The Instantly Wiped-Out Barbecue

The cabin door opened again.

Leng Yaoyu walked out first. She had changed into a red bikini, the color like it had been cut from the tips of her hair—so vivid it seemed ready to burn through the air.

Her skin was nearly translucent beneath the blazing sun. Tall and graceful, with a slender waist and long legs, every step she took seemed to land on piano keys, carrying an inexplicable rhythm. She was not deliberately showing anything off; she merely raised a hand to sweep her red hair behind her shoulder, yet the movement itself carried an unquestionable dominance.

At that moment, the beach, the sunlight, and the entire sea seemed to exist only to set her off.

"Teacher, you—" Ziyang's voice caught in his throat. Leng Yaoyu had truly stunned him.

Leng Yaoyu had already reclined on a beach mat. Closing her eyes, she said, "Why are you standing around? Go have fun."

Na'er followed behind her, wearing a white one-piece swimsuit with a skirt that reached the tops of her thighs. Her silver hair was loosely tied with a ribbon. She glanced at Ziyang, the corners of her lips lifting, then ran to the water's edge and bent down to touch the waves.

Gu Yue came out last, dressed in a blue-and-white swimsuit with a simple design. Its skirt swayed gently with her steps. She did not head for the beach chairs, instead standing in the shade by the cabin door, her gaze resting on the distant horizon as though she were watching something—or nothing at all.

Hearing Leng Yaoyu's words, Ziyang tossed the grill straight to Austin Griffin and headed toward Na'er.

"Na'er." Ziyang nudged the fine sand by the shore with his foot. "Let's go diving. We can look at coral and catch fish."

Na'er straightened up, her eyes sparkling as though filled with starlight. "Catch fish? What are we waiting for?"

Ziyang nodded and took two sets of Diving Soul Tools from his Soul Tool, tossing one to her.

Though they were Soul Masters, they could only withstand more water pressure and hold their breath longer than ordinary people.

This diving equipment was nothing more than an oxygen tank and an oxygen mask.

They swam straight into the sea.

The underwater world was quiet and beautiful.

The sunlight had been filtered into scattered flecks of gold, dancing across Na'er's silver hair. Ziyang pointed below them, where a coral reef stretched out—red like fire, white like bone, and blue like a frozen sea.

Suddenly, a fish darted between them. Its scales were an eerie purple, and its tail fin trailed a string of bubbles as it swished.

Na'er's fingers tightened, then relaxed. She smiled, and bubbles spilled from the edge of her mask, rising upward in stream after stream.

Ziyang pulled a net from his waist and signaled for Na'er to follow. Without any special means underwater, and since they were not Sea Soul Masters, it truly was not suitable for communicating.

Although Na'er had her eye on that fish and thought it looked delicious at a glance, they first went after food that was easier to catch.

They caught crabs among the cracks in the reef. Those crabs were not particularly large, and their average cultivation was only ten years, perhaps even less. Facing two Soul Elders was simply a fool's dream.

One, two, three.

The net gradually grew heavier.

Ziyang pulled Na'er toward the surface. The instant they broke through the water, Na'er removed her mask and gulped down air. Her hair clung to her face, but she was still smiling.

"What a haul!" Na'er lifted the net and shouted excitedly.

Ziyang floated on the surface with the waves. "All right, don't get too excited. The charcoal should be heated up by now. We can have barbecue."

"Then why are you still lying there? Hurry back." Na'er could be said to have an infinite craving for food.

By the time they came ashore, the sand had been baked scorching hot by the sun. Ziyang stepped on it barefoot and felt it burn slightly.

Na'er ran ahead, excitedly charging toward the barbecue stand.

Austin Griffin had already lit the charcoal and was quietly waiting for them to return.

Ziyang tossed the net at his feet and took back the grill. The metal grate had been heated bluish by the coals, while heat waves warped the air above it.

Not long after he started grilling, Na'er squatted beside the barbecue rack, drooling as she stared at it with yearning eyes.

"Na'er, wait a little." Seeing her like that, Ziyang's mouth twitched constantly. He pinched a little salt from the seasoning bag and sprinkled it over the skewers. The grains crackled softly as they hit the grease.

Na'er stayed squatting beside him, her gaze following Ziyang's hand—from the salt to the chili powder, then to the bottle of amber-colored honey.

Gu Yue and Leng Yaoyu lay together under a sun umbrella, drinking beverages as they talked about something.

But Na'er's voice continued to drift over the beach.

"Is it ready?"

"No."

"What about now?"

Ziyang turned the skewers. Grease dripped onto the charcoal, sending up a small burst of flame. The savory aroma tangled with the salty tang of the sea breeze in the air.

"Wait just a little longer, Na'er. Good things come to those who wait."

Na'er's throat bobbed.

Ziyang sprinkled on the final handful of sesame seeds. The white grains fell onto the reddish-brown meat like a light snowfall.

"It's ready."

The moment he finished speaking, a silver flash streaked past his eyes.

It was not a fluctuation of Soul Power, nor was it a weapon being drawn. It was simply fast. Ziyang had not even seen Na'er's movement clearly. He only felt a gust carrying sea spray strike his face, and then—

The grill was empty.

Thirty meat skewers, twelve shrimp, seven scallops, and the fish they had just cleaned. All gone.

Ziyang slowly turned his head.

Na'er stood three steps away, holding a meat skewer in each hand, with a bit of grease still at the corner of her mouth. She chewed with her cheeks slightly puffed out, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Na'er—" Ziyang pointed at the grill, then at her.

"Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!" Na'er said as she took another bite.

Ziyang lowered his head to look at the empty grill. The charcoal was still burning, crackling hollowly. He kind of wanted to give Na'er an Inch Force: Heaven-Opening Spirit.

Leng Yaoyu's voice drifted over from afar. "Ziyang, it's fine. You can grill more. We have plenty of ingredients."

"I know." Ziyang was helpless.

"It's because your grilling is just too delicious, Ziyang..." Na'er said.

"So it's my fault?" Ziyang looked at Na'er with a resentful gaze.

"Don't be mad. I'll grill marshmallows for you." As Na'er spoke, she took several marshmallow skewers from the ingredient table and began grilling them.

Ziyang watched her clumsily stick the bamboo skewers into the edge of the coals. The white balls of sugar immediately began to blacken. Na'er hurriedly turned them over, but the more she turned them, the more burnt they became. In the end, she held up two charcoal-like objects, completely at a loss.

"Forget it. Let me do it." Ziyang sighed and looked toward Gu Yue.

If he remembered correctly, Gu Yue could cook. Na'er, on the other hand, looked like the kind of person who could blow up a kitchen.

He absolutely could not let Na'er enter a kitchen in the future. No kitchen could withstand such earth-shattering culinary skill.

Na'er squatted back down, resting her cheeks in both hands as water continued to drip from her silver hair. She had clearly tried so hard, so why could she still not do it right?

"Here." Ziyang handed her a grilled marshmallow, lightly charred on the outside and soft within, pulling into a thread of amber-colored syrup.

Na'er took a bite, and sugar strands stuck to the corner of her lips. Instantly, she narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

Ziyang grilled two more skewers, tossing one to Austin Griffin in the distance and biting into the other himself.

The cloying sweetness melted across his tongue. He looked toward the sea, where the setting sun was dyeing the water gold and crimson.

Gu Yue emerged from the shadows at some point. "Ziyang, I have something to ask you."

The moment Na'er heard that, alarm bells went off in her mind. She had only just found an ally, yet Gu Yue actually wanted to steal him away.

For a moment, a strange atmosphere filled the beach.

Watching this scene, Leng Yaoyu felt that this team-building outing had failed to bring everyone closer together.