Something Fishy

"So that means you don't have a girlfriend," Zhang Ke said with a grin.

"Not right now. But I'll have one sooner or later, so I'm in no hurry," Xu Qing said, pursing his lips.

"Haha... You're not wrong. Different people like different things. You're still young; you'll have plenty of chances," Chen Gu said with a nod and a laugh.

Not every woman was into muscular men like them. Plenty of women liked someone like Xu Qing, too.

"Exactly, uncle. Are you two married?" Xu Qing asked curiously.

"U-Uncle?" Chen Gu's eye twitched. He wasn't even married yet!

"Hahaha, Chen, what's with that face? Xu Qing isn't wrong, is he?" Zhang Ke burst out laughing.

Chen Gu was still single, while Zhang Ke had been married for years. His daughter was already in elementary school.

From their reactions, Xu Qing could tell whether they were married.

"I'm not married yet. You shouldn't be calling me uncle. 'Elder Brother' would be more like it," Chen Gu said shamelessly, despite being well into his thirties.

"Whatever you say. Then you're the younger one," Xu Qing said, his eyes shifting as an idea struck him.

Chen Gu immediately caught on and glared at Xu Qing. "Forget it. Uncle is fine. I don't want to be demoted for no reason."

Zhang Ke laughed beside them. "Look at you, getting completely played by a young man."

"You'd be no different," Chen Gu retorted with a roll of his eyes. He was only losing because he wasn't married, all right?

"Uncle, are you going to hunt monsters? Is it just the three of you?" Xu Qing asked.

Zhang Ke smiled. "Of course it's not just us three. There are three more. They'll be here soon."

"We're the Fire Hammer Squad," Chen Gu said proudly.

"Fire Hammer Squad? Never heard of it. Are you any good?" Xu Qing asked, blinking. He was very direct.

Chen Gu choked. "What? You've never even heard of the Fire Hammer Squad? Kid, you're definitely not a Warrior."

"Who says I'm not a Warrior? I am one. Luo Feng and I took the Martial Artist Combat Assessment at the same time," Xu Qing said.

At that, Chen Gu and Zhang Ke were both astonished.

"You're a Warrior too?" they asked, finding it hard to believe. Xu Qing looked so delicate and weak that he didn't seem like a Warrior at all.

Yet he claimed to have already passed the Martial Artist Combat Assessment. What a surprise.

"Uncle, don't judge a book by its cover. I'm really strong. Becoming a Warrior was easy. And, well, I'm a little... laid-back, so I'm already at War General Level," Xu Qing said confidently.

That was close. He'd almost said he was lazy.

"Haha... You've got some nerve saying that," Chen Gu and Zhang Ke said. Of course they didn't believe him.

They were both in their thirties and still only High-level Fighters, nowhere near War General Level. That showed how difficult it was to break through from Fighter to War General.

If Luo Feng had said it, they might have believed him. After all, he was a widely recognized genius.

But Xu Qing? No way.

"Hmph, I knew you wouldn't believe me. Fine, I won't hold it against you," Xu Qing said. He hadn't expected them to believe him, which was why he'd dared to say it.

In fact, Xu Qing really could do it. He hadn't seriously trained even once so far.

He hadn't even opened the Guidance Technique Xu Xin had bought for him. He was a little lazy, and he'd completely forgotten about it.

Just then, three muscular Warriors walked over.

"Captain," Chen Gu and Zhang Ke greeted them with smiles.

Xu Qing looked at the newcomers. "What would you three like to drink?"

"Pu'er tea," said the muscular man in front with a grin, setting down the pair of huge hammers he carried.

The other two men looked very much alike. They had shields and curved blades on their backs. "Same for us."

Xu Qing nodded and turned to leave.

"Luo Feng, the captain's here. Come over," Chen Gu called to Luo Feng by the bar.

Xu Qing returned to the bar. Xu Xin seemed to be in a good mood. "Sister Xin, what were you talking about? You look so happy."

"Nothing," Xu Xin said evasively.

"Hmph, if you won't tell me, fine. I can guess anyway," Xu Qing said with a pout. Now how was she going to cover it up? There was definitely something going on between her and Luo Feng.

Xu Xin smiled and pinched his cheek. "The customers are still waiting."

"Got it," Xu Qing said, carrying the Pu'er tea over.

"Here's your Pu'er tea. Please enjoy," Xu Qing said, setting it down.

"Thanks," said Gao Feng, the Fire Hammer Squad's captain, along with the twin squad members Wei Tie and Wei Qing.

Xu Qing looked at Luo Feng. "Be careful when you go hunting monsters. If you really want to pursue Sister Xin, don't get yourself killed. You'll regret it otherwise."

With that, Xu Qing turned and left.

The people from the Fire Hammer Squad looked at Luo Feng with teasing smiles. "Look at you, Luo Feng. You've already charmed his sister. And it seems like she doesn't mind, either. This kid brother-in-law seems like a good guy."

Luo Feng smiled. He hadn't expected Xu Qing to say something like that to him, but he was glad to hear it.

It seemed Xu Qing didn't mind him pursuing Xu Xin.

More than twenty minutes later, Luo Feng and the others set off.

"Luo Feng," Xu Xin called as she saw them about to leave, hurrying over.

"I'll be starting school in a few days, but while I'm at university, I'll come here to work as the manager on weekends during the day. You have to come by then," Xu Xin told him.

Her face flushed a little as she finished speaking.

"Okay. I definitely will," Luo Feng replied with a bright smile.

When Xu Xin returned to the bar, Xu Qing stared at her until she grew embarrassed. "Xiao Qing, what are you looking at?"

"I'm not looking at anything. I'm looking at a young woman whose heart is fluttering," Xu Qing teased.

"You little rascal, getting bold enough to tease your big sister, are you?" Xu Xin reached out and tickled him.

Xu Qing wriggled like a worm, rolling back and forth. "Sister Xin, I'm sorry! Stop tickling me!"

Xu Xin only let him go when she heard him beg for mercy. "Let's see if you dare tease your big sister again."

After fooling around for a while, the siblings sat down.

"He only became a Warrior recently. Isn't it too dangerous for him to go hunting monsters already?" Xu Xin was still worried.

After a pause, she looked at Xu Qing. "Xiao Qing, how strong is their squad?"

"They're average. They're all High-level Fighters. I could beat them all with one hand," Xu Qing said without holding back.

"I see." Xu Xin furrowed her brows at his answer. She knew Xu Qing wouldn't brag.

After all, Xu Qing himself was a High-level Fighter, and she'd seen how strong he was.

"What about Luo Feng? How strong is he?" Xu Xin asked again.

"He seems to be a High-level Fighter too. He's no weaker than the others," Xu Qing said.

Besides, he sensed that Luo Feng's Spiritual Force was quite strong. There was a good chance he was a Spirit Controller too, though Xu Qing wasn't entirely certain.

He could only confirm his guess after seeing Luo Feng use his Spiritual Force.