Just as Long Qianming finished simmering a pot of tiger bone soup, Xiao Tian, who had been lying on the ground eating tiger meat, suddenly rose, a fierce gleam in his beastly eyes as he stared intently outside.
Just as Long Qianming was about to take out his Dragon Whisker Needle, a grinning Si Long came skipping in. Behind him followed an old fatty, 1.7 meters tall, wearing bright yellow armor and sporting a clump of white beard.
"Xiao Tian, they're friends."
Only then did Xiao Tian relax, wagging his tail as he lay back down to continue eating tiger meat.
Long Qianming hurried forward to greet them and asked,
"Little Si Long, did you pass the junior blacksmith examination?"
"Yes, Brother Long, and I have more good news to tell you."
Si Long then stepped aside and introduced him to Long Qianming, imitating the way adults introduced their friends.
"This is the teacher I took today, Divine Smith Lou Gao. Aren't I amazing?"
"Divine Smith Lou Gao?"
Long Qianming looked at the rather casual old fatty before him. Although he had already guessed his identity when he entered, he had not expected to find, on closer inspection, that Lou Gao was considerably more handsome than he remembered.
"This junior pays his respects to Senior Lou Gao."
Long Qianming bowed to Lou Gao in a modest show of respect.
"Boy, I could smell the fragrance drifting from your courtyard from far away. You wouldn't mind letting this old man have a meal here, would you?"
Before Long Qianming could reply, Lou Gao hurried over to the stone table beneath the courtyard tree, immediately ladled out a bowl of bone soup, and poured it into his mouth.
"Delicious, absolutely delicious! Even better than the medicinal cuisine I've eaten."
Lou Gao's brows eased, his body and mind relaxed, and his face filled with satisfaction.
Seeing this, Si Long felt rather helpless and said somewhat apologetically,
"Brother Long, my teacher usually likes researching weapons, but lately he's suddenly become obsessed with medicinal cuisine. After going back and forth about it, I could only tell him that you knew how to develop medicinal dishes."
"Little Si Long, medicinal cuisine is a little secret between me and your Si family. You..."
Looking at Si Long's aggrieved face, Long Qianming could not bring himself to say anything too harsh. He then warned him,
"Forget it. This is the first time, and I hope it will also be the last. Luckily, Senior Lou Gao has no wicked intentions. Otherwise-"
"All right."
This was the first time Si Long had seen Long Qianming look so stern. He secretly swore there would never be a next time. He would keep the medicinal recipes secret.
However, just as the two finished talking, Lou Gao drained the last of the tiger bone soup on the stone table. He even let out a burp.
"That was excellent. My whole body feels much more relaxed."
Suddenly, he took two steps backward and stepped on something soft. The next instant, a sharp pain came from the unarmored spot at the back of his leg.
"Aah-!"
Lou Gao turned to look, only to see a little creature that resembled both a dog and a pig, both a pig and a tiger, and even had scales, clamped tightly onto the back of his calf.
"Xiao Tian, stop biting. He's a guest."
Only upon hearing this did Xiao Tian release his bite. He then sat down where he was, his beastly eyes shifting constantly between Lou Gao and the tiger meat beneath his foot as he let out low growls.
Only then did Lou Gao realize he had stepped on this little pet's food. He hurriedly lifted his foot.
"Boy, this Soul Beast you're raising is truly peculiar. It's actually developed intelligence?"
But after taking a closer look, Lou Gao felt something was amiss. This Soul Beast had no Soul Beast presence at all, yet he was far cleverer than an ordinary pet dog and seemed able to understand human speech.
"To tell you the truth, Senior Lou Gao, Xiao Tian is neither a Soul Beast nor a household pet, but my Martial Soul?"
"Martial Soul?"
Hearing this, Lou Gao was utterly bewildered.
"You're saying this strange-looking creature is your Martial Soul?"
"That's right!"
Watching Long Qianming nod, Lou Gao still found it a little hard to believe. He knew Martial Souls came in countless bizarre forms, but throughout the continent's development to this day, Martial Souls had only been divided into Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls. He had never heard of a Beast Martial Soul that could be summoned outside the body?
Who would have thought that Gengxin City's little divine physician was not only highly skilled in medicine and adept at making special medicinal cuisine, but even had such an unconventional Martial Soul?
Lou Gao watched Xiao Tian eating meat with curiosity. He very much wanted to know what was special about this sort of Martial Soul. Although asking about someone else's Martial Soul secrets was somewhat inappropriate, he was still extremely curious.
"Boy, I never expected my visit today to bring such a special discovery. What abilities does this external Martial Soul of yours have? Surely eating isn't all it can do."
Before he had finished speaking, Xiao Tian was already preparing to leap up and give him a biting, but Long Qianming stopped him.
"Xiao Tian can help me fight, like a Soul Beast."
Long Qianming did not go into much detail, offering only a rough explanation.
"I see!"
Lou Gao stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly. On the surface, he appeared unconcerned and incurious, but inwardly, his little schemes had already begun to stir.
Whether it was this boy's acupuncture, massage, and cupping techniques, his research into medicinal cuisine, or his special external Martial Soul, they were all extremely interesting. He had to dig out every last one of these secrets.
Meanwhile, Little Si Long happily stroked Xiao Tian's head. He had curiously asked Brother Long about his Martial Soul many times before, only for the matter to come to nothing each time. He had never expected Brother Long's Martial Soul to be such a strange-looking Soul Beast.
No wonder Brother Long never mentioned his Martial Soul in front of him. He had to help him guard this Martial Soul secret well.
At this moment, looking at Long Qianming, who had weathered some great winds and waves, Lou Gao truly had no idea how to pry open even a corner of his secrets.
Surely he could not use his status to pressure him! If word got out, would he still have any reputation as a Divine Smith left?
Just as he was at a loss over what to do, his eyes suddenly swept over a broken spear, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Boy, I hear you're skilled with a spear?"
Lou Gao pointed toward where the short spear lay.
"This old man happens to have forged a spear of rather good quality recently. Would you like it?"
Long Qianming pretended to hesitate, but inwardly, he was wild with joy. He's taken the bait. This Divine Smith has finally taken the bait!
"Yes! How could I not?"
"Then trade your cupping and massage techniques for it!"
Lou Gao looked at Long Qianming with a smile. Now you'll have to obediently hand over your techniques.
He was particularly fond of the cupping and massage techniques. Unlike the healing effects of healing-type Soul Masters, Long Qianming's cupping and massage techniques required almost no Soul Power and could still relieve fatigue.
Long Qianming made a show of sighing.
"Alas! My master said my medical skills could only be passed down to my children, not to outsiders. Your spear is destined to have no connection with me."
Seeing this, the innocent Little Si Long at the side offered a rather immature suggestion.
"Teacher, you often research weapons day and night. Massage and cupping would be very beneficial to you. As the saying goes, the accomplished are teachers, and a teacher is a father. Why don't you take Brother Long as your adoptive father and call him Teacher Long in public? That way, you wouldn't be breaking the rules of Brother Long's lineage."
"Si Long, what an outrage against all decency!"
Lou Gao looked at Si Long with a resentful gaze. This suggestion was simply a rotten idea. Dropping two generations in seniority was something he, Lou Gao, absolutely could not do.