Huo Yun'er had never been able to stop worrying about Huo Yuhao.
She didn't need to worry about Dai Lingfeng,
but Huo Yuhao was destined for hardship. Two gods were determined to put him through trials, and he was already pitiful enough.
If Tang San hadn't laid down an iron rule forbidding Huo Yun'er from meeting Huo Yuhao, she probably would have rushed out without being able to stop herself.
It was only a fish.
He could still eat it even if it was burnt.
Besides, what was wrong with an older brother giving way to his younger brother a little?
"Uh..."
"Elder Yi, please help me block out the voices in my Sea of Consciousness."
Dai Lingfeng contacted Electrolux directly and cut off his communication with the Sea of Consciousness.
He couldn't be bothered to listen to another word of Huo Yun'er's nonsense.
"Let's go."
Dai Lingfeng pulled the Lan Sisters aside and watched from a distance.
"Class monitor, are you really just going to let it go?"
Lan Susu could hardly believe it.
Was the White Tiger heir really so even-tempered?
He wasn't even angry about that?
Wasn't he a little too approachable?
"Exactly, class monitor. He was obviously targeting you."
Lan Luoluo's face was full of indignation as she took a vicious bite of her grilled fish. Then her eyes lit up.
"Delicious!"
"Yuhao's grilled fish really lives up to its reputation!"
"It's just that the owner is too awful."
"Class monitor, why don't you have some of mine? Try it."
Lan Luoluo offered Dai Lingfeng the grilled fish she had bitten into.
Dai Lingfeng happened to be curious about what was so magical about the famous Yuhao grilled fish.
He took it and, without thinking much of it, put it straight into his mouth.
"You actually ate it?"
Lan Luoluo's eyes widened, and her face instantly turned red as she stole a shy glance at Dai Lingfeng.
She had bitten into that fish.
Now that Dai Lingfeng had eaten it, did that count as an indirect kiss?
"It's all right."
Dai Lingfeng finished the grilled fish. He wasn't particularly impressed, but he wasn't disappointed either.
Compared with the delicacies from land and sea he ate at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, it only tasted a little more novel.
After polishing off the fish in a few bites,
he eyed Huo Yuhao's stall like a tiger stalking its prey.
He saw Huo Yuhao looking elated, as though he had won a great victory.
Dai Lingfeng was speechless.
Hadn't he just burnt one fish for him?
The kid was so pleased with himself he looked ready to set off firecrackers in celebration.
Still, it had to be said that after serving Dai Lingfeng, Huo Yuhao's business became even more brisk.
Before long, Jiang Nannan, the outer courtyard's number one beauty, also came to patronize his stall.
As expected,
Huo Yuhao subsequently got into a dispute with Xu Sanshi, who had been drawn there by Jiang Nannan, and then Bei Bei and his disciple Xiao Ya came to the rescue.
Things developed into a match between Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.
The outer courtyard's number one attacker and number one defender:
the match drew quite a crowd.
Dai Lingfeng brought the Lan twins to the Soul Fighting Arena and found seats on the other side of Huo Yuhao.
The Yin-Yang Eyes of Dai Lingfeng's Hell Spirit Cat could not only see soul bodies, but also the paths of spiritual power.
Huo Yuhao's spiritual attacks
were as conspicuous to him as someone running naked through the streets.
"Yuhao, has no one ever taught you that what you're doing shows you have a crooked heart?"
Dai Lingfeng adopted Tang San's earnest, well-meaning tone.
He was doing this for Huo Yuhao's own good.
If Huo Yuhao really got a taste of the benefits, wouldn't cheating become second nature to him?
He had to correct him in time!
"Bei Bei wins!"
When the referee's voice rang out, the entire Soul Fighting Arena fell silent.
The result of this match was too strange.
It was a complete upset.
In a battle between the outer courtyard's strongest attacker and strongest defender, Xu Sanshi had actually been taken down in an instant!
"You cheated! I refuse to accept this!"
Xu Sanshi wailed in the arena.
His loss was such an injustice!
How could he not know what Bei Bei was like?
They were usually six of one and half a dozen of the other. Who knew what Bei Bei had taken today to make him so fierce?
And when he had used his Soul Skill, a stabbing pain had shot through his brain, leaving him completely off his game.
"Cheated, my ass. A bet's a bet. Hand over the Mystic Water Pill."
Bei Bei held Xu Sanshi down and continued shocking him.
"Some nerve, telling him a bet's a bet!"
Dai Lingfeng jumped into the arena.
At that moment,
he didn't even feel like he was playing the villain anymore.
Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei had cheated to set Xu Sanshi up, and he had stepped forward to expose their dirty tricks.
He was practically upholding justice and standing up for what was right!
"Heir!"
The referee's pupils contracted sharply. When he saw who had arrived, his tone immediately became more respectful.
Even the Sea God Pavilion Elders had to show Dai Lingfeng some consideration, let alone a mere referee like him.
"Heir Dai, what do you mean by that?"
"Do you think I cheated too?"
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, who had been locked together, also stopped and separated when they saw Dai Lingfeng.
Bei Bei frowned and demanded an answer.
He hadn't attended Dai Lingfeng's engagement banquet five years ago, having stayed home to keep Tang Ya company, but Zhang Lexuan and the others had brought the news back to him.
Bei Bei did know who Dai Lingfeng was.
"It's not impossible."
Dai Lingfeng spoke in a deep voice.
"Good brother, someone finally understands me!"
"I knew it!"
"There had to be some trickery! Bei Bei was as fierce as if he'd been injected with chicken blood today, and when I used my Soul Skill, a stabbing pain shot through my brain, and I completely lost my focus."
"That's how Bei Bei got the better of me."
Tears streamed down Xu Sanshi's face as he made his aggrieved complaint.
A stir also swept through the spectators.
Everyone had heard Dai Lingfeng's words,
and the match had been a little too strange. Once the crowd came to its senses, the voices of doubt grew louder and louder.
Below the arena,
Tang Ya held Huo Yuhao, who had fallen unconscious after suffering a backlash from his sneak attack on Xu Sanshi. Her pretty face was deathly pale.
She had asked Huo Yuhao to cheat
with good intentions.
She had never imagined things would turn out like this, and she immediately panicked.
"Heir Dai."
"To catch adulterers, you catch the pair; to catch a thief, you catch him with the stolen goods."
"Isn't it going too far to slander me for cheating without any evidence?"
"If you insist on slandering me, I will hold you accountable!"
Bei Bei's frown deepened as he turned the accusation back on Dai Lingfeng on the spot.
Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing was extremely discreet. At this stage, spiritual power was invisible.
He didn't believe they could have left any evidence behind.
This was when he had to stand firm and show no fear. Otherwise, he'd look like a thief with a guilty conscience, confessing without being pressed.
"You want me to catch you with the stolen goods, is that it?"
"Referee."
Dai Lingfeng clapped his hands.
"What are your orders, Heir?"
The referee immediately bowed his head and awaited instructions.
"My Nether Civet Martial Soul has Yin-Yang Eyes that can see things ordinary people can't see with the naked eye, including the paths of spiritual power."
"From the very start of the match, a spiritual-type Soul Master was using spiritual power to assist Bei Bei."
"At the critical moment when Xu Sanshi activated his Soul Skill, that same spiritual-type Soul Master also interfered."
"But his cultivation is relatively low, and he suffered a backlash from interfering with Xu Sanshi. He's unconscious now."
"Bring up the young man Tang Ya is holding and confirm whether he has a spiritual-type Martial Soul."
By the time Dai Lingfeng said this,
all color had drained from Bei Bei's face. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground!
It was over!
Dai Lingfeng had a way to detect spiritual power. Not only did he know exactly how the trick worked, he even knew that Huo Yuhao was the one who had intervened.
They were finished this time!