Before long, Xie Xie's shoulders stopped trembling.
He slowly straightened up, wiped away the remaining tear stains from his face with a tissue, took a deep breath, and tried to make his voice sound steady: "Thank you."
Xie Xie's gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally resting on Gu Yue. A forced smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Gu Yue, what you just said... is it true?"
Gu Yue glanced at Xie Xie indifferently: "When have I ever lied?"
She turned to look at Fang Yang, "Fang Yang will pay."
Tang Wulin, standing nearby, blinked and interjected somewhat awkwardly: "Um... shouldn't I be treating this meal?"
Fang Yang smiled and shook his head, patting Tang Wulin's shoulder: "It's alright, Wu Lin, let me handle it this time."
Finally, after they all finished their stewed beef, Fang Yang walked to the counter and paid the bill.
As the four left the stewed beef restaurant, Uncle Li watched their retreating figures, a relieved smile on his face. "That child Xie Xie... he has friends now, that's wonderful!"
He murmured softly, his voice full of emotion.
After leaving the stewed beef restaurant, the four discussed and decided to go to the snack street to continue their culinary journey.
The snack street was bustling with people, and various aromas intertwined.
At the salt-grilled shrimp stall, fresh large shrimps were skewered on bamboo sticks, sizzling on the charcoal fire. Sprinkled with salt, they emitted an enticing aroma, simple yet full of the fresh taste of the ocean.
The fire-roasted Soft Bones Rabbit was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with delicious meat; the deep-fried Blue Silver Grass was golden and crispy, with a unique flavor...
Tang Wulin fully demonstrated his foodie nature, eating from one end of the street to the other, trying every snack.
His cheeks were puffed out, but his eyes were still searching for the next target, amusing the other three.
"Oh, I'm so full," Tang Wulin said, patting his stomach.
Xie Xie looked at him helplessly: "Wu Lin, you clearly can't eat that much, but you're still forcing yourself."
Tang Wulin scratched his head awkwardly: "I can't help it, these snacks are just too delicious."
Fang Yang, holding Gu Yue's delicate hand, joked: "Gu Yue, you were the one who told me to treat, do you have any compensation?"
Gu Yue's beautiful eyes swirled, looking at Fang Yang with a half-smile: "What compensation do you want?"
Fang Yang pretended to ponder, then smiled and said: "Let me hug you for a while."
"Alright... alright."
Gu Yue's cheeks flushed slightly, thinking of something.
Xie Xie and Tang Wulin tacitly turned around, pretending to be deeply interested in the delicacies at a nearby stall.
They didn't want to be blinded by Fang Yang and Gu Yue's sweet interaction.
However, the corner of Tang Wulin's mouth involuntarily curved upwards as he thought of his senior sister, a warm smile appearing on his face.
"Let's go, let's head back to Eastsea Academy," Fang Yang suggested to his companions, looking at the sky.
Just as the four turned to leave, Gu Yue suddenly stopped and looked towards the entrance of the snack street: "Wait, something seems to have happened over there."
Fang Yang, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie looked up, only to see a commotion in the crowd at the entrance of the snack street in the distance, and faint sounds of argument.
Xie Xie's pupils suddenly constricted. That location seemed to be Uncle Li's stewed beef restaurant!
His heart tightened, and without a word, he rushed over.
"Xie Xie, wait for us!" Fang Yang quickly took Gu Yue's hand and followed, and Tang Wulin also hurried after them.
"You can't do this, you can't do this! This is how I make a living!"
Before they even got close, the four had already heard the mournful cry. It was Uncle Li's voice.
Xie Xie was at the forefront. For him, after his mother passed away, Uncle Li was one of his few remaining relatives.
He pushed his way through the onlookers, and the sight before him instantly filled him with rage.
The stewed beef restaurant's entrance was a mess. The carefully prepared beef soup was spilled all over the ground, and the rich aroma of meat mixed with steam rose into the air.
The earthenware pots, which held Uncle Li's hard work, were shattered into pieces, scattered in the soup.
Uncle Li lay at the restaurant's entrance, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, one eye swollen shut, his face full of pain and despair.
Three burly men stood proudly at the entrance.
The bald man in the lead was bare-armed in the cold weather, a ferocious Dragon-shaped tattoo particularly striking in the sunlight.
His two accomplices beside him were equally fierce-looking, scanning the onlookers with contempt.
"Li."
The bald big man kicked aside a shard of an earthenware pot, his voice cold, "There's an old saying, 'a wise man submits to circumstances.' No one on this street has dared not pay protection money! You've put it off time and again, do you think I, Guang Long, am easy to fool?"
He bent down, grabbed Uncle Li's collar, and said fiercely: "If it weren't for your family's beef having a bit of a reputation, I would have crippled you long ago. If you can't come up with the money today, don't even think about opening this broken shop again!"
The surrounding crowd was silent, no one daring to speak up and stop them.
Uncle Li's hands trembled, his voice choked: "Brother Guang Long, it's not that I don't want to pay... it's just that my woman at home is very ill, and all the money I earn by working day and night goes to buy her medicine..."
He wiped away tears, "If you smash my business, she... how will she live? And then I, this old life..."
Guang Long suddenly burst into laughter: "Alright! Are you threatening me with your life?"
He suddenly released Uncle Li's collar, stepped back, "Do you think I care about your cheap life? Without you, I'll just replace you with another one here, and they'll still pay me protection money!"
Before his words finished, he kicked out, overturning the stove at the entrance.
The iron pot rolled, charcoal embers scattered, and the entire shop instantly fell into chaos.
"Guang Long! I'll fight you to the death!" Uncle Li's eyes were bloodshot. He struggled to get up and threw himself at Guang Long with all his might.
Guang Long sneered, delivering a heavy kick that sent Uncle Li flying several meters away: "Fighting to the death? With just you? You don't even have the right to fight to the death!"
He stood up proudly, "Li, open your dog eyes and see, I am a Spirit Master!"
Guang Long's face was twisted in a sneer as he looked at the onlookers, warning: "You see, this is what happens if you don't pay protection money!"
A cold voice came from behind Guang Long.
"Apologize to Uncle Li, compensate for the damages, or you die!"
Xie Xie stood behind Guang Long, holding the Light Dragon Dagger, his eyes burning with cold fury.
This stewed beef restaurant held all his memories with his mother; smashing it was equivalent to destroying his past.
"With just you? This street really has no one left, even a little brat dares to come out and play hero!"
Guang Long felt Xie Xie's spirit power fluctuations but didn't take them seriously. This was his confidence in his own strength.
On this snack street, no one had ever lasted more than three moves against him, Guang Long, let alone an inexperienced kid.
"Watch closely, this strike will be very cool!" Xie Xie's voice was incredibly cold.
As soon as his voice fell, two yellow spirit rings instantly lit up at Xie Xie's feet.
In his extreme anger, he pushed his speed and attack to their limits...
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