Heartfire Therapy

"Hey." Jodio called to the other guy, who had been trying to sneak out. The man had abandoned his friend without a shred of loyalty and made a run for it, with no intention of fighting Jodio. Fair enough. He looked to be only around level seventeen. What chance did he have?

"W-what can I do for you?" the man asked, forcing a smile despite his fear.

"Take your friend outside. And don't forget to pay the owner," Jodio said evenly.

"Th-that's all?" the man asked in shock.

"What else? Do you want me to use Stone Free to pound your face like a soggy slime?" Jodio raised a fist in warning.

"Yes, sir! I'm leaving right now! I'm terribly sorry for the trouble!" The man bowed respectfully, dragged his unconscious friend out of the shop, then hurried back to pay. The owner tried to refuse, but after Ma Hongjun nodded, he had little choice. They were all Soul Masters. He couldn't afford to offend them, and this group was clearly stronger. Better take the money.

Several customers hurried to their feet, paid their bills, and left. Jodio shook his head at the sight, but he couldn't stop them. He sighed, poured himself some tea, and quietly waited for the food.

"You know, your boss really hates fighting," Jodio explained to the two seated across from him.

"Fights always end up damaging something, especially in a restaurant. Even if no tables or chairs get broken, the other customers get scared off. That costs the owner money. It's as good as wrecking the place," Jodio continued.

"So I look down on that sort of thing. No matter how much I despise someone in a restaurant, I won't start a fight. Unless they provoke me first. That's different," Jodio added.

"You've got principles, boss," Ma Hongjun said in surprise.

"Of course. Your boss is lawful evil, all right?" Jodio scoffed, folding his arms.

"So are we going to be evil too? Start a gang of hoodlums with you?" Oscar asked with mock seriousness.

"No ambition. If we start a gang, it'll be the biggest in all of Douluo. Oh, gangs seem to be legal here? Never mind, then. Your boss is probably lawful neutral." Jodio waved a hand.

"Guests, here are your thirty skewers of insanely hot devil-spiced pork. Enjoy." The bearded owner served the food with utmost respect. Soul Masters were not people to offend, especially ones with bad tempers. In fact, he had already prepared to waive their bill. Better to let these young masters eat for free than invite trouble.

"Wasn't it lamb?" Jodio asked, recalling the comic version. This was the novel version, but he was still surprised the insanely hot skewers weren't lamb.

"We've sold out of lamb skewers, sir. We only have pork left," the bearded owner explained.

"Pork it is. Oh, and bring us thirty more without the spice," Jodio said.

"Yes, they'll be ready soon," the owner replied with a quick nod.

"Try one, boss. They're amazing!" Ma Hongjun said around a mouthful, handing Jodio a skewer. The thick chili aroma and fierce heat rising from the pork made Jodio's heart sink. Oh, man. This seems a lot like that stuff from the comic. Can I really eat it?

You coward! Jodio, you're the Emperor! Eat it!

Jodio took a bite and held it in his mouth with apparent ease. In truth, he regretted it the instant it touched his tongue. His tongue was furiously demanding to know why he had eaten something this spicy, while his taste buds died by the hundreds. He was done for.

But Lord Jodio—Lord Jodio still managed to bite down! Incredible! He was practically superhuman!

"Hiss!" Jodio took a deep breath, suppressed the fire inside him, and struggled to chew and swallow. It was good. It really was good—pretty damn good, even. But it was way too spicy. Who the hell had invented this way of eating?

"Hiss. Not spicy." Jodio rubbed his face and struck an Araki-style pose.

"You're the best, boss! Have another. They're delicious!" Ma Hongjun said happily.

"They are pretty good." Jodio set the skewer down with studied restraint. He couldn't take any more. One or two bites were enough. He had already used Stone Free to turn his tongue into rope so he wouldn't taste the spice, but the burning sensation was still unbearable. Jodio was close to cracking.

"Wait, Hongjun. Older Brother thinks they aren't spicy enough. Did you forget his usual order?" Oscar suddenly realized and turned to scold Ma Hongjun. A flash of astonishing insight struck Ma Hongjun too. He got it!

"Owner! Bring us chili sauce for dipping and some wraps!" Ma Hongjun called.

"Coming right up!" The owner motioned for a server to hurry. Jodio's face turned red with anger. You bastards. Every last one of you.

"Here you go, boss." Ma Hongjun poured chili sauce onto a plate, coated a skewer in it, and handed it to Jodio.

"By the way, Hongjun, how have you been feeling lately?" Jodio asked, accepting the skewer. Even its smell stung his nose, and he seized the chance to change the subject.

"Not bad. Ever since you started putting me through physical training, boss, the evil fire has hardly flared up," Ma Hongjun replied indistinctly as he wolfed down his food.

Ever since they returned from Spirit Hunting, Jodio had given Ma Hongjun a simple way to deal with the evil fire: release all his energy and completely drain his Soul Power so it couldn't flare up. It couldn't eliminate the agitation and discomfort, but it eased them enough to make them bearable. At least he could endure it now.

As Jodio saw it, if Ma Hongjun didn't do this, he would have to chase women indiscriminately. His character would go downhill too, and someone might even lure him into becoming an evil Soul Master. Flender had been frightened the moment he heard that. From then on, he trained the chubby boy intensely every day and never stopped until Ma Hongjun was half-dead. A few times, the boy had been so exhausted after his bath that he couldn't even climb into bed. He had nothing left in the tank.

That was fine. Once he was completely spent, he wouldn't have the energy to think about anything else. A six-year-old kid ought to stay innocent. But a twelve-year-old who'd been with countless women? What kind of person was that?

Still, this wasn't a permanent solution. Jodio planned to aim for a healing ability with his next Spirit Ring. He had to get either Gold Experience or Crazy Diamond. Having taken Ma Hongjun as his underling, he had to look after him. Of course, he couldn't be like a certain rabbit who took someone in as an underling and ended up becoming his wife. Oh, man. Hadn't that rabbit's daughter done the same thing? If he remembered right, Little Huo hadn't managed to beat him back then.

Jodio thought back to the past. When he was level seventy, his first Trial had been forced into failure, leaving him no choice but to approach the protagonists. Even then, he had complained about it. Damn it, did the plot really have to follow the first generation so closely? Good thing I got there in time, or that poor kid would've fallen for the same trick all over again. Ah, even heroes struggle to resist a pretty face.

"When I reach level twenty, I'll try to get a healing Spirit Ring and see if I can cure you," Jodio said.

"Say no more, boss. It's all in the food." Ma Hongjun eagerly urged Jodio to swallow. Jodio could only take a deep breath and bite down. He chewed a few rough times, forced it down his throat, then covered his face with one hand and sank into thought.

"What's wrong, boss? Is it too spicy?" Oscar asked.

"Hiss. No. I just suddenly thought about Little Ma's Martial Soul problem. Ah, he's really come a long way. I never thought he'd be able to bear the discomfort and tough it out himself," Jodio said, his voice catching.

"Say no more, boss. It's all in the meat! Owner, bring us a bowl of your extra-spicy beef noodles! My boss hasn't had enough!" Ma Hongjun cried excitedly.

"Hey, Little Ma, we're having a heart-to-heart here. The food doesn't matter." Jodio grabbed Ma Hongjun's raised hand to stop him. He really was at his limit. It was too damn spicy. He couldn't take it!

"Food matters! Boss, you don't know how good their beef noodles are! Owner! Three bowls!" Ma Hongjun said with a grin.

"Little Ma, if you had to choose between those two again, which would you pick?" Jodio asked, changing the subject.

"Boss, you're finally willing to find me a woman?" Ma Hongjun asked in shock.

"Damn you! I'll find you a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound woman to put out that fire! Refuse, and I'll pluck every feather off your chicken!" Jodio roared.

"My mistake, boss! I'll behave, so please let me off!" Ma Hongjun immediately backed down. He remembered that when he had nearly lost control a month ago, Jodio had said the same thing. Then, without another word, Jodio had pointed out the village's slender beauty—all two hundred pounds of her—and asked if Ma Hongjun wanted her.

No, thanks. He would rather endure it.

"Seriously, you shouldn't squander your vital essence. Keeping it intact as long as possible is best. Those of us dedicated to cultivation should minimize anything that affects our bodies and keep ourselves in peak condition. Hongjun, you're doing the right thing. That's the perseverance you need," Jodio explained.

"Beef noodles are here!" The bearded owner came over smiling and set down three bowls, one by one.

"Go on, boss. They're especially good. You'll love them," Ma Hongjun said at once.

"Hey! How can cultivators spend all day thinking about food? Let's save these for the teachers to try," Jodio said, pushing his bowl away.

"Boss, you're not scared, are you?"

"Bullshit! Your boss ate Orleans chicken burgers at three, spicy pepper soup at four, and stir-fried pork with green peppers at five. Chili and I have been one for years. Why would I be scared? Hand it over!"

Jodio immediately picked up his chopsticks, inhaled the spicy steam, and took a huge slurp. This time, he really couldn't hold it together. Damn it, this owner must be some kind of masochist. Is this food fit for a human? Give it to a dog and—no, it would poison the poor thing. Too spicy. I can't take it. Water! Where's the water?

Jodio spotted the pitcher beside him like a lifeline and quickly poured himself half a cup, his hands trembling as he prepared to rinse his mouth. But Ma Hongjun thought Jodio was mixing a dipping sauce, so he poured both the sesame oil and chili oil on the table into the cup, then looked up at him expectantly, waiting for praise.

"Oh, oh, oh! Ma! Hong! Jun!" Jodio's expression changed in a flash.