"Holy shit."
"I hit the jackpot."
"Fourteen thousand survival points! Add the points I've farmed these past two days, and that's eighteen thousand. If I farm another fifteen hundred at the Lihuo Martial Arts Hall this afternoon, I'll only be five hundred short of twenty draws!"
As he listened to the notifications ringing in his ears, an enormous grin spread across Zeng Shen's face. This windfall had come out of nowhere.
He immediately turned, took the still-bewildered Liu Miao by the hand, and headed toward the RV.
Looking at Zeng Shen holding her hand, Liu Miao felt a powerful sense of security rise within her, sending little ripples through her heart.
Zeng Shen climbed into the RV and, following Liu Miao's directions, soon reached a restaurant quite far from the pier, near the coastline.
The moment he stepped out,
Zeng Shen caught the delicious aroma of boiled clams.
Immediately,
his stomach began growling with hunger.
Liu Miao led Zeng Shen inside.
The restaurant was crowded with diners, and several more people were waiting in the seating queue.
The owner seemed particularly close to Liu Miao. As soon as she saw her, she hurried over with a warm welcome.
"Liu Miao, you're here!"
Liu Miao nodded. "Auntie, I brought a friend for lunch. It looks packed today. Are there any seats left?"
"Of course, of course. If Liu Miao brings a friend, there's always room." Smiling, the owner took a key from a cabinet. "Liu Miao, your usual room upstairs, number 666."
The customers waiting nearby immediately objected.
"Didn't you just say there weren't any seats? How come there's another room?"
"That private room isn't open to the public. If you have a problem with that, eat somewhere else."
The owner turned to reply, then led Zeng Shen and Liu Miao upstairs without looking back.
Following the owner, Zeng Shen and Liu Miao entered private room 666.
The room wasn't very large. A square dining table stood in the middle, and several traditional-style paintings adorned the walls, giving it a cozy feel.
Zeng Shen looked out the window at the sparkling sea. Farther away, he could see neat, rectangular stretches of coastal sand beds extending almost beyond sight.
After briefly asking Liu Miao which set meal she wanted, the owner tactfully closed the door and left.
"Those sand beds are my family's clam farm."
Liu Miao introduced it softly.
"It's much bigger than I imagined," Zeng Shen said.
A little while later,
a server brought in a large hot pot of clams topped with chopped scallions.
The pot was packed with thumb-sized clams releasing tiny bubbles, with plenty of chopped scallions floating on the water.
"Turn on the heat and let it boil for another ten minutes, then we can eat." Liu Miao switched on the burner, then stood up. "What sauce would you like? I'll mix some for you."
"Shacha sauce, with some minced garlic and chili oil."
"Okay."
Liu Miao went out to prepare the sauces. Watching her retreating figure, Zeng Shen sank into thought.
Liu Miao was a tier-three water deity.
The first-time points for the two actions, "suppress" and "repel,"
were rewards he hadn't triggered with her yet.
If he triggered them,
he could make twenty draws today without even waiting until he went to the Martial Arts Hall.
But he couldn't actually beat her up like those thugs just to trigger the two actions.
Nor could he treat her like Li Yuqing, pinning her hard to the ground every day, relentlessly suppressing her before thoroughly defeating her.
Zeng Shen rubbed his head, feeling a little troubled.
After Liu Miao brought back the sauces, then fetched some drinks and side dishes, the two resumed chatting.
About ten minutes later,
the clam hot pot gradually came to a boil. Zeng Shen eagerly picked up a clam with his chopsticks and tasted it.
The tender, delicious clam meat immediately delighted his taste buds.
"Ah, it's been ages since I had a clam hot pot this fresh and sweet," Zeng Shen praised.
"If you like it, have some more."
Liu Miao spoke playfully.
Half an hour later,
Zeng Shen left the restaurant with Liu Miao, his forehead covered in sweat from eating, and headed toward the RV parked on a stretch of grass in the distance.
All the while,
he kept showering the clams with praise.
"Liu Miao, your family's clams are absolutely delicious."
"If you like them, come by another day. I'll treat you to another meal," Liu Miao offered.
"Haha, sure."
"By the way, where are you heading next?"
"The Lihuo Martial Arts Hall. I practice some martial arts there every afternoon," Zeng Shen said.
"No wonder you were so impressive today. You've been training there! If I get some free time, I'll sign up for lessons too," Liu Miao said.
She spoke casually, but he took it to heart.
Her words suddenly stopped Zeng Shen in his tracks as an idea flashed through his mind.
If Liu Miao went to the Martial Arts Hall too, couldn't I arrange a sparring session and claim those first-time rewards for two thousand survival points?
At that thought, Zeng Shen immediately smiled. "Liu Miao, if you want to learn, you don't even need to go to the Martial Arts Hall. How about I come by every day and teach you a move or two?"
Liu Miao hadn't expected Zeng Shen to offer her daily martial arts lessons over an offhand remark. She nodded happily. "Yes, that sounds great! But won't it take up too much of your time?"
"No."
"That's good, then."
"Let's start right now."
"Huh? This soon?" Liu Miao froze for a moment.
"That's right. I'll teach you a shoulder throw. It's easy to learn and very practical."
Zeng Shen spoke with a perfectly straight face.
Liu Miao looked around at the grassy ground and hesitated. "Should we go somewhere else?"
"No need. It'll be over quickly."
As he spoke, Zeng Shen took her arm and abruptly executed a shoulder throw. Amid Liu Miao's startled cry, he followed through and gently pinned her beneath him on the ground.
[The host has demonstrated both wisdom and courage by suppressing a tier-three water deity. Survival points +1,000]
"Ha! Got one first-time reward."
Zeng Shen laughed gleefully to himself, then felt something soft against his arm.
Looking down, he realized his arm had accidentally pressed somewhere it shouldn't, sinking deep into her soft, luscious curves. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing slightly quick, and her red lips parted enticingly.
She looked completely at his mercy.
The sight stirred an impulse he could barely resist.
Zeng Shen took a small, deep breath, restrained that impulse, and gently helped Liu Miao up, saying:
"This is called a shoulder pin. Even if your opponent is more than ten times stronger than you, you can easily pin them to the ground. You can also throw them over your shoulder, then turn it into a shoulder pin. I was worried you'd get hurt by the throw just now, so I followed through with a shoulder pin instead."
"Oh." Liu Miao's face remained slightly flushed.
"Want to give it a try?"
"Mm, okay." Liu Miao nodded and reached for Zeng Shen's arm. His muscular arm instantly gave her a sense of security and belonging. Then she tried to pull it over her shoulder and execute a throw.
But she failed.
Confusion flickered in her eyes, and then she heard Zeng Shen instruct her:
"When you grab my arm, don't pause forever and give me time to react. Do it in one smooth motion, then apply some force along your arm. Otherwise, it'll be hard to use leverage against a stronger opponent."
"Oh, I'll try again," Liu Miao said awkwardly.
Five minutes later,
Zeng Shen looked at Liu Miao, who hadn't succeeded even once. "It's getting late. I'll demonstrate one more time, then I need to hurry to the Martial Arts Hall. You'll have to take a taxi home."
"Got it."
Zeng Shen immediately grabbed Liu Miao's arm and performed another shoulder pin, then quickly stood up. "Think it over carefully when you get home."
"Mm." Liu Miao nodded.
"Go grab a taxi. I'll come see you again tomorrow," Zeng Shen said.
"Okay."
Liu Miao turned toward the road nearby to hail a taxi. As Zeng Shen stood where he was, another notification slowly rang in his ears.
[The host has demonstrated both wisdom and courage by repelling a tier-three water deity. Survival points +1,000]