Eat at the Kids' Table

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, rear mountain.

Sword Douluo had chosen a pine grove at the highest point of the sect as the place for his lessons.

No one knew how many years the pines here had stood. Their crowns blotted out the sky and sun, filtering the daylight into a soft, verdant shade.

Amid the trees lay a naturally open clearing, several zhang across—ample space for one old man and one child to practice spearwork.

Sword Douluo sat upon a slab of bluestone, an unsheathed longsword laid across his knees.

He did not teach Li Hanche swordsmanship. Li Hanche's martial soul was a spear, and the paths of spear and sword were entirely different. Forcing sword techniques upon him would only lead him astray.

What Sword Douluo taught lay at a deeper level.

How to move soul power from the dantian to the wrist within a single breath; how to gather the strength of the entire body at a single point on the spear tip the instant the spear was thrust; how to retain thirty percent of one's strength while withdrawing the spear in order to adapt to all changes; how to read an opponent's next intention from the minute movements of his shoulders, elbows, and wrists before he changed his move.

These things had nothing to do with weapons, nor with techniques. They were the pure martial instinct forged from a Titled Douluo's combat experience.

Li Hanche stood in the middle of the clearing, the Dark Nether Ice Soul Spear planted at his side, listening with utmost concentration.

A small patch of sweat had soaked through his back. Clearly, he had been practicing for quite some time.

Ning Rongrong squatted beneath a pine tree not far away, her chin cradled in both hands, her large, dark eyes unblinking as they fixed upon the lean figure in the clearing.

She wore a pale pink little dress today. She had originally been chasing butterflies on the rear mountain, but as she chased them, she reached the edge of the pine grove. When she saw Grandpa Sword teaching that hateful brat, her feet simply would not move.

She had crouched there and watched for quite a while, watching Li Hanche thrust and withdraw his spear again and again. The sound of the spear tip tearing through the air echoed through the pine grove—crisp and sharp.

Of course, she had heard about those things in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect: the Great Soul Arena, the ghost mask, victory after victory, challenging opponents above his rank.

When the senior brothers and sisters of the sect discussed it, their voices carried a kind of amazement she could not fully understand.

One soul ring against three soul rings, crossing more than twenty ranks, winning continuously without defeat.

She did not say it aloud, but deep down, there was a tiny bit—only a tiny bit... of her that felt that hateful brat really did seem a little impressive.

Li Hanche withdrew his spear and stood upright, planting its butt against the ground as he turned to look at Ning Rongrong squatting beneath the pine tree.

"Little brother, why are you standing so far away? Do you think just anyone gets to hear a Titled Douluo's lesson? Come over and listen for free. No need to thank me."

Ning Rongrong's little face instantly flushed scarlet.

Clenching her tiny fists, she strode into the center of the clearing and raised her head to glare at Li Hanche.

She was nearly half a head shorter than Li Hanche, so she had to lift her chin very high to glare at him.

"I can listen to Grandpa Sword's lessons whenever I want! This is my home. This whole mountain is mine, this pine tree is mine, this rock is mine, and Grandpa Sword is mine too! Don't think that just because you can challenge above your rank, you can... you can..."

Her voice caught at its highest point.

Her little face reddened as she struggled, her lips moving several times. The word she wanted to say seemed lodged in her throat, refusing to come out.

Li Hanche frowned and looked down at her.

"Can what? You can't even speak properly. Go find a teacher to teach you how to talk first."

Ning Rongrong's eyes instantly reddened.

She abruptly turned around and ran to Sword Douluo, grabbing his sleeve. Her little mouth puckered, and the mist in her eyes had reached the breaking point, ready to burst its banks at any moment.

Sword Douluo lowered his head to look at the little girl clutching his sleeve, so aggrieved she was on the verge of tears.

Then he looked up at Li Hanche in the middle of the clearing, wearing a perfectly justified expression.

"Ahem."

He cleared his throat, his voice gentle.

"Hanche, Rongrong is younger than you. Give in to her a little."

Li Hanche looked at Sword Douluo, then at Ning Rongrong.

"Are you a child? When someone bullies you, you run to an adult."

Ning Rongrong's fingers tightened around Sword Douluo's sleeve until her knuckles turned white.

"From now on, eat at the kids' table."

The pine grove fell silent.

Sword Douluo's mouth twitched. He raised a hand to rub his nose, forcing down the smile that had nearly escaped.

Ning Rongrong abruptly released Sword Douluo's sleeve.

She turned around. Tears still hung from her lashes, but the grievance on her face had already turned into utter fury.

She stomped straight up to Li Hanche, rose onto her tiptoes, and reached out with both hands, grabbing both his cheeks. Pinching the flesh of his face, she pulled hard in opposite directions.

"Damn Li Hanche! Damn Li Hanche! All you know is how to bully me! All you know is how to bully me!"

Her voice carried a sobbing edge, yet it was full of force.

Li Hanche's face was pulled out of shape, his mouth stretched into a forced smile.

With his face tugged into a complete mess, he said indistinctly, "No. In Heaven Dou City, I bully everyone I see."

Ning Rongrong twisted his cheeks even harder.

Seeing this, Sword Douluo strolled unhurriedly out of the pine forest.

Behind him came Ning Rongrong's indignant accusations and Li Hanche's muffled stubborn retorts. The two childish voices tangled together and echoed through the pines.

His steps were a little faster than usual.

As he left the pine forest, he stroked his beard and safely released the laughter he had held back all the way.

In the council hall, Ning Fengzhi was sitting across from Bone Douluo, drinking tea. Bone Douluo had just lifted his teacup when he saw Sword Douluo walk in from outside with light, brisk steps.

"Jianren, weren't you teaching that kid? Why are you back?"

Sword Douluo sat beside the tea table, poured himself a cup, and took a sip.

"Rongrong is there."

"The two little ones started squabbling. This old man would only have been in the way, so I came back."

Ning Fengzhi set down his teacup.

"They started squabbling? Did Hanche provoke Rongrong again?"

"He did provoke her. But Rongrong didn't come out on the losing end either—she was twisting his cheeks. When that little girl loses her temper, she's got quite the grip."

Bone Douluo burst into hearty laughter in the council hall.

"That little brat won dozens of matches in a row at the Great Soul Arena, only to get his face twisted and scolded by a little girl. If word gets out, will he still want that title of 'little brother needs more training'?"

Sword Douluo smiled as well.

"It won't get out. There were only the two of them in the pine forest."

"Rongrong really does have a strong grip."

Ning Fengzhi leaned back in his chair and looked at the two Titled Douluo before him. One was drinking tea, repeatedly suppressing the curve at the corner of his lips.

The other, having finished laughing, was slapping his thigh with his palm.

Li Hanche's face was still being pulled.

Ning Rongrong pinched both his cheeks and tugged them hard to either side. As she twisted them, her mouth kept firing away nonstop, spittle flying everywhere and spraying his whole face.

"Calling me little brother! Saying I can't speak properly! Saying I sit at the kids' table! Damned Li Hanche! Stinky Li Hanche! You're the one who sits at the kids' table! Your whole family sits at the kids' table!"

Li Hanche retorted, his words thoroughly muffled.

"Enough, little brother. Keep this up and I'm going to hit you. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a girl."

Ning Rongrong's fingers paused.

She harrumphed, released him, and took a step back. Folding her arms across her chest and lifting her chin, she struck the pose of "This young lady is magnanimous enough not to stoop to your level."