Dinner and a Chance Encounter

After spotting Su Yuntao, Tang Shan walked into the restaurant. Before entering, he glanced up at the sign.

"Forest Roast Lamb"

Su Yuntao sat with his head slightly lowered and his eyes unfocused, clearly lost in thought. Tang Shan pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down without ceremony.

The movement startled Su Yuntao from his thoughts. He looked up, about to frown and scold the intruder, only to find Tang Shan sitting across from him.

"Little brother, what brings you here? Finished learning to forge?"

Tang Shan nodded. "More or less. I've mastered the basics, but the rest depends on how well I practice."

As he spoke, Tang Shan looked at the grill in front of him. Slices of lamb lay across its crisscrossed grate, flames licking at them. He had no idea what seasoning had been added, but the meat gave off a rich aroma.

"Does forging really have that much potential?"

While they waited for the meat to cook, Su Yuntao still had his doubts. Could a mere blacksmith's craft truly become something extraordinary in Tang Shan's hands?

"It has the potential, but I might not be able to bring it out."

Tang Shan answered cautiously. After all, he had yet to truly master ordinary forging, let alone know where it might lead.

"How have things gone for you these past few days, big brother?"

Rather than keep talking about himself, Tang Shan asked what Su Yuntao had gained from Soul Fighting over the past few days.

At the mention of Soul Fighting, Su Yuntao immediately perked up. His eyes shone.

"Little brother, you were right. Aside from my first opponent that day, the others were much more experienced. Beating them was far harder than dealing with that Dao Long fellow. Still, your big brother has won every match so far. Not a single loss."

Tang Shan was not surprised by Su Yuntao's winning streak. A thousand-year Second Soul Ring was no joke. Even without it, Su Yuntao could overwhelm most opponents at his level in willpower and physical ability.

A little better coordination, a little faster reflexes, a little more strength—those small advantages added up to an incomparable edge.

"What about developing a Self-Created Soul Skill?"

Tang Shan pressed him curiously.

"I've made some progress."

There was a hint of frustration in Su Yuntao's voice.

"Fighting under pressure has taught me something about how wolf-type Soul Beasts attack and defend. But as I've gained experience, fewer and fewer people can put me under any pressure. The last person who nearly beat me was a control-type Soul Master with a Beast Martial Soul."

"A control-type Soul Master with a Beast Martial Soul?"

Tang Shan's interest stirred. Most control-type Soul Masters were Tool Soul Masters. Whether they manipulated ropes and vines or used a staff to command the elements, their Martial Souls generally fell into the tool category.

"That's right. Her Martial Soul was a venomous snake. Both her Soul Rings released poisonous mist she could control. The First Soul Ring slowed people down, while the Second Soul Ring blocked their vision. Breathing in too much could also make them dizzy."

A trace of lingering fear crossed Su Yuntao's face.

"Those two control-type Soul Skills were bad enough, but she was also formidable in close combat. If I hadn't caught her off guard with a sudden burst of power, I might really have lost."

As Tang Shan listened to Su Yuntao recount the fight, he could not help marveling at the Douluo Continent. The original story had described only a relatively central slice of it. Now he was seeing wonders its pages had never touched.

"What happened in the later matches? Did nobody want to fight you after that?"

Su Yuntao nodded helplessly. "My reputation spread. Plenty of Soul Grandmasters know there's a two-ring Soul Master with a thousand-year Second Soul Ring spending all day at the Soul Fighting Arena. After that, I was lucky to find one opponent every few hours. Before, I was fighting almost whenever I wasn't recovering Soul Power."

"Then you could sign up for two-person Soul Fighting."

Tang Shan offered the suggestion.

"I thought of that, but I don't have a teammate. I can't just grab anyone."

Su Yuntao had clearly considered it, but nothing had come of the idea.

"Then take on two opponents by yourself. Didn't you say you weren't getting enough pressure? One against two should give you plenty. If you beat every pair they send at you, you can try challenging a Soul Elder."

This time, Tang Shan's suggestion sent Su Yuntao into deep thought.

Just three days of fighting had given him a clear sense of his own strength. Low Innate Soul Power did not necessarily mean someone was weak. In the end, the only way to know who was stronger was to fight.

At the Soul Grandmaster level, anyone who was not an exceptionally troublesome control-type opponent was no match for him. Ordinary control-type Soul Masters were no exception.

He had been a frog at the bottom of a well. As long as he did not run into an enemy far beyond the usual standard, Su Yuntao ruled the Soul Grandmaster level.

"All right! Tomorrow—no, I'll sign up for a two-person match as soon as we're done. I'll fight both of them myself!"

Fighting spirit blazed in Su Yuntao's eyes again, his determination surging.

Chomp, chomp!

Tang Shan picked up his chopsticks, took a fragrant piece of lamb from the grill, and put it in his mouth. As he chewed, rich fat and savory meat burst across his tongue.

Su Yuntao stared at him speechlessly. He had been fired up, while his little brother was already devouring the food.

"You can't be this shameless."

Su Yuntao complained, but his chopsticks moved without hesitation. He knew how much Tang Shan could eat. If he waited any longer, he would have to wait for the next batch to cook.

"Why is this place called Forest Roast Lamb?"

Tang Shan asked between bites.

Su Yuntao had clearly been here before and knew far more about the restaurant than Tang Shan did.

"They say all the lamb comes from sheep-type Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. The species varies, though. What you get is a matter of luck."

"In that case, whoever runs this place must have some real backing. Even if the species vary, getting a steady supply of sheep-type Soul Beasts from the Star Dou Great Forest can't be easy."

Tang Shan reached that conclusion after a moment's thought.

Su Yuntao nodded. "I've heard the owner has some distant family connection to a branch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Just then, two more customers entered the restaurant.

"Owner, four pounds of lamb, please."

The gentle voice made Tang Shan turn. He saw two figures, one tall and one short.

The shorter man was actually around six feet tall. His companion was simply enormous.

His companion was an old man over two meters tall. He had a broad frame but almost no flesh, leaving him nearly skin and bones. His face was rather frightening. A loose black robe covered him, yet his ribs and shoulder blades stood out beneath it.

The owner was visibly startled by his fearsome appearance. Fortunately, the middle-aged man beside him was patient. He waited until the owner recovered before calmly stating what they wanted.

The middle-aged man's clothes struck Tang Shan as both elegant and immaculate. He carried the dignity of someone long accustomed to authority, and every movement had the ease of a nobleman.

His features were handsome, his gaze gentle, and his bearing refined.

At the sight of him, Tang Shan's pupils contracted slightly. He quickly regained his composure, kept eating, and chatted casually with Su Yuntao. Meanwhile, he quietly channeled a thread of Soul Power toward his ears to sharpen his hearing.

Fortunately, Tang Shan had a Body Martial Soul, so the movement of Soul Power within him usually caused no detectable disturbance. If his guess about the newcomers was right, using Soul Power to enhance his hearing might otherwise alert the old man. A Titled Douluo's senses were not to be underestimated.

"Fengzhi, let's sit in the back."

The gaunt old man looked at the refined middle-aged man.

The man he had called Fengzhi nodded. The two passed Tang Shan and Su Yuntao and took seats at the far end of the restaurant.

With Tang Shan and Su Yuntao and the two new arrivals, Forest Roast Lamb was now full. Evidently, its grilled lamb really was excellent.

"Uncle Gu, sorry for the trouble of coming all this way with me."

The middle-aged man's voice reached Tang Shan's ears, lending further weight to his suspicion.

"It's nothing. I'd only be sitting idle at the sect anyway. My cultivation has hit a bottleneck, and I doubt I'll break through in this lifetime. It's nice to get out. That Old Bastard must be bored without me, though."

The old man sounded gleeful. Apparently, the thought of that Old Bastard being bored was enough to make him happy.

"Uncle Gu, you and Uncle Jian have been competing for years. Why keep at it?"

"Heh. Because he said my defense was worthless! He only gets away with it because his cultivation is higher. If our Soul Power were at the same level, I'd like to see whether he could beat me!"

Neither of them used any technique to speak privately. Clearly, they saw nothing secret in their conversation.

"Fengzhi, Shuyu's baby will be born soon. Have you thought of a name?"

"If it's a boy, we'll call him Jiu. I hope his Martial Soul lives up to the name. If it's a girl, Shuyu and I have agreed on Rongrong."

"Ning Rongrong. A good name. A very good name."

So it really was Ning Fengzhi, sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, a defense-type Titled Douluo. Tang Shan had never expected to run into them in Star City.

Tang Shan lost interest in the food for the moment and began wondering why the two had come to Star City.

He had suspected who they were as soon as they entered. There were plenty of gentle, refined men on the Douluo Continent, and perhaps others resembled Bone Douluo. But a pair with such distinctive traits was probably one of a kind.

Their conversation had now confirmed his guess.

The Old Bastard Bone Douluo had mentioned was presumably Sword Douluo Chen Xin, while Ning Fengzhi's unborn child must be Ning Rongrong, the girl who would later be known as the "little witch."

They probably aren't here for Grandmaster. Tang Shan ruled that out first. At present, only three people on the entire Douluo Continent knew Grandmaster's identity: Su Haichao, Su Yuntao, and Tang Shan himself. No one else did.

Could they be here for big brother?

Tang Shan thought of Su Yuntao's thousand-year Second Soul Ring, then quickly dismissed the idea. If Su Yuntao were the only person on the Douluo Continent with one, such interest might make sense. But he was not. With the resources of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, producing a talent like that might not be effortless, but it was hardly difficult.

Fortunately, he did not have to wonder for long. The two soon revealed the answer.

P.S. Please bookmark, keep reading, send monthly and recommendation votes, and leave comments—anything helps, and this little author is deeply grateful. Don't worry, Tang Shan won't join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. This is just a chance encounter. I should also give everyone a heads-up: my use of "Rogue Rabbit" and "Little Witch" probably makes my feelings about those two female characters clear. The first goes without saying. She's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, not some "Silver Dragon Fish," and I really don't dare imagine what a female rabbit might have gone through in a hundred thousand years. As for the "Little Witch," her personality in the original story simply clashes with the protagonist's. He wouldn't go along with her, and the outrageous things she said in the original left me with little affection for her. If this doesn't match your guesses about the female lead, I'm truly sorry.