Great, we're doomed now!

"Ah—! My eggs!"

Saitama's face instantly fell, he clutched his head and squatted on the ground, then put on the Pain Mask and collapsed to the ground, his groans echoing through the street: "Why?! I finally made up my mind to buy these eggs! Fate is so unfair!"

It's over, his tamagoyaki...

If there were dinosaur-themed monsters, that would be great, preferably a female dinosaur. A dinosaur egg would definitely provide enough food for several meals—he has literally made a living by fighting monsters for the past three years (though there have also been humanoid ones).

Just as he was in unbearable pain, a gentle voice came from above: "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention and accidentally made you miss dinner... In that case, how about we go have hot pot together?"

"hot pot?!"

Saitama suddenly looked up, the blinding sun making him squint.

Then he saw Ye Shou carrying two large bags full of ingredients, slowly descending from the sky against the light. The bags were piled high with boxes, and inside one of the transparent plastic lids, he could see a large piece of red and white beef with even marbling. The A5 label on it was particularly eye-catching, glistening enticingly in the sunlight.

Saitama's gaze was instantly drawn to the beef, his pupils dilated, and the despair he had felt earlier vanished!

In his eyes, Ye Shou seemed to radiate a holy light, as kind and approachable as the God who redeemed him—even though he didn't have time to pay attention to Ye Shou's appearance.

The bald man immediately got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and agreed without hesitation: "Okay!"

He doesn't even care who the other person is or where they're going, as long as they're invited to dinner—they can't be a bad person!

……

Ye Shou led the way carrying the groceries, with Saitama following behind, his eyes never leaving the bag of A5 beef, muttering something under his breath.

"Saitama-kun? Is there something on my face?"

"No... Yes, you're the Wagyu... no, the hero who just fought the monster, right?"

Saitama coughed lightly, quickly averting his gaze and looking intently at Ye Shou: "Wow, that's amazing! What was that last one? A superpower?"

"It's a magic trick passed down in my hometown," Ye Shou said with a slight smile.

"Hometown? Which city?"

"Luluye".

Hmm? Is this place one of the twenty-six cities?

The two chatted and laughed, and soon arrived deep in the mountains. Pushing open the wooden door of the temple, they found Banggu sitting in the courtyard drinking tea, while Chalanzi was tidying up some odds and ends.

“Master Bang, I brought a friend with me.” Ye Shou introduced with a smile, “His name is Saitama, he is also a hero. I just encountered a monster, and the aftershocks of the battle accidentally caught him in it… Let’s just consider it fate and have a simple meal together. I need to borrow your place for a moment, is there anything inconvenient?”

"Hmm? It's fine if it's just a meal."

Bang put down his teacup, sized up Saitama, and noticed a hint of surprise in his eyes as he looked at Saitama's unremarkable bald head and his rather tasteless yellow bodysuit.

Although his muscles aren't particularly muscular, they inexplicably give off a feeling of rock-solid stability.

However, he was not a martial arts fanatic, or rather, he had passed the age of kicking every stray dog ​​he saw on the roadside. After middle age, he rarely caused trouble anymore, so he had no intention of trying to fight Saitama.

Silver Fang smiled and nodded: "Welcome, welcome. Since you are Lord Ye Shou's friend, please don't mind that the dojo is a bit simple."

"No, no, not at all~"

Saitama scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "Thank you for your help. Let me help prepare the ingredients."

He took the ingredients Ye Shou handed him and asked where the kitchen was. First, he unscrewed a bottle of seasoning, and when he turned the cap upside down, he was stunned to see "Win Another Bottle" printed on it.

Soy sauce vendors doing this kind of promotion? I've never heard of that.

He didn't pay any attention and continued to unpack the chilled vegetables, finding a coupon inside that said "Redeem the same item for free".

Finally, when I opened a bag of saury, I found a "50% off" coupon hidden inside!

Saitama's eyes widened, and he muttered, "I've never had such good luck in my entire life..."

Looking around, he instinctively wanted to put the coupon away, but out of a sense of pride as a hero, he ultimately left it on the table.

"I'm such an idiot..."

Glug glug~

An induction cooker was set up in one of the dojo rooms, steam rising continuously from the pot, the clear mushroom soup gradually bubbling, while Ye Shou arranged various ingredients one by one on the low table next to it:

A5 Wagyu beef, marbled pork belly, assorted vegetables, meatball platter, tofu, and various mushrooms and soy products.

Bang, Saitama, and Charan sat around a low table, all three pairs of eyes fixed on the broth in the pot, and the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

Bangu held his teacup, secretly calculating in his mind:

Saitama is a guest from out of town, so he'd definitely be too embarrassed to take it from the host. Chaji Ranko, being a respectful child, would certainly give way to him and Ye Shou. In that case, such high-quality protein would become his meal.

He secretly glanced at the beef, and a slight smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Cha Lanzi gripped her chopsticks tightly, her eyes hardening: Master always says that martial arts require giving it your all, and the same applies to food!

Even if the other party is our master, we cannot easily back down. This is the principle of our dojo!

He stared at the broth gradually boiling in the pot, his fingers tapping lightly on the chopsticks, ready to make a move at any moment.

Saitama's gaze never left the pork belly and Wagyu beef, and his stomach let out a rumble.

He was thinking to himself: his family was struggling financially, and he hadn't eaten such proper beef in a long time. He used to rely on parts of strange people to supplement his protein intake. Although the taste was quite good, he still occasionally wanted to live the life of an ordinary person. Today, he was determined to eat his fill!

Although it's a little embarrassing to just grab it directly, this is high-quality protein that we haven't had in a long time!

He quietly moved forward, his chopsticks already aimed at the plate of beef.

Ye Shouze sat cross-legged on the cushion, holding a cup of warm water and taking sips from time to time. He observed the expressions of the three people with great interest. Their little schemes were written all over their faces, which he found amusing.

He wasn't particularly obsessed with food, but watching these three people, each with their own agendas, fight over food was more interesting than eating it himself.

"The broth has boiled; you can add the meat now," Ye Shou said softly.

Snapped!

The starting pistol rang in the ears of the three men, and as soon as the words were spoken, three pairs of chopsticks almost simultaneously reached for the beef rolling in the pot!

"Master, this is my martial arts!"

"Water-flowing rock-crushing hand!"

"Clip it up carefully!"

...The heat from the hot pot gradually dissipated, the ingredients on the table were all gone, and everyone ate until their bellies were round.

Saitama scratched the back of his head, stood up somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I'll clean up. I can't just eat and do nothing."

Cha Lanzi quickly waved her hand: "No, no, how can we let the guests do it!"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Saitama had already picked up the bowls and chopsticks and skillfully placed them on the tray. "Anyway, I don't have anything else to do, so helping out is the right thing to do."

The two went into the kitchen and chatted as they tidied up. Charanko casually mentioned the daily life at the dojo, and Saitama, who hadn't been very interested at first, suddenly asked, "Isn't Ye Shou a disciple here?"

Cha Lanzi paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "No, Mr. Ye Shou only came to the dojo today to exchange martial arts insights with Master. He has never been here before."

"Huh? You're only here today?"

Saitama stopped what he was doing, a hint of surprise on his face: "He seemed so at ease, as if he were at home. I didn't expect him to be a guest. But... an exchange of martial arts techniques?"

He recalled the awe-inspiring scene of Ye Shou's transformation and fell into deep thought:

What use is martial arts to this kind of "creature"?

-

In the open space behind the training ground, Ye Shouzhen stood quietly in a stance with his eyes closed, his aura calm and steady.

Saitama's eyes lit up: "Found it!"

"Saitama?" Ye Shou sensed Saitama's presence. "Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing."

The bald man asked, puzzled, "I'm just curious, you can clearly transform into a giant over fifty meters tall, and you're so strong that there's almost no monster you can't defeat, so why do you still need to learn martial arts?"

Ye Shou slowly opened his eyes and looked at him calmly: "Martial arts is not just about becoming stronger."

"what?"

"It can temper one's body, giving one more precise control over the physical body, and it can also refine one's state of mind." Ye Shou's tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable seriousness. "Powerful strength is like a flood, and one's state of mind is the dam. If one's state of mind cannot keep up with the growth of power, it is easy to lose control and go berserk, eventually becoming a monster who only knows how to destroy."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "The pursuit of power and the cultivation of martial arts are not contradictory; on the contrary, they can complement each other."

Strength is the foundation, mindset is the direction; only when both are in place can one be truly powerful.

At the edge of the open space, Bang had walked over at some point. Hearing Ye Shou's words, he sighed softly, his eyes full of agreement:

Such words sound simple, something any immature teenager could say, but when someone truly possesses the power to split mountains and shatter rocks, maintaining a peaceful state of mind becomes incredibly difficult.

The saying "If you have a sharp blade in your heart, the desire to kill will arise" illustrates this point.

After listening, Saitama nodded subconsciously: "I see, what you said makes a lot of sense."

"Want to stay and learn together?" Ye Shou invited with a smile, also somewhat curious about what the effect would be if the bald guy learned the Ripple technique.

"Master Bang's Water Stream Rock Smash Fist is very powerful; you can learn a lot from it."

Saitama immediately shook his head, his face showing an expression of disdain: "No, no, learning martial arts requires memorizing moves, I'm not cut out for that."

"That's a shame~"

"Um……"

He stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then asked curiously, "By the way, are there any special methods for learning martial arts?"

I used to see movies where people practiced kung fu under waterfalls or carried stones while running. I tried that myself to get stronger, but it didn't seem to work.

"Right now, I just run, do push-ups, and sit-ups every day, and I've been exercising like this for three years... that's about it."

"You're one of a kind to have acquired the strength of 'One-Hit Man' in this way," Ye Shou said with an awkward but polite smile.

After witnessing Saitama's true strength, everyone is curious about how he obtained this power. At the same time, after hearing Saitama's self-introduction, they will have doubts. No one will believe that he can knock out a Dragon-level monster with one punch through ordinary training.

The heroes thought it was ridiculous, the monsters thought it was nonsense, and even the audience thought it was a nonsensical joke. They insisted on citing sources from the original work, looking for details and evidence, and trying to find a reasonable reason for Saitama's "power".

Ye Shou didn't know the true nature of the "One-Hit Man," nor was he particularly curious. Even if "three years of training" was the correct answer, he could accept it.

"There are no secrets to martial arts training. It's all about training the mind, body, and technique. As for tricks and tips... it's nothing more than persistence and perseverance."

Ye Shou paused for a moment: "And above all that, what determines everything is talent and aptitude!"

Although it's unfair, even with the same effort, everyone's growth rate will be different.

"It sounds just like going to school..."