Dugu Yan lifted her chin slightly, meeting Liu Erlong's faintly reddened eyes without backing down.
After staring at her for a moment, Liu Erlong suddenly broke into a smile.
"Dugu Yan? Dugu Bo's granddaughter?"
Dugu Yan nodded, secretly wiping the sweat from her brow.
Liu Erlong shot Chu Men a look.
You've got some nerve, huh? You even managed to win over Poison Douluo's precious granddaughter.
"Ahem. Why don't we all share a table and eat together?"
Chu Men gave a light cough, trying to ease the tension and, as much as possible, prevent the birth of a damn love triangle.
Just then, a waiter approached with a tray piled high with dishes, his steps steady.
The freshly cooked braised dragon bone gleamed with oil. Steam carried its rich meaty aroma straight toward them, while the carefully simmered sauce gave the fragrance even more depth.
"Teacher Chu, your braised dragon bone, and red-braised..."
At the mention of the dish, Liu Erlong looked at Chu Men in a way that seemed more and more suspicious.
You're doing this to piss me off on purpose, aren't you?
Liu Erlong felt the Fire Dragon Martial Soul inside her itching to break loose. Her chest began to heave, and the knuckles in her fists started to itch.
I want to punch someone!
"Ahem, dragon meat is a rare delicacy, Sister Erlong. Please, have some!"
Chu Men was very generous, swapping the freshly served dragon bones with Liu Erlong's plate, which she had already eaten half of.
Liu Erlong's mouth twitched. She nearly lost control and slammed the plate down over his head.
[Giving Liu Erlong dragon meat? Streamer, you're a damn genius!]
[The Fire Dragon Martial Soul shouldn't mind, right? Now, if you gave Xiao Wu spicy rabbit head... that'd be exciting!]
[What the hell, are the people in the comments all demons? My Xiao Wu's a vegetarian!]
Liu Erlong wasn't old-fashioned, and she had no taboo against eating dragon meat. She was simply annoyed!
"Since you're so filial..."
Liu Erlong laughed in anger and instructed the waiter:
"Teacher Chu's been running too hot lately. Bring him a serving of Lone Bamboo Shoot, stir-fried, and cool him down!"
And so—
Liu Erlong and Dugu Yan enjoyed the rich, savory dragon bones.
Xiao Wu went "crunch, crunch," happily chewing her carrots.
As for Chu Men, he could go gnaw on bamboo!
[Hahahaha! That's a lot of bamboo!]
[The streamer's basically getting the giant panda treatment now. Not bad!]
[Fate: The legendary Ten-Year Lone Bamboo has finally met its destined transmigrator. Pity it happened at the dinner table!]
Chu Men sampled the bamboo shoots with serene indifference, trying to draw a fresh fragrance from their crisp, bland stems.
Just call it a light meal. Across from him, Liu Erlong was eating with relish, shooting him a vicious glare every now and then.
As if to say, This isn't over!
Chu Men felt he was being wronged. This little snake had been the one to wrap herself around him. He hadn't even planned to make a move yet.
He couldn't exactly chase the young lady away, could he?
Wouldn't that be... rather rude?
Besides—
Someone's leather boot was pressing down hard on his foot. Surely it couldn't be Dugu Yan, sitting across from him with her cheeks flushed?
Hmph!
Liu Erlong!
It has to be you!
Sooner or later, I, Young Master Chu, will earn the title of Dragon Knight. When I do, you'll be sorry!
Wait a minute...
Why are Dugu Yan's cheeks red?
Just then, a young man at the next table suddenly exclaimed excitedly:
"Have you heard? The bishop of Spirit Saint Hall led the Saint Hall Knight Order out of the city first thing this morning!"
"Pfft! With all that commotion, who hasn't heard?"
"Then do you know what he went out there to do?"
"If you keep yapping nonsense, you can take point on the next mission!"
"Come on, I'm just a support-type Soul Master. I heard the wanted criminal Tang Hao caused quite a stir near the border!"
"Tang Hao? You mean the Clear Sky...? He's been wanted for years. Why's he suddenly making trouble again?"
"I heard he went on a rampage this time, smashing every Spirit Hall Branch and subsidiary hall along the way. The bishops and deacons were all beaten into lumps of flesh. Blood flowed like a river!"
"That's the Clear Sky Hammer for you. Tough as nails!"
"Tough my ass! If he were really that tough, he'd have fought Spirit Hall already! I bet he can't hide out in the Clear Sky Sect anymore..."
"That's the Clear Sky Sect, the foremost of the Upper Three Sects, the number one sect in the world!"
"What Clear Sky Sect? I say it's all hype!"
The young mercenary grew more and more animated, spittle flying everywhere.
"Have any of you actually seen them? Maybe they've already fallen into decline. They've stayed hidden all this time because they're afraid of getting kicked out of the Upper Three Sects! Honestly, they're just squatting on a title..."
The face of the captain beside him grew darker and darker. Looking at his clueless, heedless teammate, he finally couldn't hold back.
With a sharp smack, he slapped his chopsticks down on the table.
"Shut up!"
"..."
Xiao Wu wasn't close to Tang San, so she knew Tang Hao even less.
The matter barely affected her at all.
While Liu Erlong was distracted, she quietly took a carrot-shaped gummy from her pocket and popped it into her mouth.
A crafty rabbit has three burrows.
Sister Xiao Wu had mastered the art of hiding snacks all on her own!
Dugu Yan raised her head slightly. She had heard her grandfather talk about the Clear Sky Douluo, but she had been too young then to remember much.
Liu Erlong, however, listened intently, while another graceful figure surfaced in her mind—
Tang Yuehua, the owner of Moonlight Pavilion!
A trace of sadness flickered in her eyes.
Of the four of them, Chu Men was the one with the clearest picture of what was going on. At that moment, he simply ate his bamboo shoots in silence, occasionally taking a sip of the delicious carrot soup.
Tang Hao going on a rampage was within expectations!
He just hadn't expected that madman to be so brutal!
Chu Men couldn't quite read Tang Hao. With Ah Yin as an example, it was hard to tell whether Tang Hao was mostly using Xiao Wu or mostly protecting her.
Was Tang Hao's outburst genuine anger?
Or was he putting on an act?
Chu Men set down his soup bowl, wiped his lips, and grew more solemn.
Tang Hao was an enemy!
As long as he kept that clear, it was enough!
Heaven Dou City was safe for now. And to deal with Tang Hao...
Chu Men's eyes turned to Dugu Yan, eating across from him.
Looks like I'll have to find a chance to get in touch with Poison Douluo.
Dugu Yan seemed to sense his gaze. She looked up and gave him a bright smile.
"Burp~"
After the meal, Dugu Yan reluctantly said goodbye to Chu Men.
"Chu Men, you promised to teach me how to make poison Soul Tools. You can't go back on your word!"
"I promised? All right, I won't go back on it. You're welcome anytime. That work for you?"
"That's more like it!"
Dugu Yan happily waved to everyone and turned to leave.
Watching her disappear around the street corner, Liu Erlong looked at Chu Men with a knowing smile.
"Well, Teacher Chu, aren't you popular? You hold a class, and you've already charmed Dugu Bo's granddaughter!"
"I was completely passive the whole time, I swear!"
Chu Men spoke with absolute conviction.
"Rumble!"
Suddenly, rain poured down in torrents!
"..."
That was just too disrespectful.
Chu Men thought angrily, Just you wait. Once my divine skills are perfected, I'll use the Inversion Pen to teach this weather a proper lesson!
"Um, Sister Erlong, it's raining so hard. Let me walk you home."
Liu Erlong shot him a look and strode off.
Chu Men hurriedly opened his umbrella and called to Xiao Wu. He was just about to run after her when—
"Teacher Chu, this is your braised dragon bone, fresh from the stove."
Before you continue