"You have to remember, our master's surname is Zhao too!"
"If you forget your own surname, wouldn't that make you a traitor who shows no respect for your sovereign?"
"Hey!" Zhao Yuanzhou raised his voice and laughed as he scolded him. "You little brat, are you trying to trap me?"
"Smack—!"
Chen Feng raised a hand and slapped himself across the face. The blow was hard, the sound crisp and loud.
He straightened his expression, the grin vanishing from his face as his gaze turned solemn.
"My mouth got the better of me. Make sure nothing that happened today gets out."
He stood up and picked up his bowl of wine. His gaze swept over the three men one by one, and his voice was steady and firm.
"Brothers, now that we've made it here, we've got to make something of ourselves!"
"We can't let this trip be for nothing!"
"Right! We can't let this trip be for nothing!"
Zhao Yuanzhou, Shi Lei, and Han Xiao also stood, picked up their bowls, and all four said in unison:
"Bottoms up!"
The four bowls clinked together with a clear, ringing sound. Wine splashed over their rims, sparkling in the sunlight.
Noon.
The sky was clear and blue, like a painting.
Heaven Dou City, western district.
Heaven Dou City was one of the most prosperous cities on the Douluo Continent, and its western district was especially lively, packed with merchants and lined with shops.
The broad, even streets were flanked by rows of closely packed buildings. Tavern banners and tea-shop flags whipped in the breeze. Pedestrians thronged the roads, while carriages and horses streamed past. Hawkers' cries, laughter, and haggling blended into a roaring sea of noise.
Zhao Linchuan and Ah Yin sat at a quiet teahouse on the second floor,