The Lin Family's Young Master Lin? What the heck?

The two left Qingya Residence. Under the night sky, Qingfeng City possessed a hazy beauty that was even more enchanting than it was by day.

Lanterns of every color hung throughout the streets and alleyways, casting light over the bluestone roads. The air was filled with the aromas of all kinds of snacks and the cries of street vendors.

Relying on a Soul Beast's astonishing instincts—or rather, her natural food radar—Xiao Wu accurately pulled Tang San through two streets and stopped in front of a plain-looking, even somewhat shabby shop.

A crooked wooden sign hung outside, bearing the words: "Old Zhang's Secret Roasted Meat."

An elderly man with white hair and beard, yet brimming with energy, sat leisurely on a small stool by the entrance, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. Several skewers of meat sizzled and dripped oil over the charcoal grill before him, releasing that irresistible aroma.

"This is it! This is the place!" Xiao Wu took a deep sniff, her eyes gleaming as drool nearly flowed from her mouth.

Tang San surveyed the surroundings and frowned slightly.

The sanitation here looked rather concerning, and... he sharply sensed that beneath the ordinary fragrance of spices, the roasted meat's aroma seemed to contain an extremely faint, unusual energy fluctuation.

The fluctuation was deeply concealed. If not for his powerful Spiritual Power and the Blue Silver Emperor's keen perception of Life Energy, it would have been nearly impossible to detect.

"Boss, what kind of meat is this? It smells so good!" Xiao Wu eagerly stepped forward.

Old Zhang lifted his eyelids and glanced at Xiao Wu and Tang San. His eyes lingered especially on Tang San's extraordinary bearing, which was difficult to conceal even beneath the night and his plain clothes. A faint glint flashed through his clouded eyes before he resumed his lazy demeanor.

"Little girl, you've got quite the nose. This is 'Wind Antelope Meat,' marinated using this old man's exclusive recipe. It comes from the Swift Wind Antelopes unique to Fengming Mountain, a hundred li outside the city. The meat is tender and contains a trace of Wind Attribute energy. Eating it offers Soul Masters a tiny benefit to their Movement Technique," Old Zhang said slowly, his tone carrying a hint of pride.

"Wind Attribute? Really? Then I want ten skewers! No, twenty!" Hearing that it could benefit Soul Masters, Xiao Wu became even more excited.

Tang San's heart stirred.

Fengming Mountain?

He seemed to have read about it in one of Yu Xiaogang's miscellaneous notes. It was a relatively ordinary Soul Beast habitat, and there were indeed Swift Wind Antelopes there, but the energy contained in their meat was extremely weak—almost negligible.

Yet the energy within this roasted meat, though likewise not strong, was purer and more active than he had expected.

Without revealing anything, he activated his Purple Demon Eye. The insight of the Mustard Seed Realm quietly swept over the skewers on the grill.

In his vision, the skewers were indeed shrouded in an exceedingly thin stream of cyan Wind Attribute energy. Moreover, the nature of that energy... seemed to be of a slightly higher grade than that of an ordinary Swift Wind Antelope.

"Boss, is this really Swift Wind Antelope meat?" Tang San asked calmly.

Old Zhang's hand paused slightly as he fanned himself. He raised his eyes to inspect Tang San carefully, then chuckled. "Sharp eyes, little one. To tell you the truth, this isn't an ordinary Swift Wind Antelope. I got lucky and caught a Mutated Wind Antelope once in a while. Its meat and energy are far better than an ordinary one's! Once this little stock is sold out, there won't be any more."

A mutated Soul Beast?

That was possible.

After all, the world was vast and full of wonders.

Tang San's doubts eased somewhat, though his vigilance did not entirely fade.

Before long, twenty skewers of roasted meat, charred on the outside and tender within, their fragrance tantalizing, were delivered into Xiao Wu's hands.

Xiao Wu eagerly took a bite, immediately narrowing her eyes in bliss as she praised through a full mouth, "Mmm! It's so delicious! Little San, hurry and try some!"

Tang San picked up a skewer as well and tasted it carefully.

The meat was indeed tender and juicy, while the spices were perfectly balanced. More importantly, after the trace of Wind Attribute energy entered his stomach, it truly turned into a faint airflow that subtly merged into his limbs, making his body feel slightly lighter. The effect was minuscule, but it undeniably existed.

"Well? I didn't lie to you, did I?" Old Zhang said with a proud smile.

Tang San nodded. Neither the taste nor the effect could be faulted.

But he still felt that this old man was not so simple.

Just as the two were eating heartily, a burst of commotion came from the street corner.

Five or six young men and women dressed in matching cyan tight suits approached, their expressions arrogant. Leading them was a youth of around seventeen or eighteen, a longsword hanging at his waist. His aura was not weak—roughly at the level of a Soul Elder.

"Boss, the usual. Fifty skewers of roasted meat, packed up!" The leading youth glanced at Tang San and Xiao Wu. His gaze paused briefly on Tang San's excessively outstanding appearance and bearing, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes, but he said nothing more. His tone was openly commanding.

The lazy expression on Old Zhang's face faded somewhat. He rose to his feet and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "My apologies, Young Master Lin. There isn't much meat left today—fewer than thirty skewers. These two customers arrived first, so I must serve them before you."

The youth called Young Master Lin furrowed his brows, clearly dissatisfied with Old Zhang's response.

One of his followers immediately stepped forward and shouted arrogantly, "Old Zhang, look carefully! This is Lin Feng, the eldest young master of Qingfeng City's Lin Family! If you know what's good for you, hurry up and pack up all the meat for us! If you delay our young master's business, do you still want to keep this lousy shop open?"

The Lin Family?

Tang San recalled hearing passersby mention them when he entered the city. They were Qingfeng City's largest Soul Master family. Supposedly, their patriarch was a Soul King-level expert, and their Factions within the city were considerable.

Xiao Wu had been eating happily, but being interrupted immediately made her pout in displeasure.

Tang San, meanwhile, continued eating his roasted meat calmly, as if he had not heard the argument nearby.

A mere Soul King was nothing in his eyes.

Compete with him in terms of backing?

What wishful thinking!

If they dared to bully the weak with their strength, his father's hammer was not to be trifled with either.

He did not even regard this so-called Young Master Lin or the Lin Family as worthy of his attention.

With his awakened Level 95 Titled Douluo father as his backer, that was his greatest source of confidence!

In this early era, when Titled Douluos were exceedingly scarce, even an ordinary Titled Douluo carried immense weight—let alone the infamous Clear Sky Douluo, who had once hammered the previous Spirit Hall Pope, Qian Xunji, to death.

Though he knew that Qian Xunji's death had not been his father's doing, but the work of the current Pope, Bibi Dong.

But Tang Hao could not be absolved of involvement either. After all, it was his father's hammer that had inflicted the grievous wounds, allowing Bibi Dong to seize the chance to take revenge.

Even if he had not been directly involved, he was still an accomplice.

However, Spirit Hall would certainly never admit that Bibi Dong had killed him. Naturally, they would make his father, Tang Hao, shoulder all the blame.

Bibi Dong knew about this matter, and so did the Grand Worshiper, Qian Daoliu.

It had to be said, Qian Daoliu was something of a gentleman. Even after all this, he had not killed Bibi Dong.

Was he truly worried that Qian Renxue would be left without a mother?

Or did he also disapprove of his own son's actions?

Both questions were worth pondering.

Old Zhang's expression did not change. He merely said calmly, "Young Master Lin, there is always an order to things. As for the remaining meat, we'll talk after these two guests have finished eating."

This fellow did not seem afraid of the other party's identity either.