Xu Jiujiu. Seeing Tang Wutong tagging along, Chu Qing asked in surprise,
"Why aren't you continuing to idle your days away? What are you coming for?"
Tang Wutong puffed out her cheeks in protest.
"You just didn't see me when I was cultivating hard."
"I've had enough of staying here. Can't I go look around?"
"And call me Senior Sister."
Chu Qing wasn't keen on spending more time with her and still wanted to hurry back, but Xu Jiujiu had already smiled and invited her into the carriage.
Tang Wutong plopped herself down between the two of them and said with a smile,
"See? Now you know the difference between a princess and a prince and you, right?"
Chu Qing couldn't be bothered with her, but he stared in puzzlement at the direction the carriage was heading.
"Aren't we going to the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Xu Jiujiu nodded.
"Our destination is the Far North."
Both Chu Qing and Tang Wutong were puzzled.
"Can the Star Crown Martial Soul absorb an ice-attribute Soul Ring?"
Xu Jiujiu explained,
"It couldn't before, but later we discovered it had a marvelous use."
"Still, it's my trump card for the Soul Master Tournament I'll be taking part in soon, so please forgive me for not telling you two just yet."
Tang Wutong pondered this.
"In that case, if my Light Goddess Butterfly absorbed a dark-attribute Soul Ring, would I gain something unexpected?"
Chu Qing gave her a firm assessment.
"Neither fish nor fowl."
Furious, Tang Wutong reached over and pinched Chu Qing's waist.
"Hmph! How can you talk to your senior sister like that?"
Unable to bear it any longer, Chu Qing reached for Tang Wutong's neck.
Tang Wutong ducked, and in an instant he grabbed the neck of Xu Jiujiu, who had turned around and looked somewhat startled.
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding."
He immediately let go and gave an awkward smile.
Tang Wutong began mocking him at once.
"A wandering hand is a wandering hand."
Xu Jiujiu chuckled, apparently unconcerned.
"It's all right."
"You two senior sister and junior brother seem quite close."
Tang Wutong curled her lip.
"What's so good about it? He never listens to me."
Chu Qing simply closed his eyes. Out of sight, out of mind. He began meditating and cultivating.
Two hours later, he felt Tang Wutong leaning against his shoulder, asleep and drooling.
But he had just gained some insight, so he decided to bear with it and paid her no attention.
Xu Jiujiu watched the two with a smile on her lips. Did she come here to stake her claim?
As she watched, she suddenly sensed that something was wrong and called out softly,
"Stop the carriage!"
"We'll make camp here."
The others were puzzled at first, but they soon noticed something unusual about Chu Qing and Tang Wutong. The Soul Power around them had actually begun to connect and fuse.
"This is..."
"Could it be that these two have a Martial Soul Fusion Agent?"
Xu Jiujiu motioned for silence, so they wouldn't disturb the pair.
Her feelings were complicated. If two Soul Masters possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill and were a man and a woman, she knew only too well what that meant.
Meanwhile, Chu Qing was in Deep Meditation and still unaware of the truth. He thought his comprehension was extraordinary and that he had grasped something incredible. Even the Soul Power inside him had begun to grow.