"Well, look at the pretty girl who just showed up. You're really good-looking. Don't tell me you want some of this Pangolin meat, too?"

The young man leading the group stood up, his gaze locked onto Haitang.

Cradling the dead Pangolin in her hands, Haitang was overcome with sadness. She didn't even spare him a glance as she turned and walked away.

"What's that supposed to mean? You think you can just take it from me?"

His name was Liu Haoran, the scion of a well-known corporation. He was also a recently awakened Martial Cultivator, set to report to Wencheng University's Ancient Academy the very next day.

That was why he had come out with his friends today for a special feast.

As he spoke, Liu Haoran and his five or six friends surrounded Tu Xiao'an's table. Ignoring everyone else, their eyes were fixed on Haitang.

"I don't care if you want to eat this Pangolin or if you feel sorry for it—it belongs to me. But since you're so pretty, I'll let it go if you just hand it over. I won't make a big deal out of it."

Haitang was furious. As a Level 29 Cat Spirit, if she were to fly into a rage, this place would likely turn into a bloodbath. But she was good-tempered by nature, and with so many eyes on her, she couldn't just lash out.

Tu Xiao'an took the Little Pangolin from Haitang's arms, diverting everyone's attention from her.

The little thing had just been born and looked incredibly fragile. With its mother dead, it could easily die as well.

"You shouldn't eat this Pangolin. Order something else. I'll pay for your table today."

Tu Xiao'an calmly addressed the group that had come to confront them.

"Kid, what do you mean? You think we can't afford it? We need you to pay? This Pangolin was ordered by me. It's not up to you whether we eat it or not."

"It's in my hands now. What are you going to do about it?" Tu Xiao'an slowly raised his gaze, his bewitching eyes narrowing slightly.

Liu Haoran inexplicably felt his breath catch, a sense of fear welling up inside him.

'What's happening? Is this just my imagination? Why would a single glance from him scare me? I'm a Martial Cultivator!'

"Kid, I think you're courting death. Do you have any idea who I am?"

With that, Liu Haoran slammed his fist onto a nearby table, which instantly collapsed with a CRASH.

An ordinary person who breaks through their physical limits and awakens can possess strength exceeding a thousand kilograms.

"For once, I wasn't looking for trouble, but trouble came looking for me instead? What a joke."

A sneer spread across Liu Haoran's face. His friend beside him said, "Young Master Liu, no need for you to get your hands dirty. We'll teach these blind fools a lesson."

"Celestial Master, I'll have to trouble you."

Tu Xiao'an said calmly. Haitang had taken it upon herself to save the Little Pangolin, and he, too, had felt a stir of compassion.

'To be fair, they weren't in the wrong. They had paid to eat wild game, which was perfectly justifiable.'

'It was just... the mother Pangolin's actions were so moving. She died protecting her young. For her baby to still end up as someone's meal seemed too cruel.'

In that case, Tu Xiao'an would just have to wrong these customers.

Of course, Tu Xiao'an could tell that the leader of the group was a Martial Cultivator. But he was only at the most Basic level. In Tu Xiao'an's eyes, he was no different from an ordinary person.

"Amitabha."

Celestial Master Zhang stood up. With a slight wave of the horsetail whisk in his hand, a sudden, powerful gust of wind swept out, sending Liu Haoran and his buddies flying backward. The entire hall instantly descended into chaos.

Many of the hosts and servers nearby looked at each other in bewilderment. 'What the hell was that?'

It seemed they wouldn't be able to finish their meal today.

Cradling the Little Pangolin, Tu Xiao'an said to a waitress, "I know your boss. Put all the damages on my account. If those customers still want to order, put their bill on my account as well. My name is Tu Xiao'an."

After saying that, Tu Xiao'an gestured for his group to follow, and they all left Wei Xian Pavilion.

He didn't want to escalate the situation. Besides, he knew the owner of this restaurant, Su Yu. Causing trouble in his restaurant and affecting his business was hard to justify.

"Benefactor, I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?"

They were having such a nice meal, and now it was ruined. Haitang felt very guilty.

Tu Xiao'an smiled. "It's not your fault. You did the right thing. But since you saved this Little Pangolin, you have to be responsible for it, you know."

Haitang's beautiful eyes lit up. "I'll be responsible! I'll be responsible!"

The four of them returned to the Chen Family Mansion. Haitang went straight to the kitchen to make food. Since they couldn't finish their lunch outside, they naturally had to eat at home.

It really didn't matter to Tu Xiao'an and Celestial Master Zhang if they missed a few meals. Although they couldn't yet subsist on energy alone, going several days without food didn't affect them in the slightest.

But they still had Chen Gao Yang with them.

Just then, Tu Xiao'an looked at the Little Pangolin. Its entire body was a tender pink, its armored scales not yet formed. Its tiny body was soft, and it would occasionally let out soft, whimpering cries.

'The poor little thing. Its mother was burned alive trying to protect it.'

Seeing that its life force was weak, Tu Xiao'an took out a small piece of Snake Skin to feed it.

Eating is an animal's survival instinct. The Little Pangolin immediately began to eat the Snake Skin excitedly, making happy sounds.

The Snake Skin was rich in pure Energy. It would not only ensure the Little Pangolin's survival but also transform its physique. If it continued to eat Snake Skin as it grew up...

...it would be no problem at all for this little one to become an Awakened Creature. Even tunneling through mountains would be child's play.

An adult Pangolin, clad in its armor, actually bears some resemblance to a dinosaur. 'If a creature like this were raised well, it might make a decent pet.'

'Although the little one's bloodline is completely ordinary, since fate brought us together, this will be its great fortune.'

'Tu Xiao'an's system shop had many Divine Beast bloodlines. It wouldn't be a problem to buy one for the little guy later on.'

'It would be a complete transformation for it, like a carp leaping over the Dragon's Gate.'

While feeding the little creature the Snake Skin, Tu Xiao'an was lost in these thoughts when his phone suddenly rang.

He looked at the caller ID. It read "Su Yu."

They had exchanged not just WeChat contacts, but phone numbers as well.

'Here comes the complaint,' Tu Xiao'an thought with a wry smile.

"Hello, Boss Su."

Su Yu said from the other end of the line, "Brother Xiao'an, are you free right now? Can you come over?"

'Tu Xiao'an had let Celestial Master Zhang teach those customers a small lesson before leaving. He figured they wouldn't let the matter drop so easily.'

"Okay, I'll head to your restaurant right now."

Su Yu quickly said, "Not to my restaurant. I'm at a residential construction site right now. Give me your address, and I'll send a car to pick you up."

Tu Xiao'an was surprised, but he didn't ask any more questions and gave him the address of the Chen Family Mansion.

'Looks like what Su Yu wants to talk about has nothing to do with what happened at Wei Xian Pavilion,' he thought.

"Celestial Master, I have to go out in a bit. Are you coming with me, or staying here?"

Although Celestial Master Zhang had been subdued, he had no desire to be Tu Xiao'an's follower, so he motioned that he would stay.

Not long after, a car pulled up to the Chen Family Mansion. Tu Xiao'an got right in, letting the driver go wherever they pleased without asking any questions.

'With his level of power, was there anywhere he couldn't go? Why would he worry about someone trying to harm him?'