With Zhou Yi no longer subjecting her to such harsh teaching.
Ji Siyuan could finally begin his own cultivation.
And the energy he saved by not having to run extra laps could go toward earning money.
Shrek had physical education classes too, so he still had to train.
The two of them found an area where people sold things, set up a stall, and began their barbecue business.
The east gate of Shrek had plenty of vendors. It was the perfect place to sell food, so most of the vendors there sold food too.
"Let's make a smaller batch on the first day. Once we make a name for ourselves, we'll have more customers tomorrow."
Neither of them was very good at business.
Tang San wasn't good at it either. The businesses he'd run before had all relied on the monopoly his skills gave him.
This kind of thing really called for a head for business.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya, who had come to help, didn't have that knack either.
"The fish are cleaned. Get the fire going."
Ji Siyuan hadn't wanted to buy charcoal. Starting the fire himself would let him practice controlling flames at the same time, but reality had shown him that Huo Yuhao couldn't manage without charcoal.
In the end, he had no choice but to buy bamboo charcoal.
As Shrek students, they had a certain appeal as stall vendors. Even a worn-out gimmick was still a gimmick.
Ji Siyuan had wanted to trade on the name of a direct disciple of the God of Cooking, but Douluo Continent had no universally recognized God of Cooking.
The flames roared to life, and the heat of his fire made the others a little surprised.
Huo Yuhao laid out the skewers and began grilling fish.
Ji Siyuan controlled the flames to roast meat off to one side.
Both were popular.
And with the delicious aroma wafting around, plenty of people came to buy.
A student in yellow said, "One, please. I want to see how it tastes."
"Five Copper Soul Coins each."
Money changed hands, and the fish was handed over.
A student in purple said, "A freshman selling barbecue? You've got great control over those flames. I'll have to try some."
"Five Copper Soul Coins for a large skewer, and one Silver Soul Coin for an extra-large one."
"Oh, you've got extra-large skewers too? I've got a super-sized stomach. Let me try one."
They ate and praised the food again and again.
That brought in even more customers.
"Not bad, junior. You've got skills. I'll take three grilled fish and three large skewers."
"Get in line."
It wasn't exactly a constant stream of customers, but there really was a queue.
The grilled fish sold out quickly. They saved two skewers for Bei Bei and Tang Ya. The barbecued meat sold out soon after.
Some customers even asked if they had any drinks.
Ji Siyuan said he could make some.
He bought some fruit and mixed up two bottles.
They were a hit.
And so they added a new item to the menu: mixed fruit drinks.
Huo Yuhao said, "Siyuan, are you really going to split the money evenly? Your side clearly made more."
Not only had his side earned more, but they hadn't needed to buy charcoal either.
Ji Siyuan said, "Labor costs are hard to calculate. I'm splitting it evenly because I can't be bothered to work out everyone's share."
Tang San said, "Clever. That way, you don't make it seem like you're pitying her, and she still gets a good deal and feels grateful to you. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You learned more than cooking from Rong Nianbing."
"Come on, Uncle Tang. Is it really that dramatic?"
"Is it? Look at her. She's clearly a girl disguised as a boy, and now she's looking at you differently."
He glanced back at Huo Yuhao. When their eyes met, she actually lowered her head.
It was nowhere near love, of course. At most, she had a little fondness for him.
They went back to earn money the next day.
Compared to the previous day, there were already plenty of people in line at their spot.
Students in both yellow and purple uniforms were there.
"Junior, your senior didn't lie to you. I even brought my roommates along today to support your business."
"Anything for you, senior. What would you like?"
"Three meat skewers, two grilled fish, and a bottle of mixed fruit drink."
Ji Siyuan said, "Three Silver Soul Coins."
"Damn, your drinks are that expensive?"
"Senior, they're one of a kind at Shrek."
"I'll take one."
He set down three Silver Soul Coins and took his order.
"Hey, Zhu Lu, do you want some?" The heterochromatic-eyed boy in a white uniform caught the aroma.
The girl beside him answered, "I want grilled fish."
They joined the line, but only two grilled fish remained, and those were for Tang Ya and Bei Bei.
"Sorry, we're out of grilled fish. I only made eighteen."
"But there are still two right there."
At the sound of that voice, Huo Yuhao immediately looked up. She knew him—knew him all too well. It was Dai Huabin.
Rage surged through her mind. She gripped a skewer in her hand. She only had to make sure. Just make sure.
The boy with the mismatched eyes looked at her, his face full of displeasure.
The White Tiger Duke's family was known for their mismatched eyes. This had to be Dai Huabin.
She couldn't stop herself from wanting to stab Dai Huabin with the skewer.
Suddenly, a pair of hands pulled her away. "You're getting dizzy from grilling fish? I'll have to give you a good workout tonight."
Ji Siyuan had pulled Huo Yuhao away in time.
Ji Siyuan had Huo Yuhao stand behind him, out of Dai Huabin's sight.
Then he faced Dai Huabin himself. "Our last two grilled fish are reserved."
"Then I'll reserve tomorrow's."
"Reservations are for people we know, not just any customer. At least, you can't make one. I recommend coming early tomorrow and getting in line."
"I'm the son of the White Tiger Duke, and you're telling me I can't?"
No one had ever spoken to Dai Huabin like that before. He was furious.
He'd failed to make an impression for the first time at Shrek Academy, in front of his fiancée. Dai Huabin couldn't accept that.
"Do you believe I'll flip your stall over?"
The students behind him, waiting to buy barbecue, weren't having it. "Hey, can't you understand plain English? The grilled fish are reserved. If you can't get grilled fish, buy some meat instead. You think this is the White Tiger Duke Mansion?"
That only made Dai Huabin angrier.
Zhu Lu was still trying to pull him back, but his pride swelled all the more.
He reached under the rack, ready to overturn it.
Reaching for red-hot iron without even activating his Martial Soul—somehow, that was something a person could do.
Ji Siyuan activated his Martial Soul and pressed down on the rack.
He pushed down and Dai Huabin tried to flip it, but Ji Siyuan wasn't afraid of the heat.
Dai Huabin held on for two seconds before letting go.
The students waiting in line found the sight amusing and burst into hearty laughter.
He hadn't gotten the result he wanted. "Fine, fine, let's see how you keep selling!"
He activated his Martial Soul and used a Soul Skill, swinging a White Tiger Claw straight at the grill.
Ji Siyuan retreated several steps. The scattered coals nearly hurt someone.
That roused everyone's anger. They'd all come to buy food, and he'd flipped the stall just because he couldn't get what he wanted?
Everyone immediately surrounded Dai Huabin.
Dai Huabin didn't back down in the slightest. "How much? I'll pay you."
He pulled out ten Gold Soul Coins. "Is that enough?"
Huo Yuhao clenched her fists, her eyes bloodshot.
Dai Huabin was unreasonable, throwing his status around and bullying everyone. He'd been like this since childhood.
She stepped forward, wanting revenge, wanting to vent her anger, but then she saw someone standing in front of her.
"Tsk, that's still not enough. I had some new kinds of barbecue in there. That sort of skill is worth a lot. I won't call it settled for less than a hundred Gold Soul Coins."
Dai Huabin was so furious he actually laughed. This guy was trying to extort him.
"Name your price."
"It's not up to me to decide. You can ask around and see whether my barbecue skills are worth that much."
The students he'd angered naturally backed Ji Siyuan. Even if he was twisting the facts, he was still in the right.
Who told you to smash his stall?