The noisy discussions on the street went on without end:
"Look, that's Li Jiutian from the finals! I heard he beat the Shrek Seven Devils so badly they were rolling around in the dirt!"
"How wonderful it would be if the heavens granted me a boyfriend like him!"
"The one beside him is Luo Zixuan, right? She's so pretty—she doesn't lose out to my goddess Hu Liena at all!"
Hearing all the chatter, Li Jiutian could only shake his head helplessly and say softly, "Looks like I'll have to wear sunglasses when I go out from now on."
Just then, a stunning young woman came up to Li Jiutian and said, "You're really handsome. Would I be lucky enough to have a meal with you?"
The girl had long blue hair falling down her back, and her eyes were blue as well.
Her features were exquisite, and her tight white uniform perfectly outlined her figure.
In terms of looks, she was every bit as beautiful as the Shrek Three Beauties.
"Aren't you Shui Yue'er, the vice-captain of Skywater Academy?" Li Jiutian asked in surprise.
"I can't believe you know who I am. I'm so honored!"
Shui Yue'er said excitedly. Ever since the finals, she had become one of Li Jiutian's many fans.
"I just finished buying groceries, and I'm heading home to eat with my younger sister. Want to join us?"
Li Jiutian asked. Looking at the cute girl in front of him, he didn't feel the slightest aversion to her.
"R-really?"
"That would be wonderful!"
Shui Yue'er said excitedly, then followed close behind him.
Inside Bright Villa.
"My goodness, this house is huge! Doesn't it feel lonely with only the two of you living here?"
"Is the ceiling made of solid gold?"
"How many Gold Soul Coins did you spend on this villa?"
After Shui Yue'er entered, she couldn't stop chattering, exclaiming over everything she saw.
"Sis Yue'er, sit down and take a break. My brother's almost finished cooking!"
Luo Zixuan said helplessly.
"Chicken soup coming through!"
Wearing a pink apron, Li Jiutian carried a large bowl of chicken soup to the dining table.
"Pfft, Brother Tian, you're even wearing a pink apron!"
Shui Yue'er covered her mouth and burst out laughing.
"Honestly, that apron's mine. My brother was too lazy to buy another one."
Luo Zixuan complained.
Before long, the table was covered with several hearty dishes.
There were also a few bottles of fine red wine. Each bottle was worth 20,000 Gold Soul Coins—far beyond what ordinary people could afford to drink.
The dishes on the table were all Li Jiutian's specialties: sweet-and-sour pork, chicken stewed with mushrooms, pork stewed with glass noodles, Northeast-style shredded jelly, braised eggplant, green peppers with dried tofu, red-braised pork, and more..."
"Wow, that smells amazing! What kind of cuisine is this? I've never seen it before!"
Shui Yue'er took a deep sniff, and her stomach rumbled involuntarily.
"Don't worry about what kind of cuisine it is. Dig in!"
"Here's to all of us achieving great things and getting better and better. Cheers!"
After speaking, Li Jiutian raised his wineglass, and Luo Zixuan and Shui Yue'er raised theirs as well.
The three clinked glasses, then drained their wine in one go.
"My goodness, this wine goes down so smoothly. It smells wonderful, with a rich floral fragrance, a full-bodied taste, and a long finish."
"This is the best wine I've ever had!"
Shui Yue'er exclaimed.
"If you like it, drink up!"
"Now, let's eat!"
After speaking, Li Jiutian was the first to take a bite of the dried tofu.
After Luo Zixuan and Shui Yue'er had their first bites, they couldn't stop.
"Delicious! It's so delicious!"
Shui Yue'er ate several pieces of red-braised pork and sweet-and-sour pork. Her mouth was greasy, and she praised the food nonstop.
In his previous life, Li Jiutian had been a young man from Northeast China. On top of that, his father had been a five-star chef at a hotel, so he'd learned plenty from him and become an excellent cook.
An hour later.
The food on the table was nearly gone, and the three of them had finished all four bottles of wine.
Luo Zixuan, who had the lowest tolerance, had already slumped over the dining table.
Only Shui Yue'er, her cheeks slightly flushed, and Li Jiutian, still perfectly calm, remained upright.
"I didn't expect you to be such a good drinker!"
Li Jiutian took a bite of peanuts and chuckled.
"Of course! Do you know who I am? Even Bing'er can't outdrink me!"
Shui Yue'er said confidently, with little stars already appearing in her eyes.
Looking at the cute girl in front of him, Li Jiutian shook his head helplessly.
Just then, Shui Yue'er suddenly got up and sat on Li Jiutian's lap.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she gazed at him affectionately and said, "Brother Tian, I like you so much. You're my Prince Charming."
"Yue'er, you've had too much to drink. I'll take you to your room so you can sleep."
Li Jiutian said calmly, thinking, Why does this girl get so clingy when she's drunk? What would happen if she got drunk outside and ran into a bad person?
"I'm not drunk, Brother Tian. You're my idol, my dream man!"
Shui Yue'er buried her little head against Li Jiutian's chest and spoke in a sweet, mushy voice.
"This girl!"
Li Jiutian said helplessly. Then he stood up, and Shui Yue'er clung to him like a sloth.
"You can sleep in the guest room tonight. Don't drink so much again."
Li Jiutian put an arm around her slender waist and firmly laid her down on the bed.
"Don't leave me!"
Just as Li Jiutian was about to get up, Shui Yue'er clung tightly to him from behind.
A soft, tingling sensation came from behind him, too.
"Brother Tian, you can do anything you want to me tonight!"
"I want to be your woman!"
After Shui Yue'er spoke, her outer jacket slipped off, leaving her in only her undergarments.
Her alluring, curvaceous figure was now fully on display before Li Jiutian.
With a stunning beauty teasing him like this, almost any man would have found it impossible to resist.
But Li Jiutian's next words plunged Shui Yue'er into an icy abyss.
"Yue'er, you're an excellent girl, but remember this: you and I come from two different worlds."
"Don't try to climb the social ladder. Keep your feet on the ground and focus on being the best version of yourself."
"We can only ever be friends. I'm sorry!"
After saying this, Li Jiutian headed out of the room first.
Shui Yue'er was truly a rare and breathtaking beauty.
But from the moment Li Jiutian had come to Douluo Continent, his heart had belonged to Qian Renxue alone. There was no room in it for anyone else.
So Li Jiutian had deliberately said those things, hoping to make Shui Yue'er give up on him completely.
After all, he wasn't some womanizing animal who went around sowing his seed and thought only with his lower half.
The next morning.
Li Jiutian entered Shui Yue'er's room again and found that she had already left.
A letter lay on the table:
"Brother Tian, I've gone. Thank you for taking care of me yesterday."
"Last night was the happiest night of my life. Even though you rejected me, I'm not sad."
"I'll become even better, and one day, I'll make you fall in love with me!"
***
Chapter 39: Robbing Me? Are You Sure?
Pope Hall.
Only two people were inside the hall: Bibi Dong and Hu Liena.
"Your Holiness, what did you call me here for?"
Li Jiutian walked in slowly and asked in confusion.
"Xiao Tian, if you don't mind, you can call me Teacher from now on, just like Nana does."
"I called you here because I want you to accompany Nana to Slaughter City."
Bibi Dong smiled faintly as she replied.
"Slaughter City? What kind of place is that?" Li Jiutian asked, feigning confusion.
"In Slaughter City, you won't be able to use Soul Skills. You'll have to rely on your own strength to win a hundred matches."
"After winning a hundred matches, you'll enter Hell Road. If you pass the trial, you'll obtain a domain called Divine Slaughter's Domain!"
"Divine Slaughter's Domain can increase your own aura. Within the domain, your enemies' strength will be weakened by ten percent, while you'll be able to unleash one hundred and ten percent of your strength."
"That's only its basic ability. As your Martial Soul grows, the percentages will increase."
"Obtaining this domain will greatly improve your strength. In the future, you'll be able to fight back even against opponents with higher Soul Power Levels."
"At present, there are only two people on the entire continent who have become Slaughter Kings: Tang Hao and me. That's why I want you to go to Slaughter City."
Bibi Dong raised her beautiful eyes slightly as she spoke.
"Teacher, we'll definitely obtain Divine Slaughter's Domain."
After Hu Liena spoke, she stole a glance at Li Jiutian, and a faint blush crossed her cheeks.
"Xiao Tian, do you have any other questions?" Bibi Dong walked up in front of him and asked calmly.
"Teacher, I have no questions. Nana and I will set out for Slaughter City tomorrow morning."
Li Jiutian nodded slightly.
Inside Shrek Academy.
Ning Rongrong had the lightest injuries and woke up the day after the finals. The others hadn't been so lucky.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Zhu Zhuqing had all been unconscious for over a month before finally waking up one after another.