Clear-Eyed Stupidity
Perhaps it was because he was highly skilled and daring, or perhaps he genuinely wanted to buy another "Sunken Silver Inner Armor," but in the end, the tall, thin middle-aged man with the surname Dugu did not refuse Ling Yi's request and silently followed him to the hotel where Ling Yi and the others were staying.
Similarly, when faced with the chubby boy named Li Zhishu, who had personally prepared a series of exquisitely presented and fragrant dishes, he only glanced at them briefly before tasting them one by one at Ling Yi's invitation.
As for the wariness towards strangers, and the possibility that Ling Yi and others might poison them?
The tall, thin middle-aged man chuckled inwardly and dismissed the thought.
He Dugu Bo traveling across the continent for two or three decades; what kind of situation hadn't he seen? As for poisoning, he was an expert in the field!
He can usually tell whether a dish is poisonous with just one glance, and after taking a small bite, he can basically draw a conclusion.
To be fair, this dish was truly excellent. Having traveled the continent for two or three decades, Dugu Bo had never tasted such a delicious meal, with its perfect color, aroma, and flavor. Compared to it, the food he had eaten before was merely food in comparison.
With that thought in mind, I moved my chopsticks a little faster.
Seeing that the senior Dugu was satisfied with the dishes, Ling Yi smiled and said:
"Senior Dugu, we were in a hurry on the way here, so we only introduced our names to you."
Now, let me introduce it to you again.
this..."
As he spoke, Ling Yi casually placed his hand on the shoulder of Li Zhishu, who was sitting to his right, and patted him. He continued, "His name is Li Zhishu. He is a Food System Soul Elder and works in the Cold Wind Grand Camp, one of the five major military departments of the [Water Wood Duchy]. He is the head of the kitchen. This time, I practically dragged him out to the [Heaven Dou Empire] to see the customs and delicacies of different places..."
Upon receiving Ling Yi's signal, Li Zhishu immediately stood up, raised his wine glass to Dugu Bo, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Senior Dugu! This junior toasts you!"
After saying that, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo paused with his chopsticks, then pointed at the radish carving on the plate in front of him and said casually, "Not bad."
"I'm glad you like it, senior~" Li Zhishu smiled and quickly replied before sitting down.
Beside him, Ling Yi reached out his left hand and patted Jiang Yuan's upper arm, who was sitting on his other side, and continued to introduce him, "Brother Jiang Yuan, a captain in the Cold Wind Grand Camp, with two thousand cavalry under his command, is an idol of the younger generation in our [Water Wood Duchy]! Brother Yuan ~"
At Ling Yi's final soft call, Jiang Yuan, with a respectful expression, stood up and toasted Dugu Bo opposite him, "Senior Dugu, junior Jiang Yuan greets senior—!"
Faced with Jiang Yuan's toast, Dugu Bo's chopsticks didn't stop. He picked up a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside strip of roasted meat, put it in his mouth, chewed a few times, swallowed, and then looked Jiang Yuan up and down, commenting, "Your aptitude is indeed quite good. Let alone a small place like the [Water Wood Duchy], even in the [Heaven Dou Empire], someone your age who can cultivate to the Soul King level is a true prodigy—"
Hearing this, although they didn't know the strength of the middle-aged man surnamed Dugu, seeing how much Ling Yi and Jiang Yuan valued this person and how much the man praised Jiang Yuan, Li Zhishu, Zhang Mufeng, and the others felt a sense of pride.
Next, Ling Yi introduced his three friends, Zhang Mufeng, Qingqiu Xin, Long Yin.
Unfortunately, while a fourteen or fifteen-year-old Grand Soul Master might be considered a genius by ordinary people, Dugu Bo only considered them average, especially Combat System Soul Master, whom he didn't take seriously at all.
It was only because Li Zhishu's cooking skills were truly first-rate, coupled with the rarity of Food System Soul Master, that he took a few more glances at her.
Otherwise, Soul Elder, especially Soul Elder in his early twenties, would be less talented than Zhang Mufeng and the other two.
At least the publicly available data confirms this.
Even though Dugu Bo didn't reply, but merely nodded in response, Zhang Mufeng and the other two still tossed back their heads and drank the wine in their cups without hesitation, their respectful expressions showing no sign of diminishing.
Over the years, by following Ling Yi's side, they have learned more than just secret methods for forging their physiques and various combat techniques.
After introducing his five companions, before Ling Yi could say anything more, Dugu Bo finally put down his chopsticks, looked at Ling Yi with interest, and said:
"Alright, now I understand the five of them. So, what about you? Besides being a Healing System Soul Master and a blacksmith, what's your background? What makes you have a Soul King in his early thirties, a Food System Soul Elder in his twenties, and three Grand Soul Master in their late teens following you?"
"You said you're from the [Water Wood Duchy]. I've never been there, but I've heard people mention it. Are you from the [Qinglian Mu Family]? Or one of the other marquis families?"
Upon hearing Dugu Bo's words, Ling Yi waved his hands repeatedly, a hint of embarrassment appearing on his face, and said, "Senior, you misunderstand. I didn't mean to..."
Before Ling Yi finish speaking, Dugu Bo shook his head and said, "That's not right. You said your name is Ling Yi, but there's no famous family with that surname in the [Water Wood Duchy]... a collateral branch? That's not right either..."
He mentioned several possibilities, but Dugu Bo ultimately rejected them all.
Finally, Dugu Bo gave up guessing, but instead of asking Ling Yi, who was staring at him expectantly, he turned his gaze to Long Yin, who was quietly munching on a piece of braised pork knuckle.
This kid looks tall and strong, but judging from his face and eyes, Dugu Bo could tell at a glance that he was an honest person with few tricks up his sleeve.
Unlike Ling Yi next to him, who seemed to have more cunning than everyone else at the table combined.
Seemingly sensing something, Long Yin was still engrossed in gnawing on his braised pork knuckle, looked up and happened to see Dugu Bo's emerald green eyes looking over. Startled, he immediately put down the braised pork knuckle, wiped the grease around his mouth with his sleeve, and gave Dugu Bo a silly grin.
Looking at that smile, Dugu Bo was speechless. He thought of his own son, who seemed to smile like that when facing his father.
He initially thought things were alright, but when he looked at Ling Yi, who was chatting and laughing nonchalantly beside him, and then at Long Yin, whose eyes held a clear-eyed foolishness, Dugu Bo's mind was filled with the image of his own son, whose smile was exactly the same as Long Yin's. Dugu Bo immediately felt uneasy.
Despite the unpleasant situation, it didn't stop Dugu Bo from asking questions. Ignoring Ling Yi, who was politely smiling and silent beside him, he went straight to Long Yin and asked, "Long Yin, right? Tell me, what exactly is this kid's background?"
As he spoke, Dugu Bo turned his gaze to Ling Yi, who smiled and nodded at Dugu Bo and Ling Yi Long Yin, who were also looking over.
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