Chapter 41 - 37: Small Stature, Great Power

Chapter 41: Chapter 37: Small Stature, Great Power

Saturday. East City District’s food street. Ping’an Noodle Shop.

"Uncle Tian, two bowls of beef noodles!"

"Lu, you promised to take me out for a feast! How did we end up eating noodles at Uncle Tian’s again? Is this your idea of a feast? Unbelievable!"

Inside the noodle shop, Mu Xiaoye puffed her cheeks at Lu Chen, looking exactly like a little goldfish blowing bubbles in a tank.

Before Lu Chen could answer, a tall figure walked up behind Mu Xiaoye and lightly chopped the top of her head with the side of his hand.

"Ouch! Uncle Tian, why did you hit me?"

Mu Xiaoye turned around. Yu Tianqi—a towering two-meter-tall man with bulging muscles and greying temples—crossed his arms and said with feigned displeasure, "What’s wrong, Yezi? Are you starting to look down on your Uncle Tian’s cooking?

"What do you mean eating here doesn’t count as a feast? Could the food outside possibly be better than my noodles?

"Even if the taste was slightly lacking—which it isn’t—you eat here because it’s clean. You’re actually getting picky now, aren’t you, girl? You don’t know how good you have it.

"Lu, you two wait a moment. I’ll bring your noodles out right away."

With that, the massive Yu Tianqi turned and headed into the kitchen to cook.

For a moment, only Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye were left in the spacious noodle shop—along with a white-haired elementary school girl huddled in the corner, devouring noodles alongside a bizarre three-headed bird. The little girl had only spared them a curious glance when they entered before burying her face back in her bowl, loudly slurping down her food. SLURP! SLURP!

Staring at the mountain of empty bowls piled on the white-haired girl’s table and the three-headed bird slurping soup just as ferociously, Mu Xiaoye couldn’t help but whisper to Lu Chen, "Lu, look at her appetite. It’s huge! And that weird bird of hers probably isn’t a normal pet. Is it a Spirit Beast?"

Lu Chen nodded but didn’t say much. After all, he had noticed the strange pairing of the white-haired girl and the three-headed bird the second he walked into the shop. Aside from her massive appetite, there was something else about the white-haired girl that caught his attention: her heartbeat. It was even stronger than that of the Magic Corpse, Ye Chenglin, back in the Dungeon. Didn’t that mean her physical strength might surpass even Ye Chenglin’s, who was at the Foundation Establishment Stage?!

When that thought first popped into his head, Lu Chen actually startled himself. Yet, the theory was highly plausible, making him slightly regret bringing Mu Xiaoye to Uncle Tian’s for noodles. Ever since his cultivation of the Water Dragon Roar reached the Breaking Realm, his hearing had been significantly enhanced. This enhancement didn’t just mean he could hear further or clearer; it meant he could pick up on things ordinary people couldn’t, like the exact frequency of a person’s heartbeat or the faint vibrations of objects. Relying on this exact ability, he had managed to detect many Demon Beasts ahead of time in the Secret Realm.

Therefore, while Lu Chen appeared completely nonchalant on the surface, he was deeply wary of this white-haired girl. He thought, "I can’t afford to provoke her. Absolutely not. She’s definitely no ordinary person."

Thinking of this, Lu Chen quickly tried to change the subject, hoping to stop Mu Xiaoye from saying anything more and accidentally offending the girl.

Fortunately, Uncle Tian walked out right on time, carrying ten bowls of beef noodles. He placed two of them in front of Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye. However, upon seeing her bowl, Mu Xiaoye immediately complained, "Uncle Tian, why does Lu have so much more beef in his bowl than I do in mine?! You’re playing favorites!"

Yu Tianqi rolled his eyes at her.

"Isn’t it because a certain someone recently said she wanted to maintain her figure and told me to put less beef in her noodles from now on?

"What, did you suddenly change your mind? Not planning to diet anymore?"

"Huh? I said that?"

"Did you not?"

Mu Xiaoye awkwardly scratched her cheek, her eyes darting away. "I-I think I might have."

"Pfft."

Seeing the little demon Mu Xiaoye being mercilessly suppressed by Uncle Tian, Lu Chen couldn’t help but laugh out loud. But that laugh sealed his doom.

Oh, you think it’s funny? Then wipe that smile off your face!

"Wow, Lu. Not only did you trick me about taking me out for a feast, but now you’re making fun of me too!

"Apologize to me right now, or I’m genuinely going to be angry!"

"..."

Smiles never truly vanish; they merely transfer from one person’s face to another’s. For instance, the smile on Lu Chen’s face disappeared and transferred straight to Yu Tianqi’s.

Looking at the pouting Mu Xiaoye, Lu Chen had no choice but to speak. "I’m sorr—"

Before Lu Chen could finish, Mu Xiaoye rolled her large, sparkling eyes and suddenly cut him off. Picking up her chopsticks, she declared with feigned magnanimity, "Forget it, forget it. I, Mu Xiaoye, am not a petty person. I won’t hold it against you. Just share a *bite* of beef from your bowl with me, and I’ll consider that your apology."

Without waiting for Lu Chen’s response, Mu Xiaoye reached her chopsticks into his untouched bowl of beef noodles. One piece. Two pieces. Three pieces... This was too much! Seriously, this was going overboard! Seeing his beef noodles about to turn into plain broth noodles, Lu Chen instantly panicked.

"Stop, stop, stop! Didn’t you say you just wanted a *bite*?"

Looking at the pile of braised beef in her bowl, Mu Xiaoye smiled so happily that her two little canine teeth peeked out. "Yeah! This is a *mega-bite*, isn’t it?"

Hearing the deliberate emphasis she put on her words, Lu Chen immediately realized he had been played. He thought, "Damn you, Mu Xiaoye! Aren’t you just bullying an honest man here?!"

Seeing Lu Chen’s speechless expression, Mu Xiaoye suddenly changed her tune. "Never mind, I’ll stop teasing you. Here, take this bowl."

Under Lu Chen’s astonished gaze, Mu Xiaoye pushed the bowl overflowing with beef over to him. First came the deliberate teasing, followed by a heartwarming strike. Though he didn’t want to admit it, Lu Chen was genuinely touched by this emotional tug-of-war. He wondered, "Wait, don’t tell me this was all part of her plan? Since when did she get so good at this?"

"You did that on purpose?" he asked.

Hearing this, Mu Xiaoye giggled playfully and stuck out her tongue. "Blehh. No idea what you’re talking about!"

Standing nearby, Yu Tianqi watched the two of them and shook his head helplessly. He thought, "Childish. These two are so childish. How old are they, still playing these little push-and-pull games? Back in my day, forget push-and-pull—our kids would already be old enough to run errands! I’m too old to watch this lovey-dovey nonsense. Time to go!"

Carrying the remaining eight bowls of beef noodles, Yu Tianqi walked over to the white-haired girl and set them on her table.

"Uncle Tian, are those two close to you?"

"You mean Lu and Yezi? I watched them grow up. What do you think?"

Seeing Bai Ling seriously watching the pair in the distance while eating her noodles, Yu Tianqi seemed to recall something. He lowered his voice. "Ling, there are some things I can’t speak freely about right now. But Lu and Yezi are just ordinary people. That’s all they are. Don’t drag them into this.

"The Mountain and Sea Bureau has enough people. You don’t need these two. Understood?"

In response, Bai Ling answered earnestly, "But what if they want to join willingly?"

Yu Tianqi fell silent for a moment before replying, "...Then that’s out of my hands."

Hearing this, Bai Ling pushed her empty bowl of beef noodles aside and grabbed a fresh one. As she ate, she gazed at Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye from afar, her eyes brimming with interest.

"Uncle Tian, you know that some people are simply not destined to be ordinary.

"The people in the Mountain and Sea Bureau are all monsters. We only foster monsters, because only monsters can defeat monsters.

"Those two—especially the guy—look like a perfect fit for our Mountain and Sea Bureau. Wouldn’t you agree?

"After all, ordinary people don’t pique Shang’s curiosity..."

Hearing Bai Ling mention its name, the three-headed bird, which had been busy slurping noodles, looked up in surprise. It cast a few glances at Lu Chen in the distance before lowering its heads to resume eating.

Seeing this, Yu Tianqi sighed. "Alas, it is fate. I’m old; I can’t meddle in so many things anymore.

"But I must warn you of one thing. If the time comes and Lu and the others are unwilling, yet you try to force their hand...

"Then I won’t just stand by and watch. After all, these old bones of mine... aren’t quite ready to fall apart just yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three-headed bird abruptly jerked up from its noodles. Its feathers puffed up all over its body, and it stared at Yu Tianqi in absolute terror, as if it had sensed some immense, horrifying presence.

In contrast, Bai Ling remained exceptionally calm. She set down her chopsticks and said evenly, "Uncle Tian, you can rest assured. Our Mountain and Sea Bureau is not that overbearing."

Yu Tianqi grunted and muttered softly, "It better not be."

After Yu Tianqi left, Bai Ling looked at the three-headed bird beside her with a bewildered expression. "Shang, is our Mountain and Sea Bureau really that overbearing?"

Hearing this, the three-headed bird named Shang Fu wore identical, complicated expressions on all three of its faces, unsure of how to answer. Because in a sense, the Mountain and Sea Bureau... was indeed quite overbearing. After all, if they weren’t overbearing, how could they possibly manage a bureau full of monsters? And wouldn’t the people capable of managing monsters have to be monsters themselves?!

...

*PS: Occasionally writing some slice-of-life to change the pace a bit, but the story will still mainly focus on cultivation. The plot should be more fast-paced from here on out.*

*As always, asking for your continued reading, monthly tickets, and bookmarks!*