A faint, somewhat strained smile appeared on Manyi's aged face. "This boy—should I say he truly is of Dai Hao's blood? To be so meticulous at such a young age..."
Xu Jiujiu shook her head. "Grandmother Manyi, he is far better than that bastard Dai Hao... To be honest, I'm actually curious to see what kind of expression Dai Hao will make when he finds out Huo Yuhao is his son."
"...Jiujiu, you are a smart girl," Manyi sighed softly. "You should be able to figure out how we can benefit the most from the power struggle between Huo Yuhao and Dai Hao. So why are you doing this?"
Xu Jiujiu remained silent, smoothing her hair somewhat uneasily.
Manyi looked at her with a knowing smile and said, "The boy is quite handsome, but he is significantly younger than you..."
Xu Jiujiu's fair face flushed red. "Grandmother Manyi, what are you saying? It was my Imperial Brother who reached a conclusion long ago—that we must strive to establish a good relationship with him and never cross him. That's why... that's why I'm acting like this, okay?"
Manyi laughed even more heartily. "Right, right, right... whatever you say..."
...
Watching the bright moon hanging high in the sky, Huo Yuhao murmured, "It's already night..."
With that thought, Huo Yuhao walked slowly down the street, gazing at the brilliantly lit Star Net City.
He hadn't been out in Star Net City at night for a long time. Looking at it now, time really does fly! Three months had passed in the blink of an eye.
Time to head home... thinking this, Huo Yuhao began walking toward the north.
Just then, a small figure slowly walked over from the roadside.
She looked very leisurely, strolling slowly while admiring the scenery.
As if guided by some unseen force, Huo Yuhao suddenly looked over his shoulder as if possessed.
It was a young girl dressed in white martial attire. Her long, blue-gold hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Although she wore a veil, one could imagine what a peerless beauty she was just from those ruby-like eyes.
The girl seemed to be wandering aimlessly, her steps light. Accompanied by the crisp, pleasant sound of her high heels clicking on the ground, she was exceptionally clear on the quiet street. Occasionally, she raised a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The moonlight played on her long hair, scattering pure white particles into the air, her movements as elegant as if they had been meticulously rehearsed.
"!!!"
Huo Yuhao's eyes widened, and his breath hitched. He felt as though he had been struck hard by a hammer.
"Heavens! So beautiful..."
The girl appeared to be slightly older than him. Though young, she already had a quite the "big sister" (onee-san) aura.
Most importantly, every single part of this girl perfectly hit his aesthetic preferences! It was incredible; it was as if she had been grown specifically to match Huo Yuhao's tastes, making it hard for him not to like her.
Instinctively, Huo Yuhao swallowed hard, looking quite starstruck.
He never expected that he would have a day where he'd be so completely smitten at first sight.
If he had some level of good feelings for the likes of Zhang Lexuan or Ma Xiaotao, the moment he saw this girl, Huo Yuhao truly realized he was in love...
What should I do? What should I do?
Should I go up and strike up a conversation? But I don't have any experience in this...
Huo Yuhao thought anxiously, but as he watched the girl get closer and closer, his heart began to race.
No... wait... why is she walking directly toward me?
Instinctively, Huo Yuhao tugged at his clothes, trying to tidy his appearance.
"Huo Yuhao."
The voice was devoid of impurities, drifting like water melted from ice and snow—possessing a clear sweetness, yet carrying a hint of coldness.
Huo Yuhao pointed at his own nose in surprise. "Eh? You know me?"
The girl blinked, and a vertical, rosy-gold eye faintly opened on her forehead.
"!!!"
Huo Yuhao immediately lost his composure and began shouting, "Ah! Ah! Ah!"
"...It's you! The Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-eyed Golden Lion!"
The girl put her hands on her hips and snorted, glaring at him with a "Are you an idiot?" look.
"Right, shout a bit louder so everyone can hear you."
Only then did Huo Yuhao snap out of it. He quickly covered his mouth, looked around, and whispered, "Yes... yes, I'm sorry."
"But, I... I say..." Huo Yuhao then took Long Qiu'er's hand and pulled her quickly to a corner of the street. After looking around to confirm there were no outsiders, he whispered, "How do you dare to transform and leave the Star Constellation Great Forest like this! The number of Titled Douluo in Star Net City is not small!"
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast transforming into a human was, in the eyes of a Titled Douluo, essentially a walking jackpot. While a hundred-thousand-year soul ring couldn't be absorbed, a hundred-thousand-year soul bone certainly could.
Given the importance of the Emperor Auspicious Beast to the Star Constellation Great Forest, if something were to actually happen to her here among humans, then...
The girl waved her hand. "It's nothing. If I didn't have some skills, I wouldn't be able to survive in the Star Constellation Great Forest. Even your human Limit Douluo wouldn't be able to see through my identity."
Huo Yuhao looked her up and down, asking uncertainly, "Are you sure it's okay?"
The girl rolled her eyes helplessly, reached into her chest area, pulled out a black dragon scale, and flashed it in front of Huo Yuhao. "I have this on me, too."
Huo Yuhao recognized what it was.
A Black Dragon's Reverse Scale... likely belonging to Di Tian. In that case, there really was nothing to worry about.
The girl glanced down at their hands, her voice trembling slightly. "Can you let go now?"
"Oh, oh..." Huo Yuhao reluctantly released the girl's warm, soft hand. "Right, right... I... I haven't asked what your human name is?"
The girl cleared her throat. "For now, you can call me Long Qiu'er. Since I'm out here gaining experience in a human identity, it's better to keep a low profile."
That face of yours doesn't look like it could keep a low profile at all... Huo Yuhao complained silently in his heart.
"Then... Miss Long Qiu'er, why are you...?"
She glanced sideways at Huo Yuhao, her tone calm. "I have your memories, so I intended to come and observe you, and incidentally see how the human world is developing."
Huo Yuhao looked awkward. "Observe? Uh... specifically, what kind of observation?"
"The thing you signed with the big worm and the big turtle... it's called a soul spirit, right? I heard everything you discussed with the Lord before, so I wanted to take the initiative to contact you and see how the soul spirit contract progress is going."
Looking at the girl before him who was so beautiful it took his breath away, Huo Yuhao somehow felt that these words of hers were a little strange...
Long Qiu'er did not look at Huo Yuhao, but instead turned her head toward the east. "I know you have no ill will toward our kind, and we are willing to treat you as a friend, but there are some things regarding our soul beast race that we cannot let you know for the time being."