Tang San moved swiftly. In no time, he came back carrying two fish.
Jiang Chen was a bit surprised—so the kid had gone fishing.
He glanced at the two fish in Tang San's hands and was secretly stunned. Both fish had two tiny holes in their heads, as if something had pierced through them.
"Hidden weapons, most likely," Jiang Chen thought to himself.
Watching Tang San clumsily try to gut the fish, Jiang Chen couldn't help but walk over, curious. His sudden approach startled Tang San, who was sweating buckets and totally focused.
Seeing how awkward Tang San was with the kitchen knife—like a pig trying to use chopsticks—Jiang Chen burst into laughter.
"Let me do it," he said, snatching the knife from Tang San's hand. With practiced ease, he scraped off the scales, slit the belly, cleaned out the innards, removed the gills, and rinsed the fish thoroughly.
Under Tang San's shocked gaze, Jiang Chen completed the whole process in just a few minutes.
"Stunned, aren't you?" Jiang Chen grinned as he looked at the dumbfounded Tang San.
Tang San nodded, but quickly shook his head and muttered inwardly, "What's so special about that?"
"Leave the rest to me. You go prep the ingredients—scallions, ginger, garlic, chili, cooking wine, soy sauce," Jiang Chen ordered as he grabbed the other fish.
But Tang San just stood there, unmoving.
"All that? Isn't it enough to just boil it in water?" he asked in disbelief.
"What do you think? Hurry up," Jiang Chen said, already guessing that Tang San was one of those who didn't know the first thing about good food. If Tang San cooked, even dogs might turn their noses up at it.
From the side, Tang Hao watched the two busy boys with interest.
Well… truth be told, he didn't know how to cook either. Otherwise, he would've stepped in himself.
Soon, Tang San returned with all the ingredients, still skeptical. "Are you sure this will taste good?" he asked.
Jiang Chen just shook his head with a mysterious smile, offering no answer.
Half an hour later…
Tang San shoved a large piece of fish into his mouth. The rich aroma and spicy flavor instantly hit his senses. His eyes lit up.
"So good!" he exclaimed.
Even Tang Hao's eyes sparkled with surprise. He looked at Jiang Chen and said, "Xiao Chen, you should come over to our place more often. Uncle will teach you how to forge iron."
"Forge your iron head," Jiang Chen muttered inwardly. He knew full well that Tang Hao was just tempted by his cooking skills.
Still, dropping by often wasn't a bad idea. After all, he planned to stick close to Tang San and ride his luck in the future. Might as well start building the relationship early.
Just then, Old Jack's voice rang out, "Xiao Chen, are you here?"
Jiang Chen's ears perked up. He rushed to the door and waved at the approaching elder.
"Grandpa, over here!"
Old Jack pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in, grumbling, "You rascal, why'd you run off here? Made me go all the way to your house."
As he drew closer, his nose twitched at the mouthwatering scent in the air. His eyes lit up, and without a second thought, he pushed past Jiang Chen and headed straight in.
"Heh, been busy all morning—just in time for lunch," Old Jack said thick-skinned, grabbing a bowl for himself even though the host hadn't offered yet. He sat right down at the table.
Jiang Chen sat too.
Old Jack picked up a big piece of fish and popped it into his mouth. His eyes gleamed as he nodded repeatedly in approval. Then he suddenly noticed the surprised expressions on Tang San and Tang Hao's faces.
"This fish is great! Eat up, don't be shy," Old Jack said, completely unfazed.
"Grandpa, I made it," Jiang Chen said.
Old Jack's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again as he sighed, "Such a pity about your condition…"
Jiang Chen responded, "Grandpa, the injuries I caused before were due to my martial spirit being out of control. Now that I've awakened it fully, I can control it. You don't have to worry anymore."
Old Jack burst into hearty laughter. "Why didn't you say so earlier, you rascal? Move back home tomorrow—no, tonight! From now on, you're in charge of cooking."
Seeing Tang Hao's envious look, Old Jack narrowed his eyes and barked, "Xiao Chen is mine. Don't even think about stealing him."
Tang Hao looked a bit embarrassed.
Old Jack continued, "Tang Hao, you sly old dog. The moment you saw Xiao Chen awaken such a powerful martial spirit, you immediately brought him home. Trying to cozy up to a future titled Douluo, aren't you?"
Cold sweat trickled down Jiang Chen's back. He secretly broke into a nervous sweat for Old Jack's sake—this man he was mocking was a real, honest-to-goodness Titled Douluo! Did he have a death wish?
But surprisingly, Tang Hao just looked awkward, as if Old Jack had hit the nail on the head.
Jiang Chen quickly smoothed things over, "Grandpa, I was the one who wanted to come over and hang out with Tang San."
Old Jack paused for a moment, then nodded.
"You and Xiao San are the future of our village. You deserve to enjoy yourselves a little."
"But Xiao Chen," he added, "you should really consider joining the Spirit Hall. You know, Spirit Hall is—"
"Uncle Tang, Grandpa, Xiao San—I'm full now. You all take your time eating." Jiang Chen suddenly stood up and darted out the door like a gust of wind.
"Grandpa, I'm heading home to pack. I'll move in with you tonight!"
His voice drifted back from the distance, leaving the people in the house laughing and shaking their heads.
Of course Jiang Chen ran. He knew Old Jack's nagging all too well—once he got started, there was no stopping him. Jiang Chen was sure this whole thing was orchestrated by Su Yuntao, who had clearly enlisted Old Jack to try to talk him into joining Spirit Hall.
Back inside the house, Old Jack continued stuffing his face as he turned to Tang Hao.
"Tang Hao, I'm thinking of sending Xiao San to the Nuoding City Primary Spirit Master Academy."
At that, Tang San's eyes lit up. His ears perked up like a cat's.
"Absolutely not," Tang Hao responded firmly, without hesitation.
Old Jack was immediately angered.
"Do you even understand what becoming a Spirit Master could mean for Xiao San?!…"
—
An argument erupted in Tang San's home. In the end, Old Jack stormed off in a fury. Tang San was left feeling a little down, confused and disappointed by his father's decision—but in the end, he quietly accepted it. He didn't want to upset his father.
After Old Jack left, Tang Hao's anger gradually faded, and his expression softened.
"Xiao San, show me your spirit," he said quietly.
—
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen raced back to his house, bubbling with excitement. Finally, he had time to himself—time to thoroughly examine his martial spirit.
He had just awakened it, and the temptation was impossible to resist. It was like a child getting their dream toy and not wanting to let go for a single moment.
He spent the entire afternoon studying it. Once the novelty wore off, though, he realized something:
Despite how overwhelmingly powerful the zombie spirit had seemed when it awakened, its current performance was... underwhelming.
He had imagined that fusing with his martial spirit would turn him into a one-man army—but in reality, its strength had clearly taken a hit since that flashy awakening.
Worse still, since that very moment, he had been plagued by a vague unease. His right eyelid kept twitching, and it felt as if a massive weight was pressing down on his heart.
It was a feeling he recognized.
The exact same feeling he had when the thunder in the sky had locked onto him during his awakening.
"Damn it… The last bolt missed, and now it wants to try again?"
Jiang Chen was frustrated with the heavens.
Why him? Why was he the one who had to get struck?
He was just a kid!
And now, with his zombie martial spirit clearly weaker than it first appeared, he had no idea if he could survive another divine bolt of lightning.
Suddenly, a thought struck him—Tang Hao, the strongest man in Holy Soul Village.
Yeah… he'd better get on Tang Hao's good side. If the thunder really did come back for him, the only place he could run was straight to Tang Hao's house.