The doors of the stadium opened.
Leo stepped outside with the others as the enormous crowd surrounding the venue erupted into cheers.
The singing competition had finally ended.
Five years had passed since the great battle that had changed the world, and the heroes of the World Martial Art had become famous across the planet.
Fans were packed behind the barriers.
"LEO!"
"CHENWEI!"
"YUNA!"
"OUR IDOL!"
"WIND TEMPLE GUARDIAN!"
"PLEASE, GIVE ME A CHANCE TO PROPOSE!"
"OUR RAP QUEEN!"
Airi Kazehana, the Wind Temple Guardian, walked out proudly.
She raised both hands.
"WOOOOOO!"
The crowd became even louder.
Airi looked around with sparkling eyes.
"Wow! This is amazing!"
She placed a hand against her chest.
"I don't even get this much respect in Cloud City!"
Leo looked at her.
"That's probably a good thing."
Airi immediately turned toward him.
"HEY!"
Leo ignored her.
"Anyway..."
He looked around.
"I'm hungry."
Chenwei sighed.
"You're always hungry."
Leo looked at him seriously.
"Let's go eat dumplings."
Chenwei blinked.
"Dumplings?"
"Momo."
Leo's eyes immediately lit up.
"I want momo."
Chenwei laughed.
"Bro, I know you love momo, but we're in China. You aren't going to find Nepal-level momo here."
Leo crossed his arms.
"Hmm."
"You'll find plenty of other dumplings, though. Meat buns, steamed buns, pork dishes, sweet-and-sour ribs, noodles, rice and all kinds of stuff."
Leo stared at him.
"Your country has incredible technology."
Chenwei smiled proudly.
Leo continued.
"But when it comes to food..."
He paused dramatically.
"...you're still disappointing me."
Chenwei's smile disappeared.
"Why are you insulting my entire country because you want momo?"
Yuna burst out laughing.
"Leo hasn't changed at all."
The group started walking through the streets of Shanghai.
The city was bright and crowded. Huge buildings surrounded the streets while restaurants and food stalls filled the sidewalks. The smell of different foods drifted through the evening air.
Leo casually put an arm around Chenwei's shoulders.
"Hey, brother."
"What?"
Leo looked at him.
"Your kid."
Chenwei frowned.
"What about my kid?"
"When is the kid coming?"
Chenwei immediately became embarrassed.
"What are you talking about?"
Yuna laughed.
"Leo, don't start."
Leo grinned.
"Come on. You know your husband."
Chenwei sighed.
"Why are you asking me about children when you're the one who already has one?"
Leo shrugged.
"I already have Leon. I'm experienced."
Chenwei stared at him.
"That makes absolutely no sense."
Yuna laughed again.
Then she suddenly remembered something.
"Actually, Leo..."
Leo turned toward her.
"Yeah?"
"You remember how much you helped us in Volume 1?"
Leo smiled.
"Of course."
Chenwei's expression immediately changed.
"Don't."
Yuna continued.
"When Chenwei and I were dating, you were helping him prepare to propose to me."
Leo nodded.
"Yeah."
Yuna looked at her husband.
"And this idiot still couldn't do it."
Chenwei covered his face.
"Please stop."
Leo started laughing.
"You were completely hopeless!"
"I was nervous!"
"You were standing there for so long that I thought you'd forgotten why you were there."
Yuna smiled.
"And eventually I had to take the initiative myself."
Leo nodded.
"That's right."
He pointed at Chenwei.
"This guy was supposed to propose with my help."
Chenwei groaned.
"But you were hiding in a bush!"
Leo immediately defended himself.
"I was providing moral support!"
"You were sitting in a bush with a disappointed face!"
"Because you were failing!"
Yuna laughed.
"I still remember Leo's expression."
Leo looked embarrassed.
"I was expecting something dramatic."
Chenwei pointed at him.
"And then you got your wish."
Leo nodded.
"Because Yuna had to save the whole situation."
Yuna smiled.
"That is why I married him."
Chenwei sighed.
"I'll never hear the end of this."
Leo suddenly laughed.
"Wait."
Chenwei looked suspicious.
"What?"
"You remember what happened after that?"
Chenwei immediately looked at Leo.
"No."
Leo's smile disappeared.
"Don't say it."
Chenwei began laughing.
"You remember when we were walking home after the proposal?"
Leo looked away.
"Chenwei..."
"You were drunk."
"I don't remember anything."
"You saw a streetlight."
Leo covered his face.
"Oh no."
Chenwei pointed toward him.
"And you walked up to the pole and said..."
He imitated Leo.
"'Hey... wanna come with me?'"
Yuna burst out laughing.
Airi nearly fell over.
Leo's face turned completely red.
Chenwei continued.
"And then I tapped you on the head and told you..."
He paused dramatically.
"'Bro, that's an electric pole.'"
Everyone started laughing.
Leo slowly looked toward Lily.
"Please."
Lily was already laughing.
Leo put his hands together.
"Please, don't remind me."
Chenwei laughed even harder.
"You were trying to date a streetlight!"
Leo shouted.
"I WAS DRUNK!"
Lily shook her head.
"You're unbelievable."
Leo sighed.
"Please forget that day."
Chenwei patted his shoulder.
"Never."
Leo looked at him.
"Anyway, I have a wife now."
Lily smiled.
"And a son."
Leo nodded proudly.
"And a son."
Then he looked at Chenwei.
"And soon your kid will have a rival."
Chenwei stared at him.
"You're already planning their rivalry?"
"Of course."
Yuna smiled.
"You two are impossible."
Lily suddenly looked at Leo.
"Speaking of impossible..."
Leo turned toward her.
"What?"
"You left high school during your third year because of martial arts and tournaments."
Leo scratched his cheek.
"Yeah."
"And even now, you still don't understand how wealthy your family actually is."
Leo shrugged.
"I never cared about money."
Lily looked at him.
"You really are strange."
Leo became slightly quieter.
"My grandfather raised me."
He looked toward the city.
"I don't remember much about my parents."
He paused.
"I only know that my mother knew you."
Lily nodded.
"Our parents were close."
Leo smiled.
"That's why our marriage was arranged when we were young."
Lily blinked.
"I don't remember that."
Leo laughed awkwardly.
"But our families were already talking about us."
He looked at Lily.
"Then we met during the World Martial Art Tournament."
Lily smiled.
"Yeah."
The two looked at each other for a moment.
Chenwei immediately stepped between them.
"Okay."
Leo blinked.
"What?"
"This is a public street."
Lily laughed.
Chenwei pointed at both of them.
"Please remember that the rest of us are still here."
Leo raised his hands.
"Okay, okay."
He looked around.
"Now where's the dumpling shop?"
Chenwei pointed ahead.
"Over there."
Leo's eyes immediately lit up.
"Finally!"
They entered the restaurant.
Leo sat down and immediately called the waiter.
"One plate of momo, please."
The waiter looked confused.
"Momo?"
"Yes."
"And one plate of chowmein."
Chenwei laughed.
"You really can't leave Nepal behind."
Leo smiled.
"Why would I?"
Everyone began ordering their own food.
Chenwei ordered sweet-and-sour ribs, rice, and several other dishes.
Yuna chose her meal.
Lily ordered something she liked.
Airi casually sat down.
"One coffee."
The waiter nodded.
"Of course."
A few moments later, the table began filling with coffee.
Latte.
Mocha.
Milk coffee.
Flavored coffee.
Different varieties appeared one after another.
Airi stared at the table.
"...What?"
The waiter smiled.
"You ordered coffee."
Airi pointed at the collection.
"I ordered ONE coffee!"
The waiter looked confused.
"You didn't specify which one."
Airi grabbed one cup.
"I just wanted coffee!"
She looked at the others.
"Why are there so many?!"
Leo started laughing.
Airi crossed her arms.
"Thousands of years ago, coffee was simple!"
She pointed toward the cups.
"Black coffee. Milk coffee. That's it!"
She looked around at the modern restaurant.
"Now there are endless choices!"
Leo took a bite of momo.
"Welcome to the future."
Airi glared at him.
"Don't make fun of me."
Leo smiled.
Then he took another bite.
The momo wasn't exactly the same as the momo he knew from Nepal.
But it was still good.
He slowly relaxed.
For a few moments, the noise around him disappeared.
The tournament.
The cameras.
The battles.
The enemies.
Everything disappeared.
There was only the food.
Leo smiled quietly.
"...Not bad."
Lily noticed his expression.
She smiled.
Then her expression became slightly sad.
"Leo."
"Hm?"
"I miss Leon."
Leo stopped eating.
Lily looked down at her food.
"He's already five."
She smiled softly.
"We should've brought him with us."
Leo nodded.
"Yeah."
"I miss him running around and shouting, 'Papa! Papa!'"
Leo laughed.
"Me too."
He looked down at his plate.
"It's strange."
Lily looked at him.
"What?"
"I used to think peace meant having nothing to worry about."
He smiled.
"But now I think peace is having people you miss when they're far away."
Lily smiled.
"I really miss our little family."
Leo nodded.
"Me too."
Chenwei watched them.
"Man... look at this happy family."
He sighed dramatically.
"I don't even have a kid yet."
Leo immediately turned toward Yuna.
"Yuna."
Yuna blinked.
"What?"
Leo pointed at Chenwei.
"Give this guy a kid."
Yuna's face immediately turned red.
"LEO!"
Chenwei grabbed his forehead.
"WHY ARE YOU ASKING MY WIFE?!"
Leo laughed.
"I'm just helping!"
Yuna covered her face.
"You're making everything more embarrassing!"
Airi started laughing loudly.
"HAHAHAHA! I LOVE THIS GROUP!"
The entire table burst into laughter.
Lily looked at Airi.
"Wait."
Airi stopped laughing.
"What?"
Lily tilted her head.
"I've actually been wondering something for a long time."
Airi looked confused.
"What?"
Lily asked:
"Can you Guardians actually have children?"
The table became quiet.
Airi blinked.
"Huh?"
Lily continued.
"I mean physically. Do you need a partner, or can you create a child through your spiritual power?"
Airi thought for a moment.
"Hmm..."
She placed a finger against her chin.
"Well, it's not that we can't fall in love."
She paused.
"And it's not that we can create children without any physical process."
The others listened.
"But we do have another possibility."
Airi placed a hand against her stomach.
"Through our spiritual power, a Guardian can create a child within herself."
Chenwei raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
Airi nodded.
"But that child wouldn't have another person's DNA mixed with ours."
"It would be created from our own bloodline and spiritual energy."
Lily looked surprised.
"So... no father?"
"Not necessarily."
Airi shrugged.
"Our mother was different."
She became more thoughtful.
"Thousands of years ago, our mother fell in love and had us."
She looked around the table.
"We can also fall in love."
"But our duty is different."
"We have to maintain balance in the world."
Airi smiled.
"That's why none of us really pursued romance."
She pointed at herself.
"And honestly..."
She laughed.
"I'm probably the worst person here to ask about romance."
Leo immediately nodded.
"Definitely."
Airi pointed at him.
"HEY!"
Leo laughed.
"So theoretically, if you wanted a son or daughter someday, you could have one through your own spiritual bloodline?"
Airi nodded.
"Exactly."
Leo smiled.
"That's actually pretty amazing."
Airi took a sip of coffee.
"Thank you."
Then she looked at the enormous coffee selection.
"Now please explain why modern civilization has seventeen kinds of coffee."
Everyone laughed again.
Outside the restaurant, the lights of Shanghai continued shining.
Inside, the heroes of the World Martial Art sat together like ordinary friends.
And for Leo, that was enough.
For one evening, there was no need to be the strongest.
No need to save anyone.
He could simply eat momo.
He could laugh with Lily.
He could tease Chenwei.
He could listen to Yuna.
And he could remember the ridiculous story of a streetlight that he once tried to take on a date.
Author's Note
So, guys... I'm sorry, but today I'm only going to be able to upload Volume 3 Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.
So, yes...
This will be the last chapter of this month.
For the next 18 days, I won't be able to upload a new chapter because my salary hasn't arrived yet.
And honestly, expecting payment from WebNovel right now would be useless. 😂
I'm still doing my stupid security job, and until my salary arrives, even keeping my phone recharged is going to be difficult for those 18 days.
So please adjust with me for a little while.
I'll come back as soon as I can.
The chapter has ended, but we'll remember it someday from another corner of a new universe.