Douluo Continent: Starting with a Tom Cat

"No, Zhuqing, I'd rather run a teahouse. Once I'm strong enough, I'll travel the continent and make a name for myself," Shen An said with a smile.

"Oh, okay." Zhu Zhuqing's delicate face remained as aloof as ever, though her tone was slightly downcast.

-

The teahouse remained open as usual the next day. Today was Tom's piano day, so the number of customers was even greater than usual.

The reputation of the feline pianist has long been known to the public.

Those who haven't experienced it before want to come and see it, while those who have are captivated by Tom's music and will likely return unless they're extremely busy.

People are happy to queue under the sun for most of the day.

It was just past noon when a man and a woman looked on curiously. The boy was dressed in a blue outfit and looked ordinary, the kind of person you wouldn't recognize in a crowd.

On the contrary, the girl next to him didn't seem so ordinary.

The girl's black scorpion braids hung down past her hips, her pretty face was fair with a rosy glow, and she wore a pink top that tightly wrapped her developing figure and her slender waist.

Describing this girl as charming and adorable is absolutely no exaggeration.

Xiao Wu looked curiously at the long queue in front of the door, and then saw the crowd gradually disperse, with many people's faces showing obvious disappointment.

Xiao Wu asked curiously, "Brother, why are there so many people here, and then they suddenly dispersed?"

Tang San looked at her with affection and replied helplessly, "I came with you, how would I know if you didn't know? Let's go, we still need to find a place to stay after we finish eating."

Xiao Wu chuckled and said, "No rush, I'm really curious, I'll just ask someone."

Xiao Wu randomly grabbed an older man on the street and asked, "Excuse me, sir, what were you doing just now?"

The uncle glanced at Xiao Wu and thought to himself, "This girl is quite pretty, but unfortunately she's not as good-looking as the one at the teahouse."

"You must be from out of town."

“Yes, Uncle,” Xiao Wu replied.

The uncle suddenly became interested and boasted:

"No wonder, I told you, this teahouse is no ordinary place. Not only is the tea there unique, but most importantly, the cats there can play the piano."

"Oh my, I once went in for tea and heard it; it was truly heavenly music," the uncle said with a look of rapture.

Xiao Wu immediately became interested: "Brother, let's go try it and see that cat that can play the piano."

Tang San hesitated and said, "Everyone's gone, the shop should be closed. Let's go another time."

Xiao Wu said coquettishly, "No, brother, I'm really curious. Just take me with you. We can spend a little more money. He'll definitely agree to open a business."

Tang San thought about it and realized that made sense. No business would turn away its customers. Since Xiao Wu liked it, he would do as she said.

Tang San believed he had saved a considerable amount of money from working at the blacksmith shop and receiving Soul Master subsidies from the Spirit Hall over the years, giving him confidence in his financial situation.

At this moment, Shen An was tidying up the teahouse. Tom was comfortably lying on his little rattan chair, finally enjoying some peace and quiet. Zhu Zhuqing continued to cultivate upstairs.

"dong dong dong"

With a knock on the door, two people walked in. Shen An, without looking up, said, "The shop is closed. Please come back this afternoon."

"What kind of shop turns away its customers? It's just money, we'll give them a little more," Xiao Wu's voice rang out.

"That's our rule, we regret that we cannot serve you there."

Chapter 29 Conflict and Prevention (Please continue reading) (Please continue reading)

"Brother, look at him, he won't accept any money no matter how much I offer. Can you help me think of a solution?" Xiao Wu said to Tang San in a coquettish tone.

Having spent six years with Tang San, she had long since become dependent on him and believed that he could fulfill all her requests.

Tang San's heart softened when he heard Xiao Wu's coquettish voice, and he decided to speak to the boss himself.

Tang San looked around and saw the price list in the shop. He couldn't help but gasp. The tea in this shop was really expensive. It seemed that the owner was not short of money and would have to find another way.

Tang San looked at Xiao Wu, then at Shen An, and thought, "Although it's not ideal, Xiao Wu really wants it, so I have no other choice."

Without further hesitation, Tang San unleashed his soul power, and two yellow soul rings rose from his feet. Six years had passed since he awakened his martial soul, and his soul power had reached level 29, making him exceptionally outstanding among his peers. His powerful aura enveloped Shen An.

In the Douluo Continent, Soul Masters hold an absolutely revered position. He believed that once he revealed his Soul Master cultivation, things would be much easier.

Shen An felt the powerful soul force and raised his eyebrows. What did this person mean? Was he trying to threaten him?

Ignoring this imposing aura, Shen An said, "So, what do you mean by revealing your spirit ring? Are you trying to scare me?"

The Nine-Leaf Sword Grass instantly appeared in Shen An's hand, its sharp aura colliding with Tang San's imposing presence and suddenly cleaving him in two.

Tang San's expression suddenly changed. This person was incredibly strong, like an incomparably sharp sword. In particular, the martial spirit in his hand was so powerful that just looking at it made one's eyes hurt.

Xiao Wu showed no sign of backing down in the face of this scene. Her temper was such that she always wanted to stir up trouble, and she was completely unaware that she was the one who had provoked first.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm just trying to scare you. If you know what's good for you, have the cat play the piano for me and make me two cups of tea. Otherwise, I'll tear your shop down."

Shen An frowned. What's been going on lately? First, he ran into a spoiled rich girl yesterday, and now he's encountered two idiots.

Upon hearing that someone was going to demolish the shop, Tom immediately stood next to Shen An, glaring at the two in front of him. "How dare you! You actually dare to smash up this Heavenly Emperor's shop!"

A bright yellow-purple spirit ring rose from beneath Shen An's feet, confronting the two people in front of him.

"Hmph! Just a mere first-ring Soul Master."

Two yellow spirit rings also lit up on Xiao Wu's body. So ungrateful! I'll teach you a lesson.

Just as Tang San was hesitating about whether to cause trouble, Xiao Wu had already made her move.

Xiao Wu's eyes glowed with an alluring pink as she stared directly into Shen An's eyes.

This is her second soul skill, Charm, a control-type soul skill that can confuse opponents and slow their movements. Currently, apart from Tang San, who can resist it, it is invincible among those of the same level.

Shen An stared without moving, thinking to himself, "Why is this girl blinking so much? Is she stupid?"

Perhaps due to his transmigration, or perhaps due to his naturally strong mental power, Xiao Wu's charm skills had no effect on Shen An.

Seeing that Shen An was motionless, Xiao Wu assumed that he was bewitched and activated her first skill, "Waist Bow".

Xiao Wu leaped towards Shen An like an arrow, but Shen An calmly held his sword horizontally in the direction of Xiao Wu's attack.

As an ultimate martial soul, the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass has no fancy enhancements whatsoever; its only advantage is its sharpness!

Wherever the sword goes, nothing is insurmountable. Shen An's first soul skill, Chasing Wind and Lightning, had already been activated. In terms of speed, it was even slightly faster than Zhu Zhuqing, let alone Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu's expression changed drastically; her body was frantically warning her. Tang San's expression also instantly darkened. If this person were to harm Xiao Wu, he would definitely kill him.

Xiao Wu bent her body and swooped down, managing to stop in mid-air for a moment. Then, she pushed off the ground with her hands and rolled back to Tang San's side.

"Brother, this guy is not simple. Let's attack him together."

As Xiao Wu was speaking, a sudden gust of wind came from downstairs. It was Zhu Zhuqing, who had rushed over at lightning speed after hearing the commotion downstairs.

Although she didn't know the current situation, the two people in front of her who attacked Shen An were her enemies.

Tom had already quietly gripped his revolver behind his back. How dare they shoot my master! This is too much!

Tom assessed the enemy and friendly numbers: 3 vs 2, the advantage was in his favor!

Just as Shen An was about to give the two people in front of him a good beating on behalf of society, a series of footsteps came.

"Tap Tap"

It was the patrolmen of Soto City who came after hearing the commotion at Shen An's shop.

A patrolman in armor looked around the shop and said, "Mr. Shen, is someone causing trouble in your shop?"

Seeing this, Shen An said, "Brother soldier, yes, these two people came to my shop for no reason and tried to force me to buy something. I refused, and they even tried to beat me up."

"It's clearly you who won't sell us anything, it's not like we won't pay you." Xiao Wu immediately retorted. Tang San gently shook his head at Xiao Wu. Now that the kingdom's patrol soldiers were involved, it was better to keep a low profile.

The patrolman glared at Tang San and Xiao Wu. He had been to Shen An's shop quite often, but these two looked unfamiliar. They must be newcomers from out of town. How dare outsiders be so arrogant?

In Soto City, everyone knows that Boss Shen's milk tea is sold in limited quantities every day, yet these two people still dare to force people to buy it.

Officials must be perceptive. Shen An's shop has almost become a specialty of Soto City, so the patrolmen will definitely side with Shen An. However, they cannot afford to offend the two men who are so young and have the cultivation of Great Soul Masters.

"You've caused trouble without cause and disrupted our operations. According to the kingdom's laws, you'll either be detained for ten days or fined five gold soul coins," the patrolman said coldly.

Tang San's expression was also not good. Five gold soul coins were not a small amount for him, but being detained for ten days was even more unacceptable, especially since he was going to apply for Shrek Academy tomorrow.

Tang San would not have paid any attention to ordinary people, but since the people in front of him were the city guards of the kingdom, he had to bow his head appropriately.

Tang San handed the money to the patrolman expressionlessly: "We accept the punishment. Tang San will remember what happened today. We'll meet again someday."

After saying that, Tang San left with the indignant Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu glared fiercely at Shen An. As the eldest sister of Notting Academy, she had never been treated like this before.

"Hmm? Tang San." Shen An watched the two figures disappear. He never expected to run into the so-called protagonist of Douluo Continent. Unfortunately, this protagonist was a love-struck fool.

Tsk tsk, not only is its cultivation too shallow, being completely outmaneuvered by a 100,000-year-old rabbit, but its personality is also quite wicked.

"Boss Shen, since there's nothing else here, I'll be leaving now." The patrolman casually slipped the gold soul coins into his waistband and bid farewell to Shen An.

Shen An understood perfectly well what this person meant; if he wanted to leave, he would have left long ago, without needing to say a word.

Shen An smiled and said, "Brother soldier, thank you for today. I will be taking a day off tomorrow. If you have time in the future, you are welcome to visit my teahouse more often."

The patrolman nodded in satisfaction upon hearing Shen An's words. This was exactly what he wanted to hear. In the past, he had to queue up, but today he had finally done Shen An a favor.

As the saying goes: "Use the background of the government to build your own connections."

Chapter 30 A Miracle with a Single Draw

Ding! Your existence has been detected and one of the main characters of Douluo Continent has been remembered. Your fame value has increased by 1000.

Ding! Your existence has been detected and remembered by the protagonist of Douluo Continent. Your fame value has increased by 5000.

Shen An stared at the illusory text displayed on his system panel and thought to himself, "Holy crap!"

Clearly, one of the main characters is Xiao Wu, and the destined protagonist is Tang San. Shen An couldn't help but chuckle to himself. People come to his shop to buy milk tea, and if they can't buy it, they threaten him, and if they can't threaten him, they resort to violence.

Finally, the patrolmen arrived, and since they were in the wrong first, why are they holding a grudge against him? What is he trying to do?

Shen An gently shook his head and looked at Zhu Zhuqing beside him. Zhu Zhuqing had faced those two people with him today, and he guessed that even after she entered school, she might not be able to integrate into the story as she did in the original novel.

What to do? In his previous life, online readers had criticized Tang San's character quite a bit. He needed to find a way to remove Zhu Zhuqing from Shrek Academy, otherwise he would be very worried.

Originally, Shen An did not intend to have too much involvement with the main characters, but now that Zhu Zhuqing is around, he has no choice.

Shen An thought to himself, "Never mind, once Zhu Qing enters the academy, we'll all be classmates. Even if there are disagreements, it shouldn't lead to any life-or-death crises."

"Shen An, why did those two start fighting with you?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.

"It's nothing. Those two aren't very bright. But I guess you'll be their classmates in the future, so there's no need to deliberately make things difficult for them."

Shen An brushed it off lightly. He didn't want Zhu Zhuqing to fall out with these people because of him, since he wasn't at Shrek Academy and couldn't take care of Zhu Zhuqing all the time.

"Oh, why are you closing tomorrow?" Zhu Zhuqing had a vague idea but still asked deliberately.

“You’re going to apply for school tomorrow, so of course Tom and I will go with you,” Shen An replied without suspicion.

Zhu Zhuqing turned her face away so Shen An wouldn't see her. Her eyebrows curved like crescent moons, and a beautiful smile bloomed on her usually icy face. She was smiling.

After seeing this, Tom put his paw on his chin and fell into deep thought again. It seems that my future mistress has fallen for her, but why?

Is this the ultimate way to win a girl's heart with the simplest and most unpretentious basic attacks?

Tom looked at Shen An suspiciously as he thought about it. "You, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually know how to do this."

Actually, Tom was overthinking it. Shen An was just treating Zhu Zhuqing like a friend. It's just that this feeling of being cared for and looked after was exactly what Zhu Zhuqing lacked and longed for.

As for Tang San and Xiao Wu, Shen An stopped thinking about them. If one day these two really faced off against him, Shen An wouldn't mind punishing them with his sword.

However, this surge in popularity seems to have already reached 100,000.

Shen An looked at his reputation value, which was just a hair's breadth away from the 100,000 mark. He estimated that he could obtain his second soul ring tonight.

That night, he kept a close eye on his constantly fluctuating fame value in his room, and it finally reached 100,000 at one point.

Shen An's spirits lifted, and without hesitation, he thought to himself, "System, grant me a soul ring!"

The familiar seven-colored light reappeared, as if boundless and endless energy enveloped Shen An; this was the purest energy.

Seven-colored light surged into his body. Shen An focused his mind and absorbed it with all his might. The white soul ring appeared in an instant and quickly turned into a bright yellow, with purple tinges within the bright yellow.

The purple hue deepens gradually, becoming more intense.

Shen An could clearly sense that his body was already saturated with the energy it could absorb, but he was still trying to draw every last bit of energy until it filled his body.

Shen An is now like a container. Even though it is already full of pebbles, Shen An still wants to add sand and water to make sure the container is full or even overflows.