When someone suddenly blocked his way, Guang Long froze for a moment.
Especially when he heard the way the other person spoke. He really thought he'd run into some big shot, and for no reason, his heart began to pound.
But when he saw that the person standing in front of him was just a little brat about the same age as the kid on the ground, his unease instantly turned into even greater anger.
"One little brat who doesn't know when to quit is bad enough. And now there's another one? You really think I, Guang Long, run a charity? That I won't hit kids?"
As soon as he finished shouting, two Soul Rings flashed into view around him. Their yellow color was quite eye-catching. This guy was actually a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.
This time, he really meant to hit hard.
"He's actually a two-ring Soul Master?!"
When Xie Xie saw the Soul Rings, his expression changed at once.
Mu Xi looked worried, too. After all, her cultivation hadn't yet reached the two-ring level, and facing a true Soul Grandmaster put her under no small amount of pressure.
But Yao Chuan didn't look the least bit flustered. He was perfectly calm.
As Guang Long's fist, as big as an earthenware pot, came flying toward him with a rush of wind,
Yao Chuan didn't even raise an eyelid.
Behind him, in that deep, thick darkness, two mighty and ferocious Black Dragon phantoms suddenly roared. A terrifying pressure descended with a force that seemed almost tangible.
Yao Chuan didn't even need to lift a finger.
The two enormous dragon heads, formed from pure Soul Power, seemed to come alive.
They moved as fast as lightning. One snapped with pinpoint precision at the wrist of the arm Guang Long had swung with all his might, and a sharp crack rang out.
It had clearly been broken.
At the same time,
the other dragon head coiled like a giant python and clamped its jaws around Guang Long's other burly arm, leaving him completely unable to move.
Then, like two dragons swinging a torn sack, the two heads unleashed an irresistible force.
They yanked him in opposite directions, then slammed him down.
Thud! Dust flew into the air.
Just a second earlier, Guang Long had been a ferocious figure with gleaming Soul Rings. Now it was as if his bones had been pulled right out of him.
He was slammed hard onto the ground.
Face down, sprawled in an incredibly ugly position, he lay motionless, plunged into a deep coma. It was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead.
The sudden turn of events had happened so quickly that no one had time to react.
A moment before, the crowd had still been worried for Yao Chuan, thinking the little kid was probably in trouble.
The next moment, they saw the previously overbearing Guang Long lying at the child's feet like a dead dog, without even a whimper.
Everyone stared in shock, their mouths gaping wide enough to fit an egg.
The lackeys who had come with Guang Long
had seen with their own eyes how their boss—the powerful Soul Grandmaster in their eyes—had been taken down in just two casual moves, left unconscious and possibly dead. Their souls nearly flew out of their bodies. How could they dare stay? Their faces turned deathly pale.
With a shriek, they scrambled away, rolling and crawling as if they wished their parents had given them two extra legs. In the blink of an eye, they vanished, as though ghosts were chasing them.
Only then did the onlookers around them snap out of their daze.
Once they came to their senses, they burst into excited discussion and praise for Yao Chuan.
"My heavens. That little kid is amazing!"
"That's right! Guang Long's a Soul Grandmaster! He was taken down just like that?"
"Good gracious. Which family does this little prodigy belong to? His Soul Power is so strong!"
"Heroes come from the young! Truly, heroes come from the young!"
Uncle Li, the owner of the Earthen Pot Beef shop, was even more excited. His lips trembled as he rushed over to Yao Chuan in three quick strides, bowing and clasping his hands again and again as he thanked him without pause.
"Little hero! What a little hero!"
"Thank you for saving me. Otherwise, these old bones of mine would have..."
Yao Chuan didn't feel much about this sort of thing.
He waved a hand, his tone quite casual.
"It's nothing. It was the least I could do. They probably won't dare come back again."
He'd stepped in partly because he couldn't stand by and watch an injustice.
Another reason was that, when he'd read the original story years ago, he'd always hated thugs like Guang Long who used their power to bully people.
Of course, that was just what he'd been thinking to himself.
He certainly wouldn't say it out loud.
With everything settled,
he turned, took Na'er's little hand, called to Mu Xi, and prepared to leave the noisy place.
He hadn't even taken two steps
when a figure suddenly darted in front of them, blocking their way.
Yao Chuan looked up and saw that it was Xie Xie again.
Before he could speak, Mu Xi frowned beside him, her tone tinged with displeasure.
"Why are you back again? Are you some kind of ghost that won't leave us alone? Do you really have to fight before you're satisfied? What, do you think you're stronger than Guang Long?"
She thought Xie Xie was still looking for a fight.
But instead of getting angry at Mu Xi's words, Xie Xie shook his head.
His expression was serious. The defiance and stubbornness he'd shown earlier were gone.
"No, I'm not here to fight. I... I wanted to thank him."
He pointed at Yao Chuan, his voice dropping.
"And... this shop... it means a lot to me."
"Means a lot?"
Na'er, who had quietly stayed by Yao Chuan's side, blinked her beautiful, wide eyes, which were full of innocent curiosity.
"Is it because the beef is... especially delicious?"
She tilted her little head and asked in a sweet, childish voice.
Looking into Na'er's pure eyes, Xie Xie fell silent for a moment, his gaze dimming.
He drew a breath.
His voice was tinged with a faint sadness that was hard to detect, and he began to tell them the story of the shop.
He spoke of his mother, and how she used to love bringing him here to eat the beef.
He spoke of coming here alone when she was sick.
He spoke of his mother's last regret... of his complicated feelings toward his father... of the warmth and loneliness this little shop held.
Yao Chuan already knew the story.
But now, hearing Xie Xie tell it in his own voice, feeling the grief he tried to keep down and the small trace of stubbornness in his tone,
Yao Chuan couldn't help feeling a ripple stir within him, bringing with it a pang of emotion and sympathy.
If even he felt that way, Mu Xi was even more affected.
Before Xie Xie had even finished his story, the way Mu Xi looked at him had completely changed.
Her earlier displeasure and wariness had vanished without a trace, replaced by undisguised heartache and sympathy.
Only then did she truly realize that this little boy, who had been so defiant and eager to pick a fight, was only a little over six years old. He was carrying so much sorrow in his heart and was lonelier than she'd imagined.
She stepped forward and reached out.
Gently patting Xie Xie on the shoulder, she softened her voice, offering comfort and encouragement.
"All right, all right. It's okay now. It's all in the past."
She paused, her tone sincere.
"From now on... if you want to come eat beef again, you don't have to sneak here alone. We can come with you."
Xie Xie lifted his head and looked at Mu Xi, then at Yao Chuan.
Then he looked at the silver-haired, violet-eyed little girl holding Yao Chuan's hand. Something seemed to flicker in his dark green eyes.
He nodded firmly.
"Yeah!"
Then, to everyone's surprise,
he suddenly stepped forward.
He bowed toward Yao Chuan once more.
Facing Yao Chuan, he shouted clearly and loudly,
"Big Brother!"
"From now on, you're my Big Brother! I, Xie Xie, will follow your lead!"
Yao Chuan was completely dumbfounded. He couldn't quite process what was happening.
He looked down
at Xie Xie's excited face, then at his bright, expectant eyes.
There was only one thought rolling around in his mind.
What was going on? Hadn't the plot just leaped ahead way too fast?
He'd only come out for a meal, helped Na'er out of a tight spot, and then dealt with a thug on the side. How had he suddenly ended up taking one of the future Shrek Seven Devils as his little brother?
This was so sudden that it had caught him completely off guard.
He looked at Xie Xie's little face, which plainly said, "I'm sticking with you."
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
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