109: Chapter 109 Problem Girl

"Yes."

War Emperor Wei Potian stared at him for two seconds, then smiled. It was the kind of smile that looked like he'd finally found the person he'd been searching for for years—heartfelt and completely unreserved.

"Kid! I heard you made a magical girl card for Deputy Commander Xiao Hongyan, and even let Chu Yin blow up three Ninth-Rank beasts with a single shot! I nearly tore down my military tent when I was watching the livestream from the front lines!"

He reached out and patted Su Bai on the shoulder.

That single pat nearly drove Su Bai into the floor.

"Come, come, come inside and talk!"

War Emperor Wei Potian turned sideways to squeeze through the door frame—it was indeed a bit narrow for him—and strode into the living room, plopping down onto the sofa. The sofa let out a wail on the verge of collapse.

There was someone standing behind him.

Only then did Su Bai notice the young girl behind War Emperor Wei Potian, who had been blocked from view by his massive frame.

Wei Xiaoyu.

She had jet-black hair cut extremely short, the ends just covering her earlobes. Her features were exquisite but cold, and her dark golden eyes held no warmth, only a natural, condescending arrogance. She wore an expensive, deep-purple high-rank combat suit with a War Emperor family emblem pinned to the collar, and her boots were trimmed with magic crystals.

She stood there with her chin slightly raised, like a spoiled Persian cat.

She glanced at Su Bai.

Just one glance.

Then she looked away.

Su Bai had seen this look before. It was the same disdain one felt after seeing wilted vegetables at a market, not even bothering to look a second time.

Su Bai didn't react.

War Emperor Wei Potian, however, coughed and slapped the sofa armrest. "Sit! You sit too! Don't just stand there like a log!"

Wei Xiaoyu walked over to the other end of the sofa and sat down. She crossed her legs and folded her arms, her posture that of someone inspecting their own territory.

"Dad, I've already said it, I don't need a Card Creator."

Her voice was cold, carrying a sense of natural, spoiled defiance.

"Those third-rate goods in the National Competition? I can wipe them out with one hand. The Card Creators you've found for me—Fourth-Rank, Fifth-Rank, Sixth-Rank—all they make are things that can't even be brought out in public. A waste of my time."

She leaned back against the sofa, her raised finger tapping impatiently in the air.

"As for this one."

She glanced at Su Bai.

"The founder of the Magical Girl, the pioneer of lolicons, the primary foundation of young girl aesthetics, the strongest lolicon in history, and a super cross-dresser himself... Dad, even if you wanted to find me some amusement, you didn't have to find someone of this caliber."

The air in the living room froze for a moment. Listening to the long list of titles, Su Bai's expression gradually turned serious. He was deeply shocked; he hadn't expected his reputation in the outside world to have become like this. It was truly astonishing.

A vein pulsed on War Emperor Wei Potian's forehead. He covered his face with a hand larger than a sandpot and let out a muffled sigh through his fingers.

"Xiaoyu! Su Bai is a direct disciple of Her Excellency Qingyue! Be polite!"

"Li Qingyue?" Wei Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow. "A disciple of that eternal loli? That makes it even less reliable—the master hasn't even grown up, what kind of skills could the disciple have?"

War Emperor Wei Potian's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He looked at Su Bai, his eyes pleading: "My daughter is truly spoiled, please don't be angry."

Su Bai was not angry.

He didn't even look at Wei Xiaoyu. He lowered his head to scroll through his phone, then looked up, his tone as indifferent as if he were discussing dinner with Kyubey.

"Mr. Wei. I've watched a few recordings of your daughter's matches."

Wei Xiaoyu frowned.

Su Bai continued, "In that match where you didn't even beat your Third-Rank opponent, you threw a total of seventeen punches, and twelve of their trajectories were predicted by your opponent. Your center of gravity is too high, and when you turn, your left shoulder drops by half an inch—this is a habit you've likely had since you were young, because no one told you it was wrong when you were training."

The air in the living room froze.

Wei Xiaoyu's expression shifted from arrogance to blankness in an instant. Her lips moved twice on her exquisite little face, but no sound came out.

Because every word Su Bai said hit the bullseye with precision. The shock of "everyone is praising me, but this person is actually picking out my flaws" caused her brain to freeze completely.

Growing up, no one had ever dared to say such things to her.

"You—!"

Wei Xiaoyu sprang up from the sofa. Her dark golden eyes burned with the fury that only comes from being hit where it hurts. She clenched her right fist, and her Fourth-Rank peak magic power exploded from her body without reservation. The magic lamps in the living room flickered violently, and the water glass on the coffee table rattled.

"You, a Second-Rank Card Creator—what right do you have to evaluate my combat technique! Even my dad has never said my footwork had problems! Who do you think you are?! If you have the guts, come out and fight me—I'll let you see for yourself just how strong I am!"

War Emperor Wei Potian's expression changed drastically, and he pressed down on his daughter's shoulder.

"Xiaoyu! Are you crazy?! Su Bai is only Second-Rank! You are at the peak of the Fourth-Rank! You want to fight him? That's not a sparring match, that's bullying!"

He pressed down on his daughter while frantically signaling to Su Bai with his eyes.

The meaning of the look was very clear—brother, hurry and refuse. This girl doesn't know her own strength, and if you get hurt, not only will I lose face, but Li Qingyue could tear down all of Jinghai!

In fact, this was also why many people felt helpless about Wei Xiaoyu; her father was a Ninth-Rank War Emperor, so even if she did something wrong, people would still say she was right. And most of those who dared to correct her weren't interested in her, so over time, she became like this.

But... Su Bai was completely different, after all, his master was also a Ninth-Rank, and a Card Creator at that.

So... Su Bai looked at War Emperor Wei Potian's twitching eye. Then he looked at Wei Xiaoyu's face, flushed red with anger. Then he stood up.

"Sure."

Just two words.

War Emperor Wei Potian's movements froze.

Wei Xiaoyu's pupils contracted suddenly. She had assumed this Second-Rank Card Creator would be scared into waving his hands in refusal, and then she could dismissively snort and walk away. Instead, he said—sure?

"You—are you sure?" For the first time, a hint of uncertainty appeared in Wei Xiaoyu's voice.

"Sure." Su Bai took off his jacket and draped it over the back of the chair. "But I have conditions."

"What conditions?"

"If you lose, you become my Magic Card Master. During the National Competition, you use whatever card I tell you to use, and you fight however I tell you to fight. No picking and choosing, no cursing, no giving me attitude."

Wei Xiaoyu's eyes widened.

This person was actually—to her, the daughter of a War Emperor, with an SSS-rank profile at the peak of the Fourth-Rank—openly demanding conditions?

"...You're crazy."

"No." Su Bai tilted his head. "Do you accept or not?"

Wei Xiaoyu bit her lower lip. Her dark golden eyes swirled with anger, confusion, and a trace of wavering that she would absolutely never admit to. She turned to look at War Emperor Wei Potian. He was shaking his head frantically with an expression that screamed, "Daughter, don't take it, you couldn't possibly be his opponent."

She turned her head back.

"Fine! Challenge accepted! If you lose—"

"Whatever you want."

Su Bai walked toward the door. He paused when he passed by War Emperor Wei Potian.

"Mr. Wei. I have a training ground in the yard... By the way, if I beat your daughter, you won't be angry, right?"

"...How could I be angry?" War Emperor Wei Potian's voice cracked. "No, Su Bai, are you sure? You really want to fight her? She's at the peak of the Fourth-Rank! You're Second-Rank! That's a two-rank difference! And she really doesn't know her own strength—last time she sent a sparring partner to the infirmary. How will I explain that to your master when the time comes..."

"That's perfect."

Su Bai pushed open the back door without looking back.

Wei Xiaoyu followed closely behind him, her magic power still burning on the surface of her body, the dark golden light drawing a dazzling trail in the night.

Kyubey perched on the sofa armrest, its red glass eyes watching the two walk out the back door quietly. Its tail swept slowly.

[Su Bai. Do you need me to prepare a stretcher for you—for the opponent, that is.]

"No need."

Su Bai stood in the center of the yard, moonlight dyeing the bluestone slabs beneath his feet a pale silver. He looked up, watching the short-haired girl opposite him, who was burning with rage.

On the back of his left hand, the purple glow of the soul gem suddenly ignited in the night.

"Are you ready?"