Xiao Wu's Two Choices!

"Welcome, sir! Please come in!"

At the most luxurious restaurant in Notting City, Lu Ming declined the server's offer to show him to a table and headed for a spot he knew well.

He sat down, his thoughts drifting.

This was where Xiao Xiao had taken him to eat when he was six. The head chef had even come out and taken a photo with him.

Two and a half years had passed since then!

"Server."

"Hello, sir. What would you like to order?"

The server was young, and she hadn't taken her eyes off Lu Ming since he walked in.

As soon as he called her over, she hurried across in quick little steps, unable to hide her smile.

He's so handsome! Up close, he even feels strangely familiar.

Lu Ming didn't look at the menu. "Nothing with intestines. I'll take fifty servings of every other dish to start!"

"What?"

The server wondered if she had heard him wrong. Fifty servings?

"Sir, is that to go?"

"I'm eating here. As fast as you can, please. I'm starving."

Lu Ming said it with a smile.

The server nodded and ran back, beaming.

Before long,

guided by the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Xiao Wu arrived at the restaurant entrance too.

She looked up at its gilded doors, her heart pounding.

She usually had to rely on her "underlings" to help pay for meals at the academy. Even in her dreams, she couldn't afford a restaurant like this!

"Great Auspicious Beast, is this really the place?"

Xiao Wu's tone was meek. For a little Soft Bone Rabbit like her, getting even a glimpse of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was a blessing earned in a past life. Of course she had to show the utmost respect.

"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu~"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion flicked her tail against Xiao Wu's tender cheek and fixed her with a stare.

"Do you have any idea who the Golden Dragon Lord is? It's this restaurant's supreme honor to serve him, and you dare question whether he'd eat here?"

"I'm ignorant, Great Auspicious Beast. Please forgive me—and please don't tell the Golden Dragon Lord!"

Xiao Wu wasn't upset. She begged the Three-Eyed Golden Lion to keep quiet. Otherwise, would her little rabbit head still be attached to her shoulders?

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion gave a soft snort. She wasn't in the habit of tattling, and the little rabbit had behaved well enough. She wouldn't hold it against her.

Lu Ming stood out too much to miss. Following everyone's gazes, Xiao Wu quickly spotted him.

She trotted over with a bright smile.

"Hello, Golden Dragon Lord! Would you like a Carrot~?"

The food hadn't arrived yet, and the table was still bare. Xiao Wu knew this was her chance.

She pulled out a few Carrots and spoke in a sweet little voice. It was charming rather than grating—clearly, she had a knack for this!

Lu Ming was drinking tea and nearly spat it out.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion leaped back into his arms and shook her head helplessly.

"Little rabbit, does a mighty Golden Dragon King look like a vegetarian to you? What are you trying to do, starve me?"

His words weren't harsh, and there was little blame in them.

Even so, Xiao Wu flinched. She was about to kneel and apologize when Lu Ming hurriedly pulled her back onto her chair.

Now he really was a little angry. He sent his words to her through spiritual power.

"Little rabbit, do you have a brain?"

"With all these people here, are you trying to embarrass me by kneeling?!"

What she had almost done scared him badly. If word got out, who knew what some of those girls would make of it? The story might spread across the Heaven Dou Empire in less than a week.

A few bright tears rolled down Xiao Wu's cheeks. She really wasn't clever, and the only thing she had to offer was Carrots.

"Wipe your tears. Don't let anyone see!"

Lu Ming spoke coldly. If he hadn't been worried about handing her over to Tang San and his father, he wouldn't have bothered with her at all.

At the Golden Dragon Lord's command, Xiao Wu held back her sobs and immediately put on a faint smile.

"Sir~!"

"Your food is here!"

Over a dozen servers pushed carts piled with dishes toward them. The aromas drew the attention of everyone eating in the restaurant.

"What's going on? Is all that for one table?"

"Oh, that reminds me of a kid who came in a few years ago. He could eat a ton too. Even the head chef came out that time!"

The restaurant had private rooms, but Lu Ming liked eating where there were plenty of people. Food tasted best that way.

"It really is you!"

A chef rushed over, still holding his large ladle. It was the head chef who had taken that photo with Lu Ming!

"Your cooking's as good as ever, sir!"

"Hahaha! And it's been ages since you came by for a meal!"

Lu Ming was a Soul Master, while the head chef was an ordinary man who worked the stove, yet there seemed to be no gulf in status between them.

They were like old friends. Both knew where to draw the line: they talked about the kitchen and nothing else.

That was one reason the head chef had stayed in Lu Ming's memory.

"Hahaha, enough talk! This won't be nearly enough for you. Today, this old chef is going to give it his all at the stove."

Xiao Wu sat across from Lu Ming, her gaze drifting toward him again and again.

The Golden Dragon Lord looks so handsome when he eats!

That pale green robe suits him perfectly!

I'm so honored to sit at the same table as the Golden Dragon Lord!

Xiao Wu gazed at him in a daze. His bloodline was noble, his build was powerful, and his looks were extraordinary.

A man like him actually existed.

"Do you know how strong Tang San's father is?" Lu Ming asked suddenly.

"My Lord, I believe he's a Soul Emperor!"

Lu Ming snorted.

"His father is a Titled Douluo, you fool!"

Scolded out of nowhere, Xiao Wu felt wronged again. Her estimate hadn't actually been that far off. The first time she saw Tang Hao, Xiao Xiao had already gouged out his eyes and gravely wounded him. At the time, the strength he could wield was around that of a Soul Sage.

So this time, Lu Ming had gotten it wrong.

"When Tang San needs a Soul Ring, what do you think his father will do?"

Xiao Wu's mind reeled.

What will he do?

Kill me!

"San and I are very close. He couldn't bear to let that happen."

Xiao Wu refused to voice what she really thought, trying to numb herself instead.

Lu Ming mercilessly tore through her self-deception.

"What good is being close to Tang San? Even if Tang Hao kills you, Tang San will sulk at him for a few days at most."

"Tang Hao is his only family in the world. Tang San grew up without a mother. Do you really think he'd cut ties with his father over you? He wouldn't."

Xiao Wu's head drooped. Her body trembled as memories of her years with Tang San flashed through her mind.

She didn't want to believe it, but the Golden Dragon Lord was right!

What was she to Tang San? How could she compare to his father?

Lu Ming wolfed down his food. Did it look graceful?

That depended on who was eating. Someone as breathtakingly handsome as Lu Ming could bury his entire face in a plate, and young girls would only think he must be starving and feel sorry for him!

If he were ugly, he'd be lucky if they didn't call him a starving ghost.

"I'll give you two choices..."

"First: go back to the Star Dou Great Forest and build me a house. I don't want to sleep on the lake, in a tree, or in a cave."

"Second: come with me to Heaven Dou Royal Academy and serve Xiao Xiao as her personal maid."

"Choose."