Spoiled Young Lady

No one naively believed that everyone in the world was kind-hearted. If a stranger on the street casually asked whether you needed help, your first instinct would be to suspect some ulterior motive.

The old man had lived for many years and met all sorts of people. Even though the youth before him looked younger than his own granddaughter, it was still difficult for him to let down his basic guard.

Cheng Xiao seemed to sense the old man's inscrutable gaze and immediately cupped his hands. "Please don't misunderstand, sir. I've only recently arrived in Heaven Dou. Wandering around the city alone can be rather boring at times, so I wanted to make more friends. I have no other intentions."

Friends?

The old man smiled without speaking. On this continent, countless people wanted to befriend him but had no way to do so. Who knew how many had knelt outside his door without ever being granted an audience? Of those who could truly be called his friends, which one did not possess great renown across the continent?

This brat had merely met him by chance, yet he wanted to befriend him?

Seeing that the old man showed no reaction, how could Cheng Xiao fail to understand that he meant to refuse? He sighed inwardly. It seemed he would not be able to establish a connection with him. He had long seen that the old man was no ordinary person, which was why he had wanted to befriend him. Perhaps he could gain access to the old man's network and, through it, find a force worth relying on.

Cheng Xiao did not press the matter. He knew very well that, unfamiliar with both people and place, building his own network would be extremely difficult. This small setback was something he could endure.

At most, it had been a casual attempt. Whether it succeeded or failed did not matter. The true focus of his plan lay with Moonlight Pavilion.

"I was presumptuous..." Cheng Xiao was about to take his leave.

Suddenly, the young girl beside them gently tugged on the old man's sleeve.

The old man glanced at his granddaughter, feeling somewhat amused. His granddaughter was actually pleading for this brat. Then he remembered that she had followed him around everywhere and truly had few friends her own age. His heart softened, and he agreed.

"Fine. My granddaughter has never been to Heaven Dou City before. Since you say you're quite familiar with it, why don't we travel together? You can tell her about Heaven Dou City along the way."

Cheng Xiao's words of farewell immediately caught in his throat. He glanced at the girl, who had half-hidden herself behind the old man. Her ears were slightly red, her head lowered, while the tip of her shoe nervously traced circles on the ground.

Hmm? Had he taken the wrong approach? Should he have started with the girl first?

Ah, how foolish of me!

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and Cheng Xiao readily replied, "It would be my honor."

For the next half day, Cheng Xiao led the grandfather and granddaughter around Heaven Dou City, introducing the girl to its many sights and unique features as they wandered.

Fortunately, Cheng Xiao had deliberately familiarized himself with all parts of Heaven Dou City during the days after his arrival. Thus, his explanations were quite fluent, and he did not seem like an outsider at all. On top of that, having lived two lives, he slipped many jokes from his previous life into his explanations, making the girl laugh happily.

By the end of the journey, even the old man, who had silently listened all along, had formed a new opinion of Cheng Xiao. He had visited Heaven Dou City many years ago, yet even he had never learned about it in such detail. This brat had some unusual talent.

When noon arrived, the old man said, "Let's find somewhere to eat. We can continue sightseeing this afternoon."

The girl was still reluctant to stop, but after touching her somewhat empty stomach, she nodded in agreement. "All right."

"Then I'll take you to a particularly famous restaurant. I'm sure it'll suit your tastes perfectly," Cheng Xiao said.

After realizing the girl's importance, Cheng Xiao had shifted his target to her. Along the way, he had deliberately asked around about her preferences.

Now they came in handy!

With Cheng Xiao leading the way, they arrived at a restaurant. After he recommended several specialties and placed their order, the three of them sat down.

"May I ask where your friend lives, sir? Do you need me to lead the way?" Cheng Xiao took the opportunity to ask after they were seated.

The old man shook his head and refused decisively. "No need. My old friend dislikes strangers, so I won't trouble you."

Cheng Xiao did not dwell on the matter and instead began discussing other things. The dishes were also brought out one after another.

"How is it? Is it good?" Cheng Xiao asked with concern. He had seen things clearly: it would be difficult to make progress with the old man. The breakthrough still had to come through the girl.

"Mhm." The girl bit lightly on her chopsticks and nodded shyly. Clearly, she had not expected Cheng Xiao to remember her preferences.

As long as she liked it!

Cheng Xiao smiled like a fox. Winning over a little girl was hardly difficult, was it?

Just as he was about to raise her favorability a little more, a string of smashing sounds suddenly came from next door.

Crash! Bang! Clatter...

The three were startled and looked toward the sound. They saw a little girl smash an entire table of dishes onto the floor. Everyone in the restaurant had turned their gaze toward her.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What kind of food is this? It tastes awful!" The girl was dressed rather luxuriously, yet she was exceedingly unruly. After throwing the food to the ground, she stood atop the table and cursed arrogantly, "And this dares to call itself one of the Seven Wonders of Heaven Dou? Ptooey! Even the dogs in my house wouldn't eat this!"

Everyone in the restaurant immediately looked displeased. Cheng Xiao also frowned, putting down his chopsticks as he lost his appetite.

What did that mean? So if the dogs in her house would not eat it, that meant they were not even as good as her dogs?

Everyone was instantly disgusted and began cursing at the girl.

"What does a little brat like you know? If you don't know how to eat, then don't eat!"

"What family's wild little girl are you? You're still this arrogant after coming outside? Looking to get beaten? No one out here will spoil you!"

"Hmph, who are your elders? I'd like to see what family has dogs that eat so well. Do they eat delicacies from land and sea every day?"

Faced with everyone's accusations, the girl was not frightened in the slightest. She swept a disdainful glance over them. "The dogs in my house eat soul beast meat every day. Can you afford it?"

That person choked on his words, his face flushing red.

At that moment, the restaurant finally reacted. The head chef led a group of burly men and surrounded the girl, glaring fiercely as he said, "Little girl, are you here to ruin our reputation? Do you even know what kind of place this is?"

"Even if this were the imperial palace, bad food would still taste bad." The girl wrinkled her nose at the chef and made a face.

The head chef nearly exploded with rage. Pointing at the girl, he shouted, "Take her! Take her! Seize her!"

"Wait!"

A low shout suddenly came from outside. As the voice fell, a squad of armored soldiers filed into the restaurant, followed by a handsome man of imposing appearance striding inside.

The instant Cheng Xiao saw the man, his pupils contracted. Why was it her?!

The entire restaurant fell silent. The soldiers stood proudly near the entrance, the iron-blooded aura radiating from them making everyone's scalps tingle. No one dared make the slightest sound. Some had even recognized the man and could not help swallowing, cold sweat appearing on their foreheads.

The little girl standing on the table rolled her clever eyes at the sight of the man. She quickly jumped down and tried to slip toward the window.

"Rongrong, stop running. I already had people block all the windows," the man said helplessly.

What sea? Where's there a sea? Nonsense! Hmph!

I pulled an all-nighter just trying to make the writing smoother. I deleted over two thousand words just because I wasn't satisfied with them.

Let me go eat breakfast, then I'll come back and keep writing. I'm not sleeping! If I collapse from overwork, then so be it!