Chrysanthemum Douluo, a Gourmand, and a Glutton

"Thank you, thank you. After gathering herbs all day, having a hot meal is simply perfect."

Yue Guan showed not the slightest ill intent. Even toward Su Chen, a child, he remained very polite.

He found a relatively flat stone, carried it over, and sat down.

Only then did Su Chen notice that Yue Guan had a herb basket on his back, filled with several unfamiliar medicinal herbs.

As Yue Guan sorted and processed the herbs, he chatted with Su Chen.

"It's been so many years since I last ate Sea Soul Beast meat. I really do miss it."

Spirit Hall had once launched an expedition against Sea God Island, but it had suffered devastating losses.

Ever since then, Spirit Hall members rarely went out to sea unless absolutely necessary.

So Yue Guan's claim that he had not eaten Sea Soul Beast meat for many years was not necessarily a lie.

The Sea Soul Beast meat Su Chen was stewing came from the one he had killed at sea several months ago.

Inside the Pendant Space, neither meat nor fruits and vegetables would spoil.

Su Chen had not been eating Sea Soul Beast meat nonstop during this time. His Pendant Space held a large stockpile of food, which he mixed into his meals, leaving plenty of Sea Soul Beast meat behind.

With his supplies, even if he ended up stranded in an uninhabited region, the food in his Pendant Space could last him more than a year.

He could not help it. Being poor had frightened him too badly, so he always liked keeping extra food on hand.

"Then please eat plenty later."

Su Chen was not intimidated just because Yue Guan was a Title Douluo. He remained neither servile nor overbearing, treating him as though he were an ordinary guest.

What a joke. He had someone backing him.

With the God of Destruction watching from above, if Yue Guan tried to harm him, the only one who would suffer would be Yue Guan himself.

Of course, if possible, Su Chen still hoped the God of Destruction would not have to act.

It was not worth having the God of Destruction clash with other God Kings over something so minor.

"Child, are you here alone?" Yue Guan asked again.

"I was alone before, but now I have you as a guest, don't I?"

"Haha, that's true. I'm the one intruding."

Yue Guan had not come solely because he smelled the Sea Soul Beast meat. He had also sensed an inexplicably familiar aura from Su Chen, which naturally made him feel fondness toward the child.

Seeing Su Chen alone here, so close to the Star Dou Forest, Yue Guan had approached him out of curiosity and goodwill.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's Martial Soul was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, while Su Chen possessed the Blessing of the Goddess of Life.

The sense of closeness Chrysanthemum Douluo felt toward Su Chen likely came from that.

"I've already shamelessly come over to mooch a meal. Can I ask your name too?"

"Su Chen."

"Su Chen. That's a good name."

It was impossible to tell whether Chrysanthemum Douluo genuinely thought it was a good name or was simply making conversation.

"Su Chen, you're a Soul Master, aren't you?"

"That's right. You must have already noticed, correct?"

His Sea Soul Beast meat had lured someone over already. There was no point in hiding the fact that he was a Soul Master.

Besides, Su Chen did not believe Chrysanthemum Douluo could fail to see that he was a Soul Master.

"You're an interesting child. This place is so close to the Star Dou Forest. Even if you are a Soul Master, you're still far too young. Powerful Soul Beasts are everywhere in the Star Dou Forest. Aren't you afraid of danger?"

"It's not dangerous. I'll leave after eating. I won't enter the Star Dou Forest."

"That's good. You're only a child, yet you came to such a dangerous place. Is there no teacher or elder from your family accompanying you?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo had been probing him all along.

He thought Su Chen could not tell, but Su Chen understood perfectly well.

"No. I'm an orphan. I have no family, and I don't have a teacher yet."

Although the God of Destruction had basically fulfilled the role of Su Chen's teacher, he had never asked Su Chen to take him as his master.

"That's good, that's good."

A dazzling smile appeared on Chrysanthemum Douluo's delicate face.

"Hm?"

Su Chen tilted his head and looked at him in confusion.

"No... cough, cough. I mean, you must have had a very hard life these past years."

Chrysanthemum Douluo hurriedly explained.

Laughing out loud at a time like this would make it seem as if he were mocking the child's tragic background.

"Su Chen, would you be willing to take me as your master?"

After explaining himself, Chrysanthemum Douluo abruptly changed the subject.

"My true identity is an elder of Spirit Hall. I hold a certain degree of status there. If you become my disciple, you will definitely receive Spirit Hall's focused training."

To increase the odds of Su Chen accepting him as a master, Chrysanthemum Douluo directly revealed his identity.

He had not even asked about Su Chen's Soul Power Level or his Innate Soul Power.

Driven by that inexplicable sense of closeness, even if Su Chen had not been a Soul Master at all, Chrysanthemum Douluo would still have been willing to take him in.

What he did not know was that his behavior made him look very much like a child trafficker.

Su Chen hesitated for a moment.

He was not hesitating over whether to join Spirit Hall. With the God of Destruction as his backer, and with even his bodyguard already lined up, joining Spirit Hall would only restrict him.

Su Chen was merely considering how to refuse.

Although Chrysanthemum Douluo had been friendly all along, there was no telling whether his attitude would change after being rejected.

It would be far too rash to judge Chrysanthemum Douluo as a purely good person based solely on Su Chen's limited understanding of him.

Before Su Chen could voice his refusal, Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke first.

"It seems you aren't willing. What a pity. You don't need to be afraid. I'm not so petty that I'd get angry over something like this."

Chrysanthemum Douluo merely sighed and did not force the issue.

That raised Su Chen's opinion of him by another level.

In Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's eyes, everyone in Spirit Hall was incomparably hypocritical. Whether it was helping children awaken their Martial Souls or distributing Soul Coins to low-level Soul Masters, it was all an ambitious scheme to win people over.

If one set aside their status as protagonists, Spirit Hall's merits and faults were not something they could determine with a single sentence.

"The food is ready. We can eat now."

Su Chen had prepared quite a lot of food. Besides a huge pot of rice and a large basin of meat, there were also some vegetables.

Even for an outdoor meal, the balance of meat and vegetables was quite reasonable.

After receiving the Blessing of the Goddess of Life, Su Chen's physical constitution had improved considerably, especially his recovery ability and vitality.

Along with that, his appetite had increased significantly.

Being able to eat was not a flaw for Su Chen. He himself was quite fond of good food.

"Mmm, this Sea Soul Beast meat is very fresh, and your cooking is quite good too. This should be Single-Horned Black-Fin Porpoise meat, right?"

"Your tongue is truly sharp. You knew with one taste."

It seemed Chrysanthemum Douluo was a gourmand as well. He could identify the Sea Soul Beast just by tasting it, so he must have eaten quite a bit of it in the past.

As for Chrysanthemum Douluo's praise of his cooking.

Living alone as an orphan, even if he could often mooch meals at other villagers' homes, he still had to cook for himself.

Over the past few months, he had cooked more than half of his meals himself.

It was not easy to become exceptionally skilled at cooking, but reaching a decent level was easy enough, provided one was not lazy.

And Su Chen's skills were a little better than merely decent, so he deserved the compliment that his cooking was good.

Chrysanthemum Douluo did not eat much. Most of it went into Su Chen's stomach.

"You certainly have a good appetite. I can't manage it anymore. I'm old, and my digestion is poor."

Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke as though he were an ordinary old man.

Su Chen had never heard of a Title Douluo suffering from indigestion.

Although Chrysanthemum Douluo had not eaten much, he still helped Su Chen clean up.

"Little Chen, is it alright if I call you that? Since you aren't willing to take me as your master, where are you going next?"

"Heaven Dou City!"