After class, Wu Zhangkong had to cancel the evening's special training for the three of them because something had come up. He let them arrange their own time.
"Tan Wulin, want me to take you somewhere fun?"
After class, Xie Xie walked up beside Tang Wulin, slung an arm around his shoulders, and asked.
"No." Tang Wulin refused without a second thought.
"Why not? We've been training for a whole month. I'm practically exhausted."
"I'm planning to take a blacksmithing commission and earn some money. Besides, I have something to take care of at the Blacksmith Association." Tang Wulin wasn't lying. He really did want to use these few hours to ask Yao Lao about those pill recipes, then take a blacksmithing commission while he was there.
"Blacksmithing is so boring! How about I treat you to a meal? As much as you can eat."
"Really?"
"Really!"
Tang Wulin couldn't resist a meal, so he agreed.
"Where are you going?"
Just then, Gu Yue walked up behind the two of them.
"What's it to you?" Xie Xie said haughtily.
"I was asking Tang Wulin." Gu Yue snorted and walked over to him.
"Uh..." Tang Wulin awkwardly scratched his head. "Xie Xie and I are just going out to eat."
"I'm coming too." Gu Yue grabbed Tang Wulin's hand.
"Have you no shame? You're a girl, and we're going out together. Why are you tagging along? Besides, even if you come, I'm not treating you." Xie Xie looked at her with undisguised disdain.
"Mind your own business!" Gu Yue stuck her tongue out at Xie Xie. "Even if you won't treat me, Tang Wulin will. Right?"
Tang Wulin wasn't very good at turning girls down, so he could only nod.
"Fine, fine. Come along, then. It's not like one more person will make a difference." Xie Xie sounded utterly resigned.
"Hmph!"
Soon, Xie Xie led the two of them to a Snack Street not far from Eastsea Academy.
"Who would've thought a young master like you would eat in a place like this?" Gu Yue remarked sarcastically.
"Honestly, what does a woman know? The best food is hidden in places like this."
The street was certainly alive with the bustle of everyday life. Small shops stood shoulder to shoulder, and the narrow street was packed with people. The air was rich with the aromas of all kinds of delicious food.
It reminded Tang Wulin of Aolai City. There was a Snack Street like this near his home, and when he was little, his parents often took him there.
Thinking of that, Tang Wulin began to miss his parents. He felt he should find time to go back and visit them.
"Let's eat here!"
Xie Xie, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped in front of a small shop.
Tang Wulin looked up at its name.
"Braised Beef Pot."
"This place is delicious. I've been eating here since I was little. Beef with white rice and a bottle of soda—it doesn't get much better than that."
Having grown up in Eastsea City, Xie Xie knew the place inside out.
"Sounds good!" Tang Wulin said with a smile. He was already hungry, and as far as he was concerned, as long as he got enough to eat, it didn't matter much what it was.
The shop wasn't very big. Five or six small tables sat inside, and four of them were already full. The place was clearly doing good business.
They found an empty little table and sat down. A middle-aged man came over, smiling. "Well, look who it is! Xie Xie, you brought some friends along!"
"Yeah! The usual, Uncle Li. Sorry for the trouble." Xie Xie smiled.
"Coming right up!"
Before long, three servings of Braised Beef Pot, three bowls of white rice, and three bottles of soda were set on their table.
"This is the first time you've brought friends to Uncle Li's, isn't it? They must be important to you." Uncle Li ruffled Xie Xie's hair with a smile.
Xie Xie didn't dodge. He just smiled and nodded.
The sight stunned Tang Wulin. He and Xie Xie had been roommates for more than a month, so he knew all about Xie Xie's severe cleanliness obsession. Yet now he was letting the owner of a little street-side shop casually ruffle his hair.
"Dig in! What are you waiting for?"
As he spoke, Xie Xie opened the iron pot in front of him. The aroma of beef immediately filled their noses.
"That smells amazing!"
Tang Wulin was already hungry, and now he couldn't hold back any longer. He opened his pot too and began to eat with gusto.
"Mmm! This really is delicious!" Tang Wulin couldn't help giving it a thumbs-up.
"Is it really that good?" Gu Yue skeptically picked up a piece of beef and put it in her mouth.
Her eyes lit up at once, and she began eating faster, too.
"Uncle Li, bring us another twenty servings!"
Xie Xie knew how much Tang Wulin could eat, so he called over to the stove in the distance.
"Coming right up!"
After a long while, Tang Wulin gazed at the pile of iron pots in front of him, still unsatisfied. He wasn't full yet.
"All right, the night is still young! I'll take you somewhere else to eat later." Xie Xie knew that this little bit of food couldn't possibly fill Tang Wulin up.
Tang Wulin smiled and nodded.
"There's actually something else I wanted to talk to you about today." Xie Xie's expression grew a little more serious.
"What is it?" Tang Wulin asked.
"Can you do Hundred Refinement?"
"Of course!"
"What about Thousand Refinement?"
Tang Wulin couldn't figure out why Xie Xie was asking, but he answered anyway. "I can manage it, I guess, but I'm not very proficient."
"Damn, you really can do it!"
Gu Yue was a little shocked by his answer, too. "Then doesn't that mean your blacksmithing skill has reached the Grandmaster level?"
Tang Wulin awkwardly scratched his head. "No, I'm only a Level Two Blacksmith. My Thousand Refinement isn't very consistent. Gu Yue, do you know much about blacksmithing?"
"More or less."
But Xie Xie's eyes lit up. He stood and patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder. "Wulin, we're friends, right?"
"What are you planning?"
Xie Xie grinned. "Nothing. I just want to have you make me some mecha parts in the future. Don't worry, I'll pay more than the market price."
Tang Wulin said, puzzled, "My Thousand Refinement isn't consistent. Wouldn't it be faster to post a commission directly with the Blacksmith Association?"
Xie Xie gave him a mysterious look. "You're overestimating how many Grandmaster-level blacksmiths there are. Even if I post a commission, there's no guarantee anyone will take it. And even if someone does, who knows how long I'd have to wait? It's best to strike while the iron is hot, and you're already a blacksmith right here."
"But I still can't perform Thousand Refinement consistently!"
"Dummy! I'm not at the point where I need mecha parts yet, either. But I'm sure that by the time I do, you'll be a Grandmaster-level blacksmith."
"I want some, too!" Gu Yue suddenly raised her hand.
"Why do you have to fight me for everything?" Xie Xie said, looking at Gu Yue in exasperation.
"Pfft! Mind your own business. I'm not asking you for anything!"
Tang Wulin nodded helplessly. "Fine, fine! Once I can perform Thousand Refinement consistently, I'll prioritize making mecha parts for you two."
"Brothers for life!" Xie Xie scooped Tang Wulin up in a hug.
"From today on, you're my personal blacksmith, Tang Wulin."
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