After the embarrassing moment passed, the restaurant slowly returned to noise and chatter. People went back to eating and drinking as if nothing had happened.

Luo Lan was still red to her core. She hid half her face behind her arm, afraid of drawing any more attention from strangers.

"Hahaha! To think the most famous rising star would get shy like this. I didn't expect that," Wu Han said, surprised himself. Luo Lan was someone admired by millions, an unreachable goal in their eyes. Yet now she looked like a frightened child.

"This is different!" Luo Lan protested.

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, look. The food is coming," Wu Han said.

The old woman returned carrying one large plate of fried rice and another bowl that was not even a bowl anymore. It looked more like a wash basin.

"Two fried rices and the BIGGEST beef noodles!" the old waiter laughed as she placed it in front of Luo Lan.

That only made Luo Lan more embarrassed. She quietly picked up her chopsticks and began eating in a hurry.

Luckily, the first bite was full of flavor and not burning hot. Her body still had the durability of a warrior. She then took a smaller bite and chewed carefully, trying to look graceful.

"At this speed, we will be here all night," Wu Han teased. "Stop thinking about manners. Just eat how you want."

He started eating his own fried rice without care.

Luo Lan looked around.

No one was watching them anymore.

People laughed loudly. Some poured wine without shame. Others lifted bowls and swallowed food in big mouthfuls. This place was alive, nothing like the silent dining halls she knew.

Her own meals had always been quiet and cold.

"I guess… I can try," Luo Lan said softly.

She picked up a large clump of noodles with a piece of beef and pushed it into her mouth in one go.

Her eyes widened.

Hot broth flooded her tongue first, rich with salt and spice. The noodles were soft but springy, soaked with flavor. The beef was tender and heavy with sauce, breaking apart the moment she bit into it.

Oil and herbs mixed together, spreading warmth down her throat and into her chest.

Her eyes lit up with a faint sparkle as warmth spread through her chest.

It had been so long since she had felt warm from the inside.

"Nom nom nom nom."

With the speed of someone half a step into Foundation Establishment, Luo Lan devoured the entire bowl at a terrifying pace. In the end, she lifted it up and drank the broth in one long gulp.

Nothing remained in the bowl except a few lonely drops of soup clinging to the bottom.

"Do you like it?" Wu Han asked after finishing his own dish and helping her clean up her first order as well.

Luo Lan leaned back against her chair, her face soft and bright, as if she were about to melt into the seat.

It had been so long since she had felt this relaxed that it almost felt unreal.

"Yes," she said honestly.

"Then maybe we should get some wine to go with it. Waiter," Wu Han raised his hand to call out.

But something went wrong.

Instead of the old woman, three men in flaming red uniforms walked up to their table.

Wu Han raised an eyebrow as he looked at the three men blocking their table. His gaze flicked past them and landed on the old woman still busy serving another group of customers.

"…Are you the waiter?" He asked lazily.

The man in front stiffened.

He was tall and sharp-featured, dressed in flaming red robes embroidered with cloud patterns. His expression twisted in anger.

"Are you blind?" He snapped.

A cold sneer spread across his face as he took a step forward, releasing a trace of spiritual pressure.

"Insolent fool! Our Young Master Teng has taken interest in you and wishes to invite you both to drink tonight. And you dare call him a waiter!?"

He slammed his palm onto their table.

Hm… did I make her too beautiful? I don't think so. Wu Han glanced between Luo Lan and the man staring at her from behind his lackeys.

Instead of jealousy, he felt only curiosity about something he had done without telling her.

"Why remain with this man?" Teng said, smiling arrogantly at Luo Lan. "Come drink with us instead, miss."

One of his followers stepped forward proudly.

"Our Young Master is the grandson of an elder from the renowned Flaming Cloud Sect. A second-generation disciple of noble lineage. What could this worthless fellow offer you?"

He pointed at Wu Han with disdain.

"Our Young Master can give you an experience far beyond what this bum could ever dream of!"

"Uh… I…"

This was not the first time Luo Lan had been approached like this. Long ago, when she could still attend banquets and gatherings without immediately retreating to suppress the cold within her body, such scenes had happened more than once.

But it had been so long that she had forgotten how she was supposed to respond.

So, she did what she always did.

Her expression turned icy.

Her gaze became distant and indifferent, as if the man before her did not even exist.

Wu Han could not help but laugh softly when he saw her instinctive reaction.

"You dare laugh at me!?" Young Master Teng roared in fury.

"Of course not," Wu Han replied lazily. He stood up and took Luo Lan's hand. "Come."

"Where do you think you're going?" Teng reached out and grabbed Wu Han's shoulder.

Wu Han brushed his hand away with a casual slap, yet there was enough force behind it to send him stumbling backward.

Teng reeled in disbelief.

Did this commoner just make him lose face?

"You dare!?" He roared, his voice trembling with fury and shock.

"Dare what?" Wu Han stepped in front of Luo Lan, placing himself between her and Teng's followers.

"You dared strike our Young Master! The Flaming Cloud Sect will not let you escape so easily!" one of the lackeys barked.

Another disciple charged forward.

Wu Han raised his hand calmly.

"Wait!!"

They stopped.

Even the surrounding diners turned to look. The restaurant fell quiet in anticipation.

"I did not strike him," Wu Han said slowly. "Watch carefully."

He lifted his hand and deliberately curled his fingers into a fist.

"To strike someone means to use this fist… and punch them. Correct?"

The lackey frowned. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"What I mean is this."

Wu Han smirked

Gravity Pull.

The space twisted.

Young Master Teng's face was suddenly dragged forward as if seized by an invisible force.

Straight into Wu Han's unmoving fist.

BANG!

The impact sent him stumbling backward before he crashed onto the floor.

Wu Han lowered his hand and looked at the stunned crowd.

"See? I never moved."

He pointed at the fallen man.

"Your Young Master struck me with his own face."

The crowd froze for a heartbeat.

Then it erupted in laughter.

"You how dare y—"

BANG!

Before Teng's follower could finish his sentence, Wu Han's fist smashed into his face. The blow sent him flying backward, and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"Let's escape!" Wu Han shouted.

Luo Lan was caught between shock and awe as Wu Han seized her hand and pulled her along.

They rushed for the door.

"Hey! What about the money!" the old woman yelled after them.

"Take it from Young Master Teng!" Wu Han called back without looking, his voice filled with laughter.

They disappeared into the night street.

As they ran, Luo Lan glanced at Wu Han and let out a small, beautiful smile.

Luo Lan thought to herself that maybe she should have landed a few punches too.

Well… next time!

She made a quiet promise in her heart as they continued down the night street.

After making sure they had escaped both the Flaming Cloud Sect disciples and the town authorities, Wu Han finally stopped and sat down by the side of the road.

"Will you really let the lady go unpaid?" Luo Lan asked curiously. "Did you truly mean for her to take money from Teng?"

"Nope," Wu Han said with a laugh. "And trust me, he will pay."

He waved his hand dismissively.

"Men like that cannot afford to lose face, but losing money? That, they can endure."

Wu Han chuckled.

Humiliating arrogant young masters had become one of his favorite hobbies since his days at the magic academy.

As they chatted, Luo Lan suddenly noticed something unusual.

A sick child passed by with his mother.

"Cough… cough… Mommy, I want to go home…"

The boy was no more than ten years old. His face was pale, and strange dark spots covered his skin. His steps were weak, as if a single push of wind could knock him over.

People along the street looked at them with disgust and fear, hurriedly moving aside to avoid contact.

Only one place did not turn them away.

Not far ahead stood a small stall, crudely built from a carriage and wooden boards. A cloth banner hung above it, swaying in the night wind.

On it were written bold characters:

Miracle Potion of Doctor Zhong. Cures all diseases.

After reading the sign, Luo Lan immediately turned her head toward Wu Han.

Maybe she was the only one who knew the truth.

The man who had just caused chaos in a roadside restaurant was the same man people praised as a miracle doctor!

Wu Han noticed her stare and raised both hands.

"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't do this."

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