Li Chang'an ultimately decided not to push things any further. After all, Xiao Wu was still young and naive—just teasing her a little was enough.
"What's with you, Xiao Li?" Xiao Wu tilted her head in confusion. She caught Li Chang'an smiling absentmindedly at her with a strange look in his eyes, and asked with a puzzled expression.
"Ah? Oh, nothing, nothing. Hey, Xiao Wu, want to try some human world cuisine?" Li Chang'an quickly composed himself, putting on a serious face.
"Do you have carrots? I love carrots!" Xiao Wu's eyes sparkled as she nodded excitedly.
"Uh, yeah… that can be arranged." Li Chang'an finally remembered her true identity and made a mental note: he'd better prepare more vegetarian dishes this time—skip the meat.
Since it seemed Er Ming would take a while to return, Li Chang'an wasn't too worried about wasting time. He set up a grill and started barbecuing, but all the ingredients were vegetarian—mushrooms, mixed veggies, and the like.
"Xiao Li, do you think it'll be dangerous if I go to the human world alone?" Xiao Wu skipped over to his side, watching him grill as she asked with a trace of unease in her voice.
Without looking back, Li Chang'an sprinkled some cumin over the skewers and said calmly, "Xiao Wu, remember this—never give anyone your full trust. Most people… aren't as kind as I am."
Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue playfully. "Okay then… when I go to the human world, can I just stay with you?"
Li Chang'an's hand paused for a brief moment, but he didn't miss a beat. He replied evenly, "That might be difficult. There's a Title Douluo in my household—it'd be too easy for you to get exposed. Just stick to your original plan for now. I'll find you when the time is right."
"Aww, okay..." Xiao Wu nodded reluctantly. She had a good impression of Li Chang'an, the first human boy she'd ever interacted with. But if he couldn't take her with him, it left her feeling just a bit disappointed.
Seeing that she dropped the subject, Li Chang'an let out a silent sigh of relief. It looked like things would only get trickier going forward—not just hiding identities, but handling all the conflicts would be a serious challenge.
Still, giving up wasn't an option. Whether it was Bibi Dong or Xiao Wu, he wouldn't abandon either of them.
As he kept adding different seasonings, the skewers began to release an incredibly rich aroma. Beside him, Xiao Wu's mouth was already watering.
"Xiao Li, when can I eat? I'm starving!" she whined.
"When you stop calling me 'Xiao Li' and call me 'big brother Li' instead, I'll let you eat." Li Chang'an remained stone-faced, determined not to give in.
He wasn't joking—if she kept calling him 'Xiao Li' now, what would it be like in the future? Today, he had to establish his authority!
"Big brother Li~" Xiao Wu gave in instantly, calling out with zero shame. Then she squatted by the grill, eyes locked on the skewers in his hand, licking her lips.
"Good girl, here you go." Li Chang'an handed her two skewers that were just cooked, then added:
"Don't eat too many of those. I brought some noodles too—I'm going to make a mushroom broth and cook the noodles for you in it."
"Noodles? Are they tasty?" Xiao Wu asked, clearly unfamiliar with the concept.
"Of course they are! I don't just make tasty noodles—I am tasty too. But you'll find that out in time. For now, just enjoy the noodles I make for you," Li Chang'an said with a straight face, then took a bite of his own skewer.
"Okay! I'll wait for you to give me your noodles then!" Xiao Wu completely missed the double meaning in his words and nodded happily.
...
After finishing the meal and eating a few bites of noodles, Xiao Wu plopped down on the grass, rubbing her full belly. With a carrot still in her mouth to chew on, she let out satisfied little noises.
It was, without a doubt, the most delicious meal she'd ever had. She may have over-eaten, but she was thoroughly content.
Li Chang'an lay down beside her, gazing at the sky. Turning his head toward Xiao Wu, he teased, "So, Xiao Wu, how were my noodles?"
"Mhm! Big brother Li, they were so good! Your noodles with that mushroom broth—absolutely perfect!" Xiao Wu now called him "Big brother Li" with complete ease and zero hesitation.
Li Chang'an was just too good with words. Plus, he cooked like a pro—Xiao Wu, who had never experienced the harshness of the human world, had no defense against him.
"Glad you liked it. Your Big brother Li has even better things for you to try later," Li Chang'an said, looking at her cherry-pink lips.
"Big brother Li, will you protect me in the future?" Xiao Wu suddenly asked.
"Of course. If I won't protect you, who will?" Li Chang'an nodded.
"But I'm a soul beast in human form… What if a Title Douluo tries to kill me?" she asked again.
Li Chang'an folded his arms behind his head and looked up at the clear blue sky. "Then I'll reason with them. And if reasoning doesn't work, I'll reason with my martial spirit!"
"Big brother Li, you're so good to me!" Xiao Wu beamed, her eyes forming little crescents as she laid her head on his.
"Of course! You're my most beloved soul beast—no one else even comes close!" Li Chang'an said solemnly. He wasn't lying. At least for now, setting aside humans, Xiao Wu was definitely the soul beast he cherished the most.
"Oh right, Xiao Wu—can you help me find a soul beast that hasn't broken through the 10,000-year mark? I still need a soul ring to upgrade." Li Chang'an finally remembered the actual reason he came. He'd been too busy flirting to focus on his real goal.
Not all soul beasts can break through that crucial 10,000-year boundary. Many are stuck there and eventually die.
Xiao Wu had seen plenty of soul beast battles in her time. Since Li Chang'an specifically asked for one below that threshold, she was able to accept the idea.
"There's one, but… Big brother Li, are you sure you can absorb it?" Xiao Wu gave him a suspicious look, her head still resting on his.
"Of course I can. Don't you trust me?" Li Chang'an said as he gently pinched her cheek.
"Ah—don't pinch me! Fine, I'll go look. Big brother Li, what type do you want?" Xiao Wu stood up, shaking her scorpion braid as she looked at him.
"An offensive type, preferably one with an attribute," Li Chang'an replied after some thought. His Pangu Axe was best suited for offense. As for other types, maybe he could consider something like the donghuang Bell later.
"Got it! Wait here!" Xiao Wu said, then suddenly pushed off with her legs, leaping into a nearby tree and vanishing into the forest.
Once she was gone, Li Chang'an dusted himself off and started walking toward where Mu Xi was resting.
He'd finished flirting with one girl—now it was time to check on the shy one.
_____
T/N:
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