Jie Ge, Don't!

Bang, bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang.

Barely had dawn broken when someone knocked on Old Jack's door. After a night of traveling, Su Ling had returned to Holy Soul Village.

He had to admit, a horse-drawn carriage was much faster than an ox cart.

"Su Ling! You're back!"

Overjoyed at the familiar face outside his door, Old Jack grabbed Su Ling's arm and pulled him inside.

"How's life at Nuoding Academy?"

"Are you getting along with your classmates?"

"Why didn't Tang Xiaosan come with you?"

"Do you have enough money?"

The barrage of questions left Su Ling a little overwhelmed, but it also made him feel the warmth of being cared for by family.

After spending a few days in Holy Soul Village, Su Ling said goodbye to Old Jack and prepared to head to Heaven Dou City.

During that time, he also sneaked a look at the smithy. From the looks of things, Tang Hao had already been gone for quite a while.

The buildings along the road grew more luxurious, and roadside vendors became increasingly numerous.

"We're in Heaven Dou City, boss."

Su Ling handed the carriage driver a Gold Soul Coin.

Nuoding City was quite some distance from Heaven Dou City, so the fare naturally wasn't cheap.

After several days in a carriage, Su Ling ached all over and planned to find a hotel to stay in for a few days first.

"The target has entered Heaven Dou City."

"Roger that, commander!"

Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan set off from Heaven Dou Royal Academy, fully equipped and ready.

"What would you like to eat, sir?"

As soon as Su Ling entered a restaurant, a waiter came over.

"Do you have civet stewed with softshell turtle penis?"

"No."

Although their restaurant was already one of the largest in Heaven Dou City, he had never even heard of the dish Su Ling called civet stewed with softshell turtle penis.

"Do you have civet?"

"Yes!"

"Do you have softshell turtle penis?"

"Yes!"

"Then what about civet stewed with softshell turtle penis?"

"No."

"Sigh..."

Su Ling let out a long sigh. He had thought he would finally get to eat that dish after coming to another world.

"Then bring me a few of Heaven Dou City's specialties."

Before long, plates were brought out one after another.

"Mandala Snake stir-fried with hundred-year chili peppers!"

"Spicy Soft Bone Rabbit!"

"Blue Silver lamb leg stewed in wild dog's milk!"

"Limit Douluo Leaps Over the Wall!"

As the waiter introduced the dishes one by one, Su Ling's expression grew uglier than if he had eaten Ah Yin's feet.

There weren't many people in the restaurant, so Su Ling had assumed it was some little eatery.

But looking at it now, how was this a little eatery? It was clearly a den of thieves.

Since things had come to this, he might as well enjoy the food first.

Little did he know, a pair of large eyes was staring fixedly at him from the shadows.

"Your total is three thousand one hundred and twenty Gold Soul Coins. Just pay three thousand."

"How much?"

"Three thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

At his current income, wouldn't he have to collect two hundred and fifty years of subsidies to afford that?

"Sir, you're not planning to dine and dash, are you?"

Su Ling chuckled.

"Boss!"

Instantly, a powerful wave of soul power pressure swept through the entire restaurant.

"I hear someone's trying to dine and dash?"

A burly man with a full beard descended from above, five Soul Rings appearing beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple.

A Five-Ring Soul King!

"This guy's got some nerve, trying to dine and dash at Jie Ge's restaurant."

"I heard there used to be someone named A Wei who dined and dashed here. Now he can't even make a sound when he farts."

"That's terrifying."

"He probably isn't from around here, is he?"

"Of course he isn't. Who doesn't know Jie Ge is Heaven Dou City's notorious shit-stirring stick?"

"Ah, poor young fellow."

The other diners all looked at Su Ling with sympathy.

Su Ling also realized something was wrong.

"Jie Ge, don't!"

Su Ling waved his hands as he backed away, but Jie Ge kept advancing.

"You dare come to my turf and eat without paying? That little asshole of yours is so tight."

With that, Jie Ge summoned his martial soul, the Rubber Big Stick!

The mere sight of it made the few people present clench their sphincters.

Su Ling secretly mustered all his soul power, planning to bind the owner with Blue Silver Entanglement before making his escape. Getting stabbed by a martial soul like that was no joke.

"Spare him beneath your stick!"

A graceful figure appeared before everyone, dressed in splendid white-and-gold robes, with short gray hair and several soldiers following behind her.

"Your Highness."

Forgetting the little girl before him, Jie Ge hurriedly bowed. Su Ling also recognized the newcomer: Xue Ke, princess of the Heaven Dou Empire!

Xue Ke's appearance raised quite a few questions in Su Ling's mind.

"I'll pay for him."

She then took out a black card and handed it to Jie Ge.

"No, no, no. How could I take Your Highness's money? I failed to recognize that this person was the princess's friend."

Chuckling, Jack handed the black card back with both hands.

He let out a long, dejected sigh-not because he had lost three thousand Gold Soul Coins, but because he had lost a little girl like Su Ling.

Xue Ke stepped forward and took Su Ling's hand, and the two left Jie Ge's restaurant.

"Boss, it looks like someone beat us to it."

Ye Lingling was hiding in the shadows, secretly watching through binoculars.

"What?!"

Dugu Yan snatched the binoculars and immediately saw Xue Ke holding Su Ling's hand.

"Don't panic, Yanyan. I still have Plan B!"

"Really?" Dugu Yan was delighted. Her best friend really was dependable.

"Do this, then this, and then that."

Dugu Yan listened carefully as Ye Lingling finished explaining, only to be left utterly stunned.

Because Ye Lingling's Plan B really was a plan involving the B.

Dugu Yan flicked Ye Lingling on the forehead twice.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Dugu Yan truly couldn't tell that her best friend's head was filled with so much filthy garbage.

"It's fine, it's fine. I still have Plan C!"

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"You can all go back first."

"But..." Their leader looked troubled. If Xue Ke encountered any danger because of them, their lives would be over, not to mention there was a child of unknown origins with her.

They weren't ordinary soldiers, but members of the royal guard specifically disguised to protect the imperial family.

"It's fine. He's my friend."

The soldiers exchanged glances, but ultimately returned to the palace.

"Y-you... why did you help me?" Su Ling looked at the girl before him, a head shorter than himself, his mind filled with confusion.

"Because... love at first sight?"

Xue Ke placed a finger against her lips, pretending she had given the answer after careful consideration.

"Damn it!"

The soldiers hadn't gone far, instead hiding in the shadows.

Their princess was only four, an age when she really could be abducted at the drop of a hat. They weren't about to gamble with their own heads.

"Watch me give that brat a vicious shock with my Lightning Rod Martial Soul!"

One of the soldiers drew out his iron rod martial soul, electricity flickering over it.

"Huh?"

Su Ling looked around, afraid someone else might hear.

If word of this got out, his reputation would be ruined.

"I like you, big brother. Will you marry me?"

Xue Ke hugged Su Ling, her innocent smiling face filling him with a profound sense of guilt.

"Little girl, you're still young. It's too early to talk about this."

"I'm not little anymore!"

Hearing Su Ling call her little, Xue Ke puffed out her cheeks.

"I can already dress myself and eat by myself. I can even sleep on my own!"