Tang San smiled faintly, his gaze still lingering in the direction Dai Mubai had departed. "Why do you say that? I think he's not a bad person. A bit cold on the surface, maybe, but pretty straightforward."
Xiao Wu retorted dismissively, "Not a bad person? I'd say he's about as wrong as wrong can be. Think about it — he brings two girls to a hotel to get a room. What good could he possibly be doing? Indulging in lewdness in broad daylight, and you call him a good person? Some Evil-Eyed White Tiger — I'd say he's more like a Lustful Tiger."
Tang San frowned slightly. "Xiao Wu, I'm noticing you seem to know more and more about things these days."
Xiao Wu failed to notice the flicker of displeasure in Tang San's eyes. Instead, she said proudly, "Well, of course! Don't forget, I'm the boss of all the students at Nuoding Academy."
Shaking his head in resignation, Tang San said, "I'm not going to pass judgment on Dai Mubai's personal tastes. But from the fight just now, he's pretty capable across the board. His strength is above ours, yet he didn't bully us with it. Not only did he give up the room for us, but his parting words seemed to suggest he'd look after us at the academy."
Xiao Wu asked curiously, "Speaking of which, he kept saying something about us being twelve and him being fifteen. And before that, he said he'd already lost. What did all that mean?"
Tang San explained, "He said he'd already lost even before we used our Martial Souls, for two reasons — one was that I'd beaten him in technique, and the other was probably our age. Later, after we both brought out our Martial Souls, he repeated the same thing and emphasized the age gap. If I'm not mistaken, when he was twelve, his strength probably wasn't as good as ours is now. That's why he said he'd already lost. Our teacher once said that for Soul Masters with exceptional talent, every year before the age of twenty is critical — a single year's difference can mean a large gap in cultivation. We're three years younger than him, yet the gap in our strength isn't nearly as large as the age difference would suggest. So he considers it a loss on his part. That's just how competitive he is."
Xiao Wu dismissed her Martial Soul transformation and suddenly whispered, "Brother, if he'd actually beaten you just now, would we really have had to get out?" She hadn't forgotten Dai Mubai's arrogant words from earlier.
Tang San replied evenly, "Even if someone had to leave, it would only have been me. That's exactly why I didn't let you fight. He was right — one Soul Ring apart, and the difference in strength is enormous. Whether it's Soul Power, the attributes granted by his Soul Rings, or the skill from his thousand-year Soul Ring, they all surpass ours. After activating his White Tiger Diamond Transformation, even if the two of us teamed up, we might not have been his match. You really think I'd stand by and watch you get thrown out? If he'd insisted on that, then I would have had no choice but to fight him to the death. In terms of pure strength, I'm inferior to him. But if it came down to a life-or-death struggle, I'm seventy percent confident I could take him down with me."
With those words, Tang San strode toward the front desk. Fortunately, his fight with Dai Mubai hadn't lasted very long, and Dai Mubai hadn't gone all-out even after activating the White Tiger Diamond Transformation. Otherwise, the Rose Hotel wouldn't have gotten off with just some decorative damage in the lobby.
Xiao Wu watched Tang San walk toward the counter, lowered her head, and murmured his words under her breath. "Fight to the death… for dignity…"
Manager Wang poked his head out from behind the front desk, and upon seeing Tang San approaching, immediately plastered on a grin. "Young man, you're really something! Even Young Master Dai was willing to give up the room for you. Thank goodness you weren't hurt — otherwise, we'd have had no way to explain it."
Tang San glanced at the wreckage in the lobby and gave a rueful smile. "Manager, how much will it cost to repair all this?"
Manager Wang hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, that has nothing to do with you. Young Master Dai already said he'd cover it all. He's a VIP guest here — he can just put it on his tab. I'm truly sorry about all the trouble. We wasted your time and nearly put you in danger. I'd like to knock three days off your room rate — if you're staying no more than three nights, you won't have to pay a thing."
As he spoke, he pressed a gleaming golden key into Tang San's hand, his face full of apologetic smiles.
Tang San was taken aback. The hotel's damage didn't bother him much — Dai Mubai was obviously wealthy — but the free room rate made him feel a bit awkward. After all, he'd had a hand in wrecking the lobby.
"There's no need for that. We'd rather just pay the full price."
Manager Wang shook his head vigorously. "Nonsense! We've already caused you enough trouble. Just come back and visit us whenever you have time — that would be the greatest help you could give. Your room is on the top floor. The door plate reads 'Red Ocean.'"
Tang San could do nothing but nod. "Then thank you."
After all the commotion, Tang San was feeling rather weary. He turned and led Xiao Wu upstairs.
Between the long journey to Sotuo City and the fight with Dai Mubai, he needed rest — both the mental strain and the expenditure of his inner energy had taken their toll. After all, having his Blue Silver Grass repeatedly shattered by Dai Mubai's attacks had cost him a significant amount of energy.
Watching the pair head upstairs, Manager Wang finally let out a sigh of relief. "That's finally settled."
He turned to the bewildered-looking attendant beside him and sighed. "That was my fault — I forgot to warn you. The other rooms are fine, but the Red Ocean suite is not to be given to just anyone. Young Master Dai has it reserved long-term."
The attendant said, "Manager, the Red Ocean room costs ten Gold Soul Coins per night. You're really going to let those two kids stay there for free? Young people these days are so forward — only twelve or thirteen years old, and yet…"
"Watch your mouth. Trouble comes from loose tongues," Manager Wang snapped, a flash of irritation crossing his face. "What do you know? Soul Masters are beings of the highest status. Didn't you see that both of those children already had two Soul Rings? At their age, they're already Great Soul Masters — their future potential is limitless. They could very well be descendants of some great clan. They're not the sort of people we can afford to offend."
(End of Chapter)