Chapter 20: Food and Flames

"Hmm..." Huo Yuhao groaned as he slumped his head against the wall, letting the warm water droplets clean his body from the shower head. Thankfully all of his exhaustion, injuries and sore muscles had been washed away with the help of a healing-type Soul. Sage that Zhou Yi had asked to help them after the run.

As he stood in the shower, he couldn't help but reflect on the events of the day.

He had never expected that the simple task of running laps would turn into such an intense test of endurance. But he had pushed through, driven by his determination to prove himself. It was a grueling experience, but he had come out of it stronger.

Not only that, but teacher Zhou Yi, moved by their actions and camaraderie that Huo Yuhao somehow instigated, stripped Wang Dong of his position as the class monitor and gave it to Huo Yuhao. Lastly, she didn't eliminate anyone from the class.

"Haaa....I didn't even want it."

Huo Yuhao didn't care about the position, it felt too troublesome and might get in the way of his training time, but Wang Dong also shared the same sentiment and refused to take it back, none of his classmates wanted the position as well. Because of Huo Yuhao, nobody was eliminated, and they had even been able to avoid their punishment. Thus, during that moment, Huo Yuhao was their hero.

"Whatever. I'll take on what problems come my way, which reminds me..."

Huo Yuhao shut off the shower and began drying himself off then changed into a new set of fresh and casual clothes; a black T-shirt, grey shorts and wore a pair of blue sandals, and he left the bathroom just in time to hear a familiar female voice from the entrance of their dorm.

"Little Yuhao!" Tang Ya's loud voice earned not only Huo Yuhao's attention, but every boy on the first floor of the dorm.

They then turned to stare at a twitching Huo Yuhao and began whispering to each other with snickering expressions.

Huo Yuhao let out a sigh and began heading towards his room to put his school uniform back, but not before loudly replying, "Teacher Xiao Ya, I just got back. Just wait a minute, I need to go to my room first."

Because he was in a rush, he didn't bother knocking on the door when he got there. He pushed the door open and entered.

But as soon as he entered the room, the first thing he saw.... was the clear full moon.

Huo Yuhao's gaze went around the twin buns, a pair of straight and thin delicate legs below and a soft arc which followed a fair skinned back and narrowed shoulders.

The scene was a bit stimulating for Huo Yuhao's eyes, making him freeze in place.

"Aaaaahh—!" A scream soon followed. Following that, the patch of white in front of Huo Yuhao's eyes became a patch of dazzling blue.

'Yeah, nope.'

"Sorry for barging in but I've got something to do so we'll talk later. Bye!"

Before the pair of beautiful butterfly wings could spread out and soul power rushing out, Huo Yuhao raised a hand up and made a hand seal called—Tiger, which followed with his body turning into a puff of smoke and his school uniform dropped onto the floor of where he was standing.

Wang Dong stared.

"Huh? W-Wait, what?!"

He went towards the fallen clothing in disbelief, completely confused at what just happened.

"What the heck...?" Wang Dong mumbled.

But as he looked up towards the corridor he went wide eyed as he saw Huo Yuhao turning into a corner and heading towards the exit doors.

"Huh?! Hold up. Huo Yuhao!? Wait! Come back here and explain to me how you just did that!!" Throwing Huo Yuhao's sweaty uniform into their room and locking the door, he quickly chases after his roommate.

.....

"Man, I shouldn't have used that jutsu...ugh," Huo Yuhao groaned, holding onto a nearby railing around the entrance, he took a slow and deep breath. "I'm still not used to the sudden increase of speed it gives me. Making me feet my foot on the door..."

Body Flicker Technique, a movement technique to easily classify it. The user can move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. Think of it as the advanced technique of the Body Replacement Technique. This is accomplished by using soul power to temporarily vitalise the body and move at extreme speeds.

But having only practised it for a few hours in the past two days, Huo Yuhao could only flicker around a range of 2 meters without his Sharingan and 45 with it for now.

He snapped his eyes open and his right hand moved with lightning-like speed and grabbed the hand that was about to take a hold of his ear.

"Teacher Xiao Ya?"

"Heh, nice reflexes there Little Yuhao." Huo Yuhao paused, stopping himself from threatening and crushing the person's hand beside him, he turned to see Tang Ya grinning playfully at him. "I've been waiting here for a long time. Let's go?"

Huo Yuhao nodded and both of them headed off, fortunately missing the fuming Wang Dong that was looking fervently for the former.

"Huo Yuhao!"

.....

"Teacher Xiao Ya, where exactly are we going to sell them?" Huo Yuhao asked.

Tang Ya smirked, having already thought about it thoroughly. "At the academy's entrance! Our Shrek Academy's entrance is the eastern gate of Shrek City, and there has always been many peddlers outside. So there's no lack of students who do business there. With your cooking skills, especially with roasted fish, we won't need to be afraid of not selling any if we go there. Even if we can't sell them, we can just eat them for ourselves."

"Wipe your drool teacher Xiao Ya, your true intent is showing."

Tang Ya flinched and hurriedly wiped away the drool around her lips.

"Nyah!? D-Drool? What drool? Don't tease your teacher like that Little Yuhao." She nervously chuckled.

Both of them soon reached the gate and Huo Yuhao was greatly astonished by the swarm of peddlers selling all kinds of knick-knacks outside the gate. The atmosphere was lively and bustling, with students from Shrek Academy and civilians of the citys milling about, browsing the various stalls. Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement as they made their way through the crowd.

Tang Ya led the way, confidently making her way towards a clear spot where they could set up their stall. She quickly set up a small cooking station, complete with a grill, stove, steel pot and colander, and various ingredients.

Tang Ya also took out the charcoal and put it on the floor before saying, "Okay, my job is done. Everything else is up to you. I'm gonna go buy some other stuff to eat, just remember that two of these fish are mine. Oh and reserve two bowls of this....ramen for me as well." she then ran off, excitedly waving her hand towards him.

"Alright," Huo Yuhao checked the amount of ingredients and smiled. Twenty mackerels and 35 bowls worth of ramen noodles and other ingredients. "I can work with this."

Huo Yuhao quickly got to work, firing up the grill and placing the mackerels on it. The smell of sizzling fish filled the air and attracted the attention of the students and civilians passing by. Huo Yuhao skillfully seasoned the fish with a combination of spices and herbs, creating a mouth-watering aroma that enticed customers to stop and take a look.

As the fish cooked, Huo Yuhao prepared the ramen, boiling the noodles in a large pot and adding in vegetables and broth. The rich aroma of the soup mingled with the scent of the grilled fish, creating an irresistible combination.

People started to gather around the stall, intrigued by the delicious smells wafting from the cooking area. Huo Yuhao carefully plated the grilled mackerels, making them look even more appetizing with a garnish of fresh herbs. He quickly served the ramen as well, carefully arranging the noodles and vegetables in each bowl.

The first customers approached, their mouths watering at the sight of the food. Huo Yuhao greeted them with a friendly smile, "Hello. What would you like?"

The customer is a female student who was wearing a yellow school uniform and eagerly asked, "Little handsome brother, how much are you selling these roasted fish for? And, what kind of noddles are those?"

"Ah, the roasted fish are five copper soul coins each. As for these noodles, I call them ramen, two silver soul coins each."

"So expensive? But...it does smell delicious..." The senior student hesitated for a moment but the delicious scent of the fish and ramen was too good. "Whatever. I get 100 gold soul coins every month anyway, I can also ask some of my...good brothers to give me some extra allowance. Little brother, give me one roasted fish and one ramen please."

"Thank you for your purchase!" Huo Yuhao smiled. How could he not? This is his very first transaction! Moreover, he just earned more money than a week of bitter work in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion in the past.

"Oh wow, this is good!" Sitting on a nearby table, the customer who bought Huo Yuhao's food eagerly ate his ramen and roasted fish.

With such comments coming from the first customer, there would naturally be more people who'd come over to check out Huo Yuhao's food.

Huo Yuhao continued to skillfully cook and serve his roasted fish and ramen, attracting more and more customers with the delicious smells and positive reviews. As the crowd grew, Huo Yuhao's excitement and confidence grew as well. He felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as he watched people enjoy his food.

As the evening went on, the stars filling the sky, Huo Yuhao's stall became the center of attention. Students lined up to buy his roasted fish and ramen, and the sound of laughter and chatter filled the air. Huo Yuhao worked tirelessly, managing the grill and stove while also interacting with his customers and thanking them for their support.

"Too good, that was too good!" The yellow-shirted student who first bought Huo Yuhao's food managed to squeeze back in, albeit with much difficulty. "Junior brother, give me three more roasted fish. I'll have my dinner here tonight. In fact, if you give me first priority I'll give you some....extra rewards."

"Hey! No cutting in line!"

"Yeah! Go back to the end of the line, slut!"

"Okay, who called me that?! I'll fight you and anyone else who gets in my way!"

Huo Yuhao sweatdropped. He didn't think his food would be that good that it was starting a fight. He then hurriedly said, "Sorry everyone, but I'm closing up now. Because of personal reasons, some of my fish and ramen are reserved. It's only because of them that I managed to start selling these after all."

As he spoke, he put away the money that he'd so far into the Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges. After selling sixteen fish, he made eight silver soul coins. Plus he sold thirty ramen, which is sixty silver soul coins, that totals up to sixty-eight silver soul coins!

"But don't worry! I will start selling more tomorrow around the same time. So please come back then!"

The crowd reluctantly dispersed, but not before expressing their enthusiasm and anticipation for Huo Yuhao's food the next day.

At this moment, a few female students wearing purple school uniforms walked out of the gate to Shrek Academy. The one leading them turned her head towards Huo Yuhao's direction, having smelled the delicious smell, she then headed towards his stall alongside her posse.

She only looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, and her figure was slender and well proportioned. Her golden hair was draped behind her shoulders like a waterfall, and her skin was snow-white. With clear water eyes that seemed to perfectly reflect the world. Her beauty, that seemed as if it could cause the downfall of a country, seemed to dull the colours of everything else around her.

The remaining students that hovered around Huo Yuhao's stall immediately opened up a path when they saw her. Only, when the beautiful young lady saw everyone taking the initiative to open a path for her, she wasn't arrogant at all. Instead, she carried an extremely warm smile and nodded her head towards them in thanks.

"Thank you." She said, and anyone who heard her immediately became flustered.

When Huo Yuhao saw the beautiful girl before him, he merely raised an eyebrow.

Thanks to Ancestor's tortu – training, Huo Yuhao was somewhat used to womanly beauty. After all, when you see numerous illusions of mature women with flawless skin, beautiful faces, fantastic figures, flowing with that mature aura, and very well endowed breasts as they act sultry around you, these teenagers just couldn't measure up.

"Junior brother, how much are you selling these roasted fish for? And these, ramen, they say? How much are they as well?" The beautiful young lady asked with a low tone of voice.

"Senior sister, the roasted fish is five copper soul coins each. The ramen is two silver soul coins each."

Unexpectedly, the beautiful young lady furrowed her brow and said, "This is a bit expensive. If we consider how much it costs for the ingredients, plus the work you've put in, three copper soul coins—at most—should be fine for the roasted fish. While for the ramen, it's too expensive. At least seven copper soul coins should be fine. You'll still make a profit."

'Oh my Sea God.'

Huo Yuhao was stunned. He hadn't thought that a young lady as beautiful as her would actually haggle with him. None of his previous customers had done this.

"I'm sorry, but my roasted fish and ramen are sold at a fixed price. Furthermore, I've already sold all of my food for the day." Huo Yuhao spoke with a flat tone. He and Tang Ya were the ones who'd set the price, so he wouldn't change it easily. Moreover, this income was very important to him, and was just enough for him as-is.

He needs some hidden weapons, and buying the right metals isn't cheap!

The beautiful young lady was stunned for a moment, then apologetically said, "I'm sorry, I was just making a casual calculation. If there's a chance in the future, I'll try your fish and ramen." As she said this, she turned around and walked away from Huo Yuhao's temporary stall.

Huo Yuhao clearly sensed that the surrounding atmosphere had become somewhat abnormal. Many of the students that had previously been looking fervently at him were now glaring at him.

His eyes widened, Sharingan activated but hidden under a genjutsu, as he felt a bone chilling sensation.

'Killing intent!'

"Brat, you dare not sell it?" A deep voice full of anger suddenly rang out, immediately followed by a golden light that shot towards Huo Yuhao's grill.

Acting quickly, Huo Yuhao raised his right hand and mysterious force seemed to take control of the golden light as it went towards his hand. He looked down to see it was golden soul coin. He raised his head, a cold glint flashed across his red and gold eyes.

A figure walked towards Huo Yuhao's stall with large strides and as soon as he arrived, he stretched his hand out to grab the four roasted fish.

The two were for Tang Ya and the other two were for Huo Yuhao.

The hand went still just an inch away, blood began to drip and landed on the fiery charcoal. The figure was stunned. He quickly realized that something thin and sharp was not only wrapped around his hand, but also his entire body, trapping him in place.

Out of his view, numerous daggers with sharp thin wires attached to their end was embedded deep in the ground around the figure.

'Wire trap?'

The figure, a male with red hair and eyes, wearing a black uniform which signified him as a sixth-year student, hurriedly looked up but was further surprised to see no one standing in front of him. He only realized that Huo Yuhao was standing behind him, holding a dagger up his throat, when he spoke.

"I apologize dear customer," He said, a cold and emotionless tone in his voice as he slightly adjusted his dagger. "but as I had said, all of my food are currently sold out. Please come again tomorrow."

"Brat, are you courting death?" The black-shirted youth roared angrily. Enraged, he clenched the hand that was to grab the roasting fishes and tried brute forcing his way out of the wire trap in an explosive manner, soul power strengthening his body. A couple wires began to snap.

"I wouldn't recommend that, dear customer."

At that moment, instead of getting untied, the wires inexplicably tightened around the youth's body, making him gasped in fear. The worst part of it all were the wires that were wrapped around his neck and limbs.

Soul power might strengthen one's body, but it couldn't do much against the formidable strength of the wires. The black-shirted youth struggled, but the wires only tightened further, causing him to cough and wheeze.

Huo Yuhao's voice remained calm and composed as he continued, "I suggest you calm down and leave peacefully. I won't hesitate to take further action if necessary."

The black-shirted youth's eyes widened in fear, realizing that he was completely at Huo Yuhao's mercy. But instead of backing down, he was further incensed.

This was the first time he was ever humiliated by someone else that wasn't his peer, a junior by the looks of it as well!

Unforgivable!

With a loud war cry, he stomped his foot on the ground and three soul rings rose up: yellow, yellow, purple. His originally pale skin immediately darkened as his muscles expanded, and his entire body seemed to swell up. The most peculiar thing was that a tortoiseshell shield—which had a diameter of around one metre—had appeared in his right hand.

His sudden transformation caused all the wires that had wrapped around him to snap.

'Oh crap!' Huo Yuhao quickly jumped back, though not before storing the roasted fishes and ramen into his storage belt. His eyes closely observed the youth, trying to predict his attacks.

He didn't have to because the youth simply turned around and charged straight at him.

"Die!"

Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes and raised his hands and performed a series of hand seals in a matter of seconds. He continued to keep a distance from the youth until he finally finished the last hand seal.

'Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger'

He practiced this jutsu a hundred times in his spiritual sea instructed by his Ancestor, he could use it although this would be the first time he'd ever use it in real life. His "alright" soul power control was enough for him to convert all the soul power in his body to fire.

He could have used a genjutsu or something. But something inside of him, in his blood, told him to use this jutsu.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

.....

❄️Shout out to the great and one Cultivator of my patreon, may you reach the peak of the heavens!

 •Vora

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