The moment Su Hui nodded and agreed to join Skywater Academy, Shui Furong excitedly hugged him.
"That's wonderful! There's no doubt Xiao Su joining our academy is the right choice!"
"?"
Su Hui's vision went black as he was pressed into something soft.
What is this...? I can't breathe.
Shui Bing'er's face instantly darkened. She rushed over in three quick strides and yanked her mother away.
"Mom! Can you please act a little more composed?"
She stood in front of Su Hui.
Her blue ponytail swung in an arc as her icy-blue eyes fixed on Su Hui.
"And you, don't you dare get any strange ideas about my mom."
Su Hui coughed twice. "Ahem, ahem... I didn't..."
That was way too much enthusiasm, Dean Shui.
Shui Furong looked at her daughter's protective stance and curled her lips into a mischievous smile.
She suddenly reached out, pulled Shui Bing'er into her arms, and pressed her hard against her chest.
"Oh my~ Bing'er, are you jealous? Come here, come here, let Mom give you a hug too~"
Shui Bing'er was pinned against her mother's chest, flailing her arms and legs.
"Mm... Mom! Let go of me!"
I'm done for. I've completely humiliated myself in front of Su Hui.
Su Hui stood to one side, the corner of his mouth twitching.
So this is what Shui Furong is like... How can an icy beauty like Shui Bing'er be completely helpless against her mom?
Shui Yue'er bounced over and grabbed Su Hui's arm, shaking it vigorously.
"Boss Xiao Su, we'll be at the same academy from now on!"
"Then you'll be a member of the Skywater Team too, hehehe..."
As she spoke, clear, glistening drool trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Xue Wu smacked Shui Yue'er on the back of the head.
"Yue'er, don't just drool everywhere. Su Hui isn't food."
Shui Yue'er hurriedly wiped her mouth, her little face turning bright red.
"I wasn't going to eat Boss Xiao Su!"
"I just... just thought of Boss Xiao Su's barbecue."
Shui Furong looked over curiously.
"Yue'er, you've been calling him Boss Xiao Su ever since you first met him. What's that about?"
Shui Yue'er immediately perked up. She put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.
"Hehe, allow me to make a grand introduction! The grilled meat Boss Xiao Su sells at his stall is unbelievably delicious! My sister and I met him at his barbecue stall!"
Su Hui smiled.
"I did set up a barbecue stall outside Suotuo City before. That's when I met Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er."
At that, several female students gathered around, chattering among themselves.
"Barbecue? Is it really that good?"
"If even foodie Yue'er says so, it must be something special."
"I want to try some too."
Yu Hairou looked at Su Hui curiously. "If it's good enough to leave Yue'er thinking about it all this time, just how skilled are you, Su Hui?"
Shui Yue'er waved her little fist. "He's amazing! You'll know once you try it!"
"Perfect, perfect. I want to try Xiao Su's cooking too. Xiao Su, how about showing off your skills? I have some ingredients here."
Shui Furong promptly pulled large chunks of Soul Beast meat and all sorts of seasonings out of her Storage Soul Tool, laying them out across the ground.
Su Hui looked over the pile of ingredients and rolled up his sleeves.
"All right. I'll do my best."
He sliced the Soul Beast meat into even, thin pieces and threaded them onto sharpened wooden skewers.
He grilled them over the bonfire.
Seasonings scattered from his hands in a smooth, flowing motion.
Fat dripped into the fire, sizzling.
The mouthwatering, smoky aroma spread across the frozen plain.
Shui Yue'er crouched beside the fire, sniffing, and nearly started drooling again.
"That's the smell! It's so fragrant!"
"Gulp!"
Even the cool beauty Xue Wu swallowed. She instinctively rubbed her stomach and thought, I just had dinner. How am I hungry again?
Before long, the grilled meat was finally passed around.
"Nom!"
Shui Yue'er was the first to take a bite. Her cheeks bulged as she stuffed herself, hissing from the heat.
"Sh-hah... It's so hot... but so delicious! As expected of Boss Xiao Su! It's so good I could cry!"
"To eat Boss Xiao Su's barbecue on a snowy plain... I'm actually tearing up. Wuwuwu~"
Su Hui smiled and handed the other girls their grilled skewers.
"Everyone, give them a try."
Gu Qingbo took a careful bite, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"This is unbelievably good! How did you grill it like this?"
Shen Xinshui ate three skewers in a row, her mouth stuffed full.
"Mmph, mmph... What exactly is in this sauce?"
Shui Furong took a bite, and the rich, succulent juices burst in her mouth.
The delicious flavor left her surprised. "This taste... No wonder Yue'er can't stop thinking about it."
"..."
Even Shui Bing'er picked up a skewer elegantly and took small bites, though she ate no slower than anyone else.
The bonfire lit everyone's faces red.
The flames held back the cold wind of the frozen plain. Their little camp felt like a warm corner, cut off from the rest of the world.
After finishing the barbecue, the girls slumped onto the animal-skin mats.
Shui Yue'er cradled her round belly and let out a loud burp.
"Burp~ That was amazing, amazing! Eating Boss Xiao Su's barbecue in all this snow and ice is the happiest thing in the world!"
Shui Furong wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.
"You really are skilled. You've put a lot of thought into the seasoning, too. It's a fine craft."
"Xiao Su should open a barbecue stall at the academy. I'd go every day."
In the Sea of Consciousness, the Ice Empress gave a cold snort.
"Hmph. It's just ordinary Soul Beast meat roasted over a fire with a pile of random things added. What's so good about it?"
It wasn't as if she was sulking because she couldn't have any.
Mm. Absolutely not!
As Su Hui tidied up the grill, he replied to her in his mind.
"Once you've regained a physical body, I'll grill some for you to try."
"W-who said I wanted any?"
The Ice Empress's voice paused. "But since you insist on grilling some, I suppose this queen could deign to try it."
The corner of Su Hui's mouth lifted slightly. "All bark and no bite."
"This queen is not all bark and no bite!"
The bonfire crackled, sparks drifting up toward the starry sky.
Shui Bing'er suddenly turned her head, her icy-blue eyes settling on Su Hui.
"By the way, Su Hui, what exactly is your Martial Soul?"
She paused.
"I've been wondering about that for a long time."
Shui Bing'er recalled the first time she'd learned at the barbecue stall that Su Hui had become a Soul Master.
Back then, she hadn't wanted to hurt his pride, so she had never asked.
Now she could no longer see through Su Hui's strength.
Shui Yue'er came closer too.
"Yeah, yeah! Boss Xiao Su's first Soul Skill seemed to be fire-elemental, but the scorpion Soul Beasts that sacrificed themselves for his second and third Soul Rings seemed to have ice attributes. How does that work?"
Usually, Martial Souls had specific attributes and characteristics, and the Soul Rings one absorbed had to be chosen accordingly.
It was rare for someone like Su Hui to have Soul Rings with two completely opposing elements.
The girls fell silent and all turned to look at Su Hui.
They were just as curious about his Martial Soul.
Su Hui set down the grill.
It really was time to tell them.
No one could ever know about his Anywhere Door Martial Soul, but he needed to release his other Martial Soul in battle.
He stood up, Soul Power surging within him.
"My Martial Soul is a Beast Martial Soul."
"Ding!"
Silver dragon scales emerged beneath his skin, and his fingernails transformed into sharp dragon claws.
His short black hair instantly turned silver and grew to his waist. Two curved silver dragon horns sprouted from his head, and a tail covered in silver scales lashed out behind him.
"It's called—the Silver Dragon King."
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