Yan was the first to shout, "Big Brother Qinghe!"
His reasoning was simple. Qian Zong was not only the Young Hall Master of Spirit Hall and the head of the Martial Soul Library, but he also had Titled Douluos guarding him.
Qian Zong's intent basically represented the will of Spirit Hall.
Now that Xue Qinghe was holding the token personally bestowed by Qian Zong, it meant that Xue Qinghe had gained Qian Zong's approval.
Since that was the case, there was no need to keep fussing over Xue Qinghe's identity as the Heaven Dou Crown Prince.
Furthermore, Xue Qinghe had taken the initiative to propose this, and calling him big brother carried no hint of overstepping boundaries.
"Big Brother Qinghe!"
"Big Brother Qinghe!"
Hu Liena and Xie Yue noticed Yan's gaze constantly darting toward the hand holding the token, and they snapped to their senses, cupping their fists in salute.
Seeing the three of them acknowledge his status, Xue Qinghe smiled and said,
"It is a great fortune to make the acquaintance of you all today.
"If you ever need anything after heading to the Heaven Dou Empire in the future, do not hesitate to come find me."
Changing the subject, Xue Qinghe continued,
"This is my first time visiting the snack street. Might I trouble the three of you to show me around?"
Xue Qinghe was forging ties with Hu Liena and the others in a private capacity this time, and he was unwilling to drag in the interests between the empire and Spirit Hall.
Hearing this, the three instantly perked up.
They were far too familiar with a place like the snack street.
"Of course you can, Big Brother Qinghe. Do you have any preferred foods?
"There is an immense variety of delicious food on the snack street, and it will definitely satisfy your palate."
Following this shift in status, the relationship among the four rapidly warmed up.
Xue Qinghe's gaze landed on the beverage in the dark-robed person's hand, and he feigned curiosity as he asked,
"What is this? I see many people on the street holding similar things."
Screech!
Bibi Dong felt a sudden sense of foreboding. Her fingertips instinctively tightened, and she applied an extra fraction of force to the paper bag and milk tea she was holding.
Good grief, she had really gone and set her sights on my Mixue Bingcheng.
Yan stepped forward with a familiar, easygoing air:
"Big Brother Qinghe, the drink in Lord Blood Blade's hand is called a Strawberry Shake Milkshake. It's a new beverage released by the Mixue Bingcheng milk tea shop over the past two weeks, and it tastes amazing."
With that, Yan sighed:
"It's just that too many people queue up every day, and they limit purchases. It's way too hard to buy."
Xue Qinghe was greatly surprised. He bowed toward Blood Blade with cupped hands and smiled,
"So it is Lord Blood Blade. Forgive my lack of respect."
Hu Liena was stunned at first, followed by a trace of astonishment in the depths of her eyes. So a figure like Blood Blade actually existed; she had previously thought it was just a random nickname Bibi Dong had made up for her.
Xie Yue and Yan did not react much. A guard sent to protect Hu Liena having a bit of external renown was the most normal thing in the world.
Qin Lan and Lu Zheng were quite surprised, not expecting Xue Qinghe to have actually heard of Blood Blade's reputation.
Blood Blade wore a look of bewilderment, though within the blink of an eye she recovered her usual icy composure.
Seeing that Xue Qinghe wore an expression of absolute certainty, she nodded slightly and tacitly accepted this identity.
"I didn't expect Lord Blood Blade to also enjoy these foods. It seems these treats truly have something unique about them.
"I wonder if Lord Blood Blade might share some with me so that I, too, may taste them."
Xue Qinghe stared fixedly at the food in Blood Blade's hands, a bright gleam in his eyes. He was practically shouting: hand the stuff over.
He certainly wouldn't stand on ceremony with this Blood Blade.
Bibi Dong's brow furrowed tighter and tighter, and she thought to herself:
Could there really be someone named Blood Blade on the continent?
She thought about it carefully, and it was indeed possible.
After all, this alias wasn't particularly rare.
Hu Liena fell silent.
She had finally managed to find a way to return the food to her teacher, only for someone else to target it. What was she supposed to do now?
Xie Yue, however, caught the underlying subtext and shifted his gaze to Blood Blade.
Seeing Blood Blade's expression remain as usual, he confirmed his suspicion: Xue Qinghe and Blood Blade knew each other.
Feeling Xue Qinghe's burning gaze, Blood Blade hesitated for a split second before handing the milkshake in her hand over to Xue Qinghe.
She was just a guard right now, and she had no grounds for refusal.
Xue Qinghe's thin lips pressed together into a faint, barely perceptible smile.
He reached out and swiftly took the milkshake handed over by Blood Blade.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he held it in his hand and began shaking it up and down.
A smooth sequence of combo moves left Hu Liena dumbfounded.
"Big Brother Qinghe, isn't this your first time? How are you so proficient at this?"
Xue Qinghe halted his movements and explained unhurriedly,
"When I first entered the snack street, I saw someone shaking it up and down like this, so I wanted to give it a try."
He asked in turn,
"Nana, isn't this thing supposed to be shaken like this?"
Hu Liena extended a thumb and affirmed,
"No problem at all. The form is exceptionally standard."
Yan and Xie Yue also cast approving gazes.
Neither of them noticed that as Xue Qinghe shook the milkshake, his peripheral vision remained fixed entirely on Blood Blade.
Catching the flash of lingering regret in Blood Blade's eyes, Xue Qinghe shook it even harder.
It wasn't until Blood Blade averted her gaze that Xue Qinghe finally stopped shaking.
Afterwards, he pulled out the straw, aimed it straight at the opening, and shoved it all the way through, sucking down a large mouthful right in front of Blood Blade.
Gulp!
The sweet-and-sour strawberry flavor mixed with the rich milky aroma blossomed on the tip of his tongue like winter sunshine, instantly lifting his mood by a notch.
Xue Qinghe's eyes lit up instantly, and he praised from the bottom of his heart:
"This tastes divine! I've lived this long, yet I've never tasted a beverage so exquisite."
Hearing Xue Qinghe's thoroughly contented sounds of swallowing, Blood Blade felt a tight ache in her chest, as if a wad of cotton had been stuffed inside, leaving her whole body drained of strength.
"Oh?"
Gulp!
Seeing that Blood Blade remained unmoved and kept silent, Xue Qinghe took another large gulp of the milkshake, intentionally making a slurping sound.
Hu Liena puffed out her chest with a proud expression:
"Right? This is the latest beverage invented by the Young Hall Master! It's only sold right here in Spirit City; you can't buy it anywhere else."
So what if he was an empire's crown prince? He was still won over by the Young Hall Master's invention.
Yan and Xie Yue didn't find anything wrong with what Hu Liena said, and they straightened their backs slightly.
Ever since witnessing Qian Zong's speech at the library, they had graduated from fans into devoted fanboys.
They believed that under Qian Zong's leadership in the future, Spirit Hall would only grow increasingly prosperous.
And they would eventually become Qian Zong's capable right-hand men.
"What! This product was actually researched and created by Hall Master Qian Zong as well?"
Xue Qinghe was struck with profound shock. He shook his head and exclaimed with emotion,
"I never expected that Hall Master Qian Zong would not only stand peerless in martial soul research, but also be this extraordinary when it comes to culinary research.
"Hall Master Qian Zong's knowledge is truly a sight to behold."
Hu Liena's pretty face was brimming with pride.
The person she admired ought to be just like this.
Gulp!
Xue Qinghe took yet another sip of the milkshake, his gaze locking straight onto the paper bag dangling from Blood Blade's hand.
Blood Blade: ...
Listening to Xue Qinghe endlessly butter up Qian Zong and watching Hu Liena endlessly nod in agreement, Blood Blade felt utterly irritated and vexed.
Seeing that Xue Qinghe had now set his sights on the pastries in her hands, anger surged unceasingly from the depths of her heart, and she almost cursed out loud.
She directly tossed the paper bag over to Xue Qinghe, then closed her eyes to shut out the sight.
The smile on the corners of Xue Qinghe's lips grew even wider. He caught the paper bag, casually opened it, and a rich, warm fragrance unique to pastries rushed over him.
Xue Qinghe took a sniff; the aroma was deeply enticing and precisely the kind he liked.
"It smells divine! And this appearance looks marvelous too, truly whetting one's appetite."
Having acquired the paper bag, Xue Qinghe paid Blood Blade no further heed. He stepped in front of Hu Liena and the other two, opened the bag wide, and said generously,
"Hall Master Qian Zong once said that sharing joy with others is better than enjoying it alone. Nana, Xie Yue, Yan, such fine food should be enjoyed together."
Before you continue