Braised Crock Beef

They strolled one after the other down the bustling snack street. After their earlier conversation, Tang Wulin was clearly much livelier.

Just as the two reached a street corner, the aroma of beef drifted over, nearly awakening every craving in Tang Wulin's stomach.

Tang Wulin's nose twitched as she quickly found the source of the scent.

"Do you want to eat that braised crock beef?"

Following the direction she had just looked, Luo Qing saw a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties enthusiastically preparing braised crock beef.

Tang Wulin nodded rapidly, nearly drooling from the corner of her mouth.

The two hurried to the shop entrance. Seeing new customers arrive, the owner quickly greeted them warmly.

"What would you two kids like to eat?"

Tang Wulin was staring at the braising crocks bubbling and steaming away when Luo Qing held up three fingers.

"Bring us three servings first. Our martial souls are a little special, so we eat quite a lot."

The owner quickly agreed and promptly ushered them inside to sit down.

But as soon as he sat down, Luo Qing noticed that someone at the table opposite theirs looked familiar.

Isn't that the young master of the Xie family?

Luo Qing was somewhat surprised, but when he suddenly remembered the braised crock beef outside and saw the brown-haired boy, the boy's identity became obvious.

Xie Xie, the second male lead of the Eastsea Academy arc in the original timeline.

He had not expected to run into him here by such a coincidence.

Xie Xie seemed to have noticed him and instinctively gave him a slight nod in greeting.

Luo Qing did not say much, merely waiting quietly for the beef.

Tang Wulin fiddled with the tableware, her gaze wandering as she occasionally turned to glance outside. She was clearly full of anticipation for the food that was about to arrive.

But at that moment, the sound of something shattering suddenly came from outside.

Sensing that something was wrong, Luo Qing quickly headed outside.

Outside, a large crowd had surrounded the owner. At the front stood a bald, burly man.

The bald man had many followers around him. They were all bare-chested, and most had dragon and tiger tattoos. They looked like a bunch of hooligans.

The bald man looked disdainfully at the owner lying on the ground. Several clay jars had shattered beside him, and scalding soup had splashed onto his body, making him howl in agony on the ground.

Xie Xie also came outside at that moment. Looking at the owner crying out on the ground, his eyes were filled with rage.

"How many times have I told you? Pay on time! Pay the protection fee on time!"

"Well, this should teach you a lesson.

"If you still can't pay up next time, I won't just smash the jars outside. I'll tear down your whole shop too!"

With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, the bald man took a deep drag before contemptuously flicking the butt onto the owner.

Xie Xie finally could not stand it any longer. He drew his dagger and glared at them with fury in his eyes.

To him, the owner of this shop had always treated him very well. Before his mother passed away, she had often brought him here too.

Looking at the shattered jars and the suffering owner, even Tang Wulin, who was usually rather mild-tempered, was enraged by these thugs.

"Big Brother, let's do it!"

Luo Qing nodded slightly. Against scum like these, they had to strike hard.

They relied on their manpower, their connections, and even a little soul power to freely bully ordinary people weaker than themselves?

They were nothing but trash that only dared to abuse the weak—

Luo Qing and Tang Wulin stepped forward as well, standing beside Xie Xie, who held a dagger.

The bald man was first stunned by the children stepping up, then burst into loud laughter.

"What? You little brats want to play heroes like on television?"

"Don't make me laugh! If you keep sticking your noses into other people's business, I'll beat you up too!"

Yet the three showed no intention of backing down in the face of the bald man's threat.

The bald man immediately felt humiliated. These little brats actually dared to ignore him. If he did not do something, how could he continue making a name for himself on the streets?

"Very good. Looks like you've never heard the name Light Dragon. Seems this lord needs to teach you a lesson."

The bald man, Light Dragon, cracked his knuckles as soul power surged from his body. Two soul rings, one white and one yellow, appeared, while gray scales gradually covered his skin.

"I'm a two-ringed Soul Master. Little kids like you have probably only just reached one ring. Move aside if you don't want to die!"

Light Dragon might have been a thug, but he had a clear head.

The people before him wore Eastsea Academy uniforms. Judging by their age, they were most likely new students.

And what kind of place was Eastsea Academy?

It was the strongest soul master academy in all of Eastsea City. Every student there was the child of a soul master from the city.

It was best not to fight people like them if possible. No one knew who stood behind them. If he provoked some Soul Emperor or Soul Saint, even his big brother would not be able to protect him.

As Light Dragon displayed his martial soul in provocation, Luo Qing stepped forward. Soul power surged through his body, and two deep yellow soul rings tinged with purple appeared behind him.

"What?"

Light Dragon was dumbfounded. This kid was definitely under ten, yet he already had two rings?

He was already considering running away, but for the sake of his pride, he still intended to leave behind a threat before leaving.

"I didn't expect you to be such a talent. I'll let today's matter go for your sake, but I won't be so friendly the next time we meet."

Just as he turned to leave with his men, he found someone gripping his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Luo Qing had somehow appeared behind him. The nearby lackeys looked as though they had seen a ghost.

They had only seen a flash of white light before Luo Qing suddenly appeared behind their boss, Light Dragon, from far away.

"You beat someone and smashed his stall, and now you want to leave?

"Aren't you going to leave something behind?"

Light Dragon froze at first, then his cheeks flushed red.

Luo Qing's relentless pressure clearly enraged the already frustrated man.

Geniuses. What he hated most were geniuses.

Because he had been less talented than his older brother, his parents had abandoned him. In the end, his brother became the captain of a mecha squad, while he could only become a street thug.

And the person before him reminded him of the time his talent had been assessed.

Light Dragon's expression twisted.

"I really hate geniuses like you. Why are you born with all this talent?"

He no longer wanted to embarrass himself. If this kid wanted to fight, then so be it!

Seeing Light Dragon preparing to activate his martial soul, Luo Qing slapped him across the face.

That slap stunned Light Dragon so thoroughly that his martial soul activation was interrupted.

He clutched his cheek, somewhat at a loss.

"You brat, you dare hit me?"

His fury flared, and his eyes turned completely bloodshot.

Like a crazed bull, Light Dragon charged at Luo Qing.

Gray scales gradually covered his body as well.

At that moment, Tang Wulin stepped in front of Luo Qing.

A hammer appeared in her hand—it was the Heavy Silver Hammer she used for forging.

As Light Dragon rushed over, Tang Wulin swung the hammer as though hitting a baseball for a home run.

Light Dragon flew like a struck baseball, smashing into the wall with a loud bang. His entire body was embedded in the plaster, and a conspicuous lump rose on his head.

"Boss... lost?"

The lackeys looked at one another. Just as they were about to sneak away, they found Xie Xie standing before them with a cold expression.

"Pay up, or..."

Before Xie Xie could finish threatening them, the lackeys swiftly dropped to their knees and pulled out their wallets.

"Don't hit us, don't hit us—we'll pay!"