Fantasy: I Become God by playing a game [Dungeons + LitRPG +Xinxia]

**Chapter 37: Small in Stature but Powerful**

Saturday, Chengdong District Food Street, Ping'an Noodle House

"Uncle Tian, two bowls of beef noodles!"

"Xiao Chen, you promised to take me out for a nice meal! How did we end up at Uncle Tian's noodle shop again? Is this the nice meal you were talking about? Ugh!"

Inside the noodle shop, Lu Xiaoye glared at Su Chen with exaggerated frustration, puffing her cheeks like an indignant goldfish.

Before Su Chen could respond, a tall figure appeared behind Lu Xiaoye and tapped her lightly on the head.

"Hey! Uncle Tian, why did you hit me?"

Turning around, Lu Xiaoye was greeted by Yu Tianqi—a two-meter-tall, muscular man with gray hair and folded arms.

"What's wrong, Xiaoye? Don't tell me you're complaining about my cooking now." Yu Tianqi's deep voice carried a hint of teasing.

"How can anything outside compare to my noodles? Even if the food isn't as fancy, at least it's clean. Yet here you are, being picky about it. Honestly, you kids don't know how to appreciate good food."

With a slight huff, Yu Tianqi turned toward the kitchen. "You two wait here. I'll bring out your noodles soon."

In the now-empty shop, only Su Chen and Lu Xiaoye remained, along with a white-haired girl eating noodles in the corner and her peculiar companion—a three-headed bird also slurping noodle soup.

The girl glanced briefly at the pair before returning her focus to her meal, noisily inhaling noodles as though she were in a competition.

Noticing the towering stack of empty bowls beside her, Lu Xiaoye whispered to Su Chen, "Xiao Chen, look at her appetite! How can someone so small eat so much?"

Her gaze drifted to the three-headed bird. "And that creature—it's no ordinary pet. That has to be a spiritual beast, right?"

Su Chen nodded silently, his thoughts elsewhere.

He, too, had noticed the strange duo the moment they entered the shop. Beyond her voracious appetite, the white-haired girl had something far more concerning—her heartbeat.

It was powerful.

Stronger even than the heartbeat of Ye Chenglin's magic corpse in the dungeon.

If her physical strength surpassed that of Ye Chenglin, a Foundation Building stage cultivator, it made her a walking mystery—perhaps even a threat.

This realization sent a chill down Su Chen's spine. He regretted bringing Lu Xiaoye to Uncle Tian's noodle shop today.

Ever since mastering the Water Dragon Roar, Su Chen's hearing had become extraordinarily sensitive. He could now pick up subtle vibrations, like a person's heartbeat or the faint creak of shifting objects. It had saved him countless times in secret realms, helping him detect lurking monsters.

But here, that very ability heightened his unease. The girl wasn't someone they could afford to provoke.

Hoping to avoid trouble, Su Chen nudged Lu Xiaoye to drop the topic.

Thankfully, Uncle Tian emerged from the kitchen just then, carrying ten steaming bowls of beef noodles. He placed two bowls in front of them and set the remaining eight at the white-haired girl's table.

However, Lu Xiaoye immediately frowned at her portion. "Uncle Tian! Why does Xiao Chen have way more beef than me? That's so unfair!"

Yu Tianqi shot her a disapproving look. "Didn't someone here say they wanted to watch their figure? Something about cutting down on beef?"

"Uh… I said that?"

"Didn't you?"

Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Lu Xiaoye avoided eye contact. "Okay, maybe I did…"

Su Chen couldn't hold back his laughter, but his amusement soon made him a target.

"So, you think this is funny, huh?" Lu Xiaoye shot him a deadly glare. "Not only did you trick me about the fancy meal, but now you're laughing at me too? Apologize, or I'll be mad!"

"…Fine." Su Chen sighed. "I'm sor—"

Before he could finish, Lu Xiaoye cut him off, grabbing her chopsticks with mock righteousness.

"Forget it! I'm not a petty person. I'll forgive you… if you give me some of your beef."

Without waiting for a response, she reached into his bowl and began transferring chunks of braised beef to hers.

One, two, three…

"This is robbery!" Su Chen cried as his beef noodles dwindled into plain soup noodles.

Lu Xiaoye beamed at her growing pile of beef, her small canine teeth peeking out. "Robbery? No, this is just a little bit! Didn't we agree to share?"

Su Chen glared at her exaggerated grin. "A little bit?! This is too much!"

Suppressing a laugh, Yu Tianqi shook his head at their antics. "You two are ridiculous," he muttered under his breath.

He placed the last eight bowls of noodles in front of the white-haired girl, who continued eating unfazed.

"Uncle Tian, are you familiar with those two?" she asked between bites.

"You mean Xiao Chen and Xiao Ye? I practically raised them. Of course, I know them."

Bai Ling's gaze lingered on the pair, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Yu Tianqi leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Xiao Ling, listen to me. Xiao Chen and Xiao Ye are ordinary people. Don't involve them. The Mountain and Sea Division doesn't need them."

"But what if they're willing to join?" Bai Ling asked.

Yu Tianqi fell silent before replying, "Then it's out of my hands."

Hearing this, Bai Ling picked up another bowl of noodles and resumed eating. Her attention remained fixed on Su Chen, an intrigued glint in her eye.

"Uncle Tian, some people are destined not to be ordinary. The Mountain and Sea Division only accepts monsters because only monsters can fight monsters. I think those two—especially the man—fit the mold perfectly. Don't you agree?"

At the mention of his name, the three-headed bird beside her, Xiao Shang, raised its heads, studying Su Chen intently before returning to its meal.

Yu Tianqi sighed heavily. "Maybe you're right. But remember—if Xiao Chen and Xiao Ye don't want this life, don't force them. If you do, I won't stand idly by."

As if on cue, Xiao Shang's feathers bristled, its six legs trembling under Yu Tianqi's imposing aura.

Bai Ling, however, remained calm. "Don't worry, Uncle Tian. The Mountain and Sea Division isn't as domineering as you think."

Yu Tianqi grumbled, "It'd better not be."

After he left, Bai Ling turned to Xiao Shang, her brows furrowed. "Xiao Shang, are we really that domineering?"

All three of Xiao Shang's heads exchanged complicated glances.

In truth, the Mountain and Sea Division was domineering. After all, only monsters could manage other monsters. And those capable of managing monsters… were monsters themselves.

PS: Read +20 advance chapters on my Patreon: [patreon.com/Thebeginning331]

*(End of Chapter)*