Ning Rongrong hadn't even gotten the chance to bring those two skewers to her lips.
She hadn't even had time to properly admire her very first masterpieces.
All she felt was a blur before her eyes—
And suddenly her hands were empty.
Huh?
Where were her skewers?
Where were her two long, golden, sizzling, hard-earned skewers?!
She lifted her head and was met with a fervent, overly handsome face—
Gold Crocodile Douluo, the Second Worship Elder of Spirit Hall, a level 99 peerless expert.
At this moment, the almighty Second Worship Elder was holding one skewer in each hand, lifting them reverently as if they were divine relics.
"Fragrant."
He inhaled deeply, intoxicated.
"Perfect color, crispy outside and tender inside. Heat control—excellent. This isn't food. This is a work of art."
"Little girl, your craft is remarkable."
Ning Rongrong blinked.
Before she could even respond, Gold Crocodile Douluo had already opened his mouth, clearly ready to devour her masterpiece.
"Th-that… that's mine…"
She mustered all her courage to protest, her voice barely louder than a mosquito.
Gold Crocodile Douluo froze.
Then, ever so slowly, he turned his head.
The admiration from moments ago vanished.
His gaze was now cold.
Majestic.
Intimidating.
Filled with the weight of authority that could crush mountains.
"Yours?"
He held the skewers in front of her face, the aroma drifting straight into her nostrils.
"Little girl, you may eat anything you like—but you can't just say anything you like."
He shook the skewers.
"This meat—was bought by our Spirit Hall with money, yes or no?"
"This stove—was rented by our Spirit Hall with money, correct?"
"This fire—was lent to us by the senior for Spirit Hall's use, right?"
"And the ground you're standing on—Spirit Hall's sacred territory!"
Gold Crocodile Douluo's voice suddenly jumped eight octaves.
It sounded like thunder.
"How can something made using Spirit Hall's public property, made on Spirit Hall's territory, become your personal property?!"
He coughed lightly and declared solemnly:
"According to the supplementary regulations of Article 72, Chapter 3 of the Spirit Hall Sacred and Inviolable Public Property Act—"
"Any output produced using Spirit Hall's public resources shall belong entirely to Spirit Hall!"
"This is illegal occupation! A serious offense! By law—hands are to be chopped off!"
The Elders and Enshriners around them went slack-jawed.
…Wait.
Since when did the Second Worship Elder even read laws?
And since when did Spirit Hall have such absurd regulations?
Supplementary regulations?
Article 72?
Chapter 3?
Who wrote this nonsense?!
The group was just about to speak up—tell the Second Worship Elder to stop scaring a little girl—when—
"Wuuuuuu—!!"
Ning Rongrong burst into tears on the spot.
Tears streamed like broken pearls, pouring uncontrollably.
"I—I don't want my hands chopped off…"
"My father doesn't want me anymore…"
"I was kicked out of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan…"
"I have nothing left…!"
"If I lose my hands too, I'll really starve to death on the streets… wuuu…"
Her soul-wrenching sobs echoed around them.
Gold Crocodile Douluo's face twitched violently—trying to hold back the proud grin crawling up his cheeks.
It worked.
This little girl actually fell for it!
He coughed again—this time trying to sound benevolent and magnanimous.
"Ahem. Considering your young age and that this is your first offense, this Elder is not unreasonable."
"I shall give you a chance to atone. Are you willing?"
"I-I am! I am!"
Ning Rongrong nodded desperately like a pecking chick, hiccuping from crying.
"As long as you don't chop off my hands, I'll do anything!"
"Good."
Gold Crocodile Douluo finally let his satisfied grin blossom fully.
With a dramatic sweep of his hand, he pulled out a mountain of raw meat skewers from who-knows-where and dumped them into Ning Rongrong's arms.
"Here."
"Roast all of these."
"And they must taste exactly like the two just now."
"Finish them, and this Elder will overlook your crime."
Ning Rongrong stared at the giant pile of cold, slippery, heavy skewers.
Her tears slowed.
Her body trembled.
Then she looked at Gold Crocodile Douluo's "mission accomplished" face—
And only then realized…
She had been tricked.
Completely tricked.
A crack of thunder split through the minds of the other Titled Douluo present.
Holy crap.
You could play it THAT way?!
You sly old crocodile!
You backstabbing old dog!
Eating alone, huh?!
Thousand Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo exchanged a knowing look—
their expressions mirroring the same revelation.
Ghost Leopard Douluo was even quicker—he was already digging through ingredients.
And then—
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
All the Titled Douluo who had just been grieving over their charcoal-black skewers vanished.
When they reappeared, they had gathered around Ning Rongrong in a perfect encirclement—
So tight a drop of water couldn't slip through.
Each wore the "kind smile" of a benevolent elder.
Each held mountains—literal mountains—of ingredients.
"Girl, I have some too!"
Thousand Jun Douluo dumped a colossal stack of chicken wings at her feet.
"Help this old man roast a few. My eyesight's bad—I always burn them."
"Mine too! Roast these abalones!"
"And my kidneys!"
"Don't forget my lamb skewers!"
"And mine! Make the leeks extra spicy!"
In an instant—
chicken wings, drumsticks, abalones, prawns, kidneys, leeks—
all surged toward her like a tidal wave.
Engulfing her completely.
Only Ning Rongrong's fluffy little head remained visible—
like a chick surrounded by a pack of wolves.
Every one of the Titled Douluo smiled kindly.
But their words…
were the whispers of demons.
"Girl, hurry and roast them. We're all waiting."
"If you don't finish, we'll have to enforce the Spirit Hall Code~"
Ning Rongrong broke down completely.
Her tears burst forth again like an opened floodgate.
She knew it.
These old men were doing this on purpose!
It was because she rejected the senior's recruitment…
She even demanded Feng Ran Pavilion be demolished…
And now—
retribution had arrived.
She was a stray girl abandoned by her clan.
A lamb waiting to be butchered.
Just as Ning Rongrong found her worldview collapsing, believing she was destined to become a barbecue machine for the rest of her life—
A thunderous roar exploded:
"STOP! What are you shameless old things doing?!"
A thin, battered, yet fiercely determined figure charged forward—
and shoved the Titled Douluo aside.
Bone Douluo, Gu Rong!
Despite his weird hairstyle and bruised face, he stood tall like a mountain before Ning Rongrong.
"Bullying a little girl—this is your ability?"
"She was once the little princess of my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan! The girl I, Gu Rong, watched grow up!"
"You Spirit Hall geezers—over a dozen Titled Douluo—ganging up on one little girl?!"
"Where is your face?!"
"Where is your dignity as experts?!"
In Ning Rongrong's eyes at this moment—
Bone Douluo grew three meters tall.
He shone.
He thundered.
He was a myth descending from the heavens.
"Grandpa Bone…"
Her tears flowed again—
this time full of gratitude.
She reached for his sleeve—
But before she could touch him—
Bone Douluo's next sentence forced all her gratitude-tears right back into her eyes.
Without even looking at her, he extended a righteous hand and declared:
"Even if she's roasting skewers, there should be a first come, first served order!"
"I am her Grandpa!"
"In terms of relationship—I'm the closest!"
"In terms of seniority—I'm the highest!"
"So she must roast mine first!"
"You outsiders go line up!"
Ning Rongrong: "???"
Her hand froze mid-air.
Her expression froze.
Her entire worldview froze.
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