Legend of the Dragon King: I really didn't mean to provoke them!

As she watched, Gu Yue subconsciously reached out, wanting to wipe the oil stains off Xie Xie's nose.

Xie Xie caught a glimpse of a slender, fair hand reaching out towards him out of the corner of his eye.

Before his mind could process it, his body reacted first—

"Hey! Don't touch my beef!"

He let out a howl, then wrapped his arms around the pot of braised beef in front of him and hugged it tightly to his chest, shrinking back and glaring warily at Gu Yue.

With its cheeks still bulging with meat, it protested indistinctly, "This pot is mine! I haven't had enough yet, you can't take it!"

Gu Yue: "..."

boom--!

A fireball blasted straight at Xie Xie, who was thrown to the next seat along with the pot.

Gu Yue clapped her hands and snorted irritably, "Eat, eat, eat until you die!"

As she spoke, the inexplicable flutter in her eyes vanished completely, washed away by this sudden misunderstanding.

Tang Wulin watched from the sidelines, feeling both helpless and amused.

As the three left the stuffy beef shop, Uncle Li looked at the refrigerator, which was nearly two-thirds empty, and fell into deep thought. "These kids nowadays...aren't they eating a bit too much?"

As night fell, the three of them returned to Donghai Academy, bickering and joking.

Gu Yue said goodbye to the two first and returned to the girls' dormitory.

Tang Wulin was about to pull Xie Xie along as they headed towards the boys' dormitory.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Xie Xie took two steps back. "Tang Wulin, you go back first, I'll be there in a bit."

Tang Wulin was stunned for a moment. Looking at Xie Xie's mysterious expression, he was about to ask something when Xie Xie had already run away in a flash, leaving only a hurried figure behind.

Inside the teachers' dormitory—

Wu Changkong sat cross-legged by the window, his eyes slightly closed, his aura as calm as a deep well, deep in meditation.

But his tightly furrowed brows indicated that the meditation was not going smoothly.

A persistent gloom gripped my mind, and cold memories surged like a tide—

The lingering warmth on his fingertips, the shattered and dimmed martial spirit, and the figure lying in his arms, never to open his eyes again.

Dragon Ice...

The moment that name came to mind, a sharp, piercing pain shot through Wu Changkong's heart.

The air around me seemed to grow colder, and the chill gradually seeped into my clothes.

Just as the inner demons were about to tighten their grip on her mind, a warm, mellow, and fragrant aroma unexpectedly entered her nostrils.

Wu Changkong suddenly opened his eyes.

A delicate fragrance was quietly seeping in through the crack in the door.

Then, the fragrance slowly drifted to her, coalescing into an illusory human hand, which, with an irresistible allure, gently beckoned to her with its fingertips.

Wu Changkong slowly rose to his feet, his white robes as pure as snow.

The chill had not yet faded from his body, and his eyes still held a coldness that came from being disturbed by his inner demons.

She lightly raised her delicate hand and casually slapped the large hand away.

"Come in," Wu Changkong said calmly.

squeak-

The dormitory door was gently pushed open a crack, and a fluffy head peeked in, grinning at Wu Changkong, "Teacher Wu, are you still awake?"

Wu Changkong raised her eyes and glanced at him, her cold gaze landing on the cloth bag he was tightly clutching in his arms.

The fragrance we just smelled came from it.

"What is it?" Wu Changkong asked in a flat tone, revealing no emotion.

Xie Xie was not intimidated at all.

He walked into the house, sat down in a chair as if he knew the place well, and put the pottery jar from his cloth bag on the table.

As Xie Xie yanked off the cotton cloth, a rush of heat surged up, and the fragrance instantly dispelled the chill in the room.

"Clang! Clang!"

Xie Xie proudly introduced, "Braised Beef in a Pot, the Soup Version!"

"I know you like your food light, with less salt and oil, and no chili!"

"If you don't like it, I have more!" Xie Xie said, taking out food from his soul guide storage bracelet.

"This roasted chestnut is less sugar."

"And this Poria cocos cake, it's handmade."

"And also, these taro balls in a clear broth!"

Wu Changkong's gaze fell on the food that was gradually piling up on the table, and a faint look of surprise flashed across his handsome face.

Xie Xie, like a timid rat, was still enthusiastically rummaging through the food he had hidden.

All the dishes had a light and mild flavor, clearly indicating that they had been carefully selected along the way.

Wu Changkong lowered his eyes and stared at the pot of braised beef that was still steaming slightly for a long time without saying a word.

"How is it? How is it?"

Xie Xie's cheerful voice rang out again.

Wu Changkong raised his eyebrows slightly and saw the boy sitting opposite him staring at him expectantly, like a puppy waiting for praise, its tail wagging rapidly behind it.

She gazed at the pure enthusiasm in the boy's eyes.

Unconsciously, my heart, which had been dormant and frozen for so long, trembled slightly at this moment.

"……good."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Changkong was the first to freeze in shock.

But Xie Xie didn't care about any of that and went further, climbing up the pole.

"I knew it! Come on, come on, it wasn't a wasted trip! I guarantee this trip wasn't a waste!"

He slapped his thigh excitedly, no longer caring about maintaining a proper demeanor in front of Wu Changkong, and casually grabbed the pot of braised beef, moving the earthenware pot directly in front of himself.

All this talk is actually just Xie Xie wanting to eat it himself.

Because braised beef in a pot is really delicious!

I just ate three or four bowls at the store and it wasn't enough. Most of them were eaten by Tang Wulin, and I couldn't even compete with Gu Yue. The most important thing is that I didn't dare to protest.

(Actually, he was hit by a fireball after protesting.)

Xie Xie picked up a spoon and first served Wu Changkong a bowl, then served himself a bowl.

After finishing, he eagerly licked a spoonful of scalding hot beef, only to be burned and wince in pain. Reluctant to spit it out, he could only mumble:

"Ugh...it's so hot, but it's amazing!"

Wu Changkong looked at the mountain of beef in Xie Xie's bowl, and then at the bland broth in his own bowl, which only contained a few small pieces of beef.

Wu Changkong: "..."

Finally, she sighed helplessly.

Xie Xie's cheeks were bulging from the heat. He breathed on them and smacked his lips contentedly, his eyes narrowed into slits with happiness. He was completely oblivious to Wu Changkong's gaze across from him.

He was so engrossed in eating that a thin layer of sweat had formed on the tip of his nose.

After a soft sigh, Wu Changkong finally scooped up a spoonful of warm soup and brought it to his lips.

The warm broth slid down my throat, carrying a subtle meaty aroma, gradually dispelling the lingering chill in my heart.

She looked up at Xie Xie, who was happily eating across from her, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Wu Changkong picked up his chopsticks, took a small piece of beef from his own bowl, and put it into Xie Xie's bowl.

Her movements were natural, yet they carried a hint of indulgence that she herself was unaware of.

Xie Xie finally raised his head, his mouth still stuffed with meat, and blinked incoherently, "Teacher Wu... Teacher Wu?"

Wu Changkong put down his chopsticks, his expression still cold and indifferent. "I..."

"Oh, Ms. Wu, you should have said you didn't like beef! I love it!"

Xie Xie immediately stood up and unceremoniously scooped all the beef from Wu Changkong's bowl over, stuffing it into his mouth in large mouthfuls.

Wu Changkong looked at his bowl and saw that only clear soup remained.

Wu Changkong: "..."