Tang San moved very quickly. In no time at all, he returned carrying two fish.
Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that this kid, Tang San, had actually gone to catch fish.
He glanced at the two fish in Tang San's hands and was secretly shocked. There were two tiny holes on each fish's head, as if they had been pierced by something.
"Should be hidden weapons," Jiang Chen thought to himself.
Watching Tang San clumsily gutting the fish, Jiang Chen curiously leaned over, startling Tang San, who was already sweating profusely and concentrating intensely.
Seeing Tang San holding the kitchen knife like he was holding a hoof, Jiang Chen immediately laughed.
"Let me do it." He snatched the kitchen knife from Tang San's hand and deftly scaled the fish, gutted it, removed the gills, and rinsed it clean.
Under Tang San's stunned gaze, Jiang Chen completed the whole performance in just a few minutes.
"Dumbstruck, huh?" Seeing Tang San's dazed expression, Jiang Chen said happily.
Tang San nodded, but then quickly shook his head and pursed his lips, thinking to himself: "What's so great about that?"
"Leave it to me. You go prepare the ingredients: green onion, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, cooking wine, and soy sauce."
Jiang Chen spoke while grabbing the other fish, but Tang San stood there without moving.
"So many things? Can't we just boil it in water and eat it?" Tang San asked in surprise.
"What did you think? Hurry up and prepare them." Jiang Chen urged him. With one look, he could tell Tang San was someone who didn't know how to eat properly. If he let Tang San cook, even a dog probably wouldn't want to eat it.
Tang Hao stood to the side, watching the two busy little figures with interest.
…Well, actually, he didn't know how to cook either, otherwise he would have done it himself.
Tang San gathered all the ingredients and looked at Jiang Chen suspiciously. "Are you sure this will be edible?"
Jiang Chen shook his head and smiled without speaking.
…
Half an hour later, Tang San put a large piece of fish into his mouth. The rich aroma, combined with the spiciness of the chili, instantly made him feel invigorated. "So fragrant!"
Tang Hao's eyes also lit up. He looked at Jiang Chen in surprise and said, "Little Chen, come over to Uncle's place more often in the future. Uncle will teach you how to play with iron."
"Play with your iron egg!" Jiang Chen grumbled inwardly. He knew Tang Hao was just coveting his cooking skills.
Still, coming over often was fine. After all, he had already decided to follow Tang San in the future and share in Tang San's destiny. He needed to build a good relationship early.
At that moment, Old Jack's voice came from outside: "Little Chen, are you here?"
Jiang Chen's ears twitched. He rushed to the doorway and waved at Old Jack, who was walking over.
"Grandpa, over here!"
Old Jack pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in, complaining, "You little rascal, why did you run over here? You made me go all the way to your house looking for you."
As soon as he got close, his nose twitched a few times. He immediately smelled the enticing aroma of food. His old eyes lit up, and he pushed Jiang Chen aside at the door and strode in.
"Hehe, I've been busy all morning, and I'm starving." Old Jack was extremely thick-skinned. Without even being invited by the host, he grabbed a bowl, served himself a full portion of rice, and sat down at the table.
Jiang Chen also sat down.
Old Jack picked up a large piece of meat and put it in his mouth, praising it continuously. Then he suddenly noticed the somewhat stunned Tang San father and son.
"This fish is good. Eat up, don't be shy." Old Jack didn't feel embarrassed at all.
"Grandpa, I'm the one who cooked this," Jiang Chen said.
Old Jack's eyes brightened, but they quickly dimmed again. He sighed and said, "What a pity about your illness."
Jiang Chen said, "Grandpa, the harm I caused everyone before was because of my martial soul inside me. Now that my martial soul has awakened, I can control it freely. So you don't have to worry anymore."
Old Jack immediately burst into loud laughter: "You little brat, why didn't you say so earlier? Tomorrow, no tonight, move back home! From now on, cooking will be your responsibility."
Seeing Tang Hao's envious gaze from the side, Old Jack glared at him: "Little Chen is mine. Don't you dare have any crooked ideas."
Tang Hao looked somewhat awkward.
Old Jack continued: "Tang Hao, you sly old fox. The moment you saw Little Chen awaken a powerful martial soul, you immediately brought him to your house. Are you trying to cozy up to a future Title Douluo?"
Jiang Chen broke out in cold sweat, secretly feeling nervous for Old Jack. This man was a genuine Title Douluo! How could you mock him like that? Are you tired of living?
But Tang Hao looked as if his thoughts had been exposed, feeling so embarrassed he couldn't speak.
Jiang Chen quickly tried to smooth things over: "Grandpa, I'm the one who wanted to come play at Tang San's house."
Old Jack was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "You and Little San are both the future hopes of our village. You should play together more."
"But Little Chen, you should consider joining the Spirit Hall. You know, Spirit Hall is…"
"Uncle Tang, Grandpa, Little San, I'm full. You guys eat slowly." Jiang Chen stood up and ran out like a wisp of smoke.
"Grandpa, I'm going home first to pack my things. I'll move back tonight and live with you…" Jiang Chen's voice drifted back from far away, leaving the people in the room crying and laughing helplessly.
How could Jiang Chen not run? He knew Old Jack's nagging personality too well. Once he started talking, he would go on forever. Jiang Chen was sure that Su Yuntao must have asked Old Jack to be the persuader.
Inside the house, Old Jack continued to eat big mouthfuls while looking at Tang Hao: "Tang Hao, I plan to send Little San to study at the Notting City Junior Soul Master Academy."
Hearing this, Tang San's eyes lit up and his ears perked up.
"No way!" Tang Hao's answer was very firm.
Old Jack became angry: "Do you know what it means for Little San to become a soul master? …"
…
An argument broke out in Tang San's home. The result was that Old Jack left in a huff. Tang San felt somewhat depressed. He couldn't understand his father's decision at all, but he could only silently accept it. He didn't want to make his father sad.
After Old Jack left, the anger on Tang Hao's face gradually faded. His expression softened: "Little San, let me see your martial soul…"
…
Jiang Chen excitedly ran back to his own home. Finally, he had some time to himself. Now he could carefully study his own martial soul.
Having just awakened his martial soul, this temptation was impossible for him to resist. It was like a child who had just received his favorite toy and couldn't bear to put it down for even a moment all day.
After studying it for the entire afternoon, the novelty wore off.
This zombie martial soul had seemed so impressive when it first awakened; he had thought that once possessed by the martial soul, he would directly become invincible. But in reality, its power was quite limited.
Moreover, ever since his martial soul awakened, he had been feeling restless. His right eyelid kept twitching, as if a huge mountain was constantly pressing down on his heart.
This feeling was not unfamiliar to him. It was the same sensation he had when the heavenly thunder had locked onto him during his martial soul awakening.
"Damn it! It didn't strike me to death last time, and now it wants to come again?"
Jiang Chen felt somewhat angry toward the heavens. Why did it want to strike him?
He was still just a child!
Now that the strength of this zombie martial soul was obviously much weaker than what it had shown during awakening, he didn't know whether he could withstand the heavenly lightning if it came again.
Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. He thought of the strongest person in Holy Soul Village: Tang Hao.
It seemed he really needed to build a good relationship with Tang Hao. If the lightning came again, he could only run to Tang Hao's house for protection.