At that very moment, another person entered from outside.
What was strange was that not a single drop of rain touched him. The falling rain evaporated before it could reach his body, and faint streams of steam curled around him as if he carried heat itself.
"Untouched by rain—Brother Chi truly lives up to the title of Little Fire God," one of the white-robed men inside the inn remarked with admiration.
"Of course," said the man seated at the same table. "Among the younger generation, aside from that rarely seen young master of the Wangquan Family—whose strength remains unknown—the strongest is undoubtedly Brother Chi, the Little Fire God. As for the Dongfang Spiritual Clan… the old patriarch is indeed powerful. But unfortunately, he only had two daughters. How much spiritual power can women truly have? There was originally an outsider propping them up, but not long ago he became blind. A family that has lost its lineage—that's all they are."
Originally, he had intended to declare outright that the Little Fire God was the strongest of all. But after glancing at Xiao Se, who appeared suspiciously like the rumored Wangquan Family young master seated not far away, he tactfully excluded the Wangquan Family from his bold statement.
"Ughhhh! Those jerks!!!"
Dongfang Qinlan, who had just taken her seat, clenched her small fists under the table, her face puffed with indignation. She was furious, but her elder sister had already warned her not to cause trouble.
In the end, she couldn't take it anymore.
With a sudden flare of golden flames, she released Pure Yang Flame, intending to challenge the so-called Little Fire God to a duel. Recognizing the distinctive fire, the Little Fire God hesitated—if he accepted and lost, it would be humiliating; if he refused, it would look cowardly. He was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on perspective—Dongfang Huaizhu stepped in and stopped the confrontation before it escalated further.
"Hey, they insulted the Wangquan Family too. Aren't you mad? Are you even a man?" Dongfang Qinlan shot at Xiao Se, clearly annoyed.
"Why would I be mad?" Xiao Se shrugged lazily. "I'm not some Wangquan Family young master."
As he spoke, he casually retrieved a food box from his storage ring. Inside were dry rations Bibi Dong had prepared for him back in Douluo Continent—spirit beast meat, delicate pastries, refreshing drinks, all carefully preserved in a specially crafted container that kept them fresh for a long time.
The moment he opened the lid, a rich aroma flooded the room.
The entire inn hall was instantly filled with the irresistible scent of food.
"Wow—hey, pretty boy, what is all this? It smells amazing!" Dongfang Qinlan's foodie instincts activated instantly. She swallowed hard, eyes shining.
"Want some?" Xiao Se asked, amused at the sight of her practically drooling.
He couldn't help but think how similar she was to that little mother dragon Zi Yan—both born gluttons. If those two ever met, they would probably feel like long-lost soulmates, bonding over food within seconds.
"I do!" Dongfang Qinlan nodded vigorously.
"Then call me 'big brother' and I'll let you try."
He smiled slyly. Truthfully, he would have preferred if she called him brother-in-law—after all, Dongfang Huaizhu, like Bibi Dong, had once been one of his dream wives in his previous life.
"W-who would call someone whose name I don't even know 'big brother'?" Dongfang Qinlan slurped her saliva back in and turned her head away haughtily.
"That's a shame," Xiao Se said theatrically.
He began taking out dish after dish, placing them neatly on the table. Then he picked up a specially crafted candied hawthorn skewer made from spirit fruit. He waved it slowly in front of Dongfang Qinlan's nose before biting into it.
"Mm… delicious. Sweet enough to melt straight into your heart."
"Gulp…"
When she saw it was candied hawthorn—her absolute favorite—Dongfang Qinlan's eyes nearly popped out. She swallowed again and asked weakly, "Is it really that good?"
"Of course. Want to taste it? Just call me 'big brother.' If you do, the rest of this skewer is yours."
"I won't."
"Really?"
"No means no!"
"Then I'll eat it."
And he did.
After finishing the first skewer, Xiao Se clicked his tongue dramatically as he picked up the plate. "Tsk tsk… only one left. If you don't call me now, it's gone."
"Wait! Don't! I'll call you, I'll call you!"
Dongfang Qinlan hurriedly waved her hands. Her adorable face turned bright red as she forced out, in the softest voice imaginable, "B-big brother…"
"Good girl. Here."
He handed her the plate.
She snatched the candied hawthorn instantly and began devouring it in large bites. Between mouthfuls, she mumbled, "So good… I've never had candied hawthorn this delicious…"
Watching her happily eat, Xiao Se chuckled softly before turning to Dongfang Huaizhu.
"If you don't mind, you're welcome to join us."
"Thank you." Dongfang Huaizhu selected a delicate pastry and smiled gently. "This humble one is Dongfang Huaizhu. This is my younger sister, Dongfang Qinlan. May I know your honored surname?"
"Xiao Se. Just a wandering man."
"Oh, so it is Young Master Xiao."
The rain gradually stopped, but night had already fallen.
Xiao Se had no immediate plans to deal with Jin Renfeng. There was no need to rush.
He glanced toward the young man he had earlier pinned to the wall.
"You there. Go prepare two upper rooms for us."
"Me?" The young man pointed at himself nervously.
"If not you, then who? Move."
"Yes! Yes, I'll go!"
The young man scrambled away immediately. He was thoroughly intimidated by now.
"Pretty boy, you're quite considerate after all. I'll let it slide that you made me call you 'big brother' earlier," Dongfang Qinlan said, stuffing the last pastry into her mouth and speaking unclearly.
Xiao Se rolled his eyes and ignored her.
"Thank you, Young Master Xiao," Dongfang Huaizhu said sincerely. "My sister is still young. Please don't take her behavior to heart."
"It's fine," Xiao Se replied lightly. "A little bratty charm is part of what makes her cute."
At that, Dongfang Qinlan suddenly went quiet.
She swallowed quickly and hid behind Dongfang Huaizhu.
He called me cute? she thought, wide-eyed. Does he… like me? Impossible! I belong to food! I live and die with food!
Before long, the three returned to their rooms. Xiao Se took one room for himself, while the Dongfang sisters shared another.
"I'm so mad!" Dongfang Qinlan exploded the moment they were alone. "If you hadn't stopped me, Sister, I would've beaten those guys senseless!"
"Calm down," Dongfang Huaizhu said gently. "When traveling, it's better to avoid unnecessary conflict. They may be arrogant, but they're not weak. If you really fought, you might not win. Besides, they're here to eliminate demons too."
"Hmph! I'm still annoyed! And that pretty boy made me call him 'big brother!'" Dongfang Qinlan flopped onto the table dramatically.
"Isn't that what they call 'eat from someone's bowl, then curse them afterward'?" Dongfang Huaizhu teased. "You didn't sound so unhappy while eating."
"I…" Dongfang Qinlan's face turned red. She couldn't argue.
Then her big, clever eyes shifted mischievously.
"Hehe… Sister, you're defending him a lot. Don't tell me… you've taken a liking to him?"
Hearing the teasing, Dongfang Huaizhu neither blushed nor grew angry. Instead, her brows suddenly furrowed sharply.
"Stop joking. Something unclean is approaching."
"Haha! Perfect timing!" came a shout from downstairs.
At that very moment, below the inn, a group of cultivators activated their spiritual power, each displaying their abilities as small demons surged into the area.
Flames, sword lights, talismans, and spells burst into the night.
The battle had begun.
(End of Chapter)
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