Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted

However, Yuan Chen didn't care. He just said to Xing Si Tu B, "Shiranui Mai is my senior sister in the Shiranui School. She taught me Bone Fist, Nen Fire Technique, and Shiranui School Charm Technique."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, the fishy-smelling creatures...

Although somewhat surprised that Yuan Chen's family had so many beautiful girls, Mai Shiranui showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she stood up with a beaming smile, bowed, and said:

Please give me your guidance!

"You're too kind." Upon hearing Mai Shiranui's words, Chun-Li quickly bowed in return, then led Mai to the low table in the living room, placed a cup of hot tea in front of her, and said gently:

"Achen has already told me about the Shiranui School. We were planning to visit them to express our gratitude for their teachings after we finished our work these past few days, but we didn't expect you to come so soon."

Upon hearing this, Mai Shiranui hurriedly took the teacup with both hands, a rare hint of embarrassment appearing on her usually cheerful face.

"Oh, not at all. Actually, I don't have much to teach Ah Chen. Whether it's the Fire Mind Technique or the Bone Fist, Ah Chen learned them all after just a couple of glances. In fact, I came here today to express my gratitude."

At this point, a look of gratitude appeared on Mai Shiranui's face:

"The lineage of Shiranui-ryu suffered a severe break a thousand years ago, and it was thanks to A-Chen's help that the lost parts were restored. If we really want to count, although I occupy the title of senior sister, Yuan Chen has helped me much more."

After a pause, Mai Shiranui continued:

"And I haven't been able to properly thank my grandfather about him. He was my last remaining family member. That day, Ah Chen came to the temple and treated my grandfather. Afterwards, my grandfather sat alone in the tea room for a long time that night. I got up to check on him in the middle of the night, and he told me that he felt like he had become twenty years younger."

Although he didn't say thank you, I know his gratitude runs deeper than anyone else's. So—really, thank you very much.

With that, Mai Shiranui bowed to Chun-Li in gratitude, her voice filled with heartfelt thanks.

Sensing Mai Shiranui's feelings, Chun-Li's heart was also touched. Looking at Mai Shiranui's bright and genuine face, she glanced at Han Zhu-li, who was slumped on the sofa.

Sprawled on the sofa, Han Zhuli had one leg dangling from the floor. When she felt Chunli's gaze, she rolled her eyes, her expression saying, "Auntie, are you trying to compare me to other people's kids again?"

This left Chun-Li somewhat helpless, but she also knew that compared to Mai Shiranui, Han Zhu-li had suffered serious trauma due to her family situation, so she showed her more care and concern.

Thinking this, Chun-Li briefly introduced the assembled members to Mai Shiranui.

After learning that Chunli was Yuan Chen's sworn sister, Han Zhuli was a lone wanderer temporarily staying in a foreign land, and Wu Jialou Luo Wu Fengshui was a family member who handled Yuan Chen's entry procedures, Shiranui Mai breathed a sigh of relief.

Turns out they're just ordinary friends. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Ah Chen was having a huge party with them, completely oblivious to the world around them!

Thinking this, Mai Shiranui clenched her fists with full confidence.

She was confident that with her feminine charm, she would be able to gain the approval of her parents (Chun-Li) and make Yuan-Chen fall hopelessly in love with her gentleness!

Don't underestimate my perseverance as a ninja!

Unaware of what Mai Shiranui was thinking as she suddenly gripped her fan tightly and looked excited, Yuan Chen simply said, "How about we prepare dinner first?"

Looking at the fishy-smelling creature, Zhu Li raised her chin and said, "If we keep talking, Zhu Li will faint."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhuli, who was already wearing a onesie, raised one leg and said, "Hungry!"

As for why she raised her leg instead of her hand, it was simply because the battle was over, and Han Zhuli instantly returned to her state of being a useless person at home. She was currently scrolling through short videos on her phone and didn't have any extra time to raise her hand.

This left Chun-Li feeling particularly helpless: "When guests come, at least pay attention to etiquette... Ah, short videos really need to be managed properly."

Hearing Chunli's words, Yuan Chen nodded in deep agreement. At least in Yuan Chen's view, short videos were far more harmful to children than games…

"I'm so tired." Upon hearing this, Han Zhuli also complained with a helpless expression:

"This isn't a qi deficiency from meridian overload, it's that my dantian (lower abdomen) is completely depleted... Ugh, is there anything that can help me digest this quickly? I feel like I'm starving."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen also lit a golden flame to cross over. With the infusion of the golden flame, Han Zhuli's condition visibly improved significantly.

However, as a price, Yuan Chen's aura also weakened somewhat, after all, he had already consumed a lot of his reserves during the previous treatment.

Anyway, let's eat first.

Yuan Chen looked at Mai Shiranui beside him and asked, "Are there any dietary restrictions?"

"No!" Upon hearing Yuan Chen's question, Mai Shiranui's face lit up with an expectant smile as she replied:

"But let me make it clear first, I have some experience in cooking~ Would you like to try my cooking too~"

Upon hearing this, Chun-Li blinked curiously, but then a hint of helplessness appeared in her eyes.

From Mai Shiranui's tone, you can tell that she is very confident in her cooking skills, and having good culinary skills is an advantage from every angle.

Unfortunately……

Unfortunately, Yuan Chen's culinary skills cannot be encompassed by the ordinary word "cuisine".

In ancient times, Yuan Chen could easily become a renowned immortal master, Taoist priest, or alchemist by spouting a few nonsensical words.

After all, compared to those 'elixirs' made from medicinal herbs and various metals, Yuan Chen's life energy truly gives people the feeling of ascending to immortality in every sense.

Thinking about it, and feeling the expectation and confidence on Mai Shiranui's face, Chun-Li seemed to already see the expression on Mai's face as she was full of admiration and praise, thus successfully infiltrating the family. For a moment, she was speechless.

Noticing Chun-Li's expression, Mai Shiranui assumed that Chun-Li, as the hostess, was embarrassed to let her cook, so she smiled and said:

"Cooking has always been my greatest hobby besides spiritual practice! It's just that I have very few friends, so please give me this opportunity to share!"

Silly child, I'm worried you'll lose interest.

"Let's all come together then, the kitchen is so big anyway."

Yuan Chen nodded, then...

Before going downstairs, since they were going into the restaurant to cook, it wasn't very convenient to wear a leather motorcycle outfit, so Mai Shiranui went to Chun-Li's room to change into a set of loungewear that hadn't been opened yet.

It wasn't a onesie, but a simple white tank top paired with pink hot pants.

As an old-fashioned family restaurant, the first floor of the Sakura family's old house is both a restaurant and a place for casual conversation.

Having regained some strength, Han Zhuli asked curiously, "Speaking of which, we should give this eye a name, right? What would be a good name?"

"How about calling it a feng shui engine?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen said with great interest:

"After all, the original optic nerve of this eye was completely dead, and most of the existing nerves have regenerated based on the nerve redundancy activated after the feng shui liberation."

"That sounds weird." Hearing this, Han Zhuli scratched her head, but didn't take it to heart. She had never been the type to pay attention to details.

"Okay, that's fine then, it sounds great~"

In response, Xingsou Caiqu nodded, seemingly unconcerned. After all, it was just a name, insignificant compared to the eyes' actual abilities.

On the contrary, Yuan Chen found it quite interesting—indeed, if Zhu Li didn't know super feng shui, she would definitely give people a feeling that was missing something.

Wearing an apron, Mai Shiranui looked at Yuan Chen with a face full of fighting spirit and said:

"Heh heh, while I might not be able to guide you in other areas, I'm quite confident in my cooking skills~"

In response, Yuan Chen simply gave a gentle yet polite smile.

Mai Shiranui remained full of fighting spirit—a spirit that persisted until the blazing stove was ignited.

Wearing a pink apron borrowed from Chun-Li, Mai Shiranui's knife skills were quite nimble. Her handling of ingredients showed that she had practiced for many years. The scallions she cut were of uniform thickness, and the fish slices were so thin that they were translucent.

Unfortunately, he was much slower than Yuan Chen in terms of rhythm.

With one hand tossing the wok and the other holding a spatula, Yuan Chen multitasked. The garlic, just beginning to turn golden brown, was tossed into the sliced, marinated beef, while a meat porridge simmered over a low flame on the other stove. The rice for the porridge had been pre-steamed and frozen; all that was needed was to cook the ingredients thoroughly to bring out its flavor.

While stir-frying the beef, I casually lifted the lid, stirred it twice, sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, and then covered it again. Afterward, I took out the cucumbers that I had crushed, chopped, marinated in granulated sugar and dehydrated earlier, squeezed them dry, and soaked them in the sauce.

This made Mai Shiranui realize that Yuan Chen's culinary skills might be as impressive as his martial arts level, which startled her, but she still told herself that slow and steady wins the race.

A moment later, Yuan Chen's three dishes were served together. After a while, Mai Shiranui awkwardly served her six-person serving of salt-fried blue and white porcelain.

"Slow down, slow and steady wins the race," Mai Shiranui said, trying to save face.

Chun-Li could only smile helplessly at this.

Meanwhile, Han Zhuli, too lazy to even pretend, propped her chin on her arm and watched Mai Shiranui like she was watching a show, saying:

"Yuan Chen's cooking skills are not just simple and delicious, it's more like he's using a cheat code."

"I won't give up until I've tasted it!" Mai Shiranui exclaimed excitedly. She then took off her apron, went to the table, scooped up a spoonful of meat porridge, blew on it twice, and put it in her mouth.

Chew, swallow, and then Mai Shiranui got up and slowly knelt down on the ground to the side, supporting herself with her hands—a standard forward bend in disappointment.

Xingyue K was not surprised at all, after all, directly replenishing life energy and activating taste buds is a bit abnormal when used in food.

"It tastes very good." Picking up a piece of salt-roasted mackerel, Yuan Chen nodded and said, "The outer skin is crispy, the inside is soft and juicy, there's no fishy or gamey taste, and there's a sweet aftertaste of fish..."

"That sounds nice, but it's still not as good as yours." Mai Shiranui stood up with a wronged look and returned to the dining table. She then ate in small bites, and then in large bites.

Although it was a large mouth, it still maintained its composure, only the frequency was slightly faster.

“Delicious.”

Yuan Chen was not in a hurry. He simply lit a handful of golden flames, reprocessed the mackerel, softened its nutrients, transformed them into life energy, and sent it to Mai Shiranui.

Having experienced the sense of activation within, Mai Shiranui nodded in understanding, then couldn't help but remark:

"So the Golden Flame can be used in cooking? This is practically a cheat code!"

"There's not much difference between revitalizing the human body and revitalizing food ingredients." Yuan Chen shrugged.

"However, once the ingredients and taste buds are activated, they can release and be perceived to have more flavors, and the concentration of volatile aromatic substances will also be perceived to be higher."

"Then we can't win at all..." Mai Shiranui said, snapping her fingers to create a slightly reddish Nen flame.

"Even if it completely transforms into the legendary Crimson Flame, it can only increase its power."

"Different areas of expertise, no need to force it."

Yuan Chen reassured him.

Although somewhat disappointed, Mai Shiranui quickly rallied and said, "It's okay! Cooking is just one part of a woman's strength! I'll get back at you!"

As she said this, Mai Shiranui also joined in the conversation with the person next to her.

Perhaps because she had lived deep in the mountains for a long time and this was the first time she had eaten with so many people her age, Mai Shiranui was very enthusiastic and quickly became friends with Wu Fengshui and the others.

Just as Xing Su was eating, a man with long, dark red hair that covered half of his face, a punk-style shirt with a crescent moon outlined on the back, and red trousers connected by ties walked toward the restaurant with a cold expression.

Volume 1: Chapter 153 - The Grudges of the Three Sacred Treasures

Looking at the restaurant in front of him, Iori Yagami's eyes were filled with coldness and irritation.

He took out his phone and glanced at the video recording. Looking at the battle that broke out in an underground garage in the video, and the golden flames released by Yuan Chen, the protagonist of the video, a slightly solemn look appeared in Iori Yagami's eyes.

flame.

If it were just pure flames, Iori Yagami wouldn't care.

Because in this era, with the advancement of many martial arts techniques, energy transformation, which was previously considered a closely guarded secret, has gradually become compatible with lower levels.

Although very few people can truly master it due to its difficulty, among those martial artists who have mastered energy transformation, at least five or six out of ten will choose fire as their transformation form.

The reason is simple: energy conversion requires not only subtle control of qi, but also extremely strict requirements on the martial artist's intention.

Generally speaking, the more familiar a martial artist is with a natural energy, the easier it is to convert. In this case, fire becomes the most common choice.

The reasons for this are twofold: firstly, fire is the most readily accessible form of natural energy in human society; secondly, the inherently high temperature of fire is always memorable.

This innate impression is also the main reason why fire can become a 'common' form of energy conversion.

After all, compared to fire, water, lightning, and storms, they are either difficult to come into contact with often or difficult to leave a deep impression on.

The fear of fire, however, is something that has existed since ancient times.

In this situation, if it were just an ordinary flame, Iori Yagami wouldn't care, because if he really cared, he would have to travel back and forth all year round.

That is why, if it were just ordinary flames, Iori Yagami would simply ignore them.

As a user of the Azure Flame, Iori Yagami's mastery of flames is not merely a simple burning, but rather a manifestation of a certain rule—only presented in the form of flames.

Ordinary flames, in comparison, offer no value for reference.

But this time is different.

The flames are golden, and it's not just a change in color. Judging from the effect in the video, these golden flames don't seem to have any destructive power; on the contrary, they can perform a certain degree of healing and enhancement...

According to the video footage, the guy fighting in the underground fighting arena called Kengan seems to be a martial artist from the Tang Dynasty across the sea.

Are they "clans" from other regions?

Thinking this, a hint of annoyance appeared on Iori Yagami's face.

Among the family records, Iori Yagami had glimpsed some information about other regions and other clans that had mastered special energy transformations, such as the Branktosh clan in France, who could wield 'light' in magnificent battles, or special abilities that were randomly awakened, like the Wave of Killing Intent.