Douluo Continent: Gourmet Prisoner

Among the crowd, Zhu Lu shone the brightest, her dazzling halo enveloping her entire body, and even the air around her seemed to tremble slightly.

The pure energy of the gemstone flesh surged within her body, and the bottleneck of her soul power, which had been stagnant for a long time, was easily pierced as if it were thin paper.

"I've made up my mind!" Amidst the light, Zhu Lu clenched her fist tightly, her voice filled with excitement and certainty, even her soul power trembled. "The meat dish on my life's menu is Gem Meat!"

The moment she finished speaking, a powerful surge of soul energy erupted from her body.

His soul power surged like a tidal wave, breaking through the level 40 barrier in the blink of an eye, causing the surrounding vegetation to rustle.

Immediately afterwards, a deep black spirit ring slowly emerged and landed steadily in her fourth spirit ring position. The unique pressure of a ten-thousand-year spirit ring swept out, but she quickly restrained it, leaving only faint ripples of spirit power.

"Congratulations, Zhu Lu!" Shi Yu was the first to react, smiling and bowing to her in congratulations, his eyes full of genuine joy. "You've not only confirmed the meat dish on your life's menu, but you've also broken through to level 40 and obtained your fourth ten-thousand-year soul ring. This is truly a double celebration!"

"Sister Zhu Lu, what is your new soul skill?" Huo Yutong curiously leaned forward, the Snow God Moth on her shoulder flapping its wings, scattering specks of icy blue light that landed on Zhu Lu's shoulder like adorning stars.

Zhu Lu focused her mind and sensed for a moment, her soul power flowing through her fingertips. A trace of confusion slowly flashed in her eyes, and then she froze, the joy on her face instantly freezing.

"What's wrong, Zhu Lu?" Shi Yu asked quickly when he saw her dazed look, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

"Huh? Shadow Theft?" Zhu Lu suddenly snapped back to reality, looking at Shi Yu with a distraught expression. Her voice rose several decibels, almost trembling with tears, "Shi Yu, I'm not clean anymore!"

Shadow Steal?

Shi Yu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be the exclusive move from Marshadow in Pokémon that he was thinking of? The effect of that move was hardly clean.

"Zhu Lu, how's the soul skill effect?" Shi Yu hurriedly asked, still holding onto a sliver of hope.

"While attacking the opponent, I can steal their buffs," Zhu Lu said with a mournful face, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground. "No matter what kind of buff it is, as long as it's a buff status, I can steal it and add it to myself!"

It really is that Shadow Thief!

Shi Yu sighed, rubbing his forehead, looking utterly helpless. The skill's effect was indeed powerful, but it sounded like it lacked any sense of martial ethics.

"How can there be such a dirty skill again?!" Tang Ya screamed in despair upon hearing the soul skill's effect, as if she had been greatly shocked. Her hand trembled as she pointed at Zhu Lu. "This is too cheating!"

"Your parasites aren't much cleaner either, so don't laugh at someone who's no better." Shi Yu bluntly exposed her, making Tang Ya blush with embarrassment.

"Shi Yu, shut up!" Tang Ya instantly bristled, pointing her finger at his nose and retorting, her voice rising several decibels, "Your soul skills are the dirtiest! Don't you have a single decent offensive soul skill?"

Shi Yu was about to retort, but swallowed the words back.

But upon closer reflection, he realized that he didn't actually have any proper offensive soul skills; in fact, he could say that he didn't have any offensive soul skills at all.

So Shi Yu started arguing nonsense, spouting strange things like, "Sketching can copy soul skills, so how can it not be considered an offensive soul skill? I already have quite a few offensive techniques myself, why would I need a dedicated offensive soul skill?"

These words instantly made everyone laugh.

Tang Ya laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, pointing at Shi Yu for a long time without being able to speak; Zhu Lu's depression also dissipated, and she covered her mouth and chuckled; Huo Yutong's Snow God Moths flapped their wings and made a soft buzzing sound, as if in agreement; Shi Qiu'er even laughed out loud, her tail swaying happily.

For a moment, the open space in the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest was filled with joyful laughter. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling warmly on everyone.

Everyone present burst into laughter, mocking Shi Yu's "twisted logic."

Shi Yu's face turned bright red instantly, like a ripe apple, and even the roots of her ears were tinged with a thin layer of red.

He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, stammering for a long time, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

The boy's flushed cheeks spoke louder than a thousand words of explanation, and his embarrassed yet unwilling expression drew continuous laughter from the crowd.

Finally, amidst the mocking gazes of the crowd, Shi Yu, his face flushed red, made a final, desperate attempt, his voice urgent and angry: "Hmph! Ahhhhh!"

This pointless shouting only fueled the laughter that filled the room.

"What a stinky sound!" Rainbow Dash retorted without any politeness, her tone full of disgust.

Amidst laughter and chatter, everyone finished eating the gem meat from their plates.

Everyone had a rosy complexion, and their soul power had subtly improved. Even the air was filled with the lingering aroma of meat, a rich and mellow scent unique to top-tier food treasures.

Jiang Nannan put down her knife and fork, her fingertips gently tracing the edge of the plate.

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but hesitated for a moment and then silently closed her mouth, her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation and trepidation.

The heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart all these days eased the moment she ate the jeweled flesh and heard Shi Yu's promise. But her mother was still waiting for her in the distant cottage, and that worry made her restless.

The observant Huo Yutong quickly noticed her unusual behavior.

She put down the plate, walked over to Jiang Nannan, and asked softly, "Nannan, is something bothering you? If there's anything you want to say, please tell us."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nannan raised her head, looked into Huo Yutong's clear eyes, and then at the concerned gazes of everyone present, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.

She took a deep breath, her voice filled with anticipation: "Um... can I go back first? I want to bring my mother here for treatment; her health isn't good, and I'm really worried about her."

"Oh! I almost forgot about this important matter!" Shi Yu slapped his forehead, stood up abruptly, his playful smile fading and replaced by seriousness. "Sister Nan Nan, I'll go with you. Aunt's health isn't suitable for long-distance travel."

"Thank you so much, Shi Yu." Jiang Nannan's eyes were slightly red, and her voice was full of gratitude.

Over the years, she has shouldered so much on her own. Now that someone is willing to lend a helping hand, the warmth almost brought her to tears.

"You're welcome." Shi Yu waved his hand, his gaze unusually serious, his tone resolute, "We're comrades, and a comrade's family is our family."

One sentence was enough to make Jiang Nannan's tears flow freely down her cheeks.

But those were not tears of sorrow, but tears of relief and joy.

Looking into Shi Yu's sincere eyes and then at the gentle smiles of everyone around her, Jiang Nannan's lips involuntarily curled up slightly, as if the fatigue and anxiety of the past few days had dissipated in the wind.

She gently wiped away her tears, her tone revealing an unprecedented ease and firmness, as if a tremendous burden had been lifted: "Yes, we are companions."

This was the first time in many years that Jiang Nannan truly felt that the burden on her shoulders had lightened and the weight in her heart had been lifted. Sunlight fell on her face, reflecting her warm and bright smile.

Shi Yu turned around and said a few words to Tang Ya and the others, telling them to train hard on their own. Then, he followed Jiang Nannan, and the two of them walked one after the other towards the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The wind blowing through the forest carries the fragrance of grass and trees, and also the hope of new life.

Jiang Nannan's steps became much lighter, because she knew that this time, she was no longer alone.