Gu Yue, Guang Long Suddenly Draw Near

The not-too-spacious street was lined on both sides with snack shops of every kind, customers constantly coming and going amid the bustling liveliness.

The moment they reached the street corner, all kinds of enticing aromas rushed at them.

The clamor of voices, the steam rising from the food, and those tantalizing scents all mingled together.

They filled the entire street with the rich, earthy warmth of everyday life.

At the street corner.

Inside a small restaurant with a sign reading "Braised Crock Beef."

Xu Yue watched Xu Xiaoyan, who was hungrily stuffing herself beside him. His face showed helplessness, but his eyes were filled with indulgence.

"Brother Yue, this braised crock beef is so delicious!"

Xu Xiaoyan swallowed the food in her mouth and met Xu Yue's gaze as she spoke sweetly.

There was even a grain of rice stuck to the edge of her rosy lips.

Seeing this, Xu Yue shook his head, pulled out a tissue, and gently wiped it away for her.

"Eat slower. No one's going to steal it from you."

In his memories, the story of braised crock beef was as unforgettable as the flatbread from ten thousand years ago.

When they reached the street corner, he had suggested it to Xu Xiaoyan. Unexpectedly, the taste was every bit as good as he had expected.

Enjoying Xu Yue's tenderness, Xu Xiaoyan narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly and obediently let him wipe her mouth.

Just then, a cool female voice interrupted them.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?"

The two turned toward the voice. Xu Xiaoyan immediately exclaimed in surprise.

"It's you? That girl from Class Five!"

A flicker of surprise also passed through Xu Yue's eyes.

Standing beside the table was the only girl among Class Five's three-person team for the promotion match—the one with a thousand-year soul ring.

The Silver Dragon King's other half, Gu Yue.

Xu Yue discreetly swept his gaze around. There were clearly still empty seats in the restaurant, yet she had deliberately chosen this table.

He understood Gu Yue's intentions, though he still had some doubts.

Still, he did not refuse. He gestured toward the empty seat across from them.

"Please, sit."

"Thank you." Gu Yue nodded slightly and sat down with her serving of braised crock beef.

She did not begin eating right away. Her gaze landed directly on Xu Yue, her eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Xu Yue sensed her appraisal and took the initiative to speak, pointing at himself and Xu Xiaoyan. "My name is Xu Yue. This is Xu Xiaoyan. We're both from Class One.

"But you probably already knew that, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have deliberately sat here."

He directly exposed Gu Yue's intentional approach.

"Gu Yue!"

Gu Yue quietly gave her name, answering Xu Yue's question. "I heard that Xu Yue reached Soul Elder before graduating from the junior academy. I was a little curious."

"I see." Xu Yue nodded in understanding. "Want to chat while we eat?"

Gu Yue nodded at his words.

The two of them then began dealing with the braised crock beef before them.

Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyan's rosy cheeks puffed up in anger.

This had clearly been a date between her and Xu Yue, yet a third wheel had suddenly inserted herself into it. It was truly depressing.

But she was not the sort of person who could openly tell someone to leave, so she could only vent her frustration on the food, lowering her head and eating at a furious pace.

While talking with Gu Yue, Xu Yue finished his own serving as well. He wiped his mouth, looked at Gu Yue, and got straight to the point.

"Gu Yue, you've been asking about my soul power rank and my martial soul..."

"Don't tell me you're preparing for the promotion match in a few days?"

He really could not quite figure out what Gu Yue was thinking.

The two of them had practically never crossed paths before. Their brief exchange of looks on the arena just now could barely count as their first meeting.

Logically speaking, shouldn't she be sticking close to Tang Wulin and fulfilling her promise to Na'er?

What was she doing coming over to him and asking about his circumstances?

Other than the promotion match, he could not think of any other possibility.

Yet she did not seem like someone particularly fixated on the promotion match, which made her actions all the more perplexing.

Having obtained some information, Gu Yue's cool expression seemed to soften slightly, and the corner of her lips rose in an almost imperceptible curve.

"Yes. What, is Xu Yue afraid of losing?"

"Brother Yue would never lose!"

Xu Xiaoyan had finished eating as well. She immediately puffed up her cheeks and glared at Gu Yue, rushing to answer for Xu Yue.

Xu Yue merely smiled without confirming or denying it. Seeing that everyone had finished eating, he suggested they leave.

When Xu Xiaoyan saw Gu Yue making as if to stand as well, alarm bells immediately went off in her mind.

Could it be that Gu Yue actually wanted to follow them?

At that thought, she immediately changed her mind. Reaching out, she grabbed Xu Yue, who was about to stand, and shook his arm coquettishly.

"Brother Yue! I still want those little meatballs from the street corner!"

"Xiaoyan, you're not full yet?"

Xu Yue looked at her in surprise, but her soft, adorable, expectant expression defeated him, and he could not bear to refuse.

"Alright, wait here. I'll be right back."

"Thank you, Brother Yue!" Xu Xiaoyan immediately beamed.

Xu Yue smiled, not thinking much of it, then turned to Gu Yue. "Sorry, Gu Yue. Excuse me for a moment."

Watching Xu Yue's departing back, Xu Xiaoyan cast a somewhat smug glance at Gu Yue across from her. The meaning in her eyes was obvious.

See that? You're nothing more than a latecomer.

Gu Yue received that look. Her cool expression did not ripple in the slightest, and she merely gave a detached assessment in her heart.

"Human female hatchlings' ridiculous possessiveness... childish!"

However, recalling the information she had gathered from their earlier conversation, her black eyes deepened further.

"Eden's Star? A martial soul I've never heard of... judging by his age, it should coincide with the time of that heavenly change?"

"Could it be a special stellar martial soul that mutated under the effects of that heavenly change? Interesting!"

"If only I could see him fight in person. I'd definitely be able to learn more..."

"Still, I'll get to see it during the promotion matches in a few days..."

Just as she was pondering these matters, a burst of piercing shouting suddenly came from the entrance of the shop.

Immediately afterward, the sharp crash of clay pots shattering erupted!

"Don't smash them! You can't do this! This is how I make my living!" Uncle Li, the owner, pleaded tearfully.

The sudden disturbance immediately drew Xu Xiaoyan's attention. Her gaze snapped away from Gu Yue and toward the entrance.

The stove by the doorway had been overturned onto the ground. The clay pot of stewed beef had shattered all over the floor, fragrant broth spilling everywhere as steam rose in a complete mess.

"Stop! What are you doing?!" After a brief moment of shock, Xu Xiaoyan shot to her feet and shouted angrily.

Gu Yue also rose with a frown and followed her over, coldly eyeing the few burly men causing trouble at the entrance.

That clay-pot beef had tasted rather good. She might come back again in the future...

At that thought, soul power quietly began to circulate within her.

Xu Xiaoyan's angry shout made the burly men at the entrance turn their heads.

When the bald man in the lead saw that two such beautiful girls had spoken up, his eyes immediately lit up. He grinned and said, "Oh? Interesting. Two little girls trying to play heroes? That Li bastard dared refuse to pay protection money, so he clearly doesn't respect me, Guang Long! But then again..."

Yet before Guang Long could finish his sentence, he noticed that Xu Xiaoyan's expression had suddenly turned delighted.

Even Gu Yue, who had kept a cold face the whole time, relaxed her tense body and watched the scene about to unfold with composed interest.

Before the bald Guang Long could figure out what was happening, the next second, a hand like an iron clamp suddenly landed on his shoulder, and a low voice sounded beside his ear:

"But what... why don't you tell me?!"