"Have you also cultivated the Heavenly Origin Art?"
Huo Yuhao asked.
Xiao Xiao froze for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
She was twelve years old.
Ever since Sister Ju Zi had taught it to her two years ago, she had practiced it every day.
Huo Yuhao wore an expression that said he'd known it all along.
Xiao Xiao's Soul Ring Configuration was the same as Wang Dong's, but during the battle of attrition just now, Xiao Xiao had clearly had far more Soul Power in reserve than Wang Dong.
And then there was the unique rhythm of her breathing, her chest rising and falling.
Huo Yuhao could've guessed it was the Heavenly Origin Art with his toes.
"We beat that young master and successfully claimed the class monitor position."
Huo Yuhao slipped his hands into his pockets and suggested, "Want to celebrate? I'll treat you to barbecue."
As soon as he said that,
before Xiao Xiao could answer,
a hand suddenly reached over from the side and smacked Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, clearly annoyed.
Wang Dong rubbed her aching butt as she came over.
"What are you two whispering about behind my back?"
Wang Dong lifted her chin, her pink-blue eyes sweeping back and forth between them.
"Barbecue."
Huo Yuhao answered honestly.
At those two words, Wang Dong's eyes lit up, but then her expression darkened.
"Well, look at you, Huo Yuhao!"
Wang Dong glared at him fiercely and complained, "I'm your roommate, you know. You're going for barbecue and you don't even invite me? Have you no loyalty at all?"
Huo Yuhao looked at her.
"Didn't you just get knocked flat?"
Wang Dong's face reddened.
"I'm still your roommate!"
"I'm going!"
She stubbornly insisted, refusing to admit defeat.
By the shore of Sea God Lake.
The sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze stirred.
Quite a few groups of new students were sitting on the grass, picnicking together.
Huo Yuhao found an empty patch of ground.
With practiced ease, he pulled all sorts of equipment out of his Storage Soul Tool.
A barbecue grill.
Charcoal.
A basin of Soul Beast meat, cut up and marinated.
And a whole pile of jars and bottles filled with spices.
He looked like a complete professional.
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao sat on little folding stools nearby, both of their cheeks a little flushed.
It was their first time having a picnic barbecue outdoors.
"What are you staring at?"
Huo Yuhao started the fire with practiced ease, his hands moving quickly. "If you want to eat, sit still and wait."
Before long,
the chunks of meat on the skewers began to sizzle and drip with oil, gradually turning golden.
The moment he sprinkled on cumin and chili powder,
a rich, intensely savory aroma burst through the air.
Wang Dong swallowed instinctively.
Her stomach even let out a very uncooperative growl.
She wasn't the only one. Even Xiao Xiao, usually so well-behaved, was staring fixedly at the grill.
The other students picnicking nearby were drawn by the smell, too, and turned to look.
Huo Yuhao flipped the skewers.
He raised his head and glanced at Wang Dong.
"Hey."
"Wipe your mouth," Huo Yuhao kindly reminded her. "You're about to drool all over the ground."
Wang Dong jumped.
She hurriedly raised a hand and wiped at the corner of her mouth in a panic.
But she didn't feel anything.
It was dry.
Wang Dong froze.
When she realized what had happened, her face turned red all the way to her ears. She gritted her teeth in fury.
That jerk had tricked her again!
"Are you sick or something?"
Wang Dong glared at Huo Yuhao, looking utterly exasperated.
Ten minutes later.
"It's ready."
Huo Yuhao had just picked up a handful of skewers when Wang Dong eagerly snatched two of them.
She opened her mouth and took a huge bite without hesitation.
But after chewing twice,
Wang Dong's face scrunched up.
Hot.
Way too hot.
Scalding meat juices burst in her mouth, hot enough to bring tears to her eyes.
But the peerless flavor danced across her taste buds. It was just too delicious.
She couldn't bear to spit it out.
All she could do was open her mouth and desperately blow on it while enduring the heat and chewing as fast as she could.
She looked utterly ridiculous.
Xiao Xiao wasn't much better, though she had more patience than Wang Dong and ate in small bites.
But she wasn't eating any slower.
In less than five minutes, the two of them had polished off nearly half the skewers.
Wang Dong wiped the grease from her mouth.
She was thoroughly satisfied.
Moving closer to Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong casually slung an arm around his shoulders.
"I didn't know you had this kind of skill."
Wang Dong smacked her lips and praised him. "This is a hundred times better than the lousy nutritional meals in the cafeteria."
Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously in agreement.
With delicious, steaming-hot food in their bellies, it felt as if even the fatigue from the afternoon's practical combat assessment had faded away.
Huo Yuhao smiled.
As if by magic, he produced two more black glass bottles from his Storage Soul Tool.
"What's the fun in eating meat by itself?"
Huo Yuhao handed them the bottles. "Have some of this. I guarantee it'll send you over the moon."
Coke.
He had recreated it by drawing on the flavor in his memories and testing countless variations. It still didn't taste quite as good as the classic he remembered, but the fizz was absolutely spot-on.
Wang Dong took the bottle and examined it curiously.
Then she tipped her head back and took a big gulp.
Glug.
The intense carbonation exploded in her throat.
The unfamiliar sting and rush shot straight to her head.
"Cough... cough, cough, cough!"
Wang Dong jerked the bottle away, coughing so hard that tears sprang into her eyes.
"What kind of crazy stuff is this?"
She coughed, but couldn't help glancing at the black liquid inside the bottle.
For some inexplicable reason,
she wanted another sip.
Seeing Wang Dong choke like that, Xiao Xiao cautiously took a tiny sip.
The bubbles fizzed in her mouth.
It was sweet.
After swallowing, she decided the flavor was truly peculiar.
Just then,
"Burp."
A loud, clear belch escaped Xiao Xiao's mouth.
The air fell silent.
Xiao Xiao froze completely.
Her fair little face turned red before their eyes. She wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
Huo Yuhao continued flipping the meat with an expressionless face.
Inside, he was stifling his laughter.
The barbecue continued.
As Wang Dong ate, she suddenly stopped.
She'd noticed a detail that really rubbed her the wrong way.
The skewers Huo Yuhao finished grilling.
Out of every ten, at least six or seven ended up on Xiao Xiao's plate without a second thought.
All Wang Dong got was whatever remained.
What was that supposed to mean?
Wang Dong bit her lower lip, an inexplicable anger rising inside her.
She stared at Huo Yuhao and gave a cold snort.
"Hey."
Wang Dong folded her arms and put on an obnoxiously haughty pout.
"You're taking such good care of her, even giving her more barbecue."
She gave him a sidelong look and teased him in a sarcastic tone. "You're such a fair-weather friend. What, have you fallen for her or something?"
At those words,
Xiao Xiao, who had been munching away, choked.
She lifted her head.
Her fair little face turned red all over again.
She certainly wasn't in love with Huo Yuhao. The only person she truly admired was Sister Ju Zi.
But that didn't stop a girl from feeling embarrassed when someone said something like that.
Hearing that jealous-sounding question,
Huo Yuhao stopped what he was doing.
He didn't look at Wang Dong.
Instead, he turned to Xiao Xiao and scrutinized her from head to toe with an intensely serious, searching gaze.
From top to bottom.
There wasn't a trace of lust in his eyes. He looked at her as if she were a medical specimen.
Then Huo Yuhao rubbed his chin.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say I like her. I'm not some perverted loli freak."
He shook his head solemnly, his tone sincere. "I just think she's really 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 and stunted when she was younger."
"So I gave her a little extra meat, hoping she'd grow taller. What's wrong with that?"
The lawn fell deathly silent.
Three seconds later.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Wang Dong completely lost it, clutching her stomach as she burst into laughter. She nearly rolled off her folding stool.
She was laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down her face.
Meanwhile,
The skewer of grilled meat in Xiao Xiao's hand snapped with a sharp crack.
Her little face, which had been red with embarrassment,
At that moment,
Had gone as black as the bottom of a pot.
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