A Malnourished Dwarf

"Have you cultivated the Heavenly Origin Art too?"

Huo Yuhao asked.

Xiao Xiao froze for a moment, then nodded lightly.

She was twelve years old.

Ever since Ju Zi had taught it to her two years ago, she had practiced it every day.

Huo Yuhao wore an expression that said he had known it.

Xiao Xiao's spirit ring configuration was the same as Wang Dong's, but during that battle of attrition, Xiao Xiao's soul power reserves had clearly been much greater than Wang Dong's.

Coupled with the distinctive rhythm of her breathing as her chest rose and fell,

Huo Yuhao could have guessed it was the Heavenly Origin Art with his toes.

"After beating that young master and successfully taking the position of class monitor."

With his hands in his pockets, Huo Yuhao suggested, "Want to celebrate? I'll treat you to barbecue."

The moment he said that,

Xiao Xiao had not yet had time to answer.

A hand suddenly reached over from the side and slapped Huo Yuhao's shoulder irritably.

Wang Dong came over while rubbing her aching backside.

"What are you two whispering about behind my back?"

With her chin raised, Wang Dong's pink-blue eyes swept back and forth between them.

"Barbecue."

Huo Yuhao answered honestly.

At those words, Wang Dong's eyes instantly lit up, but her face promptly darkened again.

"Not bad, Huo Yuhao!"

Wang Dong glared at him viciously and complained, "I'm your roommate, yet you were going to eat barbecue without inviting me? Do you have any loyalty at all?"

Huo Yuhao looked at her.

"Didn't you just get beaten flat by her?"

Wang Dong's face reddened.

"I'm still your roommate!"

"I'm going too!"

She stubbornly insisted, utterly lacking the self-awareness of someone who had lost.

By Sea God Lake.

The sun was bright, and a gentle breeze drifted by.

Quite a few freshmen sat in small groups on the grass, having picnics.

Huo Yuhao found an open patch of ground.

With practiced ease, he pulled all sorts of tools from his storage soul tool.

A grill.

Charcoal.

A basin of sliced, marinated spirit beast meat.

And a pile of jars and bottles of spices.

Judging by the setup, he was clearly a professional.

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao sat on little stools beside him, both their cheeks slightly flushed.

This was their first time having this sort of barbecue picnic outside.

"What are you looking at?"

Huo Yuhao skillfully started the fire, his hands moving quickly. "If you want to eat, just wait patiently."

Before long,

The chunks of meat on the skewers began to sizzle with oil, gradually turning golden.

The instant he sprinkled on cumin and chili powder,

An incredibly rich, overpowering aroma exploded into the air.

Wang Dong swallowed unconsciously.

Her stomach even let out an embarrassingly loud growl.

It was not just her. Even the usually well-behaved Xiao Xiao was staring fixedly at the grill.

The other students having picnics nearby were drawn in by the smell and turned to look.

Huo Yuhao turned the skewers.

He raised his head and glanced at Wang Dong.

"Hey."

"Wipe your mouth." Huo Yuhao kindly reminded her. "Your drool's about to hit the ground."

Wang Dong jumped.

She hurriedly raised a hand and frantically wiped at the corner of her mouth.

But she touched nothing.

It was dry.

Wang Dong froze.

Once she realized what had happened, her face instantly turned red to the tips of her ears, and she gritted her teeth in anger.

That bastard was messing with her again!

"Are you sick or something?!"

Wang Dong glared furiously at Huo Yuhao, her eyes full of exasperation.

Ten minutes later.

"It's ready."

The moment Huo Yuhao lifted a handful of skewers, Wang Dong impatiently snatched two away.

She opened her mouth and took a huge bite without ceremony.

After chewing twice,

Wang Dong's face immediately twisted up.

Hot.

Way too hot.

Scalding meat juices burst in her mouth, burning her so badly that tears nearly came out.

But that unparalleled deliciousness danced across her taste buds. It smelled far too good.

She simply could not bear to spit it out.

She could only open her mouth and blow desperately while chewing quickly through the heat.

She looked utterly ridiculous.

Xiao Xiao was not doing much better, though she endured better than Wang Dong and merely ate in small bites.

Yet she was not eating slowly at all.

In less than five minutes, the two of them had wiped out nearly half the skewers.

Wang Dong wiped the oil from her mouth.

She had eaten to her heart's content.

Leaning over to Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong naturally slung an arm around his shoulders.

"I never would've guessed you had skills like this."

Wang Dong smacked her lips and praised him. "This tastes ten thousand times better than that garbage nutrition food in the cafeteria."

Xiao Xiao nodded hard in agreement.

After eating such steaming-hot delicious food, even the exhaustion from the afternoon's practical assessment seemed to melt away.

Huo Yuhao smiled.

As if performing a magic trick, he pulled two black glass bottles from his storage soul tool.

"What's the point of only eating meat?"

Huo Yuhao handed them the bottles. "Drink some of this. I guarantee it'll send you straight to heaven."

Cola.

He had only selected this version after hundreds of thousands of experiments based on the flavor in his memories. Though it did not quite match the classic taste he remembered, the fizz was absolutely classic.

Wang Dong took a bottle and examined it curiously.

Then she tipped her head back and took a huge gulp.

Gulp.

Intense carbonated bubbles exploded in her throat.

That prickling sensation and exhilaration she had never experienced before rushed straight to her head.

"Cough... cough, cough, cough!"

Wang Dong abruptly lowered the bottle, coughing until tears came to her eyes.

"What the hell is this stuff?!"

Even as she coughed, she could not help looking at the black liquid in the bottle again.

For some inexplicable reason,

She wanted another sip.

Seeing Wang Dong choke so badly, Xiao Xiao cautiously took a small sip.

The bubbles rolled around in her mouth.

It was Gan Tian.

After swallowing, she found the taste truly strange and wonderful.

Just then,

"Burp."

A crisp, loud burp came out of Xiao Xiao's mouth.

The air instantly fell silent.

Xiao Xiao's entire body stiffened.

Her fair little face turned bright red at a visible speed, and she wished she could immediately crawl into a crack in the ground.

Huo Yuhao turned the barbecue expressionlessly.

He held back a laugh inside.

The barbecue continued.

As Wang Dong ate, she suddenly stopped.

Because she noticed one particularly irritating detail.

Of the skewers Huo Yuhao finished grilling,

At least six or seven out of every ten were casually placed onto Xiao Xiao's plate.

She only got what was left.

What was that supposed to mean?

Wang Dong bit her lower lip, an inexplicable anger rising within her.

She stared at Huo Yuhao and gave a cold snort.

"Hey."

Wang Dong crossed her arms and put on an arrogant, punchable expression.

"You take such good care of her. You even give her more barbecue."

Glancing sideways at him, she teased in a sarcastic tone, "You're the kind of guy who forgets his friends when he sees a pretty face. What, don't tell me you like her?"

The moment she said that,

Xiao Xiao, who had been quietly gnawing on meat, choked.

She raised her head.

Her fair little face instantly turned red again.

Of course she did not like Huo Yuhao. The only person she admired most was Ju Zi.

But that did not stop a girl from feeling embarrassed upon hearing something like that.

Hearing that sour question,

Huo Yuhao stopped what he was doing.

He did not look at Wang Dong.

Instead, he turned his head and scrutinized Xiao Xiao from head to toe with an exceptionally serious, inquisitive gaze.

From head to toe.

There was not the slightest hint of desire in his eyes, as though he were examining a medical specimen.

Then Huo Yuhao stroked his chin.

"Like her? Not really. I'm not some perverted lolicon."

He shook his head solemnly, his tone sincere. "I just think she's far too short."

Wang Dong froze.

Xiao Xiao froze too.

"Look."

Huo Yuhao pointed at Xiao Xiao's petite frame and frowned.

"She looks like a little dwarf. She was probably malnourished before, which stunted her growth."

"So I gave her more meat, hoping she'd grow taller. What's wrong with that?"

The lawn fell deathly silent.

Three seconds later.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Wang Dong completely lost it, clutching her stomach as she laughed wildly, nearly rolling off her little stool.

She laughed so hard her eyes were about to tear up.

Beside her.

Snap! The skewer of grilled meat in Xiao Xiao's hand broke in two.

Her little face, which had been flushed red with embarrassment,

now

had gone completely black.