Fang Si’s mouth twitched. He could twist *that* around too?
She retracted her Imperial Dragon Guard armguard and asked, "Really? I thought you wanted to beat me up."
"How could that be!"
Chen Shu quickly denied it. Then, his eyes darted, and he asked, "Sister Fang Si, have you become a person of real power within the Imperial Dragon Guard now?"
"Hmm? What do you want?"
A hint of wariness appeared in Fang Si's eyes. She said, "Don't expect me to bend the law for personal gain!"
"Of course not! I'm an Imperial Dragon Guard too, we're colleagues!"
Chen Shu gave a dry laugh and said, "I just wanted to ask out of curiosity."
"I wouldn't say I'm a person of real power, maybe middle management at best."
Fang Si shook her head and said, "My beast taming level isn't high, two stars is already the limit."
"This… what does two stars mean?"
"Aren't you an Imperial Dragon Guard? Don't you know the departmental ranks?"
"Uh…"
Chen Shu's expression froze. He was just a bystander, what would he know?
"Once you're on the job, someone will explain it to you, right?"
Fang Si shook her head and said, "Actually, it's not much of a secret."
Then, she introduced the ranking system of the Imperial Dragon Guards to Chen Shu. For formal members with golden armguards, there were five stars. With each additional star, not only did their authority increase, but their benefits would also be higher.
"When will I get a five-star…"
Chen Shu rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, "Then I'll arrest Liu Feng and Shen Wushuang, and make them pay for always trying to get rid of me!"
"Five stars? Don't be ridiculous, do you really think it's that easy?"
Fang Si shook her head. The five-star Imperial Dragon Guards now were at the ministerial level.
"I think it's alright."
Chen Shu didn't pay much attention. With his mission completion efficiency, let alone five stars, he could reach ten stars…
"Chen Pi!"
Just then, his father Chen Ping's voice came from outside. "Are you having another episode? Talking like a girl indoors!"
"???"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. How could he talk about his own son like that?
He sighed, then opened the door and said, "Dad, Sister Fang Si is here."
"Hello, Uncle."
Fang Si smiled slightly, joy in her eyes.
"It's little Fang Si."
Chen Ping was slightly taken aback, then asked, "When did you arrive? Your aunt and I didn't seem to see you."
"Dad, she climbed through the window."
Chen Shu spread his hands and said, "People like to do that these days."
"Stop messing around!"
Chen Ping glared at Chen Shu, then looked at Fang Si and said with a smile, "Come to the living room."
The three of them went to the sofa in the living room.
When Mother Chen saw Fang Si, her eyes lit up with surprise. She seemed to like her very much.
"Little Fang Si, tonight is New Year's Eve. Invite your parents over, and our three families can have a good gathering."
"Okay, Aunt Chen."
Fang Si smiled slightly and didn't stand on ceremony. The three families were already very close and often gathered during the holidays.
She glanced at Chen Shu and said, "Chen Pi, go and call your Uncle Fang and Aunt Fang."
"Mom, people use phones these days."
Chen Shu smiled slightly, then sent messages to the others.
Father Chen Ping asked, "I'm going out to buy some groceries. Are you coming with me?"
"No, no."
Chen Shu quickly refused, as if he had thought of something, and said, "Dad, just buy some ingredients. Let Dali cook tonight."
Chen Shu licked his lips, suddenly feeling hungry. This was a good opportunity for everyone to taste the King Beast.
Mother Chen said, "How can we let young Dali busy himself with this?"
"Mom, he's quite enthusiastic about this now, you don't need to worry."
As he spoke, he briefly explained to his parents, finally persuading them.
Ten minutes later, Chen Shu's parents left the house to go to the market to buy some related ingredients.
"Chen Shu, you haven't sold the Golden King's meat yet, but you're eating it?!"
Fang Si looked at him as if he were a patient. After the competition ended, everyone had tasted the King's flesh and blood. They thought Chen Shu would sell it upon his return, but he was keeping it to eat…
"Why else?"
Chen Shu shrugged, unconcernedly saying, "Should I just look at it?"
"That's the flesh and blood of a King!"
Fang Si's mouth twitched and she said, "Doesn't Professor Liu want to beat you to death?"
"Beat me to death for what…"
Chen Shu argued righteously, "This is a rare delicacy that money can't buy."
"…"
Fang Si shook her head, completely giving up trying to persuade him. This guy's train of thought was always problematic.
The two chatted about their experiences, their relationship not weakening, but growing even deeper than before. For several hours, Chen Shu mostly did the talking, embellishing his already legendary experiences a little. Hearing about the miserable state of the Beast Emperor beast when it sprayed, even Fang Si couldn't help but laugh.
…
Revival Era 985, January 28th, night.
The three families sat together at a table laden with various delicacies, the aroma of meat filling the entire house. Normally, ordinary people would experience side effects from consuming King's flesh and blood because their fragile bodies couldn't withstand the powerful energy. However, after Zhang Dali's cooking, it could be easily absorbed without any issues like spraying…
"This meat is truly fragrant!"
Father Chen Ping couldn't help but exclaim, "Son, where did you buy this? Tell Dad the location, and I'll buy more later."
"Dad, this stuff isn't something you buy with money."
Chen Shu curled his lips. Looking at the entire globe, no force would sell the flesh and blood of a King.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
His father's eyes widened. "Could it be that you robbed someone again, you kid?!"
"…"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Was his wording problematic?
"I mean, this thing is priceless, it's not bought with money!" He said, "Besides, when have I ever robbed anyone!"
"Uncle Chen, I agree with that!"
Zhang Dali raised his hand and said, "Chen Pi is a fierce bandit, not a robber!"
At this, everyone burst into laughter, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
Father Chen Ping looked touched and said, "Our last gathering was four years ago, wasn't it? Time really flies so fast…"
Hearing this, everyone's eyes held a look of reminiscence, recalling the scenes from four years ago.
Chen Shu drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and said, "Yes, I remember Dali had just gotten into Kyoto Spiritual Chef University back then, and now he's about to participate in the highest-level God of Cookery competition!"
"And Sister Fang Si too, she was just a university student then, and now she's an important figure in the Imperial Dragon Guard department!"
The elders nodded in agreement, and in a moment, it felt almost unreal.
At this moment, Fang Si spoke up, "Among us, Chen Pi has changed the least."
"It's not that little, actually," Father Zhang Feng of Zhang Dali said, "He was just a high school student back then, busy preparing for the college entrance examination. Now he's almost graduated from university."
"Dad, Sister Fang Si means…"
Zhang Dali leaned over and said, "He was a fierce bandit four years ago, and he's still a fierce bandit now! Only he has maintained his original appearance."