As they were talking, a voice suddenly came from the side. Xie Xie and the others turned to look and saw a chubby boy emerging from the crowd, eagerly asking passersby about something.
"..."
Xie Xie glanced at the chubby boy, then at Tang Wulin, and his gaze lingered for a moment on Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao. He chuckled.
In order to nourish his qi and blood, Boss Yuhao's appetite had also increased.
With four of them together, there were quite a few foodies here.
Perhaps due to the resonance between foodies, Tang Wulin felt a good impression toward the chubby boy, who was also a foodie. He stepped forward and took out some of his backup rations from his storage ring, handing them to the boy.
"Here you go."
"Thank you, big brother."
The chubby boy's eyes lit up as he took the dried fish and began eating.
Xie Xie, who had also stepped forward, thought to himself: "So, can we change this name already?"
With food as the icebreaker, the group quickly started chatting.
"You look like you're here to participate in the Skysea Competition too. Which city in the Skysea Alliance are you from?" Tang Wulin asked curiously.
The chubby boy shook his head. "No, I'm Xu Lizhi, from Shrek City."
"This is my first time by the sea. The dried fish you gave me is so delicious. I've never tasted anything like it."
"..."
Tang Wulin rolled his eyes.
That was his ration, and it was high-quality stuff, specially made by Teacher Luo to replenish his qi and blood. Of course, it would taste good!
But Tang Wulin quickly realized something.
"Wait, you said you're from Shrek City? There's only one soul master academy there, right? You wouldn't happen to be..."
He looked Xu Lizhi up and down and finally noticed something familiar, a green tracksuit. Wasn't that the Shrek Academy uniform he had seen online before?
The others who had gathered around were also surprised. Xu Xiaoyan muttered, "So not all Shrek students are like that, huh?"
Indeed, as Teacher Luo had said, it was wrong to generalize.
Xie Xie raised an eyebrow, looking at Xu Lizhi's simple, food-loving demeanor, and put aside his prejudice.
Shrek was, after all, the top force on the continent. It couldn't be that everyone there had such terrible character, or they would have made enemies everywhere. There must be another part to that school motto, right? It was probably just taken out of context.
Seeing Xu Lizhi enjoying his food, Tang Wulin felt hungry too and took out some snacks he liked to eat.
These were prepared by his mother.
Beside them, Gu Yuena watched the two eating and pursed her lips. At that moment, a hand reached over from the side, offering a delicate food box.
"I prepared this earlier. Want to try it?" Huo Yuhao asked with a smile.
Gu Yuena was slightly startled. She looked up at Huo Yuhao, then smiled and took the box, gently opening it, inside were several crystal-clear lotus-shaped pastries, exuding a faint fragrance.
She picked up one and took a small bite. The sweetness, not too cloying, made her eyes brighten.
She unconsciously tightened her grip on the edge of the box, her cheeks puffing up as she chewed.
Huo Yuhao chuckled. Seeing the others looking over, he magically produced more food boxes. "I made plenty earlier. Do you want some?"
"No, thanks."
Xu Xiaoyan shook her head.
It seemed like these were specially prepared for Na'er. She wouldn't take any.
The others glanced at Gu Yuena, who was quietly enjoying her pastry, and also shook their heads.
Don't suddenly give us a death choice, Yuhao.
You're not afraid of Gu Yuena, but we are...
"Boss, give me some."
Huh? Someone isn't afraid of death?
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi looked at the speaker, Xie Xie, and immediately understood.
No surprise there. This guy had always been fearless.
Xie Xie didn't notice their gazes. He rubbed his stomach, feeling inexplicably hungry after seeing so many people eating.
Ah, lately, he'd been spoiled by Teacher Luo's cooking. He hadn't eaten much of the cafeteria breakfast this morning. What a miscalculation.
"Here." Huo Yuhao handed a box of pastries to Xie Xie, who took it without hesitation and started eating.
"Hmm? This is pretty good!" Xie Xie took a bite, his eyes lighting up. "The sweetness is just right, and there's a faint floral fragrance... Boss Yuhao, your desserts are amazing too. If you opened a shop on the food street, it would definitely be a hit. You wouldn't lose to Uncle Li."
Hearing this, Tang Wulin also looked over, swallowing his saliva. Huo Yuhao handed him a food box.
Xu Lizhi, seeing this, instinctively moved closer, scratching his head sheepishly.
"Um... can I have one too?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Sure."
Gu Yuena suddenly looked up from her pastry, her eyes flickering toward Huo Yuhao.
Understanding her unspoken request, Huo Yuhao smiled and gently ruffled her hair, his fingertips brushing through her soft strands. "Don't worry, there's plenty."
Feeling the warmth on her head, Gu Yuena blinked, then looked down and continued to eat her pastry, her movements elegant but slightly faster than usual.
The aura around her softened, making those who sensed the tense atmosphere breathe a sigh of relief.
After a moment of thought, Xu Xiaoyan and the other two also accepted Huo Yuhao's offerings.
If they didn't eat now, it would seem out of place.
The group gathered together, the sweet aroma of food filling the air. Xie Xie was animatedly telling a funny story, with Tang Wulin chiming in from time to time.
Xu Lizhi, meanwhile, was focused on finishing his pastry, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
Seeing this, Xie Xie laughed. "Xu Lizhi, because of you, my opinion of Shrek has slightly improved..."
At that moment, a beautiful but cold voice interrupted. "Little foodie, all you know is eating. It's almost our turn!"
The group turned to look, and Xie Xie and the others were momentarily dazzled.
A girl was walking toward them. She wore the same green tracksuit as Xu Lizhi, which fit her perfectly.
Her golden ponytail swayed behind her, and her large blue eyes with long lashes were striking. Her fair skin glowed softly in the sunlight.
"Sister Xinglan, sorry, I forgot." Xu Lizhi immediately lowered his head and obediently went to stand beside the girl.
Ye Xinglan ignored him, casting a cold glance at Huo Yuhao and the others, her eyes filled with disdain. "They're trying to get close to you. Can't you tell?"
She had heard Xie Xie mention Shrek, and in her view, the group had recognized Xu Lizhi as a Shrek student and was deliberately trying to cozy up to him.
With the internet being so widespread, and Xu Lizhi wearing his school uniform, it was no surprise that he had been recognized as a Shrek student.
And in a place like Eastsea, Shrek Academy was legendary. Who knew what intentions these people had?
"Sister Xinglan, that's not it. They just offered me some food. I was hungry and looking for something to eat, and they kindly gave me..."
"Don't just eat anything from anyone. Don't you know there are a lot of bad people out there?"
Ye Xinglan cut him off sharply, her voice icy as she glanced at the food box in Huo Yuhao's hand and the snacks in Tang Wulin's.
"..."
Tang Wulin, who had been caught in the crossfire, thought to himself: "I'm a bad guy? My parents said I'm a good kid, not a bad person!"
Huo Yuhao also looked at Ye Xinglan and ate a pastry.
This kid, does she have a persecution complex?
Seems worse than mine...
While Tang Wulin and Huo Yuhao didn't react, Xie Xie couldn't hold back. The initial admiration he had felt for the girl quickly turned to disgust, and he sneered.
"Well, it seems Xu Lizhi is the exception. If you have something to say, say it directly. What's with the indirect remarks? Are most of the people from your academy this arrogant and self-righteous? If that's the case, you might as well tear it down to save others from being harmed!"
"What did you say?"
Ye Xinglan, who had been about to leave, stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at Xie Xie, her eyes as cold as ice.
She remembered when she was six years old, and her martial soul first awakened.
The elders of her family had gathered around her, praising her as the future hope of the family, urging her to train hard and become a powerful soul master to bring glory to their name.
The family's soul spirit ancestor had even designated her as the heir, showering her with resources.
But Ye Xinglan wasn't interested.
She loved swordsmanship, but she loathed the scheming and power struggles of soul master families.
It wasn't until she accidentally entered Shrek Academy that Ye Xinglan found her true calling.
The academy was peaceful and serene, filled with a unique aura. At Shrek, she finally felt she had found what she was looking for.
From then on, she immersed herself in the academy, focusing on her studies. With the academy's protection, her family couldn't do anything about it. After several failed attempts to persuade her, they finally let her be.
Thus, Ye Xinglan had a strong sense of belonging to the academy. Hearing Xie Xie's words, her disdain deepened. The only reason she didn't draw her sword was because she managed to stay calm.