"Yes, Zi Ji understands." The alluring woman respectfully replied. When she looked up again, her master was no longer in sight.
The God Ranking concluded, but Huo Yuhao was deep in thought. This so-called God Ranking was very strange. Just the rankings themselves felt off; it didn't seem to be based on talent, but rather more like they were predetermined and arbitrary.
Considering the consumption of immortal herbs, was Lin Xi's Vermilion Bird Martial Soul ranked a bit low? Moreover, those on the list were all young people. The older generation, like Mu En, Ye Xishui, and Long Xiaoyao, were not included.
Evil Soul Masters and Soul Beasts were also excluded. Were there no outstanding talents among the Evil Soul Masters? Was the King of Auspicious Beasts, Qiu'er, not talented enough? Obviously not.
The God Ranking gave Huo Yuhao the feeling that it was deliberately selecting a group of people. As for the purpose behind it, it was still unknown. In short, there was a lot of trickery involved.
Zhang Lexuan, after understanding the God-given rewards, retracted her Martial Soul and turned to report the good news to Elder Mu. Seeing Huo Yuhao, she smiled and nodded.
"Congratulations!" Not one to reject a friendly gesture, Huo Yuhao returned the smile and offered his congratulations as well.
This woman gave off the feeling of a gentle and lovely older sister. She lived a relatively simple life, deeply loved Beibei, and guarded Shrek to repay Mu En.
She was also a tragic figure. In the later stages of the original story, she received a reward in the Qiankun Asking Love Valley and forgot about Beibei, which could be considered a release.
"Thank you," Zhang Lexuan replied before entering the Sea God Pavilion.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao saw Yan Shaozhe leading He Caitou towards the Sea God Pavilion as well, which surprised him. Although he knew that Shrek would definitely investigate He Caitou after the second Martial Soul was revealed on the God Ranking,
it shouldn't have been necessary to involve the Sea God Pavilion. Unless, that old man Yan Shaozhe had another motive.
Huo Yuhao's eyes became playful. If it was really as he thought, then this old thing was truly shameless.
On the other side, He Caitou, following behind Yan Shaozhe, also felt something was wrong. Why were they coming to the Sea God Pavilion? Did it warrant such a big fuss? He hadn't committed any heinous crimes.
Without thinking too much, Huo Yuhao was about to go back and continue reading the books when he saw a beautiful figure hurrying over. She was wearing the red uniform of an Inner Court disciple, with golden hair and a stunning face. It was Jiang Nannan, the newly appointed school beauty of the Inner Court.
As for Zhang Lexuan, she was the goddess, the dream lover, the unattainable white moonlight in the hearts of the Inner Court disciples.
"Jiang Nannan, did you come looking for me?" Huo Yuhao asked as he saw the hurried Jiang Nannan. Inner Court disciples weren't allowed into the Sea God Pavilion without special permission, and judging by Jiang Nannan's expression, she was clearly heading straight for him.
Huo Yuhao just couldn't figure out why she was here. To catch up? They weren't exactly that close.
Jiang Nannan was slightly taken aback. She keenly noticed the change in Huo Yuhao's address. Previously, Huo Yuhao had called her Sister Nannan, but now he was directly addressing her by name.
It seemed like just a change in address, but wasn't this also a sign of Huo Yuhao distancing himself from her?
Perhaps, even Huo Yuhao himself hadn't realized this; it was just a subconscious act.
Sure enough, as time passed, the already limited connection between the two had faded to the point of being negligible.
Jiang Nannan thought of many things in that instant, but she still decided to give it a try, "Huo Yuhao, can we talk alone?"
Talk? Talk about what? Catching up? Seeing Jiang Nannan's serious expression, Huo Yuhao dismissed the idea.
"Alright, lead the way." After a moment of hesitation, Huo Yuhao agreed.
Sea God Island wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. After more than ten minutes, they arrived at a small grove of trees.
Just as Huo Yuhao was lost in thought, Jiang Nannan suddenly turned around and, to his surprise, dropped to her knees with a thud.
"Huo Yuhao, please, help me." Jiang Nannan pleaded.
Huo Yuhao was startled and didn't immediately blurt out an answer. Although Jiang Nannan looked very appealing in her current pitiful state, the matter that drove her to this point wouldn't be simple. Huo Yuhao wondered what unreasonable request this woman had.
At this moment, Jiang Nannan felt an invisible force pulling her up. The force was so strong that she couldn't resist. At the same time, Huo Yuhao's voice reached her ears.
"Get up and talk first, what's going on?"
Staring blankly at Huo Yuhao, Jiang Nannan realized that this guy, who was even younger than her, gave her a feeling of unfathomable depth. Recovering herself, Jiang Nannan brought up the main topic, "Huo Yuhao, can you, can you help me find someone?"
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief. He'd thought it was some unreasonable request. So she just wanted to find someone? Why didn't she ask him to help deliver love letters instead? Huo Yuhao grumbled inwardly.
"Who are you looking for? Do you know their name? Or any other information? You can't come with nothing prepared."
Jiang Nannan nodded and said, "You know this person too. I want to find Ye Lingling."
Looking for Lingling? Huo Yuhao's eyes narrowed as he pretended to be nonchalant, "Ye Lingling, is it the Ye Lingling who's third on the Martial Soul Ranking?"
"Yes!" Jiang Nannan nodded heavily.
"You want me to mobilize the power of the Hall of the Body to help you find Ye Lingling?"
Jiang Nannan nodded again.
"Can you tell me why you're looking for Ye Lingling?" Huo Yuhao asked again, seemingly just curious.
Jiang Nannan hesitated for a moment, then decided there was nothing to hide and slowly explained the reason.
After listening, Huo Yuhao nodded understandingly. So, she just wanted Ye Lingling to help treat her mother's illness. That was understandable; he had taken in Ye Lingling in the first place because he valued the Nine-Hearted Begonia's heaven-defying healing abilities.
After hearing Jiang Nannan's account, Huo Yuhao first pretended to be in deep thought, then spoke in a lukewarm tone, "Jiang Nannan, I can help you find someone, but you should also know the manpower it will take. Have you thought about what you can give me in return? And after finding Ye Lingling, can you guarantee she'll help?"
Huo Yuhao's words stunned Jiang Nannan. Right, she had only thought about how Huo Yuhao could help her, but she hadn't considered why he would help her, or what she could offer.
Although she was a top student at Shrek Academy, she was relatively poor among Soul Masters. At this time, no force would issue Soul Master subsidies or the like. They wouldn't just kill you.
Seeing Jiang Nannan remain silent for a long time, Huo Yuhao also knew her predicament. He didn't play any more guessing games and said, "I can help you find Ye Lingling and ensure she treats your mother."
"What are your conditions?" Jiang Nannan asked, her voice low. She had already guessed something. After all, many men had designs on her. She wasn't a fool, of course she could see it. And with Huo Yuhao's background, besides herself, what else could she offer that would interest him?
"Very good, I like talking to smart people. My request is also simple. I plan to establish a sect. As long as you withdraw from Shrek and come to help me, I can help you find Ye Lingling and have her treat your mother. How about it?"
"Of course, I won't keep you bound forever. Ten years. After ten years, I'll give you your freedom. You can decide what you want to do then."
After saying this, Huo Yuhao stared directly into Jiang Nannan's eyes, observing her subtle reactions. If this woman still pined for Shrek Academy, then, sorry, Jiang Nannan would just have to be a laborer from then on. You'll work hard for me, and you won't get a single penny.
Huo Yuhao had to be cautious. He valued Jiang Nannan's talent, but those from Shrek had nothing else going for them besides being masters of brainwashing, truly the best on the Douluo Continent. He didn't want to take in a traitorous ingrate.
However, Jiang Nannan seemed a little disbelieving when she heard Huo Yuhao's terms, as if she had misheard. "It's that simple?"
"Or what did you think?"
"Alright, I accept." Jiang Nannan replied very decisively.
This was within Huo Yuhao's expectations. Jiang Nannan was willing to be with Xu Sanshi to save her mother, so letting her join a force now was already very lenient compared to that.
Compared to Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan's value wasn't that high. Her talent wasn't as good as Xiao Xiao's, and she didn't have any background. Huo Yuhao helped her because he saw her desperation to save her mother. Because Huo Yuhao had experienced that feeling of helplessness before.
Meanwhile, on the first floor of the Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe sat behind a long table. Beside him were Xuan Zi and Mu En. Yan Shaozhe looked at the uneasy He Caitou and spoke calmly, "Tell us, your identity, your purpose for being at Shrek, and your background as a genius from the Sun Moon Imperial Family."
It wasn't hard to detect a hint of mockery in his words.
He Caitou was silent for a moment before revealing his identity, "My real name is Xu He. My father was the previous Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. Five years ago, the then Prince of Fengtai, who is now the Emperor, launched a coup and usurped the throne. Seeing the situation was hopeless, my father ordered his personal guards to escort me and several of my older brothers out of the palace."
"There were too many enemies. We were scattered. Later, I never received any news of my older brothers. Perhaps they have already been harmed by my uncle."
Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly. So, he was a fallen prince.
"Then, what is your purpose for infiltrating the academy? Do you have any secret missions?"
Upon hearing this, He Caitou—or rather, Xu He—was shocked. What was Yan Shaozhe doing? He hadn't even said much before being labeled a spy?
...................
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