Exploding God

Chapter 1109 Zhang Xinghuo

Whether it was because the Yan family was too famous or the recruitment reward was too attractive, when we entered this quaint town, there were several times more pedestrians than outside the town, and all we could hear were lively discussions.

The freckled girl who accidentally lost her medicine bag quickly weaved through the bustling crowd, walking faster than many others, clearly indicating that this wasn't her first time encountering such a situation.

Lu Ze continued to follow at a leisurely pace, maintaining a distance of about thirty meters from the freckled girl. He observed her practiced movements and slightly anxious steps.

As they walked, the path under their feet gradually merged into a main road paved with bluestone. People gathering from all directions finally felt the crowd. Even martial artists with superb skills could not help but squeeze together with others.

However, no one noticed that whenever someone approached Lu Ze, the young man who should have been bumped into would always just step away.

Lu Ze followed the noisy crowd into a plaza with a wide view.

Directly in front of them was a high platform backed by a pavilion, made of gray rock, with twenty burly men in black martial arts uniforms standing with their hands behind their backs on either side.

The martial artists in the square were all intentionally or unintentionally gazing into the gap between the two groups of black-clad martial artists. Inside the high platform was a pavilion, and because of the screen blocking the view, only the shadowy figures inside could be seen.

A transparent energy field enveloped the pavilion, isolating it from sound.

It was obvious that members of the Yan family were in the pavilion.

The morning mist was thin, creating a slightly hazy atmosphere, which also made the sunlight less intense, allowing people to be more patient than usual.

Lu Ze ignored the occasional complaints around him and observed the square with great interest. The square in Chongma Town gave him a great sense of familiarity.

[Zhang Ji Roasted Chicken], [Chongma Beef Noodles], [Jiang Roasted Pig Trotters]... one after another, simple and rustic signs are neatly hung at the entrance of the shops, extending from the square into the alley, just like a commercialized ancient town on Earth.

Martial artists would occasionally appear at the entrances of these shops, choosing to fill their stomachs while they waited.

Lu Ze's gaze fell on a unique stall built of bamboo. On the table was a thick stack of green leaves, about thirty centimeters long and wide, with a texture like cattail leaves, resembling miniature banana leaves.

The stall owner skillfully rolled the leaves into a pointed shape, and then used a wooden spoon to scoop out something resembling ice cream from the freezer and put it inside.

This must be Riku Kirihara's ice cream.

The ice cream was different, though. It was like a mixture of fruit puree and milk, with a translucent and crystalline sheen. When the shop owner scooped it out with a spoon, the spherical ice cream had a jelly-like texture, trembling gently.

Lu Ze narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flaring.

The fruity fragrance should be that of lychee, grapes, and raspberries... followed by a subtle milky aroma.

Moreover, there are several unidentified plant fragrances among them, which are so refreshing and delightful that just a light sniff can make one feel relaxed and invigorated.

Lu Ze was staring at the stall with great interest not because of the special ice cream, but because he saw another slightly thin figure staring intently at the ice cream stall.

It was that girl with freckles on her face, staring with bright, sparkling eyes, who couldn't help but purse her lips whenever she saw the shop owner selling ice cream to other people.

She clearly liked the look of that ice cream... but the girl kept clenching her fists, trying to convince herself to give up.

I liked someone again and again, and then I gave up on them again and again.

That conflicted look was really interesting, reminding Lu Ze of his younger brother Lu Ming's expression when he first saw ice cream as a child, his face full of conflict, wanting it but reluctant to part with it.

Her family wasn't well-off.

Lu Ze understood, walked behind the girl and gently patted her shoulder.

"Hello there."

Ok?

The moment his palm touched the other person's shoulder, Lu Ze frowned slightly, a look of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Such a high body temperature!

The speed at which the star energy dissipates is incredibly strange.

The girl's thin shoulders trembled, and she swayed forward with extreme agility like a startled rabbit, then turned her head to look, her eyes full of wariness.

"Um!?"

Although she tried to soften her tone, she couldn't hide her wariness.

Upon seeing Lu Ze's approachable and handsome appearance, the girl pursed her lips, softened her tone again, and asked a few more questions, "Is there something you need?"

Lu Ze shrugged. He could tell that although the girl seemed to respond naturally by bowing her head, she was actually observing the situation around her out of the corner of her eye, clearly looking for a possible escape route.

This made Lu Ze feel both helpless and amused; it was the first time he had ever been treated like a bad guy.

The girl had clear eyes and looked younger than me, but she was very experienced in society.

Lu Ze opened his hand, revealing the small herb bag in his palm. "You dropped this outside of town. I can smell many kinds of herbs in it. Ordinary people don't carry this, so I think it must be very important to you."

The freckled girl froze, instinctively pressing her hand to her waist. When her hand landed on her waist without any obstruction, her thin body trembled, and her face suddenly tensed up.

It's really gone!

It really is my own herbal bag!

[Zhang Xinghuo, how could you lose something so important!]

The girl pursed her lips, and her breathing became noticeably rapid.

She quickly took the herb bag, cradling it tightly against her chest with both hands. When she looked at Lu Ze, her eyes already held a gesture of deep respect, as if she were bowing to him.

"It's my medicine bag, it's very important to me. Thank you so much! Thank you!"

The girl's eyes were filled with lingering fear; clearly, this bag of herbs held extraordinary significance for her.

"It was nothing," Lu Ze said with a smile.

"Excuse me, did you... come here specifically to bring me this medicine bag?" The girl asked somewhat shyly. She knew that she had been walking much faster after entering the town to avoid the hunters' gaze, so the other person must have gone to a lot of trouble to catch up with her.

"No need to be polite, it's just on my way." Lu Ze pointed to the center of the square, indicating that he was also there for the recruitment notice.

The girl visibly relaxed, her expression becoming much more natural. After carefully tying the medicine bag tightly around her waist, she generously extended her right hand to Lu Ze: "My name is Zhang Xinghuo, which means 'a spark of fire.' I'm also here to participate in the Yan family's recruitment."

This cheerful and carefree attitude is the real you, isn't it?

In this freckled girl, Lu Ze sensed the vibrancy of the world, especially when he recalled how she always appeared vulnerable. A smile appeared on his face as he responded gently:

"Lu Ze, the Ze that benefits all things."

"A very grand name." Zhang Xinghuo's tone was full of envy, and this feeling was genuine. Over the years, she and her brother Zhang Yecao had depended on each other for survival. If it weren't for the fact that the two siblings had names that were easy to raise, they would probably have died in the wilderness long ago.

"Eeya~" Pharaoh jumped onto his master's shoulder, his eyes full of admiration. The girl's praise of her master had given him a new direction.

Lu Ze's expression was somewhat strange; this was the first time someone had praised him based on his name.

Ok……

Actually, I agree with what the other person said.

Lu Ze's expression was gentler than before.

"The recruitment notice didn't specify its contents beforehand. Do you have any information about it?" Zhang Xinghuo asked, hoping to get some information from Lu Ze about the recruitment notice.

Unfortunately, she was facing the person who knew the least about this continent among everyone present, and she heard two very decisive words.

"no."

"The Yan family is keeping the news very tightly under wraps this time. We'll just have to wait for the announcement later," Zhang Xinghuo muttered to himself without giving it much thought.

"Do you have a lot of experience participating in recruitment notices?"

"I've participated a few times. I generally don't go to places that are too dangerous, so I'm quite familiar with the procedures, but I'm not very clear about the deeper details," the girl said somewhat shyly.

"so……"

Lu Ze nodded, and was about to ask some more questions when he heard the clear sound of a bell from the high platform in the square.

"The Yan family members are coming out!" Zhang Xinghuo pointed to a man in a green robe who walked out with his hands behind his back.

"Um."

Lu Ze also saw the man who was nearly 1.9 meters tall. His blue martial arts robe, which was inlaid with gold thread, made him look very imposing.

"My name is Yan Wenchang. Thank you all for coming!"

The man in the green robe walked to the center of the platform, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and his deep voice immediately drowned out the noise inside and outside the square.

(End of this chapter)