They Tried to Steal Our Meat Money-Beat Them Up, Guga

They had been on the road back to Nuoding City for half a day.

The dense woods at the edge of Soul Hunting Forest gradually thinned. In the distance, they could make out the outline of the main road.

"The main road's just ahead." Su Yuntao breathed a sigh of relief.

The moment he finished speaking, three figures stepped out of the trees.

Three masked men. Their Soul Power fluctuations were unmistakable; each was at least a Soul Grandmaster. The bald man in front looked Lin Yuan up and down.

"The owner of Guga Milk Tea?"

Lin Yuan watched him in silence.

"You've opened several shops on Nuoding City's Central Street. The Gold Soul Coins you make in a month could last an ordinary person a lifetime." The bald man chuckled. "My brothers and I are a little short on cash. Thought we'd borrow some from you."

Su Yuntao stepped in front of Lin Yuan, his Martial Soul already possessing him.

The bald man released his Martial Soul. The shadow of a gray wolf appeared, and two yellow Soul Rings lit up. The tall, thin man and the short, stocky man released theirs as well—a staff and a snake, each with two yellow rings. Three Soul Grandmasters.

Su Yuntao's expression changed. They were all Soul Grandmasters, but one against three stood no chance.

The bald man took a step forward.

"There's nobody else here. If you don't want to die somewhere no one will ever find you, hand over the money."

Lin Yuan stepped out from behind Su Yuntao.

"How much?"

"All of it."

Lin Yuan stirred his Soul Power and summoned the three Gugas.

"Did you hear that?"

Three pairs of eyes turned toward the bald man at once.

"Someone wants to steal our meat money, Guga."

"...Beat them to death, Guga."

Starry Guga tilted her head.

"I'll hold them still, Guga."

She took two steps forward.

Before the bald man could react, vines spread silently from beneath Starry Guga's feet.

The tall, thin man laughed. "A little runt—"

He never finished.

Eight vines burst from the ground and wrapped around the three men's ankles. They climbed with incredible speed, from ankles to knees, from knees to waists. All three men were yanked to the ground at once. The vines tightened, biting into their flesh.

"What the hell?!" The bald man struggled, slashing at the vines with his claws. A cut opened, healed in an instant, and the vines tightened further. The tall man smashed one with his staff Martial Soul; two more took its place. The stocky man tried to pull his snake Martial Soul free, only for the vines to ensnare it too.

The three men were wrapped up like rice dumplings, unable to move.

Starry Guga stood between them, starlight flowing across her. Her voice was as gentle as ever.

"Don't move. The more you struggle, the tighter they get, Guga."

Lin Yuan walked up to the bald man and crouched.

"What was that you said?"

The bald man's eyes were full of fear.

"There's nobody else here." Lin Yuan's tone was mocking. "If you don't want to die somewhere no one will ever find you—"

He raised his right hand. Dark-gold markings flared across his palm, and five dark-gold claws sprang from his fingertips. The savage aura of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear poured from the Soul Bone, filling the air with suffocating pressure.

"A—a Soul Bone?!"

Lin Yuan did not answer. He smiled faintly and swept his dark-gold claws through the air.

All three men's throats split open at once.

Lin Yuan retracted his claws and stood. His right hand returned to normal, though the dark-gold markings on his palm still felt faintly warm.

He looked at the three bodies on the ground. His expression did not change.

Then he reached out and rubbed Starry Guga's head. Her starlight flickered.

"Sky Star. Bury them."

Starry Guga tipped her head back.

"Okay, Guga."

The vines surged.

The ground split open, and the vines dragged the three bodies beneath it. Soil rolled back over the crack, filling it in. A few fallen leaves blew across the spot and settled on the disturbed earth. The three Soul Grandmasters vanished as though they had never existed.

Su Yuntao stood to one side without saying a word. He had seen Lin Yuan fight before, but he had never expected him to kill. So quickly, so calmly.

Then Lin Yuan doubled over and threw up.

He had been forcing himself to hold it together the whole time. His first time killing someone was nowhere near as easy as he had made it look.

Su Yuntao stared at him, speechless, then couldn't help laughing. The three Gugas slowly turned their heads to look at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan wiped his mouth and glared at Su Yuntao.

"What are you looking at? Everyone's like this the first time."

Guga planted her little hands on her hips and glared at the spot where the bodies were buried.

"That's what you get for stealing meat money, Guga!"

Starry Guga withdrew her vines and patted the dirt from her little hands. Her pale-green eyes blinked.

"Let's go." There was still a hint of laughter in Su Yuntao's voice.

The three Gugas followed Lin Yuan. Starry Guga rested her vines on the other two, her starlight twinkling.

Guga Milk Tea, Central Street, Nuoding City.

By evening, a long line had formed outside the shop. Wearing an apron, Xiao Wu carried a tray between the tables, her scorpion braid swinging back and forth. Ever since the milk tea shop opened, she had spent every day here.

When Lin Yuan pushed through the door, Xiao Wu was carrying a ceramic cup toward table three.

"Lin Yuan!"

She set the cup down and ran over. Then she stopped.

Behind Lin Yuan, three Gugas entered the shop. Guga was on the left, Dark Gold Guga on the right, and between them was someone new—a pale-green, glassy costume shimmering with starlight, and gentle pale-green eyes looking at her.

Xiao Wu's mouth fell open.

"An...another one?!"

She crouched and stared at Starry Guga for a long while, then reached out and poked the starlight on her costume. It flickered, glowing even brighter.

"She's so pretty..."

Starry Guga lowered her head shyly. Her voice was soft.

"Thank you, Guga."

Xiao Wu scooped Starry Guga into her arms, her eyes shining like stars.

"You're so cute! Your costume glows! What's your name?"

"Starry Guga."

Holding Starry Guga close, Xiao Wu turned to Lin Yuan. "Lin Yuan! She's so well-behaved! Much better behaved than Guga!"

Guga puffed out her cheeks.

"I'm well-behaved too, Guga!"

Dark Gold Guga lifted her chin.

"...I'm the best-behaved, Guga."

Xiao Wu burst out laughing and gathered all three Gugas into her arms.

Sisi poked her head out from behind the counter. The cup in her hand nearly slipped.

"There's another one?!"

Su Yuntao leaned against the doorframe, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"The third one."

Lin Yuan scooped the three Gugas up from the floor and set them on a table by the window. Three pairs of eyes looked up at him.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Milk tea, Guga!"

"...Meat, Guga."

"Anything's fine, Guga."

The corner of Lin Yuan's mouth twitched. He turned toward the counter.

Xiao Wu followed him, tilting her head as she looked at him.

Outside the window, the sunset painted Nuoding City's Central Street gold. A long line stretched from the entrance of Guga Milk Tea. Some people sat by the street with ceramic cups, while others drank from bamboo tubes as they walked. The three Gugas lay crowded together on the windowsill, watching people come and go.

Starry Guga's starlight glimmered faintly in the sunset.

Guga poked Starry Guga's arm with a little hand.

"I'll look after you from now on, Guga."

Dark Gold Guga poked her too.

"...We'll fight together, Guga."

Starry Guga looked at the two of them, her pale-green eyes curving into crescents.

"Okay, Guga."

Lin Yuan stood behind the counter, watching the three little things huddled together on the windowsill, and shook his head.