On the streets of Heaven Dou City.
"Good morning, Uncle Althay!"
"Good morning, Paimon!"
"Good morning, Miss Lina!"
"Good morning, Paimon!"
If Paimon had met someone even once, she could call them by name without fail.
With a skill like that, calling her the greatest guide was no exaggeration.
Everyone had grown used to Paimon, the talking unidentified flying object.
At first, they had merely been a little surprised.
This was the Douluo Continent, after all!
A Martial Soul that was an unidentified flying object was hardly impossible!
And if that explanation did not work, calling it a Mutated Martial Soul settled the matter.
After learning that this world was the Douluo Continent, Zhongli turned his gaze to Paimon, who was still standing beside him in a daze.
With a little coaxing and trickery—no, wait...
After asking Paimon what she thought, the two of them made a contract: Paimon would live in this world as Zhongli's Martial Soul.
Of course, that was only a story for outsiders. He had not actually turned Paimon into a Martial Soul.
"I can't tell whether Zhongli is lucky or unlucky."
"He awakened a strange creature like Paimon, but she only has a quarter of a Wild Boar's fighting strength."
"Rather than awakening a Martial Soul, it's more like he started raising a daughter early."
After hearing about Zhongli's situation, everyone could only sigh.
Little Cutie Paimon was easy to love. They were all fond of her, even if she had little strength.
Nearly all a Soul Master's power came from their Martial Soul. In Zhongli's case, he was as good as finished.
But unlike people with no Soul Power, Zhongli had a "Martial Soul" that could keep him company, talk to him, and...
Zhongli watched Paimon greet everyone she met. His usually unruffled heart finally stirred.
She called him a street loafer, a useless member of society...
Everyone else was an uncle, an older uncle, a miss, an older sister, or a young man...
"Haa..."
Zhongli slowly let out a breath and turned away from God's Mouth.
Now he understood Blonde Auntie's joy.
With Paimon speaking for him, he hardly had to open his mouth.
"Good morning, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Good morning..."
"???"
"Xue Qinghe" returned the greeting without thinking. By the time she came to her senses, Zhongli and Paimon were already dozens of meters away.
Wait, those two!
Now I really want to punch something!
They had seen the Crown Prince and merely said hello, as though they had run into an ordinary passerby. Nothing more.
Should they not have stopped to exchange a few more pleasantries?
"Xue Qinghe" still could not put last night's dream out of her mind.
She had come hoping to see Zhongli and Paimon again.
She wanted to sound them out and see whether Zhongli was Vago Rock Emperor!
Watching Zhongli shuffle along like an eighty-year-old man, Qian Renxue shook her head and thought:
What's wrong with me?
How could that street loafer possibly be Vago Rock Emperor?
His Martial Soul is just some strange flying creature with no fighting strength at all.
"Xue Qinghe" had met Paimon before. Otherwise, Paimon could not have identified her "profession" on sight.
It went back to Zhongli and Paimon's first arrival in Heaven Dou City.
Such an unusual "Martial Soul" had naturally caught "Xue Qinghe's" attention. That very day, she had arranged a chance encounter and made the acquaintance of the man and the flying creature.
After a moment's thought, "Xue Qinghe" hurried forward and caught up with Zhongli and Paimon.
"Huh? Does Your Highness the Crown Prince need something?"
Paimon asked, puzzled. They were about to get tofu pudding, and she did not want to be held up.
Zhongli said nothing. He stood there like a mute, watching Paimon and "Xue Qinghe."
"Little Paimon, where are you two headed?"
"Xue Qinghe" smiled warmly, speaking as though she were an old friend of Zhongli and Paimon's.
There was nothing off-putting about it.
"Zhongli and I are going to get tofu pudding. Would Your Highness like to join us?"
"Sure. I haven't had breakfast either!"
"???"
Paimon's little head filled with enormous question marks. The Crown Prince had actually agreed?
She had only asked to be polite!
"Um, well..."
Paimon looked embarrassed. They... they might not have enough money!
She shot Zhongli a resentful glance.
Morax had no Mora. Even after crossing into another world, he still expected to eat for free!
Nobody in this world would pay him for all that knowledge!
What Paimon did not know was that Zhongli understood this world too. In fact, he knew more about it than many of its people—even its gods!
He was a transmigrator, after all!
The corner of "Xue Qinghe's" eye twitched, but she quickly regained her composure.
So they're broke, just as I thought!
What a waste of that handsome face...
"Little Paimon, meeting like this must be fate. Breakfast is on me!"
"Xue Qinghe's" generosity left Paimon staring in amazement.
Were there really people this easy to take advantage of?
That old man Dugu Bo was one. And this Crown Prince—what was his name again?—was another.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Hehe."
Paimon gave an embarrassed laugh. When she had traveled with the Traveler, they had only been short of Mora at the beginning.
Through their hard work, they had rarely been short of money after reaching Liyue.
Fine, the Traveler had earned it all. But could he have made so much without a good guide like her cheering him on?
"Zhongli, get your act together! Earn some money, and we can treat His Highness to a feast someday."
Zhongli: "..."
"Xue Qinghe": "..."
Before this, she had never seen—or even heard of—such an extraordinary "Martial Soul"!
Treat Qian Renxue to a feast?
If they really meant to do that, Zhongli would probably have to make it himself.
What grand meal on the Douluo Continent had Qian Renxue not tried?
Even without her identity as the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, she was still the Saintess of Spirit Hall!
A feast that could be bought with Gold Soul Coins would not interest her.
"Sorry, Your Highness. Zhongli isn't much of a talker!"
"Come on, let's go get tofu pudding! Paimon likes sweet tofu pudding best."
"Unlike a certain useless member of society who actually thinks Savory Tofu Pudding tastes better!"
At that, Paimon gave Zhongli a "fierce" glare. There was no mistaking whom she meant.
"Xue Qinghe" was dumbfounded.
A Martial Soul that called its host a useless member of society? Surely there was only one like that in the entire world.
Terrifying!
Come to think of it, Paimon was Zhongli's Martial Soul. Because of Paimon, Zhongli could not grow stronger. And because of Zhongli, Paimon could not absorb Soul Rings and grow stronger either.
Their situation was rather peculiar!
And wait—Zhongli actually thought Savory Tofu Pudding tasted better?
What a heretic!
Before you continue