Zi Ye scurried over, intending to slice open the Ji Hu for its gall bladder, but seeing the mess of Ji Hu meat scattered everywhere, she had no idea which piece was which and was completely flustered.

She shot him a look of disdain. "This is what you get for showing off! If you accidentally ruin the Ji Hu gall bladder, you'll have to go back to the tiger's den and get me another one!"

Truthfully, she hadn't expected Tang Wen to be this formidable.

If she had known, there would have been absolutely no need to be so terrified and rush through the journey.

Of course, hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

She tossed the submachine gun to Tang Wen, snatching the Aurora Sword from his grasp in the process, and began searching through the piles of flesh for the gall bladder.

The two soldiers who had been frantically firing their weapons during the earlier Ji Hu attack were stunned by Tang Wen’s sheer power. They finally snapped back to reality and came over to thank him.

Tang Wen offered a rare smile. "You arrived at just the right time; help us find the gall bladder. You’re with the Angel Legion, you must have containment vessels?"

The two men immediately split up to cooperate: one to search for the gall bladder, the other to retrieve the container.

Seeing that others had taken action, Zi Ye sheathed the Aurora Sword and stepped aside, pulling a face at Tang Wen.

Tang Wen rested his chin lightly on her shoulder and murmured, "Great achievers let others handle the clean-up."

Zi Ye froze, then suddenly burst out laughing.

Tang the Great Bastard, you win!

Soon, the Angel soldiers located the gall bladder and successfully secured it in a container. Seeing that the gall bladder was still faintly twitching, as if still alive, Zi Ye asked, "Will it survive if we get it to space?"

The soldier nodded grimly. "It must be alive!"

"That’s wonderful, thank you!" Zi Ye hugged the container holding the gall bladder and happily dashed out of the forest, leaving the two soldiers behind, and incidentally abandoning Tang the Great Bastard too.

"Doudou, do you think we could use the gall bladder to cultivate a batch of Ji Hus? That way, that pervert wouldn’t have to obsess over the Seven-Colored Rose; one gall bladder per person would suffice! We could process the leftover tiger meat into natural dried jerky, which we could eat ourselves or sell!"

Little Sprout mercilessly threw a bucket of cold water on her. "Gall bladders don't contain DNA. That pervert is trying to breed them!"

Huh? That actually made sense!

Zi Ye spun around and ran back. "Then can I just take the head back?"

Little Sprout couldn't be bothered to reply, only giving her a look of utter contempt.

Halfway back, Zi Ye ran into Tang Wen walking toward her alone.

Before she could say anything, Tang Wen smiled. "Afraid I got bitten by a Ji Hu?"

Zi Ye retorted testily, "No way! I came back for the tiger head!"

With that, she ran off.

Tang Wen turned and watched her light-footed retreat, pausing for a moment before following her.

Zi Ye returned to the spot and stared at the tiger head, which was half her size. After three seconds of stupefaction, she decided to give up.

Taking the head back was clearly too naïve!

She turned and saw Tang Wen standing not far away, looking at her with a half-smile. Amidst the purple vegetation, he looked as if he were standing in a sea of lavender blossoms; every expression was heartbreakingly elegant.

Tang Wen smiled beautifully, but his words were infuriating. "Didn't you say you were taking the head? Why aren’t you taking it now?"

Annoyed, Zi Ye marched back to the spot, lifted the half-human-sized head with her bare hands, and stomped over to him, shoving it into his arms. "Carry it back for me!"

Tang Wen, already holding the submachine gun, sighed inwardly and could only use one hand, carefully supporting the head on a clean spot to keep the blood from staining his clothes. "You really want to take this back?"

Zi Ye had felt a little overbearing, but seeing him effortlessly support the massive head with one hand while remaining utterly composed, her eyes widened, and she decisively nodded. "Yes, I’m absolutely taking it back."

Tang Wen considered it, set the head back down on the ground, took the Aurora Sword from her hand, and with a quick slash to the left and another to the right, he hacked away the excess meat from the tiger head.

Afraid of getting splashed with blood, Zi Ye quickly stepped back, pinched her nose, and offered a sarcastic comment. "I thought you would wield the sword like flowing water, like a true hero, cleaning the whole head with effortless grace!"

Tang Wen shot her a sidelong glance. "Your imagination is running wild."

Zi Ye stuck her tongue out at him.

Tang Wen tossed the Aurora Sword back to her, then lifted the tiger head again with one hand, walked out of the forest, found the airship, motioned for Zi Ye to board first, then placed the head inside, and finally sat down himself, smiling at her. "Is there anything else you want to take?"

Zi Ye suddenly had a strong urge to punch him, and not even apologize afterward!

She fiercely pressed the activation button, and the airship shot out like an arrow.

Sometimes, Zi Ye couldn't define what kind of person Tang Wen was.

He was breathtakingly beautiful, his posture eternally graceful, and his smile always pleasing to the eye—so much so that one could easily get lost looking at him. He was intensely proud; anyone scorned by him generally couldn't function afterward. He also possessed formidable abilities, such as lightning-fast hand speed, killing a tiger with a single precise strike, not to mention his skills piloting mecha...

It seemed that besides playing the piano, nothing else in the world could stump him.

Perhaps cooking was another exception?

Even though she knew he was the young master of the Tang Clan and undoubtedly exceptionally capable in all areas, seeing him this incredibly powerful still made her view him as a freak of nature.

In some ways, she was more comfortable interacting with people like An Jun Lie.

An Jun Lie was excellent, but his excellence didn't inspire shock; it manifested in the small details of daily life—unnoticeable unless you were looking, and flawless once you paid attention!

"Tang the Great Bastard, are you cooking tonight?"

Tang Wen's refined face darkened slightly. "No."

Zi Ye asked, "Why not?"

Tang Wen looked unhappy. "If people cook, what are robots for?"

Zi Ye countered, "No matter how good robots cook, it’s never as good as what humans make."

Tang Wen mumbled sullenly, "What I make isn't as good as the robots do."

Zi Ye wanted to see him cook. "How do you know unless you try?"

Tang Wen turned his head toward her, his prominent features clearly visible. "I've never cooked before. Do you think my first attempt will match a standard programmed robot?"

Zi Ye huffed and turned her face away. "Fine then, don't cook, I don't care!"

She decided she wouldn't talk to Tang the Great Bastard anymore!

However, she was certain of one thing: Tang Wen couldn't cook.

Was this his second flaw?

Returning home, Zi Ye stopped the airship and suddenly sensed something was wrong—why was the main door wide open? Had they been robbed?

Just as she was about to rush in to check, someone walked out upon hearing the sound. Seeing Zi Ye, the person exclaimed happily, "Little sister, you're back."

Zi Ye saw it was An Jun Lie and her face split into a huge grin. She ran back, lifted the tiger head from the airship, and happily rushed toward An Jun Lie. "Alien, I brought back a tiger head. Make tiger head soup tonight."

Tang Wen's expression instantly turned icy.

The tiger head, which was supposed to be taken back for that pervert to study, had so easily fallen into An Jun Lie's hands, and was now about to become a meal.

Of course, the crucial part wasn't the tiger head, but Zi Ye’s attitude!

Lately, Zi Ye’s manner toward him had become increasingly casual—teasing, scolding, completely failing to treat him as a teacher. He thought their relationship was solid enough, but now he realized that the intimacy Zi Ye showed toward An Jun Lie was on a completely different level!

In his eyes, the tiger head was the result of their combined effort; An Jun Lie had nothing to do with it, yet Zi Ye handed it over with such a taken-for-granted demeanor!!!

Tang Wen stood by the airship door, silently protesting with his stillness.

In reality, An Jun Lie had already heard about Tang Wen and Zi Ye hunting the tiger from the hunting team members, so he wasn't surprised to see the head. He accepted it with a gentle smile. "Good, we’ll have a full tiger feast tonight. You must be tired; sit down for a while first."

Zi Ye happily nuzzled against his chest. "Great! I’m going upstairs for a nap first. Wake me when it's ready."

An Jun Lie held the tiger head in his left hand, gently stroked her head with his right, and smiled. "Good girl."

Zi Ye and Little Sprout happily headed upstairs.

An Jun Lie subtly glanced at Tang Wen.

Ever since An Jun Lie appeared, Tang Wen had remained motionless beside the airship. His gaze was pure and arrogant, showing not only disdain but also very evident anger!

An Jun Lie smiled at Tang Wen.

Although Tang Wen had collaborated with the Angel Legion on the matter of the stripping, he had coordinated directly with the head of the Angel Legion’s Crisis Response Department, bypassing An Jun Lie.

Thus, this encounter marked the very first meeting between Tang Wen and An Jun Lie!

In a way, An Jun Lie was like a dog—loyal and brave, while Tang Wen was like a cat—elegant and proud. Since cats and dogs don't share the same space, these two naturally couldn't coexist harmoniously.

Fortunately, An Jun Lie was never petty, even knowing Tang Wen was a romantic rival.

He carefully set the tiger head on the ground and extended his hand toward Tang Wen. "You are Zi Ye's teacher, Tang Wen, correct? I've heard Zi Ye mention you many times; it’s a pleasure to meet you here."

Tang Wen stared at his hand, unmoving.

The hand was wide, thick, rough, calloused, rosy-skinned, and had neatly trimmed nails.

Tang Wen suddenly asked, "You know how to cook?"

An Jun Lie chuckled. "Yes, Zi Ye particularly loves my cooking. Since it’s a rare opportunity, would you like to try some?"

Seeing that Tang Wen showed no inclination to shake hands, he was about to bend down to pick up the tiger head, when Tang Wen suddenly reached out and lightly clasped his hand. "I look forward to it, An Jun Lie."

He pronounced the name "An Jun Lie" almost through gritted teeth.

No wonder Zi Ye had asked him about cooking on the way—it turned out she liked men who cooked.

Tang Wen was furious internally, but he slowly managed to calm himself down.

Did he actually have to go learn how to cook?

An Jun Lie smiled kindly. "Come in and sit down quickly. I'll head to the kitchen to process the tiger head first, otherwise, it won't taste right." He spoke as if he were the master of the house!

A cuckoo occupying the nest!

Tang Wen desperately wanted to shout, "This is my grandfather's and Zi Ye's house; it has nothing to do with you!"

But in the end, he said nothing, swallowed his anger, and followed An Jun Lie into the house.

Once inside, An Jun Lie headed straight for the kitchen as if he owned the place. Tang Wen lingered in the main hall for a moment, then turned and walked upstairs toward Zi Ye’s room.

In this domain, Zi Ye was the true decision-maker!

Furthermore, if he didn't want Zi Ye stolen away, his strategy shouldn't be aimed at An Jun Lie, but at Zi Ye herself.

"An Jun Lie, I will absolutely make you my defeated opponent!"

-RS