After laughing their hearts out, Emperor Xue Ye called over a maid to bring Prince Xue Xing a dry towel to wipe his face clean, which finally improved his mood a bit.
"Imperial Brother, when you said my luck was good today—you weren't kidding. I really did have quite the stroke of fortune. On the way back with my guards, I encountered two Titled Douluo."
"From the looks of them, they seemed unfamiliar—definitely not from the three upper sects. I wonder if we might have the chance to win them over as royal enforcers. If we could…"
"Oh? Two unfamiliar Titled Douluo?" Emperor Xue Ye's eyes lit up at the news, but his brows quickly furrowed with concern.
"They're not from Spirit Hall or the Star Luo Empire, are they? If they are, there's no way we could recruit them."
He sighed softly. He, too, longed to draw two Titled Douluo into the royal fold. If it were possible, he wouldn't even hesitate to offer up the empire's national treasures.
Prince Xue Xing, unwilling to give up so easily, suggested in a tentative tone:
"Not necessarily. We can always investigate. If they have no ties to Spirit Hall or Star Luo, then we could give it a try."
"If we succeed, our imperial family's foundation would grow significantly stronger. Don't you think so, Imperial Brother?"
Emperor Xue Ye fell silent. He understood all too well the benefits of having Titled Douluo serve the royal family. If they could bring in two at once—it would be perfect.
Eventually, he nodded and ordered his people to investigate any strong individuals who entered the city in the afternoon, focusing on possible Titled Douluo.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ling had already brought Ah Yin and Bo Saixi into Heaven Dou City and was waiting eagerly for food in a restaurant.
As Titled Douluo, Zhao Ling and Bo Saixi didn't require much food. But Ah Yin was a different story. She hadn't eaten since the previous evening and was practically starving.
Zhao Ling had a store of low-level spirit beasts hunted in Sunset Forest in his storage space, but the trio decided against roasting meat outside the city gates. Now that they were in the city, why not enjoy a meal in a well-decorated and mouth-watering restaurant?
So they picked a place that looked refined and upscale, with dishes full of color, fragrance, and flavor.
Finally, a waiter arrived pushing a cart loaded with soy-braised pork knuckle, a whole roasted lamb, and a roasted duck. The enticing aroma made Ah Yin's eyes glisten with hunger.
Zhao Ling picked up his chopsticks and placed half of the pork knuckle into Ah Yin's bowl. He looked at her with indulgent eyes and said softly:
"Here, try this soy-braised knuckle. I bet you've never had anything like it."
Of course, Zhao Ling hadn't tried it either. Since arriving in the Douluo world, he'd mostly been in hiding. But in his past life, he'd eaten countless versions of this dish, so he wasn't particularly excited.
Ah Yin didn't stand on ceremony. She immediately dug in, chewing eagerly. As soon as she tasted the tender, bouncy meat, her eyes lit up.
She looked like a cute little hamster, happily nibbling away. Her fair little feet swung playfully beneath the table—she was clearly overjoyed.
Zhao Ling then sliced off a lamb leg and placed it on a plate beside her, reminding her gently, "Eat slowly, no need to rush."
Bo Saixi, watching curiously, reached out with her chopsticks to take the other half of the pork knuckle—but Zhao Ling's chopsticks were faster. He snatched it up first, and her heart instantly sank.
So she really was an outsider, huh? Half went to Ah Yin, and the other half—obviously for Zhao Ling himself.
Forget it. She told herself to eat something else. Despite her disappointment, she tried to keep her expression neutral.
But then, the other half of the knuckle landed in her bowl, accompanied by Zhao Ling's gentle voice:
"Saixi, you should try this too. You're from that place called Sea God Island, right?"
"They say you live off the sea, so you must eat mostly seafood. I doubt you've ever tasted anything like this. Try the lamb too—it's definitely tastier than seafood."
Bo Saixi stared in surprise at the pork knuckle and lamb leg in front of her, momentarily speechless.
Her feelings for Zhao Ling surged like a tide, and she couldn't take her eyes off him. At the same time, her attachment to Tang Chen weakened once again.
Ah Yin, still munching away like a little hamster, couldn't help but giggle inwardly. Looks like this Saixi-jiejie was bound to fall for her husband eventually.
Seeing Bo Saixi's dazed gaze, Zhao Ling flicked her lightly on the forehead.
"Pretty girl, focus on your food. Don't just stare like that. Do I have something written on my face? Am I really that good-looking?"
But right after flicking her, Zhao Ling froze. Wait… wasn't that a little too intimate? That kind of gesture was usually reserved for couples. And he just did it to a woman he'd only recently met. Was she going to get mad and fight him?
Bo Saixi was stunned too. She never expected such a gesture—one only shared between lovers.
But strangely enough, she didn't feel offended. On the contrary, a shy sweetness blossomed in her heart.
She's lost it—completely. Bo Saixi buried her face in her pork knuckle, her snowy-white cheeks turning bright red.
She had spaced out over the same man multiple times. And now, even his light flick on her forehead felt intimate.
She wasn't like this before. Not even with Tang Chen had she ever been this close.
Zhao Ling… this scoundrel… what spell did he cast on her?
Why couldn't she look away from him? Why didn't she feel the least bit uncomfortable about his affectionate gestures?
Worst of all, she now felt like her feelings for Zhao Ling had surpassed those she'd harbored for Tang Chen.
That was strange.
She'd liked Tang Chen for so long, even though he never treated her as gently or attentively as Zhao Ling did.
If not for Tang Chen's obliviousness, they might have already been together.
And yet now, in less than a week since meeting Zhao Ling, she barely recognized herself.
She even began to wonder—was she really just a fickle-hearted, unfaithful bad woman?