Eating Grilled Fish

Huo Yuhao saw that the green fish was done grilling and had just picked it up.

"It smells so good!"

Just then, a crisp feminine shout rang out. Huo Yuhao hastily dropped the grilled fish in his hand and instantly summoned his Martial Soul.

Xu Jie reacted as well. He tossed the dagger in his hand to Huo Yuhao, summoned his own Martial Soul, and assumed a fighting stance in the direction the voice had come from.

Huo Yuhao caught the dagger and likewise assumed a fighting stance toward the source of the voice.

This dagger had been given by Duke White Tiger to Huo Yuhao's mother. It was exceptionally sharp and sturdy, and was called the White Tiger Dagger. Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul had little combat power, so only by holding the White Tiger Dagger did he have some ability to protect himself.

The two looked toward the source of the voice and saw two people walking along the stream. One was a boy and the other a girl. The girl looked about fifteen or sixteen, with black hair tied in a ponytail and a light blue fitted outfit that accentuated her pretty features, making her appear even more youthful and beautiful.

The boy was about the same age as the girl. His slender, upright figure was a full head taller than both Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao. He had short blue hair, and his handsome face gave off an elegant, scholarly air.

"Ah, don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand. We only wanted to buy some grilled fish from you." The girl looked regretfully at the grilled fish on the ground, then looked at the two boys in their attacking stances as she spoke.

"We mean no harm." The fifteen-year-old boy also waved his hand, his voice elegant and gentle.

Seeing this, Xu Jie roughly guessed that the two before them were Tang Ya and Beibei from the original story. He put away his Martial Soul and nodded to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao put away his Martial Soul as well, lowered the dagger in his hand, picked up the grilled fish he had just dropped, and said to them, "No need to buy any. I can treat you."

Xu Jie said nothing and quietly watched the two of them. During their journey these past few days, they had encountered both good and bad people. They had been tricked by some and received kindness from others, so Huo Yuhao would appropriately help people along the way.

The girl did not refuse. "Little brother, then I won't stand on ceremony."

At this, Huo Yuhao handed one of the two grilled fish he had picked up to Xu Jie. Xu Jie did not mind. He blew the dust off the fish and took a large bite.

Huo Yuhao set aside the other fish, picked up two uncooked green fish, and began grilling them.

"You two, isn't that dirty..." The girl froze. Before she could finish, the boy tugged at her. She turned toward him in confusion, and he pointed at the clothes the two boys wore. She immediately understood.

Their clothes were nothing special and bore obvious signs of repeated washing. At a glance, they were clearly not children from wealthy families.

Children from families dressed like this would not waste even a bit of food.

Huo Yuhao kept his head down, intently grilling the fish, and did not notice the little exchange between the boy and girl. Xu Jie, however, had noticed it when Huo Yuhao took the dagger. He did not care. Having already lived three lives, why would he care about something like that? After finishing his grilled fish, he lowered his head and began cleaning the green fish they had just caught.

Seeing the two working so attentively, the boy perhaps felt it was inappropriate to eat for free without doing anything. He walked straight over to Xu Jie, squatted beside him, and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Need any help?"

"Sure." Xu Jie did not refuse. He handed the green fish he had just cut open, along with the dagger, to the boy, then sat to one side and waited for him to clean it.

The boy froze. He had never handled something like this before. At least teach me how to do it first. He looked up at Xu Jie, hoping he would at least offer some guidance, only to find Xu Jie staring off somewhere with no intention of instructing him.

He turned to the girl, hoping for her help, but she was staring unblinkingly at Huo Yuhao's grilled fish and had not noticed anything around her.

After the boy had clumsily cleaned one fish, Xu Jie walked over again.

"I'd better do it!" Xu Jie's childish voice rang out as he took the dagger from the boy and set the fish the boy had cleaned separately to one side.

Seeing Xu Jie set aside the fish he had cleaned, the boy asked in confusion, "Why are you putting it separately?"

Without even looking up, Xu Jie said, "You cleaned it badly. You can eat it later."

The boy's face reddened, and he said nothing more.

By the time Xu Jie had finished cleaning all the remaining fish, Huo Yuhao had grilled the other two fish as well.

Seeing this, the girl hurried closer. As she approached, Huo Yuhao's face suddenly turned red. There had been no shortage of pretty maids in the Duke's Estate, but none could compare to her. More importantly, her sudden approach caught Huo Yuhao off guard.

"Here." Huo Yuhao spoke softly.

The girl giggled. "Little brother, are you embarrassed?" As she spoke, she took the grilled fish from Huo Yuhao's hand and carefully began eating it.

At that moment, Xu Jie and the boy walked over carrying the green fish they had just cleaned. The boy said to the girl, "Xiaoya, this little brother hasn't even eaten yet, and you're already eating first."

"What did you call me?"

Xiaoya's beautiful eyes widened slightly as she gave the boy a warning look. She lowered her head and took another bite of the grilled fish, looking especially playful.

The boy was still holding green fish and could not raise a hand, so he said helplessly, "Teacher Xiaoya, is that alright?"

After the boy set down the green fish, Huo Yuhao handed him the other grilled fish. "Big brother, you should eat too."

"Little brother, you haven't eaten yet. You should eat first." Beibei smiled slightly and did not immediately accept the grilled fish.

Huo Yuhao shook his head. "I have some." With that, he picked up the grilled fish that had fallen to the ground earlier and began eating it.

Xu Jie walked to the fire and took over Huo Yuhao's grilling work, picking up two fish to grill.

Beibei stared blankly at Huo Yuhao as he ate the grilled fish, then said, "My name is Beibei, and she is Tang Ya. Little brother, what's your name?"

"My name is Huo Yuhao." Huo Yuhao quickly finished the grilled fish, walked over beside Xu Jie, took out two fish, and began grilling them.

Beibei turned to Xu Jie. Before he could speak, Xu Jie said, "Xu Jie."

After speaking, Xu Jie handed the poorly cleaned grass carp to Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao took it and asked in confusion, "Brother Jie, this fish hasn't been cleaned properly. It'll taste very fishy after it's grilled." As he spoke, he took the dagger from Xu Jie and began cleaning it a second time.

Xu Jie said nothing, but Beibei's face reddened again at those words.

With Xu Jie's help, Huo Yuhao grilled the fish noticeably faster. Before long, the four of them had finished all the grilled fish and both rabbits.

"This is amazing! I've never eaten grilled fish or rabbit this delicious before. How about you two become my cooks?" Tang Ya lay directly on the grass, rubbing her belly as she spoke.

Huo Yuhao and Xu Jie were packing up the campsite. Hearing this, Beibei said with a smile, "Do you have money, Teacher Xiaoya?"

Tang Ya immediately looked a little embarrassed. She laughed awkwardly and said, "Haha... I will in the future." Then she stood up and glared at Beibei.

By then, Xu Jie and Huo Yuhao had finished packing up the campsite. Huo Yuhao stood and said to Tang Ya and Beibei, "Brother Bei, Sister Tang Ya, we'll be leaving first."