Douluo: Things You Live Long Enough to See

Up in the sky, Cheng Ying watched in amazement as Bingdi casually controlled the color of the ice surface. He was full of admiration. Though he also wielded an ice element, his combat abilities with it were limited to maybe shooting a few icicles at best. Being able to command ice so naturally like Bingdi was completely beyond him.

"Hehe! Cool, right? This is a new move I developed based on that optical camouflage concept you told me about! Pretty handy, isn't it? You didn't even notice I was there just now!" Bingdi grinned expectantly, clearly fishing for praise. Cheng Ying couldn't help but affectionately ruffle her hair.

"It's really impressive. To pull something like this off with technology... who knows how long that would take." Cheng Ying sighed a little. Progressing the tech tree was just too slow. For many high-end developments, he still had to rely on soul power. Thankfully, he had already launched the "End of the World Project" early on, so these issues should be resolved soon enough.

"Say... if Teacher ever leaves us alone in the Great Forest, do you think he'd secretly float above us and spy?" Tang Chen leaned in and whispered to Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo gave him a "are you dumb?" look. His expression practically screamed: "You're discussing this right under Teacher's nose? You looking to die?"

As expected, Tang Chen soon had a big bump on his forehead. Cheng Ying felt the need to uphold a teacher's dignity...

On the ground, Meng Shu had no idea that his teacher was floating overhead, always ready to intervene and keeping constant watch for ambushes from soul beasts more alert than even Meng Shu himself.

Each time a soul beast tried to sneak up, Cheng Ying drove it away before it could attack, so Chao Tianxiang never once faced real danger.

This kind of all-encompassing protection, though, made her feel a little awkward. Being cared for wasn't a bad feeling per se—even if the guy wasn't handsome, cute, romantic, or good at flattery—but at least he wasn't repulsive.

Still, her status as something akin to a captive made her subconsciously feel that Meng Shu was protecting her like a trophy, not a girlfriend.

"Stop being all weird. I'm a rank 40 soul master too. I don't need your protection," Chao Tianxiang snapped irritably. But as soon as she said it, she regretted it a little. Still, pride kept her from taking it back.

"Uh... okay, I understand." Meng Shu responded awkwardly. For some reason, all his usual witty lines failed him in front of Chao Tianxiang. He didn't even realize it was because he was afraid that his usual careless attitude might make her dislike him.

A while later, Chao Tianxiang noticed how Meng Shu deliberately passed up several soul beasts and was left speechless. She could tell he was trying to please her, clumsily—but still, it didn't spark anything inside her...

High above, Cheng Ying sat inside the icy bubble, pointing at the ground. "See that? Let me tell you guys something—when it comes to picking up girls, never do it like him! Blindly trying to please them just makes you look like a loser. You've got to master the art of subtle swagger."

"In summary—simps get nothing in the end!" Cheng Ying preached passionately, completely unaware of the sympathetic looks his disciples were giving him. Tang Chen, in particular, was trying very hard to warn him with his eyes about the looming wrath of their teacher's wife, but Cheng Ying was too caught up in his smugness...

Thanks to the bubble's excellent soundproofing, Meng Shu didn't hear any of the yelling coming from above. As night fell, he lit a fire and took out a pack of instant noodles, tossing it into a metal tea canister. These were supposedly invented by their teacher.

Even Chao Tianxiang couldn't help but swallow when the smell hit her nose. But remembering how they had to eat cold, hard rations while chasing down that Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent, she looked at Meng Shu again with cold eyes.

The water in the tea canister soon boiled. Meng Shu carefully brought it over despite the heat and placed it in front of Chao Tianxiang. He stripped some bark off two willow branches and handed them over—they'd serve as makeshift chopsticks.

"Give it a try. These are instant noodles our teacher invented. Even chefs at taverns can't make something this tasty. Though for some reason, Teacher says this will be the kind of junk food only poor people eat in the future."

Chao Tianxiang gave Meng Shu a sideways glance. Though she still resented him for stealing her soul ring, she didn't refuse. Instant noodles might be just a last resort for modern folks, but most people's first experience of it tends to be quite delicious.

She was no exception. She lifted the wavy noodles and slurped down a mouthful. The rich flavor of the fried broth danced on her tongue, making her eyes squint in satisfaction. She found herself wondering: If it tasted this good, why would Cheng Ying call it junk food?

Lost in thought, her hands didn't stop. For a soul master's appetite, one big bowl was just enough. By the time she came to her senses, only the broth was left.

Looking up, she saw Meng Shu gnawing on cold, hard rations, smiling dumbly at her—as if seeing her enjoy the food made him genuinely happy. The campfire's glow lit up his face, and for a moment, Chao Tianxiang found it... not quite so annoying.

Looking back at her empty canister, her cheeks flushed. "Um... I didn't mean to eat it all... I... it was my first time trying instant noodles, I couldn't help it…"

"It's fine. I'm used to hard rations anyway. That's how I got by when I hunted soul beasts alone before." Meng Shu smiled.

"You? Alone? Where was your teacher?" Chao Tianxiang asked in surprise, forgetting her plan to keep conversation minimal.

"Back then, I hadn't met Teacher yet. So it was just me. My dad died when I was little—bitten by a Mandrake Snake. My mom raised me until I was eight, then passed away too."

"Luckily, I had some talent and decent luck. I survived my first soul ring hunt, barely. Lived off one gold soul coin a month from the Spirit Hall."

"At first I was terrified to go into the forest alone, but I got used to it. As long as you act fierce, soul beasts won't mess with you. The scariest time was getting my third soul ring—a Dragon-Scaled Saber Tiger. I nearly died killing it."

"When I absorbed the ring, it hurt so bad I bit down on my own arm. I kept thinking—if I were in a storybook, maybe a kind swordswoman would offer her arm instead. But I was alone, so I could only bite my own."

"After that, I sold the beast's corpse and hired a down-on-his-luck painter to draw me a picture of an imaginary swordswoman to serve as a charm. That way, I wouldn't feel so alone. But the painter was terrible—couldn't even draw as well as Teacher's leg hair. Hey? You—"

Before he finished, he noticed Chao Tianxiang had quietly walked over and rolled up his sleeve. When she saw the gnarly scar on his arm, her heart ached. She instinctively reached out and touched it gently.

Meng Shu froze. They both realized what had just happened, their faces turning beet red as they quickly looked away—neither knowing what to say next.

In the sky, Cheng Ying cracked open a metal canister like a gas cylinder, and with a pop, popcorn sprayed out like a fountain. "Come on, come on popcorn goes best with a good dose of dog food! Seriously, if a bowl of instant noodles and a sob story can land you a girl, then I should be building a whole harem!"