Titled Douluos helping me hunt soul beasts? I've never had this many resources!
Luo Fan looked at the person who had spoken!
He looked about twelve or thirteen and was handsome. Luo Fan could not tell what fabric his clothes were made of, but one glance was enough to know they were expensive.
They were even embroidered with gold thread.
Sitting there, he exuded an air of nobility and splendor that was utterly out of place in this little restaurant in Notting City.
More importantly, two middle-aged men stood behind the boy, apparently serving as guards. They were steady and imposing, clearly quite powerful.
"Hello. I don't have many strengths, but I do have a strong constitution, so I eat a lot!"
Although Luo Fan did not recognize him, the boy had taken the initiative to greet him, so Luo Fan smiled and replied.
"May I ask your name, little brother? I'm Xue Qinghe!" the boy continued.
"Xue Qinghe!?"
Hearing him introduce himself, Luo Fan kept his expression composed, but inwardly, he was startled. He studied the boy carefully!
When Xue Qinghe first appeared in the original story, he was the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's master. In truth, however, he was Qian Renxue, the Young Master of Spirit Hall, in disguise!
Then what about the Xue Qinghe before him?
Was this Qian Renxue? Or was this the original Xue Qinghe, before Qian Renxue had replaced him?
"From your expression, little brother, it seems you've heard of me?"
Although Luo Fan's expression had barely changed, Xue Qinghe had infiltrated the Heaven Dou Imperial Family at such a young age and was especially adept at reading people. Thus, she noticed that fleeting change in his expression.
"Yes. Although I live in a remote place like Notting City, I do know that the imperial family of the Heaven Dou Empire bears the surname Xue!" Luo Fan nodded, going along with her words.
With perception that keen, Luo Fan already had a pretty good guess!
"And these two gentlemen are?" But a guess alone was not enough to confirm her identity, so Luo Fan turned his attention to the two middle-aged men behind Xue Qinghe!
"These are two guards my family assigned to me. Since you know I'm a member of the imperial family, little brother, you can understand why we place particular importance on personal safety!" Xue Qinghe explained.
Inside the restaurant, Luo Fan wolfed down ten bowls of noodles in a row, making the corners of Xue Qinghe's eyes twitch!
Although the report from the Spirit Hall Branch had already told her that Luo Fan's physical constitution was absurdly strong, was eating ten bowls of noodles in one sitting something a normal person could do?
"Little brother, are you... full yet?" Seeing Luo Fan stack his tenth empty bowl beside him and still look eager for more, Xue Qinghe asked curiously!
"Hmm, I'd say I'm about sixty percent full!" Luo Fan rubbed his stomach before answering.
"Sir, bring him another ten bowls of noodles! Beef noodles, and put them all on my bill!" Xue Qinghe called out to the restaurant owner.
"Thank you!" Luo Fan accepted without standing on ceremony.
They chatted as he ate, and right in front of Xue Qinghe, he finished all ten additional bowls. Only then did he burp and feel full.
Does this fellow have another dimension inside his stomach? Xue Qinghe wondered, discreetly glancing at Luo Fan's abdomen.
Indeed, after twenty bowls of noodles in a row, where had it all gone?
"Thank you for treating me, Brother Xue!" Luo Fan thanked her after finishing the twenty bowls.
They had gotten along wonderfully while chatting over the meal, and by now, they were already addressing each other as brothers!
After all, Xue Qinghe had made a special detour from Heaven Dou City to Notting City specifically to meet Luo Fan. She also wanted to befriend him and, ideally, recruit him!
As for Luo Fan, he had already asked Spirit Hall's people to keep an eye out for information on the Void Escape Beast.
Now that he knew Spirit Hall's Young Master had come in person, Luo Fan was naturally willing to take the initiative to build a good relationship!
With both sides eager to connect, everything naturally went smoothly.
Thus, Luo Fan and Xue Qinghe were already addressing each other as brothers, as though they regretted not meeting sooner!
During their conversation, Xue Qinghe had mentioned that her soul power had reached rank 30, and she was preparing to head to the Star Dou Forest to find a suitable soul ring!
"You're going to the Star Dou Forest..." Luo Fan's eyes lit up slightly at her words.
"What do you say, little brother Luo Fan? Would you like to come see the Star Dou Forest for yourself?" Noticing the change in his expression, Xue Qinghe smiled and invited him along!
"Wouldn't that be imposing on you, Brother Xue?" Luo Fan asked hesitantly.
"Since you call me Brother Xue, how could I consider you an imposition?" Xue Qinghe shook her head.
"In that case, I'll shamelessly tag along!" Luo Fan nodded.
After they agreed on a departure time for the following day, Luo Fan turned and headed back to the academy.
Xue Qinghe settled the bill and left the restaurant as well.
"Young Master, it seems you really hit it off with this Luo Fan!" Snake Lance Douluo suddenly remarked as they walked back to the Spirit Hall Branch.
"What makes you say that?" Xue Qinghe kept walking, turning her head slightly to glance at him.
"Although little Luo Fan asked Spirit Hall to watch for traces of the Void Escape Beast, he's still a child under seven. Yet he was willing to travel far from home with you right after meeting you, Young Master. It seems he really feels close to you!" Snake Lance Douluo explained.
At Snake Lance Douluo's words, the corners of Xue Qinghe's lips lifted involuntarily.
In the end, she was only a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl. Hearing that she was approachable and that a six- or seven-year-old child really liked her made Xue Qinghe quite happy.
"Yes, perhaps we really do get along well!" Thinking back on her conversation with Luo Fan, Xue Qinghe nodded.
If her initial meeting with Luo Fan had been motivated by a desire to recruit him, then now, Xue Qinghe felt that at least a small part of her genuinely liked the child.
"By the way, has there been any response about the Void Escape Beast?" Seemingly remembering something, Xue Qinghe turned to ask Pufferfish Douluo.
"There's no news yet. But it's only a three-thousand-year Void Escape Beast, so we should hear something soon!" Pufferfish Douluo answered!
Meanwhile, after returning to Notting Academy, Luo Fan hurried to find the dean and told him he would be accompanying a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire on a trip away from home.
After all, the long holiday would soon be over.
Although the dean was shocked that Luo Fan had somehow become acquainted with a prince, when he considered Luo Fan's talent, he was naturally delighted that the boy had caught His Highness's attention.
After returning to the dormitory, Luo Fan was equally pleased.
He had already known that, with rank 20 approaching, asking Spirit Hall to keep an eye out for traces of the Void Escape Beast would inevitably draw their close attention.
After all, even with innate full soul power and a thousand-year first soul ring, if all you had was a trash martial soul like Blue Silver Grass, people would still wonder whether you might spend your entire life unable to cross the threshold to Soul Elder, or even Soul Grandmaster!
But reaching rank 20 barely more than half a year after awakening his martial soul was an entirely different matter!
Still, Luo Fan had not expected Spirit Hall to take it so seriously that even Qian Renxue would make a special detour to meet him!
Thinking about going soul hunting in the Star Dou Forest with Qian Renxue, with two Titled Douluos accompanying them...
Well, well, well. I've never had this many resources at my disposal in my entire life!