Just as Wang Feng was about to take a bite of his grilled fish, a sudden voice called out.
"That smells amazing!"
A surprised shout echoed. The voice was clear and pleasant, prompting both boys to turn toward its source.
They looked toward the direction of the voice and saw two people walking along the riverbank.
Leading the way was a young girl, seemingly around fifteen or sixteen years old, with long black hair tied into a ponytail behind her. She wore a light blue outfit that made her appear youthful and fresh.
She had large, lively almond-shaped eyes, a high nose bridge, and an oval face that was nearly flawless. Her beautiful face showed a hint of surprise as she stared at Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.
Behind her was a boy who appeared to be about the same age. He was tall and slender, with short dark-purple hair that shimmered like gemstones under the sunlight.
Though he looked about the same age as Huo Yuhao, his temperament was quite different. He seemed graceful, with a lazy yet gentle smile on his handsome face. One hand was resting behind his head as he stared at Huo Yuhao with interest—but he was looking at the boy, not the grilled fish.
The girl leading the way took a few quick steps forward and rushed to stand in front of Huo Yuhao, who was grilling the fish. Her mouth watered as she clasped her hands under her chin and said, "Little brother, would you be willing to sell this grilled fish? It smells so good. How did you make it?"
The pretty girl spoke as she looked eagerly at the grilled fish still in Huo Yuhao's hands.
Huo Yuhao looked at their clothes and demeanor and could tell they weren't ordinary people. Then, seeing the girl's greedy expression, he said, "It's just a small thing. No need to buy it. I'll treat you."
As he said this, he handed the grilled fish in his hands to the girl.
The girl cheered, "Thank you, little brother! I won't be shy about it."
As she spoke, she reached out to take the grilled fish from Huo Yuhao, then sat down on the opposite side of Wang Feng, eating it with her mouth full while exclaiming, "So hot!"
The young man who had been walking with the girl had now approached. He looked at her helplessly and then said to Wang Feng and Huo Yuhao, "Sorry, my Xiaoya can be a bit rude."
Wang Feng waved his hand and said, "It's fine, it's fine. When traveling the world, it's only natural to meet new friends."
After hearing Wang Feng's words, the boy—Beibei—smiled warmly at him.
Huo Yuhao, who was standing nearby, first handed another grilled fish to Wang Feng, then passed one to Beibei as well, saying, "Brother, you should have one too."
Beibei smiled and said, "A real man doesn't take what others love. Little brother, haven't you eaten yet? Go ahead and eat it yourself."
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "It's alright, I can grill more." As he spoke, he stood up and handed the fish to Beibei.
With practiced ease, he placed three more fish on the grill and continued cooking.
After receiving the fish, the boy smiled gently and said, "My name is Beibei, and the young lady's name is Tang Ya. Little brothers, what are your names?"
"My name is Huo Yuhao," Huo Yuhao answered seriously while tending the grill.
"My name is Wang Feng," Wang Feng replied while munching on his grilled fish.
Beibei sat down next to Tang Ya. His movements while eating the grilled fish were much more elegant than Tang Ya's. At the very least, his hands weren't covered in oil.
As the second fish finished grilling, Tang Ya was already eagerly waiting. Under Beibei's helpless gaze, she still took one.
However, this time Beibei refused to eat more and gestured for Huo Yuhao to eat first. Huo Yuhao was already hungry, so he continued grilling the fish and ate it himself.
Even though the seasoning was just basil and salt, the grilled fish tasted extremely delicious. Although there were nearly thirty fish in total—which was not a small amount—there were too many people, and with the efforts of the four of them, the fish were quickly gone.
"So tasty! I've never had grilled fish this good. Little brother Huo Yuhao, how about I hire you as a chef? Okay?" Tang Ya lay lazily on the grass, stretching out in satisfaction. She was completely unaware that her curvaceous figure was on full display. Beibei scratched his head as he looked at her, powerless to do anything.
"Do you even have money, Master Xiaoya?" Beibei poured cold water on her dream.
"Hmph!! Don't say such unpleasant things!!" Tang Ya pouted at Beibei.
They rested for a while. After a moment, Huo Yuhao spoke first.
Huo Yuhao stood up and said, "Brother Wang, Brother Bei, Sister Tang, since we've finished eating, I'll be leaving now."
Tang Ya said, "Xiao Yuhao, this place is on the outskirts of the Great Star Dou Forest where soul beasts roam. It's really dangerous. Where are you planning to go?"
But Huo Yuhao just shook his head and didn't answer.
After looking at Wang Feng again, he smiled and waved at the three of them. Then he turned and walked away under Tang Ya and Beibei's surprised gazes.
"Is he heading into the Great Star Dou Forest?" Tang Ya asked thoughtfully, watching the direction Huo Yuhao had gone.
Beibei shook his head and said, "I'm not sure. Although I faintly sensed that he has soul power, it's very weak. Judging by his appearance, he seems to be alone. That's definitely a bit strange."
Wang Feng frowned. Although he had only just met Huo Yuhao, he could tell that Yuhao was a good person. However, in his opinion, Huo Yuhao's strength was too weak. Though it sounded harsh, Wang Feng felt that Huo Yuhao would have trouble even defeating a ten-year-old soul beast. He was worried that if Yuhao entered the Star Dou Forest, he might be killed by a beast.
Wang Feng decided to follow him for a while, just in case Huo Yuhao ran into danger.
Without further hesitation, Wang Feng stood up. "Well then, I'll be heading off too, Sister Tang, Brother Bei," he said, heading in the same direction as Huo Yuhao.
"Alright, take care, Brother Wang," Tang Ya said, bidding him farewell.
Tang Ya licked her lips and said, "Hey, what do you think about recruiting him into our Tang Sect?"
Beibei said disapprovingly, "You don't want to recruit someone just because they make good grilled fish, do you?"
Tang Ya was immediately flustered, her pretty face turning red, and she stuck her tongue out at Beibei.
Beibei said, "This little brother Huo definitely has some life experience. Just by looking into his eyes, you can tell he's far more mature than his peers. I just don't know what his talent is."
Tang Ya's face lit up with excitement, and she said, "So, you agree?"
Beibei gave a wry smile and said, "Miss Tang Ya, Grand Master of the Tang Sect, before you recruited me, the Tang Sect only had you. Since your ambition is to strengthen the Tang Sect, of course you should recruit suitable people. This brother Huo seems calm and collected. If he has decent talent, he could be a good candidate. Judging by his clothes, his family background doesn't seem that great. Our Tang Sect can only recruit disciples like that for now. As for Brother Wang, I can't judge him yet, but from the fluctuation of his soul power, he seems to be quite strong."
Tang Ya looked at Beibei with curiosity and said, "I didn't expect you to be so sly."
Beibei stood up, dusted off his clothes, and said, "This is called being smart—or wise, if you prefer. I'll accept that. Let's go. After eating so much grilled fish, whether we recruit them into the Tang Sect or not, we should at least protect them for now, to prevent them from running into soul beasts and getting hurt."
Tang Ya also stood up, grinned, and said, "You're smart for once—because we're thinking the same thing. I'm recruiting them. Let's go!"