As people were laughing, several excited voices rang out.
The crowd parted as four figures, their faces alight with unconcealable joy, came rushing over.
"Mom, Dad... we're back..."
Chen Shu and Dali scratched their heads, unsure what to say as they looked at their parents.
His mother embraced Chen Shu tightly, her whole body trembling slightly, clearly overwhelmed with emotion.
His father, Chen Ping, stood by, smiling excitedly and murmuring,
"It's good that you're alright... it's good that you're alright..."
"I'm fine..."
Chen Shu hugged his mother, his eyes also filled with emotion.
Although he had displayed his might outside, his parents must have been worried sick; their haggard appearances alone were proof of that.
"Mom, Dad, Chen Shu saved me!"
Zhang Dali grinned and immediately explained, "He only killed those people to save me."
He didn't want Chen Shu to get a reputation as a monstrous demon.
Although the guy was a bit of a freak to begin with...
"Little Chen, thank you."
Zhang Feng turned his gaze towards Chen Shu, his eyes brimming with gratitude.
At the God of Cooking competition, he had personally witnessed Zhang Dali being shot in the heart.
In that moment, he felt as if the sky had fallen.
Fortunately, everything was safe and sound...
Chen Shu smiled and said, "It's nothing, Uncle Zhang, it's what I should do."
A moment later, tears welled up in Zhang Feng's eyes, and he made to bow deeply to Chen Shu.
"Uncle Zhang, please, no need for all that!"
Chen Shu quickly stopped him and said, "Since I brought Dali out, I was always going to ensure his safe return."
"Let's go home,"
his father, Chen Ping, said, "It's good that the two boys are safe..."
Zhang Feng and his wife nodded, and they led Zhang Dali towards their home.
Watching the four of them leave, the neighbors, with joyful expressions, breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Chen Shu was indeed the pride of Nanjiang City; it could be said he had changed the entire city single-handedly.
...
"Let's invite Old Fang and the others over today for a good get-together!"
The four returned to Dali's home, and Zhang Feng said,
"You two boys will have to tell us exactly what happened!"
Although he trusted Chen Shu, he was also filled with curiosity.
Did killing those people have something to do with saving Dali?
"Mom, Dad, let us cook."
Seeing his parents' tired faces, Zhang Dali quickly suggested.
Chen Shu nodded in agreement, "Yes, Auntie and Uncle, you rest, let Dali do the cooking."
"???"
Zhang Dali turned to look at him, genuinely surprised at how quickly he was shifting the responsibility.
"Go help out! You rascal!"
His father, Chen Ping, said with a laugh, patting Chen Shu's head.
He felt an immense sense of peace; as long as Chen Shu returned safely, nothing else seemed to matter...
That night,
Fang Si's parents also arrived at Zhang Feng's home. Unfortunately, Fang Si couldn't make it due to his Dragon Guard mission.
"Little Chen, Dali, you two really worried your parents to death."
Fang Si's father said with a smile, "They were running to the Spirit Suppression Bureau several times a day. I bet your Uncle Wang Qian was about to go crazy."
"Alright!"
Father Chen Ping shook his head and then said,
"You two boys, honesty is the best policy now!"
Chen Shu and Dali exchanged a glance, feeling a twinge of guilt. They had indeed made their families worry a lot during this time.
Then, Chen Shu recounted the events truthfully, sticking to the story he had told Qin Tian and the others.
He couldn't exactly mention the system...
He would probably be considered crazy if he did...
Half an hour later, Chen Ping and the others wore expressions of astonishment, utterly shaken by what they had heard.
Although they were ordinary people, they had witnessed the battle.
"Dali really chose the right friend!"
Zhang Feng patted Chen Shu's shoulder, his eyes full of gratitude.
Just to obtain one skill, they had taken down two strongholds of criminal organizations consecutively – something even major powers couldn't achieve.
"Uncle Zhang, actually, Dali getting shot was partly my fault..."
Chen Shu honestly admitted, "If I hadn't offended the Church of Salvation..."
"Little Chen, there's no need to say such things!"
Zhang Feng immediately interrupted, then declared righteously,
"Offending such an organization, which deserves to be eradicated, proves you are a hero of humanity!"
"If everyone feared them and dared not provoke them, Blue Star would have long been thrown into chaos by them."
Chen Ping and the others also nodded, without any hint of blame towards Chen Shu.
"If Dali had met with misfortune, it would have nothing to do with you."
Zhang Feng's gaze was sincere as he slowly said,
"You are our great hero now. If we were to blame you, that would be a tragedy of our era..."
Chen Shu's expression softened, and his self-doubt vanished.
Indeed, if one were to assign blame, it was the three organizations that had committed the crimes!
"Alright, let's not discuss these grand principles anymore. If we don't eat soon, it'll get cold..."
Father Chen Ping said with a smile.
As everyone was about to pick up their chopsticks, they noticed a small spirit on the side of the plates, devouring food ferociously, its head almost buried in the soup...
"What the heck!"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched, and he quickly grabbed the little spirit.
The spirit struggled, its small limbs flailing, and shouted,
"Little Chen, let go of me! I want to eat more!"
"..."
Everyone was momentarily speechless, and at the same time, they looked at the cute little spirit with curiosity.
"Son, is this your fourth contracted spirit?"
"It's still young and a bit disobedient..."
Chen Shu chuckled awkwardly and placed it on the table, flicking its backside and saying,
"Quick, greet them!"
The little spirit glared at him indignantly, then a mischievous glint appeared in its eyes as it said,
"Hello, big brothers and sisters!"
"???"
Chen Shu grabbed the spirit again, "What are you doing, calling yourself 'super-elder'?"