Douluo Dalu: Starting With Tom Cat

"The tea is on the bar, please help yourself. Thank you."

Shen An placed the milk tea on the bar and called out to Flender.

Flender was once again displeased. "So expensive, and I have to fetch it myself?"

He took the cup of milk tea in his hands. "Hmm, what's this strange smell of milk?"

Flender took a curious sip. The fragrance of the milk tea immediately filled his mouth and nose.

"Not bad, quite a unique flavor," Flender thought, his eyes darting between the milk tea and Tom.

He then considered the empty tea shop and thought, "Looks like the shop owner must have offended someone, but if I can make a profit off of this situation, it should be no problem."

Flender, though a bit unscrupulous, had a good business mind. After seeing Tom's musical talent and drinking this milk tea, which was unlike anything he had ever seen in Douluo Continent, he immediately saw a huge business opportunity.

Bang!

The door to the tea house was kicked open. Shen An remained calm, thinking, The real troublemaker is here.

He looked up to see a muscular man with slit eyes storming in, followed by three or four subordinates.

"Not bad, the music is elegant, very refined," the man said as he looked at Shen An. He seemed young and looked easy to manipulate.

But, to be cautious, the man spoke first: "You seem young, you must be a strong Soul Master to open a shop by yourself, right?"

Shen An chuckled, "I just obtained my first Soul Ring a few days ago, I'm quite embarrassed, actually."

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes flashed with disdain. A mere Soul Master? No threat at all.

"You're just an outsider, and you're only a Soul Master, you can't keep this shop. This place belongs to me. Be a good boy and get lost," the man sneered.

Two yellow Soul Rings appeared on his body, and a powerful aura from a Great Soul Master pressed down on Shen An.

"Oh? What if I don't agree?" Shen An narrowed his eyes and asked.

"You don't get a say in the matter!" The man sneered, "In Soto City, I, Ma Yan, have a hundred ways to make you disappear. Brothers, smash the place!"

At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing quietly appeared beside Shen An, her Soul Power surging. "Try smashing just one thing!" the young girl said coldly.

Ma Yan turned to look at her and immediately noticed her stunning figure. "Well, well, a fine girl," he thought, his eyes gleaming with lust.

"If you're willing to spend the night with me, I might consider letting you continue running your shop."

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's cold expression, Ma Yan was even more excited. "Girls like this are the most fun to play with."

Zhu Zhuqing glared at Ma Yan with ice-cold eyes, a deep chill in her heart. She was about to punish this arrogant fool.

Shen An calmly said, "Leave it to me. If he dares to insult you, I won't let him off easily."

At that moment, Tom's piano music abruptly stopped. He quickly ran to stand beside Shen An, glaring at Ma Yan and his group.

Someone wanted to smash my livelihood and try to take away my future mistress? Not on my watch.

Ma Yan and his men froze, staring at Tom in disbelief. "What? The one playing music was a cat?"

Tom, dressed elegantly in a tuxedo with a bowtie, was sitting at the piano, his paws expertly moving across the keys, creating beautiful music.

Ma Yan, realizing that this was no ordinary cat, started to look at Tom with excitement in his eyes. "A beautiful girl and a magical cat? If I catch this cat and present it to the nobles, wouldn't I be set for life?"

Originally, Shen An had only intended to teach Ma Yan a lesson, but after seeing him eye Zhu Zhuqing and Tom with such lecherous intent, Shen An had already sentenced him to death in his mind.

Flender lazily spoke up, "If you're willing to give me this cat, or hand over fifty percent of your future profits, I can help you solve this problem."

Flender, ever the opportunist, was clearly trying to profit from the situation.

Shen An felt no surprise at Flender's greed. Although Flender could easily handle the situation, why would he help someone who wasn't even family?

"No need, I can handle it," Shen An said as the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass instantly appeared in his hand. The sharp blade radiated with an unmatched killing intent.

"If you dare smash my shop, I won't hesitate to paint your body with some colors," Shen An said calmly.

Flender, shocked, felt an overwhelming pressure from the sword, even though he was a 78th-level Soul Saint. It felt incredibly sharp, and he sensed a hint of threat.

Meanwhile, Ma Yan felt the same pressure on his neck, as if a sword was hanging over him. Any wrong move, and he might lose his life.

Damn it, I've kicked the hornet's nest!

Ma Yan, though a powerful Soul Master, was now terrified, his bravado gone. He wanted to activate his martial soul to fight back, but before he could, he felt the sword press into his neck.

Shen An, not willing to let Ma Yan cause trouble in his tea shop, decided to act first. He used his first Soul Skill, Wind Chase, which allowed him to move faster than Ma Yan could react. Before Ma Yan knew it, Shen An had placed the sword at his neck.

Ma Yan, feeling the cold edge against his throat, trembled. "Spare... spare me! My uncle is a white-robed attendant at the Spirit Hall. Let me go, I swear I won't bother you again!"

Ma Yan, usually bold because of his uncle's position, was now begging for his life.

Shen An, though not intending to kill him, couldn't let someone like Ma Yan get away with threatening Tom and Zhu Zhuqing. He quickly slashed his face with two quick strikes, one from Tom and one from Zhu Zhuqing—only fitting.

Ma Yan didn't even realize what had happened until blood began dripping from his face. He collapsed to the floor, groaning in fear.

"Get out of here. Killing you would stain my sword," Shen An said, flicking the blood off his blade.

Flender, astonished, thought to himself, This kid is amazing. He's under level 20, and yet he easily defeated a Great Soul Master like Ma Yan.

Although Ma Yan seemed like a fool, this was still impressive.

Wait, an outsider? And so young? My Shrek Academy will be enrolling soon. Maybe this kid is a genius that will come to our school.

Flender smiled to himself, thinking how interesting it would be to see Shen An join the academy and later discover that he was the principal.

If Shen An could hear Flender's thoughts, he would surely laugh at his delusions.

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