Su Xiaoqi watched Flender standing there, muttering and acting all mysterious, and nearly burst out laughing. At first, he wanted to go up and "comfort" him a little, but after seeing a message from Zhu Zhuqing, he figured it'd be better to just let Flender have a quiet moment alone.
Looking at the card in his hand that had just turned into **9,000 gold soul coins**, Su Xiaoqi cheerfully walked toward Zhu Zhuqing.
Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong and the others—who were closer to the Soul Arena—rushed over the moment the host announced the results.
Xiao Wu stood next to Zhu Zhuqing, who was still collapsed on the Soul Arena platform, waving her hands in a panic as she explained,
**"Brother, I didn't do anything! I don't know why Zhu Zhuqing suddenly collapsed!"**
Tang San patted her hair affectionately and smiled,
**"I believe you. As long as you're okay, that's what matters."**
On the other side, Ning Rongrong rushed to Zhu Zhuqing's side, knelt down in concern, and said,
**"Zhuqing, are you alright? Let me help you up."**
At that moment, Dai Mubai, thinking it was his moment to shine, stepped forward and said,
**"Let me carry her for treatment."**
Ning Rongrong slapped away his outstretched hand and stepped protectively in front of Zhu Zhuqing, glaring at him,
**"Don't even think about touching Zhuqing. Su Xiaoqi is coming. If you don't want to get beaten again, stay away."**
Dai Mubai's eyes turned ice-cold.
**"Ning Rongrong, don't push your luck. Don't think I won't do something to you right here."**
Just then, a mocking voice echoed from the distance,
**"Dai Mubai—wanna bet I make sure you don't survive the night?"**
Ning Rongrong looked toward the voice and called out,
**"Su Xiaoqi! Come quickly and check on Zhuqing!"**
Su Xiaoqi smiled,
**"Rongrong, I'm not a participant—I can't enter. Could you help me bring Zhuqing out?"**
Su Xiaoqi had seen everything Ning Rongrong just did. Because of that, he started truly accepting her in his heart—as a friend.
**"Hee hee, okay."** Ning Rongrong beamed happily. It was the first time she'd heard Su Xiaoqi call her by that name.
But beside her, Dai Mubai could no longer contain his rage. A powerful aura exploded from him as his spirit power surged.
**"Su Xiaoqi, you think I'm afraid of you?"**
The energy blast nearly sent Ning Rongrong flying, but a hand caught her just in time. Before she could say anything, Zhu Zhuqing whispered,
**"Don't speak. Just pretend you're supporting me."**
**"Contestant."** At that moment, the host stepped in front of Dai Mubai and said coldly,
**"I don't care what grudge you have—but remember, this is the Soul Arena."**
Dai Mubai looked at the host blocking his way, exhaled deeply, and withdrew his spirit energy.
The Great Soul Arena belonged to a very special power. Forget being a fugitive prince—even a legitimate one would think twice before stirring up trouble here.
Dai Mubai shot a cold glance at Su Xiaoqi and sneered,
**"You got lucky this time. Next time won't be so easy."**
With that threat, he turned and stormed back to the rest area.
Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ma Hongjun followed him. On one hand, they still had matches to fight; on the other, they felt closer to Dai Mubai than to Su Xiaoqi—after all, his background was more "special."
Back in the rest area, Dai Mubai turned and shouted at Oscar,
**"Oscar! Get your ass over here! You want women? I'll take you later—pick however many you want!"**
Ma Hongjun's eyes lit up.
**"Boss Dai, can I come too? I wanna try a set of twins."**
Dai Mubai laughed heartily,
**"Sure. It's on me tonight. Take your pick."**
**"Disgusting."** Ning Rongrong said with a face full of contempt, refusing to even look at them. She supported Zhu Zhuqing and walked toward Su Xiaoqi.
**"Rongrong, that's not how it is—"** Oscar wanted to chase after her to explain, but didn't dare, fearing another round of scolding.
When they reached the corridor, Ning Rongrong handed Zhu Zhuqing over to Su Xiaoqi and immediately asked,
**"What's going on between you two?"**
**"We'll talk about it later. Let me treat you both to a late-night snack."** Su Xiaoqi said with a smile, then turned to Zhu Zhuqing,
**"Want to walk yourself, or should I help you?"**
Zhu Zhuqing smiled slightly,
**"I'm injured now—you figure it out."**
**"Alright, you're today's MVP—I'll treat you well."** Su Xiaoqi said as he picked her up on his back. After a few steps, he chuckled,
**"Zhuqing, ever thought about losing a little weight?"**
---
### At the late-night food stall.
Ning Rongrong laughed so hard she nearly cried as Su Xiaoqi recounted how he'd just tricked Flender. No wonder Zhu Zhuqing lost to Xiao Wu—it was all part of the plan.
**"Su Xiaoqi, you're so sneaky. Who even comes up with this stuff? Too bad I didn't get to see Flender's face."**
**"Back in my sect, everyone called me the Little Witch—but compared to you, I think I've been too soft."**
Zhu Zhuqing was also surprised at how thoroughly Su Xiaoqi had screwed over Flender—but she focused on something else entirely. She reached out her hand,
**"Hand it over."**
Su Xiaoqi blinked in confusion,
**"Hand over what?"**
**"The money you just won. Men change when they have money. Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you."**
Without hesitation, Su Xiaoqi handed over the card and smiled,
**"Here. I don't need it anyway."**
Seeing how straightforward he was, Zhu Zhuqing smiled in satisfaction. What she really wanted wasn't the money—but his attitude.
When they had almost finished eating, Su Xiaoqi pretended to reach into his shirt and then took out a **Beretta M92F pistol** and a box of bullets, placing them on the table. He looked at Ning Rongrong and said:
**"Rongrong, this is a handgun. Think of it as a self-defense weapon. As for its power… I'd say even Soul Kings wouldn't survive if they were caught off guard."**
He'd never used it before, but in the original story, Tang San's junky little Zhuge Crossbow could kill a Soul Sect-level enemy by surprise.
This handgun had to be way stronger. Maybe calling it Soul King-level was actually an understatement.
**"It's really that strong?"**
Ning Rongrong picked up the cold, heavy metal item. She didn't understand its structure, but trusted Su Xiaoqi completely.
**"Rongrong—never point the muzzle at yourself."** Su Xiaoqi took the gun back, loaded all the bullets, and smiled,
**"Wanna know how strong it is? Let's test it and find out."**
As a kid, he had only ever played with toy guns. He'd always dreamed of holding a real one—but never had the chance. Until now.
He suddenly noticed a creepy-looking figure stalking a woman just a short distance away.
**"Perfect,"** he grinned.
**"We've got ourselves a live test subject. Let's follow him and see what this thing can really do."**