This man wasn’t immune to heat because of ice cream.
Tian Lu was immune to heat because his body had long adapted to extreme temperatures.
His qi flowed in a steady rhythm, reinforcing his organs and cooling or heating him as needed.
Right now, he was the thermostat!
He didn’t avoid the heat. The heat respectfully stepped aside.
Even the Scorching Soul City’s blistering weather couldn’t make him blink.
After all, this was the same man who had used sand as a pillow once – during a mission deep in the Emberbone Wastes.
It was over fifty degrees, the wind could peel paint off a wall, and Tian Lu still laid down for a nap because, in his words, “The heat did not permit me to sleep. I permitted myself to sleep.”
If Yushou Ya’er had known the truth, she probably would’ve choked on her own laugh.
But for now, she believed she had uncovered a great mystery.
’Guess I’ll have to get more ice cream next time… for research purposes.’
If that Soft Serve Vanilla Ice Cream had this much effect, what kind of place had she just walked into?
And just who was that store owner?
She wasn’t sure. But one thing was clear.
That wasn’t a normal store!
Not even close.
Meanwhile, inside the store…
Hao stood behind the counter, eyes glued to the floating screen in front of him. He had spent one whole crystal for this.
[Little Liz – Background]
The birth of a mixed beast was never meant to reach the outside world.
Her father was a rare Molten Skyfire Dragon Spirit Beast. Proud, territorial, and forged in flame. Her mother was a Crimsonscale Lizard from a demonic bloodline cursed with endless regeneration.
Together, they produced an offspring that should not exist. Part spirit beast dragon, part demonic beast lizard, and wholly feared.
The moment she was born, their enemies began to stir.
To protect her, they didn’t abandon her. They hid her beneath layers of illusion, buried under a broken shrine in the wilderness. Cursed stones cloaked her presence, and fading memories kept the world away.
But children don’t stay hidden forever.
She was starving, cold, and trembling when Yushou Ya’er found her. Barely older than a hatchling, hissing and snapping through a cracked eggshell. Too weak to stand. Too proud to cry.
Yushou Ya’er didn’t flinch.
She shared her meal, her warmth, and her silence.
From that moment on, Little Liz followed her like a second tail.
The blood in her veins runs hot with destruction. And she treats Yushou Ya’er as her entire world.
She doesn’t understand many things at first. How humans work, why baths are a thing, or why she can’t bite rude people. But she knows one truth:
If anyone tries to take Yushou Ya’er away, they won’t get a second chance.
“So that’s why that beast is growing wing-shaped limbs eaker.”
He scratched the back of his head. “…”
’I knew she wasn’t just a regular lizard… but a half-dragon?!’
And she even had such a dramatic background?
Hao found himself more invested than expected.
He leaned closer to the floating screen.
’So what happened to her parents…?’
’Are they still alive? Did they escape? Were they betrayed by their own clansmen?’
His inner gossip auntie was trembling.
But after a long pause… Hao sighed.
’No. I already spent one crystal for this.’
He swiped off the screen with a guilty look.
’Maybe next time.’
Yushou Ya’er was one lucky girl. A pet beast that’s actually a dragon? Tch. That’s called luck in the heavens.
Hao nodded slowly. He was a hundred percent sure that Yushou Ya’er had no idea.
She probably just thought she raised a weird lizard with anger issues and sharp teeth.
Hao tilted his head and looked toward the door.
’Even Little Liz might not know.’
She was found right after hatching. Abandoned or hidden, it was the same in her eyes.
Outside the store, Tian Lu blinked.
Again?!
Another person was sprinting straight toward the entrance like their life depended on it.
What’s with Scorching Soul City people always rushing out of nowhere?
Did someone light a fire behind them?
The man was maybe in his early twenties.
Decently dressed, with sun-bleached red vest. Sand-colored inner shirt. Black linen pants tucked into cracked boots.
A ragged cloak swung from one shoulder like it had fought a hundred sandstorms and lost every single time.
A cheap iron spear was strapped to his back, bouncing wildly.
Spiky dark brown hair.
He wasn’t ugly, but he also wasn’t memorable.
One of those background face types you’d forget after five seconds.
But most importantly –
His expression was terrifying.
Both hands were clenched into trembling fists.
He was hunched slightly forward, as if trying to hold something back.
Beads of sweat rolled down from his temples, soaking into the collar of his vest.
Every few steps, he twitched like something was trying to escape from inside him.
Tian Lu’s face twitched too. He silently took one step back.
Kid, are you fighting inner demons or your…?
The man just kept sprinting, the urgency in his movements screaming that the world was ending. His boots skidded across the stone path, nearly slipping.
And then –
He zoomed past Tian Lu like a shooting star with a mission.
Without even slowing down, he yanked the wooden door open and stormed right in.
And in a desperate whisper, the man cried out:
“Please… don’t let it be occupied…”
Tian Lu stood straight, blinking slowly.
“…”
Tian Lu glanced at the door…
To the horizon…
Then back to the store.
A classic case of should I do something? Or is this someone else’s problem?
The man hadn’t broken anything.
He didn’t yell, didn’t start a fight, and didn’t throw a single punch. By all logic, he had committed zero crimes.
Other than possibly terrifying the stone pavement with his sprinting.
’He was definitely holding it in.’
That whisper…
It’s the ancient dao of ’please be empty.’
A man on the edge of destiny.
Tian Lu stretched his neck.
Technically, the man was a potential customer.
Technically, Tian Lu was only supposed to stop people who caused problems.
And technically, Hao was the one inside, not him.
’Yeah… my employer can handle it.’
He nodded, taking a confident step back. Only to take half a step forward again.
’But what if that man poops on something?’
Another pause.
’No, no, believe in my employer. He’s got this.’
Tian Lu folded his arms like a serious guard.
He was doing his job.
Very professionally!
By… standing outside.