“I did eat a bit, so I’m not hungry.” Su Bai nodded.
“Alright, then. Let’s go back to the hotel first and take a rest. We’ll go have dinner later. It just so happens to be almost noon.” Chen Ruoxue pulled his hand and walked out of the airport.
“Okay.” He nodded and let her hold his hand.
“By the way, have you finished your business in the Scarlet Wilderness?” she turned her head and asked.
“Yes, thanks to the help of Senior Wei Ya, or else I wouldn’t have made it back in time.” He nodded.
“That’s good. Actually, it might’ve been better if you didn’t come. This game isn’t as simple as we think.” Chen Rouxue sighed.
Su Bai was silent for a moment before asking, “Is it because this competition involves the issue of the host city ownership next year?”
“Yes, there are a lot of benefits involved, so it’s too complicated. It feels like several provinces are deliberately losing in the semifinals.” Chen Rouxue sighed again.
There was huge interest involved in where the City League Tournament was held. It seemed to be a competition based on strength, but in fact, which city hosted the competition each year was very tacit in everyone’s mind, and there was a secret set of rules.
“It’s okay. We just need to play seriously. Anyway, we have come to this point already.” He hugged her shoulder.
Purple Jade changed into a big cat and took them to the hotel where their team was located.
As soon as they arrived, a group of people who had been waiting there stopped them. “Please wait a minute.”
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Hello, I’m Hou Qingfeng, Hou Lan’s cousin. Can I invite you to the café next door to have a chat with you?”
A young man dressed in trendy brands with blond hair walked down from his Rolls-Royce, approaching him like a Korean idol and smiling at him.
“Just tell me directly if you have anything to say. We don’t have much time,” he said blankly.
His words caused Hou Qingfeng to pause slightly, but he maintained his casual smile. “Alright. As far as I know, the relationship between you and my cousin, Hou Jie, seems different. You’re much closer than normal teachers and students.
“My cousin has been alone with you several times before she disappeared, and she seemed to have driven secretly to a mountain, so I want to ask for her whereabouts. You should know, shouldn’t you?
“Before she left, she told us that she already has someone she likes. She even said that she’s devoted to him, so we gave up, thinking that she’ll never agree to a marriage alliance.
“After the Wang family learned about this, they chose to marry my sister, instead. My cousin has nothing to do with it now. I just wanna let her know that she can come back, and the family won’t blame her.
“We won’t stop her from marrying whoever she wants as well. We just hope that she can come back soon.”
Hou Qingfeng was gentle and polite, and coupled with his handsome face, which was only slightly less handsome than Su Bai’s, he exuded a sense of modesty and grace.
However, his gaze was focused on Chen Ruoxue’s face as he observed the changes in her expression.
Su Bai was taken aback, and then shook his head. “I don’t know where Teacher Hou is; I can’t help you inform her.”
“That’s a shame, but you can just tell us when you see her, so don’t worry.” Hou Qingfeng smiled.
“Alright, then. Is there anything else? If not, we will take our leave first.” He nodded and spoke slowly without revealing any emotions.
In fact, he was thinking about how to deal with this guy without leaving any traces behind. From this person’s expression, he could tell that he had designs on Chen Ruoxue.
“There’s one last thing. I sincerely invite you to join our Hou family; I can promise to pay for both of your pets in the future.
“You should know that after reaching the sovereign level, pets consume tens of millions of basic energy supplements every day, and it’ll cost hundreds of millions just for a little training.
“Without a stable source of income, it isn’t enough to venture into the monster wilderness as a livelihood.” Hou Qingfeng tried again.
“Okay, I’ll consider it.” Su Bai nodded.
“What about you, lady? Are you interested? You don’t need to do anything to join the Hou family; you just need to help us at some critical moments. Otherwise, we won’t disturb you.” The man smiled as he invited her.
“I’m not interested. Sorry.” Chen Ruoxue refused more simply than her boyfriend.
After she finished speaking, Su Bai patted the cub and told it to go. Purple Jade loudly mewled at the few blocking the way as if to say that whoever got in the way would be killed by it.
Once the two entered the hotel, Hou Qingfeng’s expression gradually turned gloomy. “D*mn, they really think they’re so important. Let’s go!”
“Master Feng, it seems like the relationship between those two is deeper than you think. Her expression didn’t change despite your remarks.” His subordinates got in the car and commented.
“Hmph. The seeds of suspicion have been planted, and they will sprout sooner or later. If not for the two pure blood dragons in her hands, I wouldn’t even bother chasing such a loose woman.
“I’ve long grown tired of women who are more beautiful and stronger than her. Only an inexperienced caveman like Su Bai will treat her like treasure,” said Hou Qingfeng with disdain.
The pure blood dragon pets were being monopolized by the alliance, so they could only be owned by first-established gymnasiums and top families.
If other forces wanted some, the best way was to draw pure blood dragons, which had naturally appeared in the wild, into their families so that they could have dragons that could be passed on.
Hou Qingfeng and many people started harboring such plots only after seeing the two dragons in Chen Ruoxue’s hands, but Su Bai was a thorn in their eyes, and many wanted to kill him.
“Exactly. Those talented and beautiful girls on TV have all succumbed to you, Master Feng. She’s nothing.”
“Still, I heard that Su Bai has some background. It seems like he is part of the Pet Tamer Association and is suspected to own an Ancestor Blood Dragon. Is it good to play like this?” Someone reminded him softly.
“Hmph. He’s nothing in my eyes. If my stupid cousin, Hou Lan, didn’t give him the Purgatory Tyrant egg, how could he have risen to this point?
“He’s just an ungrateful terror; I kindly invited him to help lift him up. A guy like him, who came from the backwater, really thought that this society is simple and he can rise based on talent?
Is the Ancestor Blood Dragon something he can own? Is he even worthy?
“He’s dead meat even if he has an Ancestor Blood Dragon. Did he think that there’s only one person who dislikes him?
“This is the territory of the Wang family. As long as someone dies, his background and all are fleeting.”
Hou Qingfeng sneered coldly. “Once he’s dead, I’ll chase his girlfriend and make love with her in front of his portrait.”
His subordinates remained silent, for they knew that he could not be persuaded otherwise. Hou Qingfeng hated those civilians who did not have any background but still dared to be arrogant in front of him. Those who had done this previously ended up in miserable states, and he had often made love with others’ girlfriends in front of them.
“Let’s go; I’ll take you to Heaven and Earth to play today.” He calmed down.
They drove away and soon arrived at Heaven and Earth clubhouse, which was located a few kilometers away. They got out of the car and were about to enter the clubhouse.
Suddenly, an invisible force appeared out of thin air, and the whole Rolls-Royce was turned into ashes in silence. The people in the car could not make the slightest resistance from beginning to end.
Some of those nearby seemed not to have noticed this scene at all.
…
In the hotel elevator, Su Bai looked at Chen Ruoxue and said, “When I finished the college entrance examination that day, I just went out with Teacher Hou for a walk, nothing else.”
“Do you think I’ll believe in other people’s provocations? Aren’t you looking down on my trust in you? Don’t I know what kind of person is?”
Chen Ruoxue huffed and chided him. Hou Qingfeng thought his remarks were perfect, but it was no different than bullshit in her eyes.
“Haha! I know, but it’s better to spell it out clearly with you. There was nothing to worry about from the start.”
Su Bai said.
“It’s really annoying. Just because I used two dragons in the game recently, a lot of people have come to bother me. These people are really shameless. I said that I have a boyfriend, yet they still keep bothering me.
It even made me afraid to go out. I wouldn’t have joined the competition if I had known earlier.”
Chen Ruoxue wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned on him, complaining irritably.
“They are just coveting the two dragons in your hand. Don’t worry. Now that I am here, you can just stand behind me.” He gently hugged his girlfriend’s back.
Everyone dared to harass them mainly because they had no background.
However, there was nothing they could do about it. The society had developed over the years, such that the chaebol and capital were so powerful; they were naturally extremely arrogant.
“Hmm~” She buried her head in his arms and nodded.
Soon, they went up to the third floor and walked into the club suite.
“Su Bai, welcome. You came just in time.”
In the living room, Yu Lingyue and the others quickly welcomed them with a smile.
“Thank you. I will try my best to win the game the day after tomorrow.” He smiled.
Li Xing poured two glasses of ice cola for them, while Yu Lingyue handed the collected information about the opponents to him.
Looking at the information, he found that the opponents in the national league were way stronger than them. Among the five players, the one with the lowest strength had a mid-level commander pet.
The strength of the captain and deputy captain were not clear. They had at least high-level commanders. According to speculations, they might even have monarch pets.
Su Bai looked at the information and felt like they had no chance of winning. His teammates were too weak.
In fact, this was also normal. It was difficult for ordinary people to compare with those aristocratic children who had never had to worry about resources since they were young, including those under the guidance of professional cultivators. What they could compete with was experience of fighting monsters in the wild. From emperor pets onward, there was no way to rely on the realm of resources piling anymore.
“Where is Director Tang?” asked Su Bai curiously.
“He’s not here. I don’t know where he went, but he left yesterday.” Yu Lingyue shrugged.
“Can I take it that he’s given up on the game?” Su Bai raised his hand questioningly.
He was suddenly disappointed in the game. He had hurried over just for this?
The others also fell silent. Tang Long leaving without saying a word at this critical juncture was self-evident.
“I don’t know what he thinks, but I really want to win.”
After a long time, Yu Lingyue said, “The result isn’t important anymore; let’s just try our best.”
“Alright. I’ll go back to my room first.” He exhaled and asked Chen Ruoxue to take him to rest in her room.
It was really ironic. At first, it was Tang Long who asked him to help the team win the championship, but now he was the first to leave. That director was completely unreliable.
However, he actually had nothing to do with Tang Long and had come here for his girlfriend.
“It’s okay. Let’s just play this game casually.” Chen Ruoxue comforted him. “I just feel that it’s unfair to you, and it’s me who asked you to play in the semifinals. I’m so sorry; I’m all to blame.”
She had been the one who allowed them to enter the semifinals and had even exposed all her cards in order to do so.
However, Tang Long had left directly on the eve of the finals, which was really damning.
What infuriated Su Bai the most was that, even if he exhausted all means to win the championship, Tang Long could still enjoy the fruits of his labor for free in the end.
“It’s okay; I’ll just take it as practice. Let’s just play normally and not expose our trump cards, then we won’t be in danger anymore. We’re unfamiliar with Shanghai, and many people are still coveting your pet dragon.” She took his hand as she spoke.
Su Bai fell silent.
“Can you promise me this? It’s just a game, not an important event. It’s not the only way to participate in the Heavenly King Round-robin Tournament. Listen to me, or I’ll ignore you.” She rubbed his face affectionately.
“Okay, I promise you.” He sighed deeply. “Forget about the d*mn match; I won’t take part anymore in the future. It’s meaningless.”
He had also let go of winning now. No matter how many games he participated in, he would be unable to improve his strength now.
“Thank you. You’re the best.” Chen Ruoxue kissed him.
They chatted for a while, and when it was almost noon, she said, “Let’s takeout food. It’s too troublesome to go out to eat.”
“Okay, I’ll call for a takeout,” he said.
After eating, they remained in the room instead of going out.
At night, when they were both playing games, thumping sounds came from the door. “Su Bai, Ruoxue, are you two asleep?”
“What’s the matter?” Chen Ruoxue opened the door and asked.
“People from the Pet Administration Bureau are looking for you. They said that they are doing investigations. They’re waiting for you in the living room.”
Li Xing pointed to a few police in uniforms standing in the living room and looked a little enviously at her.
“Understood. We’ll come right away.” She nodded.
“Put on your shoes and let’s go out. The pet management bureau is here.” She patted her boyfriend.
Su Bai nodded, having heard what Li Xing had said.
“What’s the matter?” The two put on their clothes and went to the living room.
These officers took a look at them, then took out five photos, and said, “Please come with us to the bureau. We suspect that the deaths of these five people are related to you. According to our investigation, the people they last met near the hotel were you two.”
“Hou Qingfeng? They’re dead?!” Su Bai saw the five men in the photo and was shocked senseless. “We did meet them once, but this should have nothing to do with us. We’ve been in this hotel ever since. You can check the monitoring.”
“We have already investigated, but we still need you to go to the bureau to record a confession under the polygraph test. It will only take half an hour. Please cooperate with our investigation.”
These three people from the Pet Administration Bureau said.
“Okay, then.” The couple exchanged helpless glances.
