Yan's Departure

"What do you want to eat? Pick whatever you like. The chefs in the back can make a separate meal for you anytime."

Hu Liena waved her hand grandly, as if mobilizing all the ingredients in this warehouse was truly nothing out of the ordinary for her.

"Really?"

Influenced by the hungry creature inside him, Meng Xuanji's eyes immediately lit up.

"Of course it's true. I never lie."

"Then I won't hold back. That pile, that pile, and that one beside them! Yes, I want that little mountain at the back too! Bring it all out!"

In the blink of an eye, the chefs in the back had emptied more than half the warehouse and began frantically lighting fires and cooking.

Honestly, they had never seen a child who could eat this much in their entire lives.

This appetite was practically on par with a body-tempering Titled Douluo!

"Ah, hehe."

Hu Liena chuckled softly.

"You really aren't being polite at all."

"Politeness is for strangers. Do you think there's any need for us to pretend around each other?"

Hu Liena's heart warmed at Meng Xuanji's answer.

"That's true."

Half an hour later, freshly cooked dishes were continuously brought to the table, and Meng Xuanji immediately began enjoying this rare feast.

"Eat slower. No one's going to steal it from you. Here, drink some porridge so you don't choke. Ah—"

Xie Yue and the others watched Hu Liena feed Meng Xuanji with their own eyes, and each of them looked as though their eyeballs were about to pop out.

"No, why does he get that? Why does he get to eat so much better than us? Aren't we all people?!"

"Why does Hu Liena even have to feed him? Doesn't he have hands? Can't he eat by himself?!"

"Enough. Settle down."

Xie Yue immediately stopped the commotion.

"If any of you aren't afraid of dying, keep talking. If you're not afraid he'll hear you, then go right ahead. You're all shouting so loudly—have you forgotten how you got beaten?"

Xie Yue took a bite of his steamed bun.

"Am I not eating the same food as you? You can't even beat me, so what right do you have to ask for special treatment? If you don't accept that, step forward. If you can beat me, I'll personally go to the kitchen and cook for you."

No one answered.

Faced with Xie Yue's questioning, everyone became like toothless tigers, unable to squeeze out a single word.

"Hmph, just look at yourselves! Cowards who only gossip behind people's backs. How embarrassing."

Xie Yue was utterly disappointed in the group before him.

They had neither Yan's talent nor Yan's courage, yet they possessed desires even more arrogant than Yan's.

Spending too much time around people like that would only make one sick.

"A bunch of trash."

Xie Yue drained the porridge in his bowl in one gulp and headed alone to gather at the square.

Watching Xie Yue's departing back, Meng Xuanji slowed his chewing slightly.

"This Xie Yue still has a sliver of value."

As for the others, in Meng Xuanji's eyes, they were nothing but stepping stones—the kind that were too troublesome to kill.

Ten minutes later, Meng Xuanji wiped his mouth in satisfaction as he looked over the dining table covered in empty plates.

"Mmm, I'm full. Thanks, Hu Liena. I'll remember this meal."

"It was only a meal, it's nothing. But I'm quite curious—how do you plan to repay this favor? If you can satisfy me, I wouldn't mind being your long-term meal ticket."

Hu Liena looked at Meng Xuanji teasingly, raising an eyebrow with a hint of amusement.

"Well, let me think."

"How about I give you a thousand-year spirit ring?"

"Sure."

What Hu Liena had in mind was for Meng Xuanji to help her hunt a purple thousand-year spirit ring once she reached level thirty, but that was not what Meng Xuanji meant.

However, seeing that Hu Liena had not guessed his intentions, Meng Xuanji did not plan to tell her directly.

He would treat it as a gift prepared for her.

"Let's go. Time to gather."

"Mhm."

Meng Xuanji and Hu Liena left the cafeteria side by side and arrived at the already crowded Spirit Hall Square.

At that moment, the fully prepared spirit beast hunting team and the orderly Purple Cloud Eagle convoy had been waiting for a long time, only awaiting the assembly of these youths.

"Since everyone is here, let's set off."

The leader of the spirit beast hunting team, Qin Shi, was an old hunter with a scar on his right cheek. He also wore a badge marking him as an external affiliate of Spirit Hall.

"Everyone, form groups of three and board the mounts on the backs of the Purple Cloud Eagles. We depart now."

Three yellow, one purple, and one black spirit ring appeared around the old hunter. He was actually a five-ring Spirit King!

For the mere hunting of a first spirit ring, Spirit Hall had dispatched a Spirit King to lead the team. Even Meng Xuanji found such an arrangement surprising.

"Let's go, Meng Xuanji."

Hu Liena grabbed Meng Xuanji's arm and led him onto the back of a Purple Cloud Eagle.

At first, the Purple Cloud Eagle became somewhat restless due to the wariness and terror that erupted from the depths of its soul the moment Meng Xuanji stepped onto it. However, under the suppression of Hu Liena's Nine-Tailed Fox, it soon calmed down again.

"Strange. Why is the Purple Cloud Eagle we're riding so irritable? I remember this spirit beast being timid and docile."

"Hehe, maybe it's just a coincidence. Hahaha."

Meng Xuanji immediately warned the Symbiotic Blood Lotus within his sea of consciousness.

"Rein in your aura. Didn't I already feed you? If you dare get greedy again, I'll starve you for three days."

The Symbiotic Blood Lotus was so frightened that it immediately shrank into a ball.

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll never be greedy again."

The Purple Cloud Eagle's agitation had been caused by the Symbiotic Blood Lotus setting its sights on it. Once the Symbiotic Blood Lotus's scrutiny disappeared, the Purple Cloud Eagle became docile again.

"Um, can I come up?"

Meng Xuanji looked toward the voice and saw Xie Yue standing below them with a lost expression.

"I don't get along very well with the others. Meng Xuanji, little sister, do you still have an empty seat?"

"Of course. Brother Xie Yue, if you don't mind, come aboard," Meng Xuanji said.

"Alright, thank you."

Xie Yue leaped onto the mount. By then, everyone in the square had boarded.

"Purple Cloud Eagle convoy, depart!"

At Qin Shi's command, the Purple Cloud Eagles spread their enormous wings! With the assistance of wind-type Spirit Masters, they rode the wind into the air and flew toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Wow, we can see the entire Papal City from here! It's so beautiful!"

Hu Liena looked at the breathtaking scenery below with delight. This was her first time flying so high.

Meng Xuanji, however, calmly observed Xie Yue the entire time. Under Meng Xuanji's gaze, Xie Yue kept his head lowered, his hands on his knees, and did not utter a single word, like a lifelike statue.

"Xie Yue." Meng Xuanji suddenly called out to him.

"Ah? I'm here," Xie Yue replied nervously.

Ever since that night, Xie Yue always felt an intense pressure whenever he faced Meng Xuanji, making him break out in cold sweat even when speaking.

"Before Yan left, did he leave behind any message?"

"Ah? I don't think so. I only remember that after you left, Yan muttered to himself like he'd gone mad for a while, then ran out of Three Pure Ones Hall alone. By the time we wanted to look for him, we discovered that he had already vanished. We estimate that he may have left Papal City."

"Hehe, interesting."

A meaningful smile appeared on Meng Xuanji's face.

"They dared to snatch someone from right under Spirit Hall's nose. The evil Spirit Masters on this Douluo Continent are becoming more and more brazen."

"What?! Evil Spirit Masters?!"