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Chapter 18 — My House Is Actually Quite Big
"Cooperate?"
"Yes—Cooperate."
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao took out the pair of gloves he had crafted the night before. While demonstrating their function to Tang Ya, he continued explaining calmly.
"I can create soul tools. But to obtain more rare metals and to sell these finished soul devices, I'll need the Tang Sect's channels. I also need your help with some other matters. During this process, whatever profits we make from selling the soul tools—"
Before he could finish, Tang Ya interrupted softly.
"I'll help you."
Huo Yuhao blinked in surprise. "You're not even going to ask how we'll split the profit?"
"There's no need. Whatever you give me is fine. After all…"
She hesitated, then raised her head. Her clear eyes locked onto his with quiet resolve as she murmured, "After all, I have nothing left anymore."
"…Alright then, we'll discuss the details later."
Huo Yuhao nodded easily, though inwardly, he couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.
Was it just his imagination, or had Tang Ya's gaze changed? There was something different about the way she looked at him now—something he couldn't quite name.
He shook the thought from his mind and glanced around before asking, "Do you still have a place to stay?"
"No…"
Her voice dropped again, carrying a trace of the same loss that lingered in her expression. After a brief silence, Huo Yuhao hesitated before speaking.
"Then… why don't you come to my house?"
Creaaak—
"Mom, I'm back!"
The moment Huo Yuhao's voice rang out, Huo Yun'er—who had been pacing anxiously in the living room—finally let out a long sigh of relief. She instinctively turned toward the door.
"You're back so late—"
Before she could finish her scolding, her words froze in her throat. Standing behind her son was a delicate young girl, head lowered, too shy to meet her gaze. Huo Yun'er's eyes widened in disbelief.
Wait a minute…
My son is only six years old! Isn't this a little too early for a girlfriend?!
But before the thought could settle, another, more absurd idea struck her.
No, that's not right! We've only been in Heaven Dou City for two days—how could a girl follow him home this late? Don't tell me… he kidnapped her?!
Huo Yuhao, of course, had no idea that his mother's imagination had gone completely off the rails in a matter of seconds. He stepped aside and introduced the girl politely.
"Mom, this is Tang Ya. We met a couple of days ago. She might be staying with us for a while."
Clack—
"She might be staying with us for a while…"
Those words hit Huo Yun'er like a thunderclap. The shock on her face deepened. Before she could even decide how to respond, her well-meaning son was already introducing her to the girl.
"Sister Xiao Ya, this is my mom—her name's Huo as well."
Tang Ya took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of courage she had, then lifted her head slightly. Her voice trembled nervously as she greeted, "G-good evening, Auntie…"
"Ah—hello, hello! So you're Xiao Ya? Come in, come in! Have a seat! You two haven't eaten yet, right? I'll cook right away."
Huo Yun'er, equally flustered, hurriedly ushered the girl inside. After pouring her a glass of water, she shot Huo Yuhao a meaningful glance and quickly slipped away into the kitchen.
Seeing that, Huo Yuhao could only offer Tang Ya an apologetic smile before following after his mother.
Inside the kitchen, he found Huo Yun'er waiting, her expression unreadable. He already had a bad feeling about what she was thinking, but before he could say anything, she beat him to it.
"Yuhao…"
She took a deep breath, her tone solemn and earnest. "Tell Mom honestly—what's the deal with that girl? It doesn't matter if you're making money or not. I just don't want you walking down a path you'll regret."
"…Huh?"
For a full second, Huo Yuhao's mind went blank before he realized what she meant. The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. "Mom, what do you think your good son has been doing?"
After a sigh, he gave her a quick summary of Tang Ya's situation—though he deliberately left out the part about soul tool cooperation. When he mentioned that Tang Ya's parents had been killed, a flicker of sympathy softened Huo Yun'er's eyes.
"I see… Then let her stay here. It's fine—she can even keep me company when I'm home alone. Go on now, I'll start making dinner."
"I can help too."
Huo Yun'er paused mid-step, then turned to look at her son with an odd expression.
"…Mom?" he asked, confused.
She sighed helplessly, her tone carrying that familiar hate-iron-for-not-becoming-steel flavor.
"Go out there and keep that girl company. Make her feel comfortable, alright?"
Under his mother's firm insistence, Huo Yuhao had no choice but to return to the living room.
No one knew what the boy said to her afterward, but by the time Huo Yun'er brought out dinner, Tang Ya's tense expression had eased significantly.
At the table, Tang Ya sat politely, her hands resting in her lap, eyes fixed on her bowl. Seeing her hesitation, Huo Yun'er gently placed more food in it and said with a warm smile,
"Xiao Ya, Yuhao already told me about what happened to you. From now on, just stay here and treat this place as your home."
Looking at the bowl piled high with food, Tang Ya bit her lip hard. Her eyes shimmered as tears threatened to fall, and she choked out a faint, "Mm…"
After dinner, Huo Yuhao carried over a steaming bowl of medicine and set it gently in front of her.
"I've cleaned up the room upstairs for you—it's right next to mine. The bedding's all new. Drink this, then get some rest early tonight."
"What… is it?"
As she stared at the brownish decoction, Tang Ya suddenly remembered the packet of herbs he'd bought earlier that day from the medical hall before bringing her home.
"It's a calming tonic," he explained softly. "You've been under a lot of emotional strain. This should help you sleep."
"…Thank you."
Tang Ya took the bowl carefully, her lips trembling slightly. She began sipping the medicine spoonful by spoonful.
The taste was bitter at first—but a hint of sweetness soon followed, softening the sharp edge of the herbs.
"I added a bit of sugar," Huo Yuhao said gently beside her. "Not too bitter now, right?"
Tang Ya shook her head, voice faint and trembling.
"Not bitter… It's sweet."
Spoon after spoon, she drank quietly, head bowed low. Tears welled up and fell silently, one by one, mixing into the steaming medicine below.
One Year Later
"Uncle Huang!"
At the entrance of the Street market, the familiar call made Huang Yu—who was lazily smoking his pipe—turn his head. When he saw the two youths approaching, his face lit up with a grin.
"You two came pretty early today, huh?"
In the past year, he had grown quite close to this pair of hardworking youngsters. Ever since that day when Huo Yuhao had mentioned that something had happened to his "friend," the Tang Sect girl who used to drop by every other day had vanished. In her place appeared another girl—one who seemed about the same age, always following Huo Yuhao to help sell grilled fish.
Being well-connected as he was, Huang Yu had, of course, heard about what had happened to the Tang Sect. It wasn't hard for him to guess the girl's true identity. Though she looked somewhat different now, he knew better than to pry. Since Huo Yuhao never brought it up, he simply pretended not to know.
The young girl—Xiao Ya—looked at him with a teasing smile. "Uncle Huang, you're such a busy man! What brings you out here today?"
"You little rascal, already teasing me, huh?" Huang Yu chuckled, shaking his head helplessly. Then his tone turned a bit more serious.
"The Continental Soul Master Tournament is just around the corner. A lot of tourists are flooding into Heaven Dou City. I've got to keep an eye on things to prevent any trouble. Speaking of which, this is a golden opportunity for you two. Yuhao, your grilled fish stall—stock up and sell more! You'll make a fortune these days!"
"Uh…"
Huo Yuhao rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, hesitating for a moment before saying softly, "Uncle Huang, actually… I came today to tell you that after I sell out today's batch, I'm planning to stop selling."
"Stop? You mean—no more grilled fish?"
Huang Yu froze. The Soul Master Tournament only happened once every five years, rotating among the four empires! This was the busiest time in twenty years—the perfect chance to earn money. And this kid was… quitting?
"Why on earth would you stop now? Didn't you just pay this month's stall fee a few days ago? At least finish out the month, right?"
(To be continued…)