At the Sea God Pavilion, Ya Li heard that Zhuo Shi and Feng Wuyu had brought Lin Chen and Na'er back. She hurried over to check them, gently running her fingertips over Lin Chen's arm before inspecting Na'er closely. "Let me see. Did you get scraped or bruised anywhere?" Her soft voice was full of worry.
Only after confirming that neither of them was hurt did Ya Li finally let out a breath of relief.
Yun Ming had learned what happened from Ya Li's account. He looked at Lin Chen and praised him. "Not bad. You're so young, yet you already know to stand up for what's right."
Zhuo Shi's face held a trace of anger. "It's a shame that Shrek's enforcement team is such a disgrace. They nearly wronged the children."
Feng Wuyu chimed in from the side. "If they aren't severely punished, who knows how many more outrageous things they'll do."
Yun Ming waved a hand, his expression calm. "Since the matter has already been dealt with, there's no need to pursue it further." He paused, then added, "Lin Chen, you must work even harder at your cultivation from now on. Only when you're strong enough can you truly protect the people you want to protect."
Lin Chen looked up at Yun Ming. "I understand, Dad."
Ya Li ruffled both children's hair. "All right, I'll go get some snacks. You two go rest outside for a while."
The next day, dawn had barely broken. A faint streak of fish-belly white tinged the distant sky.
Lin Chen had just finished a night of meditation. Na'er was still sleeping soundly in her room, with no sign of waking up.
He walked slowly out of the room. With a thought, a vine's shadow emerged from within him, and the Thunder Hell Vine Soul Spirit gradually took shape.
Lin Chen raised a hand and stroked its rough surface, murmuring, "Today, I'll work on honing my Soul Skills." With that, he recalled the Thunder Hell Vine into his body and headed for Zhuo Shi's residence.
"Knock, knock, knock." A series of knocks sounded. When Zhuo Shi saw Lin Chen at the door, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "It's so early. Why aren't you off playing? What do you want with me?"
Lin Chen sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I thought I'd work on my combat skills and get more familiar with using my Soul Skills."
Zhuo Shi grumbled, "You didn't go to Feng Wuyu. You've got your eye on me, huh?"
Lin Chen immediately gave him a sincere look, his tone full of just the right amount of admiration. "Of course. In my heart, Uncle Zhuo, you're way more impressive than Uncle Feng."
At those words, Zhuo Shi thought it over, unable to figure out what was off about them, but still couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Naturally. You sure know how to talk, Lin Chen. Come on, Uncle Zhuo will train with you today."
Zhuo Shi suppressed his Soul Power to the same level as Lin Chen's and clasped his hands behind his back. "Come on, Lin Chen. Give it everything you've got. Don't hold back."
Lin Chen took a deep breath, and his Azure Dragon Martial Soul instantly possessed him. Dragon scales spread from his neck to his arms as azure lightning surged around him.
"First Soul Skill, Thunderous Might!" With a low shout, several dragon-shaped bolts of lightning appeared above Zhuo Shi and crashed down at him.
Zhuo Shi's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected Lin Chen to go all out from the very start. He no longer dared to be careless, condensing his Soul Power into a shield and taking the blow head-on.
The shock waves from their collision had yet to fade when Lin Chen rushed forward. His right hand transformed into an Azure Dragon Claw, hurtling straight for Zhuo Shi's face with a sharp sound that ripped through the air.
The claw was imbued with Extreme Lightning, its power utterly domineering. Zhuo Shi raised his hand to block. A muffled bang rang out, and lightning exploded in a flash.
The impact traveled up his arm. Even with his Soul Power suppressed, the force of the blow drove Zhuo Shi half a step backward.
After a long exchange, Lin Chen had almost exhausted his Soul Power, and his movements grew increasingly sluggish.
Seeing this, Zhuo Shi gradually eased off and stopped attacking.
Lin Chen's legs gave way, and he dropped onto the ground with a thud. He gasped for breath, fine beads of sweat covering his forehead, and waved a hand. "I'm done, I'm done. I've got no strength left!"
Seeing him like that, Zhuo Shi couldn't help stroking his beard and laughing. He walked over and reached down to pull Lin Chen to his feet.
"Not bad, not bad. Keep it up." Zhuo Shi patted his shoulder, his voice full of approval. "Your stamina's still a bit lacking, though. You need to keep working on it, or you'll be at a serious disadvantage in a prolonged fight."
Lin Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded. "I understand, Uncle Zhuo."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle figure appeared at the courtyard entrance.
Na'er stood in the morning light, still wearing a loose nightdress. Her short silver hair fell casually around her shoulders, and her violet eyes were hazy with sleep.
She rubbed her eyes and tilted her head slightly. Her voice was soft yet clear. "Brother Lin Chen, when I woke up and didn't see you, I went to ask Aunt Ya Li. She said she saw you run over to Uncle Zhuo's, so I came to find you."
As she spoke, she reached out and gently wiped the sweat from Lin Chen's forehead.
Zhuo Shi teased, "Na'er's come all the way over to find you. You should take her to get something to eat."
Lin Chen's eyes lit up, and a sly smile spread across his face as he seized the chance to say, "Uncle Zhuo, Uncle Feng said you have lots of black steamed buns here. Could you give us a few to try?"
Zhuo Shi's smile instantly stiffened. The hand stroking his beard stopped, and he glared at Lin Chen. "You little rascal. So that's why you came over so early—you were after these!"
He cursed Feng Wuyu for always gossiping behind his back.
Feng Wuyu was taking the blame for nothing. He was busy with his work when he suddenly sneezed. He wondered who was bad-mouthing him behind his back.
The truth was, Lin Chen was simply curious whether the black buns tasted as awful as they did in the original story.
Na'er blinked her violet eyes and looked curiously at Zhuo Shi, chiming in softly. "Uncle Zhuo, do those black buns taste good?"
Zhuo Shi hadn't wanted to bring them out, but he couldn't resist Lin Chen and Na'er's pleading looks. Their azure-glazed and violet eyes gazed up at him expectantly, and he quickly gave in.
Zhuo Shi sighed helplessly. "All right, all right. You win. I saved these on purpose. I wouldn't give them to just anyone!"
Zhuo Shi told the two little ones to wait outside while he went in to get some for them.
Before long, he came back out with three and handed them to Lin Chen and Na'er.
Lin Chen and Na'er each took a blackened bun. They exchanged a glance, then bit into them at the same time.
After just two chews, Na'er's delicate face scrunched up. Her cheeks puffed out as she struggled not to spit it out right away.
Lin Chen's expression stiffened too. He couldn't help thinking that, sure enough, they tasted exactly as awful as they did in the original story. The flavor was really hard to stomach.
But he soon discovered the black buns' remarkable quality. They were highly nutritious; after only two bites, he already felt rather full.
Na'er noticed it too. In just a few bites, she polished off the rest of her black bun.
Lin Chen had been hoping to ask for more, but Zhuo Shi could only laugh helplessly. "You think these grow on trees? They're made from a kind of deep-sea fish and are very precious. Even I only get a monthly ration. Only the Sea God Pavilion Elders are allowed to eat these."
Zhuo Shi shook his head, then went back inside and brought out two more. He shoved one into each of Lin Chen's and Na'er's hands. "These are the last ones. Take them."
Lin Chen and Na'er took the buns in both hands and bowed together. "Thank you, Uncle Zhuo."
The two of them carried their black buns and munched on them as they walked back to their residence.
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