This Isn't Scientific, But It's Mystical!

The little car jolted along the rugged mountain road.

Bulma drove, her gaze constantly drifting toward Lin Xuan beside her.

This man was far too mysterious.

When he said those things, it didn't feel like speculation—it sounded as though he were stating facts.

Bulma's heart kept thumping, and she couldn't suppress her curiosity.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

She decided to break the silence herself.

"Hey, you said you're a cultivator. So what do you usually cultivate?"

Lin Xuan had his eyes closed.

Only after hearing her question did he answer.

"Observe heaven and earth, see nature, cultivate one's own heart."

Bulma curled her lip.

That answer was as good as no answer at all.

It was all that vague mystical nonsense meant to fool people.

She was just about to complain.

When a figure suddenly darted out from the dense forest ahead.

It moved unbelievably fast.

Bulma's eyes widened. Her mind buzzed as she slammed her foot down on the brakes.

Screech!

The piercing sound of brakes tore through the mountain forest's silence.

The front of the car stopped less than half a meter from the figure.

A boy stood in front of the car.

He was only twelve or thirteen at most.

He wore an orange training outfit.

A fluffy tail trailed behind him.

Even more outrageous, he had a fish slung over his shoulder.

The fish was bigger than he was.

It looked like it weighed several hundred pounds.

Yet the boy carried it without even turning red or losing his breath.

"Hey! Are you trying to die?! Why'd you suddenly run out like that?!"

Still shaken, Bulma rolled down the window and shouted.

The boy, Son Goku, tilted his head as he examined the metal box.

He ignored Bulma.

He reached out and poked the headlight.

"A monster?"

Goku muttered to himself and took up a fighting stance.

"Are you trying to eat my big fish? I'm not giving it to you!"

The moment Bulma saw his posture, her temper flared.

This weird little brat had nearly gotten her killed, and now he was treating her precious car like some kind of monster?

She immediately pulled out her gun and aimed it at Goku.

"You savage! Move out of the way right now, or I'll shoot!"

Goku saw the gun barrel. Rather than being scared, he became even more excited.

"Oh? What's that? Is it your weapon too? It doesn't look very strong."

Bulma felt like her lungs were about to explode.

A wild brat from the mountains.

How dared he look down on her invention?

She was about to teach the kid a lesson when the car door opened.

Lin Xuan stepped out.

He waved a hand at Bulma, telling her to calm down.

His gaze fell upon Son Goku, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Kid, we're not monsters. We're just travelers passing through."

Goku scratched his head.

His spiky black hair was especially eye-catching.

"Travelers? Then why does your iron box move by itself? And make noises?"

"It's called a car, a means of transportation."

Lin Xuan explained as he took a Hoi-Poi Capsule Bulma had given him from his pocket and tossed it out.

Bang.

A table full of steaming dishes appeared in the clearing.

The aroma of roast chicken drifted through the air.

Goku sniffed hard.

His eyes immediately lit up.

Drool trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Smells so good!"

The large fish on his shoulder fell to the ground with a clatter.

He didn't care about it anymore.

Lin Xuan pointed at the food.

"We mean no harm. Consider this food an apology for disturbing you. Please, have some."

With delicious food right in front of him, how could Goku still have any hostility?

He cheered and pounced on the table.

He grabbed the roast chicken and stuffed it into his mouth, grease all over his face as he ate.

Bulma, still in the car, stared in disbelief.

That wild man who had been ready to fight just moments ago—

had been won over by a single meal?

She looked at Lin Xuan's back.

Her worldview had taken a hit.

This man always managed to solve problems in unbelievable ways.

In less than five minutes, Goku had devoured everything.

An entire table of food had been wiped clean.

He rubbed his round belly and let out a satisfied burp.

Then he gave Lin Xuan a thumbs-up.

"You're good people! My name is Son Goku! You can come to my house as guests!"

Goku invited the two of them.

He hoisted the large fish onto his shoulder and skipped ahead to lead the way.

Lin Xuan turned around and gave Bulma a look that said, "See? Taken care of."

Bulma could only put away her gun, turn off the car, and follow.

Goku's home was a peculiar round little house.

The furnishings inside were extremely simple.

Other than a bed and a table, there was nothing else.

The moment they entered, the smell of animal hides mixed with wood hit them.

Bulma wrinkled her nose.

Then she looked ahead, and her eyes lit up.

She rushed forward in a few steps, her gaze fixed on the Four-Star Ball in the middle of the room.

"This is the Four-Star Ball! Great!"

Just as she was about to pick it up, Goku stepped forward to stop her.

"Don't touch my grandpa!"

Bulma grabbed Goku's hand.

"Son Goku, lend me this ball, and I'll give you lots and lots of money! Or whatever you want, I can give it to you!"

As she spoke, she took out several more Hoi-Poi Capsules and produced a pile of novel toys and snacks.

But Goku shook his head and carefully tucked the Four-Star Ball back into his arms.

"No. This is my grandpa. I have to talk to him every day."

Bulma's smile froze on her face.

"What do you mean, your grandpa? It's just a ball!"

"He is my grandpa!"

Goku looked completely serious, not as if he were joking.

Bulma refused to give up and began coaxing and pestering him.

She tempted him with delicious food.

She tried to win him over with money.

She even awkwardly thrust out her undeveloped chest, attempting to use a honey trap.

But Goku remained utterly unmoved.

He just kept shaking his head.

"No means no! I can't give Grandpa to someone else!"

Bulma had exhausted every trick and was panting from fatigue, yet it had not worked at all.

She broke down and stamped her foot in frustration.

In the end, she could only look to Lin Xuan for help.

He had been watching the show from beginning to end.

Receiving her plea for help, Lin Xuan sighed before finally speaking.

His voice was very calm.

Yet it exploded in Bulma's mind.

"I told you before. He sees that item as a memento left by a relative, so I'm afraid he won't hand it over to you easily."

Boom!

Bulma's whole body jolted.

Her eyes flew wide as she stared at Lin Xuan.

The furious frustration on her face turned into pure shock.

Right.

He really had said that.

At the foot of the mountain, when they had first met, he had said it!

"The next Dragon Ball should be in the hands of a pure-hearted young boy who knows nothing of the world."

"He sees that item as a memento left by a relative, so I'm afraid he won't hand it over to you easily."

Every word, every detail, had come true.

This wasn't a deduction!

It was practically a prophecy!

Bulma's mind went blank.

The scientific worldview she had believed in for over a decade was shattered by Lin Xuan's words.

The way she looked at Lin Xuan changed.

Who exactly was this man?

Lin Xuan ignored the already dumbfounded Bulma.

He turned to Goku and explained the legend of the Dragon Balls in the simplest terms.

"Goku, listen to me. There are seven of these balls your grandpa has in the world. If you gather them all, you can summon Shenron and make any wish come true."

"Shenron? A wish?"

"That's right."

Lin Xuan nodded and played his trump card.

"We're not trying to take your grandpa away. We just want to borrow him. We'll go on an adventure together, find all the Dragon Balls, and after we make our wish, the Four-Star Ball will still be yours."

He paused, emphasizing his next words.

"More importantly, during this adventure, you'll meet lots and lots of incredibly powerful opponents. You'll be able to fight to your heart's content."

Adventure.

Powerful opponents.

Those two words instantly opened Goku's heart.

His eyes lit up at once.

"Really? I can fight really strong people?"

"Of course."

Lin Xuan was very sincere.

"Okay! I'll go with you!"

Goku agreed without a second thought.

Done.

Lin Xuan inwardly quipped that dealing with a battle maniac was easy—just paint him a big enough picture and let him fight to his heart's content.

Bulma, this little rich girl, was still too naive. Trying to win over a monkey who couldn't even tell men from women with money and sex appeal was like talking past each other.

When it was time to leave, they ran into another problem.

Goku absolutely refused to get into that moving iron box.

He thought the thing was too slow—slower than he could run.

Bulma was about to lose her mind.

She wasn't looking for companions. She was babysitting a problem child.

In the end, Lin Xuan had to step in.

His reason was that running consumed too much stamina and would affect Goku's fighting.

Only then did he coax Goku into the car.

The little car started up again, carrying the three wildly different companions onward on their journey.

Lin Xuan sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, resting.

The golden scroll in his mind suddenly grew warm.

On the panel, the merit value changed from 0.00 to 0.10.

At the same time, a line of small text appeared.

[Resolved a dispute, fostered a good bond. Merit +0.1]

Lin Xuan smiled. Now it even came with a description. Could this thing adjust itself at any time according to his habits?

Not bad.

Even being the team's glue came with rewards.