Grilled Fish and Shrek Academy (Part Two)

The flames swayed in the wind, and the dry branches crackled in a rapid series of pops like bursting beans.

Huo Yuhao threaded several cleaned herring onto thin branches and crouched beside the fire. His deep blue eyes glimmered faintly gold as he used the meticulous perception of his Spirit Eyes to control the heat for grilling the fish.

The fire was fueled by the dragon flames of Wu Feng's Red Dragon martial soul, its temperature far exceeding that of ordinary flames. Before long, as Huo Yuhao turned the branches, a rich aroma gradually spread through the air.

The fragrance drifted enticingly, carrying the irresistible temptation of food and constantly stirring everyone's appetites. The tender white fish slowly turned golden, while the subdued sounds of people swallowing their saliva occasionally rose from around the fire.

Huo Yuhao's strength was limited, and the makeshift wooden rack was somewhat cramped, so he could only grill three fish at once. Following the principle of ladies first, he gave the first batch of grilled fish to Tang Ya, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng. Then he wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued his great culinary endeavor.

"Wow, it smells so good!"

Tang Ya stared at Huo Yuhao as if she could hardly wait. The moment she received the grilled fish, she ignored the heat and took a huge bite out of the crispy fish skin. The fish's delicious flavor instantly filled her mouth.

Compared to Tang Ya, who had transformed into a glutton, Ning Tian ate far more elegantly. Her pearly teeth took small bites from the grilled fish, and now and then she pursed her red lips to gently blow away the heat, a satisfied gleam flashing through her eyes.

To be fair, the fact that Huo Yuhao could conquer the stomachs of girls like Wang Dong'er and Ju Zi with food showed just how gifted he was at cooking. Even a little princess like Ning Tian, who had sampled every delicacy from land and sea, could not help nodding repeatedly in approval.

Seeing how much Ning Tian seemed to enjoy the grilled fish, Wu Feng's crimson eyes rolled as an idea struck her. She secretly started another fire, swiped two fish Huo Yuhao had already prepared, rolled up her sleeves, and began grilling them with determined effort.

A few minutes later, she proudly handed Ning Tian a grilled fish, her pretty face reddened by smoke and fire and filled with anticipation.

Ning Tian took a small bite. After carefully savoring it, she hesitated before saying:

"Mm... Xiao Feng, you must be tired today too. How about taking a rest first?"

Low emotional intelligence: This tastes awful.

High emotional intelligence: You're tired.

"Pfft!"

Ling Bai truly could not hold back his laughter. There were plenty of clowns around, but a female clown was a rare sight indeed.

"Ah!?"

Wu Feng was dumbfounded. She then took a bite of the fish she had grilled herself, and after comparing it to Huo Yuhao's, she said dejectedly:

"What happened? They're the same fish, so why is the difference so huge?"

"Because your control of the heat wasn't precise enough, and your timing when flipping it was off too. Also..."

Ling Bai accepted the fish from Huo Yuhao's second batch, shot Wu Feng a sidelong glance, and said blandly, "You don't know how to cook, do you? You grilled fish without even adding seasoning?"

"..."

Wu Feng froze. Then, fuming with anger, she tossed the grilled fish she had meant to use to curry favor with Ning Tian into the river. Ling Bai had clearly shattered her defenses once again.

Besides Huo Yuhao's grilled fish, everyone took out some food they had brought from their Storage Soul Tools. They gathered around the campfire, chatting as they enjoyed a hearty dinner, and the bonds between them grew much closer.

Tang Ya was in exceptionally high spirits. The delicacies made by the food-type Soul Master chefs of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect were also among the finest in the world, and in her happiness, she ate too much. After eating and drinking her fill, she rubbed her slightly bulging belly and fell asleep against a large tree.

On the other side, the responsible Bei Bei was teaching his junior brother Huo Yuhao the Mysterious Heaven Skill and other Tang Sect secret arts.

Wu Feng was somewhat curious and wanted to go over and see what the once world-renowned Tang Sect secret arts were like, but Ling Bai grabbed her by the back of the neck.

"What are you doing?" Wu Feng snapped angrily, looking exactly like an enraged pufferfish.

"Are you an idiot?" Ling Bai showed no courtesy. "Why should someone else's sect reveal its secrets to you?"

"That does make sense."

Wu Feng gave up on the idea of watching with some embarrassment and turned back to Ning Tian's side.

"It's all right, Junior Brother Ling."

Bei Bei had already finished teaching Huo Yuhao the Tang Sect secret arts and told him to practice the Mysterious Heaven Skill on his own. Rising to stretch his aching muscles, he found that helping Huo Yuhao force open several blocked acupoints had truly taken considerable effort. He said gently:

"The Tang Sect is no longer as prosperous as it once was and is at a time when everything needs rebuilding. If Junior Sister Wu Feng takes an interest in the Tang Sect's secret arts and wishes to join the Tang Sect, Xiao Ya and I would warmly welcome her. We also would not force Junior Sister to leave the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. The same goes for Junior Brother Ling and Junior Sister Ning. As long as we work together for the Tang Sect's revival in the future, that will be enough."

Bei Bei naturally had his own selfish motives. Nine-Colored Goddess Ning Rongrong had once joined the Tang Sect, and that was the historical connection between the Tang Sect and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. If they could somehow attract monstrous geniuses like Ling Bai and Ning Tian to join, then the Tang Sect's revival would truly have hope—just as the Tang Sect had soared to greatness with the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect ten thousand years ago!

"Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Brother Bei, but we have no plans to join another sect for now."

Ning Tian was far more shrewd than the foolish and not-at-all-sweet Wu Feng, and she politely declined Bei Bei's attempt to recruit them.

What a joke. The Tang Sect could not even scrape together enough people and dogs to count on one hand. Why should the young lady of a grand super sect lower herself like that?

Ning Rongrong had joined the Tang Sect back then only because of her bond with the Seven Monsters and because her sect had nearly been wiped out by Spirit Hall!

Ling Bai's reason for rejecting the Tang Sect was even simpler.

Tang San's sect?

Pah!

With his recruitment plan falling through, Bei Bei did not press the matter. Everyone tacitly let the subject pass and began discussing who would keep watch.

In the end, the two boys displayed gentlemanly manners and voluntarily took on the duty of keeping watch. The girls fell into sweet dreams, while Huo Yuhao remained immersed in cultivation.

It was his first time, after all. The experience was bound to feel a little special.

Bei Bei looked at Ning Tian, who was sleeping peacefully in Ling Bai's embrace, and asked curiously, "Junior Brother Ling, how did you join the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?"

The flickering yellow flames illuminated Ling Bai's face, revealing a trace of reminiscence. He said softly, "Fate, I suppose. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect Master found me when I was still a swaddled infant."

Ling Bai was deeply grateful to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect Master. Having transmigrated into a powerless infant, he would have found it difficult to survive until today if the Sect Master had not taken him in.

"I see..."

Bei Bei fell thoughtful. The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had let go of its hatred over the near destruction of its sect by Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago and had been willing to nurture Ling Bai. He could tell that the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had spared no effort in supporting Ling Bai, to the point that they even seemed to intend to marry the next generation's Sect Master to him.

He shook his head. What did another sect's plans have to do with him? Changing the subject, he said, "With your strength, Junior Brother, I doubt anyone in the freshmen class... no, perhaps even the entire Shrek Academy outer court could match you."

Bei Bei was known as one of the two great twin stars of the outer court and was already among Shrek Academy's strongest outer court students. Yet against Ling Bai, he was at a disadvantage in both Soul Power and martial soul, prompting this sigh.

"Haha."

Ling Bai did not respond to that. Instead, he said, "Senior Brother Bei, you've spent a whole day fighting and have exhausted yourself greatly. I'll take the first watch. Get some sleep."

"All right. I'll replace you during the second half of the night."

After Bei Bei fell asleep, Ling Bai suddenly murmured:

"The outer court... really isn't very interesting..."