CHAPTER 626: CHAPTER 382, WE NEED TO BE TOUGHER!

Bang!

Crack!

Hiss...

Little Fatty plopped onto the training room floor, his face and head covered in sweat, his training clothes soaked through.

He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with an odd expression and looked towards Tang Fei, asking, "Brother, what level are you at now? How come I can’t even touch you?"

At Tang Fei’s request, the brothers had a sparring session.

Little Fatty was on the offensive, and Tang Fei was on the defensive.

As a result, Little Fatty swung his hammer around for a long time but didn’t even brush against Tang Fei’s clothes.

He felt as though he wasn’t fighting a person but a wandering soul or a ghastly specter...

Elusive and unpredictable.

Tang Fei sheathed his sword and looked at Little Fatty, who was exhausted and sitting on the ground resting, and spoke up, "What level do you think I am at now?"

"I don’t know," Little Fatty shook his head, saying, "I don’t understand cultivation; my path is different from yours... But I think you’re very, very amazing right now."

Little Fatty pondered, then with a serious chubby face said, "As amazing as the dean."

Once again, Little Fatty transformed into an adoring fan, showering Tang Fei with endless praise.

"My master? Impossible," Tang Fei shook his head, speaking, "The Great Grandmaster is like a towering mountain, and I’m merely a climber... How can I compare myself to the Great Grandmaster?"

"I’m talking about my master..." Little Fatty’s voice trailed off: "My master is the dean of the Imperial First Military Academy."

"Ah? You mean Dean Shang?" Tang Fei asked.

In Tang Fei’s mind, Shang Xiulin was a refined and elegant elder.

More like an academic official.

He had never crossed hands with Dean Shang, nor did he know his level of strength.

Each time they met, it was either working in the yard or weeding, dressed plainly, wearing a conical hat, much like an old farmer.

Yet, to become a dean of an academy, and also to take Little Fatty, a fellow with "astonishing brute strength" under his wing, pointing out a new path of cultivation...

Such a man must be formidable, right?

A Grandmaster?

"Yes," Little Fatty nodded, saying, "The master asked me to strike at him, but I couldn’t bring my hammer down."

"I feel... just like you just now, big brother, standing right in front of me, but no matter how hard I try, I just can’t find your shadow."

"How can I be that formidable? If I were really that formidable, I wouldn’t have been punched into the hospital."

Little Fatty’s chubby face turned purple with rage, his clear eyes filled with hatred, as he gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, I must smash him to death. Definitely."

Knowing that Tang Fei was injured by Tang Shengyan, he wanted to go and fight Tang Shengyan to the death.

Unfortunately, he didn’t find him.

Tang Shengyan was the commander of the Flame-Bathed Legion, the leader of the Empire’s ace army.

Such a prominent figure naturally had strict protective measures, and not just anyone could come into contact with him.

It was also this reason that saved Little Fatty from a major disaster.

Had he actually found him, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

However, this made Little Fatty etch the name [Tang Shengyan] deep into his heart...

Anyone who bullied his brother would definitely not have a good ending.

If it really came down to it, he himself would take the field to give them what they deserved.

He could endure hardships himself, but not his brother.

Tang Fei understood what Little Fatty was thinking; he wouldn’t shy away from danger just because something was risky; if he set his mind to something, regardless of how dangerous it was, he would do it.

Tang Fei crouched down, patted Little Fatty on the shoulder, and said, "Haven’t I told you before? That incident is in the past..."

"Besides, I let him injure me on purpose... I took his punch, and then the matter was settled. When you think about it, I’m the one who came out ahead. Right?"

"No," Little Fatty shook his head, his expression serious and his gaze unwavering, "If he hits you, I’ll hit him. If he wants to kill you, I’ll kill him."

Tang Fei looked into Little Fatty’s eyes; the usually shy Little Fatty was resolutely standing his ground, stubbornly and decisively locking eyes with Tang Fei.

The meaning was clear: I was determined to make this thing happen no matter what.

Phoenix sighed lightly, knowing that persuading further was pointless.

"I agree that you can do this, but you have to listen to me... You go when I say you can, alright?"

Little Fatty nodded, "Okay, I’ll listen to you, brother. I’ll go when you tell me to."

Phoenix reached out to pull Little Fatty up, asking, "Hungry?"

Little Fatty stared at his stomach without speaking.

"What’s wrong?" Phoenix curiously asked.

"I’m carefully feeling..." Little Fatty said, "I wasn’t feeling hungry, but now that you mention it... I think it feels hungry..."

Phoenix patted his head, saying, "Go take a shower, I’ll make you a bowl of noodles..."

"Bro, I want meat."

"Beef, pork ribs, roast chicken with noodles."

A bowl of beef, a portion of ribs, a whole roast chicken... and a serving of noodles.

"It’d be even better with two fried eggs."

"...Looks like you’re really hungry," Phoenix said, not amused.

"Heh, you’ve been too busy lately, so getting to eat the food you make isn’t easy... That’s why I want to eat more."

"Alright then, go take a shower," Phoenix said.

By the time Little Fatty had finished his shower, the beef, pork ribs, roast chicken, and fried egg noodles Phoenix had made for him were ready.

Little Fatty was thrilled and politely asked Phoenix if he wanted some. After receiving a negative response, he sat at the table and started slurping away.

Phoenix sat on the side watching TV, the two brothers making occasional small talk.

Suddenly, Little Fatty looked up and asked Phoenix, "Bro, what’s happening with you and Sister Phoenix?"

Phoenix raised his eyebrows slightly, "Why do you ask?"

"You were injured and hospitalized, but Sister Phoenix didn’t come to see you."

Phoenix moved to sit in front of Little Fatty, saying, "Sister Phoenix did come; she’s the one who took me to the hospital."

Phoenix didn’t want Little Fatty to misunderstand Phoenix, so he spoke up to explain.

"Why didn’t she come after that?"

"She has her own things to deal with... She’s an Empire Princess, so she’s usually a bit busier..."

Little Fatty bowed his head again and continued eating his noodles.

After a while, he suddenly said, "Bro, we need to become even stronger."

...

Phoenix looked at Little Fatty in astonishment.

He knew what was in his heart, he understood.

Phoenix’s mouth spread into a smile, saying, "Yes, we do need to become stronger."

...

Golden Wind Street.

A name that sounded imposing, but in reality, it was just an ordinary street on the outskirts of Phoenix City.

Most of the residents here were space nomads and lower-class workers, so the security was much worse, and even the ever-watchful Star Network surveillance system seemed reluctant to cast its gaze too often in this direction.

A lean middle-aged man stepped out of a house, his head down, walking briskly forward.

At that moment, a brisk wind brushed through his graying temples.

The middle-aged man stopped in his tracks and said in a hoarse voice, "Since you’re here, come out and show yourself."

"Hahaha, worthy of being one of the ’Imperial Treasures’ personally bestowed by the Imperial court... Lu Yu, you’re back but didn’t bother to greet your old friends?"

A dark figure emerged from a nearby alley, his eyes playfully scrutinizing the man in front of him.

(ps: 1. Wishing all the dear children success in their exams and achieving great results.

2. The new book by the renowned Yanyu Jiangnan has been released. Yes, it’s the legendary Yanyu’s, "Dragon Hidden," everyone go check it out...)