"A super-pretty big sister?"
Hearing Meowmeow's explanation, Lu Yuan recalled that Meowmeow had met Hu Liena, one of Spirit Hall's three beauties. For Meowmeow to say that, could there be an even prettier girl in Spirit City?
Before he could dwell on it, Lu Yuan saw Meowmeow lower its head and rub its two little green paws together in front of its round belly.
Lu Yuan quickly bent down and stroked Meowmeow's round, soft head to comfort it.
"I'm sorry, Meowmeow. I owe you an apology. I misunderstood you without asking what happened and hurt your feelings."
At Lu Yuan's apology, Meowmeow immediately perked up again. Beaming, it grabbed his hand and tugged him in a certain direction.
Having hurt Meowmeow's feelings, Lu Yuan did not want to resist. He let Meowmeow lead him along for now, though his face was full of confusion.
"Meowmeow, where are you taking me?"
Meowmeow skipped along, its little feline face flushed as it smiled.
"Meow~" (Master, that pretty big sister wants to meet you.)
"Huh?"
Lu Yuan froze, his mouth hanging open.
"Meow~" (Master, I told that big sister that I, Meowmeow, have a master, and she said she wanted to meet you.)
Hearing Meowmeow's thoughts only left Lu Yuan more bewildered.
"Wait, do you just do whatever that girl tells you? Meowmeow, I never realized you were such a lazy, greedy, girl-crazy little green cat. One pretty big sister comes along, and you sell out your master. Whose side are you on, anyway?"
An aggrieved look appeared on Meowmeow's face again, yet it still tugged Lu Yuan boldly onward through Spirit City's streets.
"Meow! Meow~" (Master, I, Meowmeow, am definitely on your side!)
Lu Yuan no longer wanted to concern himself with what was going on in Meowmeow's head. He could only decide to go along with its wishes and take a look first.
After all, someone willing to feed a kitten that appeared to be a wild Soul Beast probably was not a particularly bad person.
Suddenly, Lu Yuan's hair stood on end, and goosebumps rose along his free arm. Instantly on alert, he looked around but found nothing.
"Was that my imagination? Why do I keep feeling like someone's watching me from the shadows?"
Inside a private room in a luxurious restaurant in Spirit City, a man suddenly appeared. He wore golden armor patterned with serpent scales, and both his earrings and the marking between his brows were gold. Tall and lean, he stood as straight as a javelin.
He approached a girl seated upright. Though his soul power was far stronger, he bent at the waist and bowed respectfully to her.
"Young mistress, I've investigated and confirmed it. This appears to have been a coincidence, not a scheme specifically targeting you."
The girl spoke softly.
"Mm. Since my identity and whereabouts haven't been exposed, there's no need to be nervous. When they arrive downstairs, bring them up."
"Yes, young mistress."
Back on Spirit City's streets, Meowmeow pulled Lu Yuan along for several hundred meters before finally stopping in front of a luxurious restaurant.
"Th-this is where the person who treated you to food is, Meowmeow?"
Lu Yuan gazed at the building, his eyes filled with astonishment.
He could now collect ten Gold Soul Coins from Spirit Hall each month as its reward for Soul Grandmasters, and he had therefore learned about some restaurants in Spirit City that catered exclusively to high-level Soul Masters.
Lu Yuan had also heard of the white-and-gold aristocratic restaurant before him. Its prices were extraordinarily high. Never mind Lu Yuan as he was now-even ordinary Soul Ancestors and Soul Kings would wince at the expense of dining there.
Thus, anyone who ate at a restaurant like this in Spirit City was either rich or influential.
Lu Yuan thought it over. That made sense.
After all, on the Douluo Continent, most beauties either came from distinguished backgrounds or possessed powerful Martial Souls and talent as Soul Masters, making them highly sought after.
Beauty also took a certain amount of money to maintain; a pampered life was what made them so lovely. It seemed the girl who had fed Meowmeow was one of them.
"I just wonder which faction she belongs to, and whether her identity, background, and standing rank high or low on the Douluo Continent."
Dragged here so insistently by Meowmeow, Lu Yuan was already wondering whether he could use this opportunity to meet someone powerful and open up his path as a Soul Master.
"Hello, young man. Entry to our restaurant requires a reservation. Do you have an invitation?"
Seeing Lu Yuan stop in front of their restaurant, the beautiful receptionist spoke up to ask.
"Ah... well..."
Lu Yuan looked at Meowmeow, whose face was utterly innocent. Presumably, it did not have anything like an invitation either.
Just as things grew awkward, the Golden-Armored Soul Master who had appeared earlier walked out of the restaurant.
"My master invited them. Let them in. I'll take him upstairs."
"Oh, is that so?"
At the sight of the Golden-Armored Soul Master, the beautiful receptionist bowed with utmost respect.
Like Lu Yuan, her soul power level was too low. When she tried to gauge this Golden-Armored Soul Master, she only felt that his soul power was as vast as an ocean. She could not even get a rough sense of his soul power level.
Seeing Meowmeow's entirely ordinary reaction, Lu Yuan figured it must have met the Golden-Armored Soul Master before, and that what he said was true.
"Follow me."
The Golden-Clad Soul Master beckoned Lu Yuan and Meowmeow to follow him, and the boy and cat obeyed.
Along the way, Lu Yuan occasionally stole glances at the Golden-Clad Soul Master out of the corner of his eye. Although not a trace of the man's soul power leaked out, Lu Yuan felt as though he were looking at an impassable chasm.
Is this man's soul power level really that much higher than mine?
Lu Yuan muttered inwardly, then spoke up to ask a question, hoping to coax some information out of the Golden-Armored Soul Master.
Combined with his perspective as a transmigrator who had read Douluo Continent, could that help him deduce who this mysterious, wealthy or influential host was?
"Hello, my name is Lu Yuan. May I ask who you are? And who invited Meowmeow and me here?"
"So this adorable little green creature is called Meowmeow. My name is She Long. As for my young mistress's identity... we're here already. You can ask her yourself."
The private room was not far from the restaurant entrance, and they reached it in no time. She Long turned back and gave Lu Yuan and Meowmeow a friendly smile.
"She Long... that name sounds a little familiar."
Lu Yuan pondered. He had definitely heard that name in Douluo Continent before, but it was too obscure for him to recall right away.
She Long respectfully opened the private room's door and bowed, inviting Lu Yuan and Meowmeow inside.
Following his directions, Lu Yuan and Meowmeow entered the understated yet luxurious private room.
Inside, the dining table stood beside a huge window. A girl who looked no older than seventeen sat upright by it, wearing a pristine white feathered dress, her hair cascading like a golden waterfall.
Sensing Lu Yuan and Meowmeow enter, she gently turned to look back, revealing cool, exquisite features as white and flawless as a sculpture.
From outside, a shaft of sunlight filtered through the shade of the trees, accompanied by a gentle breeze that drifted into the room. It cooled the room while stirring the girl's golden hair and white feathered dress.
Pale golden sunlight fell around the girl's eyes. Against the contrast of light and shadow, her gleaming golden irises looked dazzling, striking straight into the heart.
The girl looked at Lu Yuan and Meowmeow and spoke softly.
"You're here."