C7 Faang Tong!

"Allow me to cover the bill for this beautiful lady," offered a man clad in a white robe, approaching Zhang Nan with a metal fan in hand. He presented his card to the cashier.

The cashier processed the transaction and, with a hint of disdain, handed the card back to the man while casting a dismissive glance at Zhang Nan.

Zhang Nan, unfazed, thanked the man with a smile.

Just then, Murong Wan approached the counter, carrying two pairs of shoes. She set them down and inquired, "Could you tally up the total for me?"

The cashier eyed the shoes and cheerfully announced, "That will be twenty thousand."

"Only twenty thousand? Such a bargain?" Murong Wan asked, surprised.

"It's because this gentleman has graciously paid for all of your clothes," the cashier explained, nodding towards the man with a smile.

Murong Wan turned to the man and graciously said, "Well, thank you. How much do I owe you? I'll pay you right now."

The man waved his metal fan dismissively and proposed, "There's no need. It wasn't much. Instead, may I have the pleasure of inviting you to dine with me?"

Murong Wan glanced at Zhang Nan, who was intently observing the man. Zhang Nan sensed the man's formidable cultivation level, though he couldn't quite discern its extent.

With Zhang Nan remaining silent, Murong Wan, slightly irritated, agreed, "Sure, let's go for a meal."

She then tossed the clothes and shoes to Zhang Nan, who caught them and hurried after the visibly annoyed Murong Wan, pleading, "Little ancestor, have I upset you? Whatever it is, I'll make it right."

Murong Wan shot Zhang Nan a cool look and retorted, "Hmph, your words come too late. I've already accepted his invitation, and I can't go back on my word."

Zhang Nan turned to the man and offered a friendly handshake, saying, "I'm Zhang Nan, a student at Azure Academy. And you are?"

The man gave a cold laugh, declining the handshake, and introduced himself with a touch of arrogance, "I am Faang Tong from Fang Shang Academy, of the ancient martial Fang Clan."

Zhang Nan responded with a smile, "It seems you're also here for the Grand Tournament of the Hundred Academies."

"Indeed. It baffles me why they chose to hold it in tiny Sunhaven. How can such a small place manage an event of this magnitude?"

Faang Tong spoke with a hint of disdain. Murong Wan, who had been listening to the conversation, bristled at his contempt for Sunhaven and retorted, "Then you could simply choose not to participate in the Grand Tournament of the Hundred Academies."

Detecting the irritation in Murong Wan's voice, Faang Tong offered a smile and inquired, "Miss, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

"Murong Wan. And for your information, the place you're looking down upon is under the administration of my father, Murong Le, the principal of Azure Academy," she replied, clearly annoyed.

Faang Tong gave an awkward smile upon hearing this and responded, "I had no idea you were the daughter of the Azure Academy's principal. Please accept my apologies for any disrespect. I understand that you're upset with my earlier comments, Miss Wanwan, but perhaps one day I can show you around our Faingang City. Now that's what you call a bustling metropolis."

"There's no need for that. If I decide to visit, I'll go on my own. I don't require your guidance, and frankly, I see no reason to go out of my way to see a small place like Faingang City," Murong Wan said before she and Zhang Nan promptly left.

Watching their retreating figures, Faang Tong clenched his fists and scoffed, "They look down on Faingang City? Hmph." With that, he turned and walked away.

Murong Wan led Zhang Nan to a restaurant and, surveying the table laden with dishes, lamented, "Honestly, I thought we had snagged a sucker to foot the bill, but he turned out to be too infuriating, daring to belittle our Sunhaven. Looks like we have no choice but to pay our own way."

Zhang Nan chuckled in response, "I think it's quite nice. At least when we pay for ourselves, we can enjoy the meal without any discomfort. It's always less satisfying when someone else is paying."

After checking the menu and the prices of the dishes, Zhang Nan realized nothing was too expensive and he could easily afford the meal. Relieved, he smiled and said so.

Murong Wan nodded in agreement and then called out to the server, "Excuse me, could I have a glass of Mount Numinous fruit juice, please? Thank you."

At the mention of the fruit juice, Zhang Nan nearly choked on his drink.

"Spirit Mountain Fruit Juice? Over ten thousand for a bottle?"

Zhang Nan exclaimed in astonishment.

"Hmm? What's the matter? Is that expensive? It's just the cost of a piece of clothing, right?"

Murong Wan inquired with curiosity.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nan quickly shook his head and responded, "No, no, it's nothing. I was just asking."

After this exchange, Zhang Nan glanced at his wallet, realizing once again that he was out of his depth financially.

By the time they finished their meal, night had fallen. Zhang Nan did a quick tally of Murong Wan's spending for the day, which totaled up to 110,000 yuan.

"This is just too expensive. How on earth can anyone afford this?" he lamented.

"What do you mean 'afford this'? Zhang Nan, what were you just saying?"

Murong Wan pressed, her curiosity piqued.

Zhang Nan quickly covered, "Oh, I was thinking about buying a spirit animal. After some rough calculations, I realized I can't afford to keep one."

"Is that so? What kind of spirit animal do you want? I can help you buy it and take care of it. I love spirit animals," Murong Wan offered eagerly.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Nan replied, "A large wolf dog."

Without waiting for her response, he started walking briskly ahead, anxious that Murong Wan might continue the conversation.

"A large wolf dog? What's that? The name doesn't sound very nice. Zhang Nan, can't we pick something else, like a spirit rabbit or something...?" Murong Wan pondered aloud, turning to look behind her.

Noticing Zhang Nan was no longer there, she quickly called out, "Zhang Nan? Where are you?"

Zhang Nan hastened his pace, realizing Murong Wan wasn't with him, and retraced his steps back along the path they had come.

"Zhang Nan, where are you?"

Hearing Murong Wan's voice calling out for him, Zhang Nan smiled and walked in the direction of the sound.

Before he could get there, however, he saw Murong Wan running towards him.

Upon seeing Zhang Nan, she cried out in alarm, "Zhang Nan, save me!"

Zhang Nan rushed to Murong Wan's side and asked urgently, "What's going on?"

But before he could get an answer, a group of figures clad in black swiftly encircled Zhang Nan and Murong Wan.

"Who are you?"

Zhang Nan asked with caution, "Who are you?"

"It's not important who we are. What's important is that our young master would like to invite this young lady to dine with him. Step aside and don't get in the way," a man clad in black stated icily.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nan promptly drew his Skycleaver, eyeing the group of men in black with suspicion.

"If things escalate to a fight, seize the chance to hurry back to Azure Academy and get help to rescue me," Zhang Nan murmured to Murong Wan.

Murong Wan simply shook her head in response and firmly said, "No."