The silence in the small, sterile room of the Spring Dew Pavilion was a profound and sacred thing. It was punctuated only by the steady, healthy rhythm of a mother's breathing and the soft, shuddering sobs of a daughter whose world had just been pulled back from the brink of collapse.
Huo Yuhao stood, leaning against the doorframe for support, his body screaming with an exhaustion so deep it felt as if his very soul had been wrung out like a wet cloth. The last dregs of his Soul Power were spent, but his spirit was alight with a quiet, triumphant warmth. He had done it. He had stared into the face of a grief that had once shattered him and had refused to let it claim another.
He watched as Jiang Nannan, still on her knees, slowly lifted her head. Her beautiful, intelligent face was a mess of tears and raw, unfiltered emotion. Gratitude, disbelief, and a joy so potent it was painful to witness warred for dominance in her dark eyes. She looked at him, not as a boy, not as a fish-seller, but as a miracle worker, a savior.
The intensity of her gaze made him feel a little awkward. He offered her a faint, weary smile.
"She should be fine now," he said, his voice soft, a little raspy from fatigue. "The root of the problem is solved. Her body is still weak, though. She might not wake up for a few hours, but when she does, she will be… healthy." He paused, his own memories coloring his next words with a gentle empathy. "You should stay with her. Spend some time with your mother."
Before she could even form a response, before her mind could process the whirlwind of events and find the words to express the boundless debt she now felt, he turned. With a final, reassuring nod towards the stunned and awestruck Elder Zhao, he pushed himself off the doorframe and walked away, his steps a little unsteady but resolute. He had done what he came to do. Now, he needed to go back to his own partner, his own life.
Jiang Nannan watched him go, his slender back disappearing down the quiet corridor. Her mind was a maelstrom. She wanted to call out, to stop him, to fall at his feet and offer him everything she had. But her voice was trapped in her throat, her limbs heavy with the emotional aftermath of the ordeal.
He was gone. The boy who had saved her mother's life, who had performed a divine act of healing and asked for nothing in return, had simply walked away.
'Huo Yuhao,' she thought, the name he had introduced himself with echoing in her mind like a sacred mantra. 'I will find you. I will repay this debt. I swear it on my very soul.' She looked back at her mother's sleeping face, at the healthy, peaceful color that had returned to her cheeks, and a new, unshakeable resolve settled in her heart. This was a kindness she would carry with her for the rest of her life.
The sun was beginning to dip below the towering rooftops of Heaven Dou City, painting the sky in fiery strokes of orange and purple. The market square was emptying out, the chaotic energy of the day giving way to the tired shuffle of merchants packing up their wares.
Huo Yuhao arrived back at his stall to find Jin Xi sitting calmly on a stool, the last of the fish sold, a small, jingling pouch of copper coins sitting neatly on the counter. She had been watching the flow of humanity with the patient, observant air of a predator watching a herd, her veiled face betraying nothing but a calm curiosity.
The moment he appeared, her ruby eyes lit up with a genuine warmth and concern. She hopped off the stool and rushed to his side, her hands hovering near his arms as if to catch him should he fall.
"You're pale," she stated, her voice losing its usual teasing lilt, replaced by a soft worry. "You look like a leaf after a frost. Did it go well? Did you help the sad human girl?"
Huo Yuhao managed a tired but genuine smile. He leaned against the stall, a wave of relief washing over him now that he was back in her comforting presence. "It went well," he said, his voice quiet. "Her mother will live." He looked up at the sky, a flicker of something complex in his eyes. "It was all thanks to Brother Skydream. His control… it was perfect."
'Heh. Of course, it was perfect!' Skydream's voice preened in his mind, already recovered from the exertion. 'Did you expect anything less from a being of my caliber? I am not just a pretty face, you know. Now, if you'll excuse me, piloting a mortal's shoddy Soul Power is surprisingly tiring. I'm going back to sleep. Don't bother me unless it's an actual emergency… or if you get more of those sweet pastries.'
Jin Xi tilted her head, considering his words. "So the big, noisy bug was actually useful for something other than shouting?" she mused aloud. "I am genuinely surprised. Perhaps he is not as completely useless as I thought. Only mostly useless."
She patted Huo Yuhao's cheek gently. "Well, you did a good thing, my little craftsman. You stopped that sad girl from leaking water from her eyes all over the city. Now," she said, her tone abruptly shifting back to one of bright, playful energy as she scooped up the coin pouch, its contents making a satisfying jingle. "Get some rest. We have earned much shiny metal today. Tomorrow, we earn more! I saw a park on the other side of the city. It has these giant, whirling metal contraptions that humans ride for amusement. They look strange and exhilarating. We must try them all!"
Huo Yuhao chuckled, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten in the face of her infectious enthusiasm. He nodded, a warmth spreading through his chest that had nothing to do with Soul Power. "Alright, Xi'er. Tomorrow, we ride the foolish metal contraptions."
For the rest of the evening, he simply sat and watched as she meticulously counted and recounted their earnings, her ruby eyes sparkling with a joy that was both childlike and deeply endearing. The weight of the world, the schemes of gods, and the echoes of past griefs all seemed to melt away in the simple, profound peace of her company.
A few hours later, as the last rays of sunlight faded and the city's magic-powered lanterns began to glow, a familiar, graceful figure approached their stall.
It was Jiang Nannan.
She had changed out of the clothes she had worn earlier and was now dressed in a simple but elegant blue dress. The tear-streaked desperation on her face was gone, replaced by a deep, serene calm and an expression of profound, heartfelt gratitude.
She stopped before Huo Yuhao, who was in the middle of packing away his grilling tools, and performed a deep, formal bow.
"Huo Yuhao," she said, her voice clear and steady, infused with an emotion that made his name sound like a prayer. "Thank you. From the very bottom of my heart, I wish to thank you."
Huo Yuhao quickly moved to help her straighten up, feeling a bit flustered by the formality. "Please, Miss Jiang, there's no need for that. I'm just glad I could help."
"My mother is awake," she continued, her voice trembling slightly with remembered joy. "She… she looks better than she has in years. The physicians are calling it a miracle. They say her heart is as strong as that of a young woman. After we talked for a while, she went back to sleep, a peaceful, healthy sleep." She looked at him, her dark eyes shining with an intensity that was almost overwhelming. "What you did… it was not just helping. It was the gift of life. A debt I can never truly repay."
Jin Xi, who had been silently observing, tilted her veiled head. "A debt of life seems very serious," she commented, her tone curious. "In my homeland, such a debt is often repaid by swearing eternal servitude or offering oneself as a mate. Are you here to become his servant or his mate, sad girl?"
Jiang Nannan's cheeks flushed a bright pink. "I… no! That's not… I mean…" she stammered, completely thrown off by Jin Xi's blunt, beast-world logic.
Huo Yuhao shot Jin Xi a pleading look. "Xi'er, please." He then turned back to the flustered Jiang Nannan. "My friend… has a very unique way of looking at the world. Please, don't mind her."
He introduced them properly. "Miss Jiang Nannan, this is my friend and traveling partner, Jin Xi."
Jiang Nannan, recovering her composure, nodded politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jin Xi." She then turned her focus back to Huo Yuhao. "I have introduced myself, but I know nothing about you. Forgive my rudeness, but… who are you? I can sense you are a Soul Master, but you seem so young. Which academy do you belong to? To possess such a heaven-defying control of Soul Power at your age… yet you are here, selling grilled fish?"
The questions were logical, the curiosity genuine. Huo Yuhao had anticipated them.
He shook his head, offering a small, self-deprecating smile. "I don't belong to any academy," he said, sticking to the story he had prepared. "My friend Jin Xi and I are just… travelers. Seeing the world."
He sighed softly, putting on a convincing air of melancholy. "As for my talent… my Soul Power talent is actually very low. I was born with a level 1 innate Soul Power, and my progression is very slow. The healing you saw," he said, his expression turning serious and truthful, "it was not entirely my own skill. I had the help of a very powerful and very private friend. A friend whose secrets I am not at liberty to share. He was the one who did the work, while I merely provided the Soul Power."
Jiang Nannan listened, her intelligent eyes searching his face. She saw no deception, only honesty and a quiet humility. She knew he was keeping secrets, but she also knew she had no right to them. She nodded in understanding.
"I see," she said softly. "I will not pry. But that does not change the fact that you saved my mother's life. Please, allow me to repay you. I do not have much, but I have saved some money for my mother's treatment. I can offer you gold coins. Or, if there is something else you need, I am a third-year student at Shrek Academy's outer court. In the future, I may be able to acquire things for you… a rare metal, perhaps even a low-level Soul Tool or a Soul Bone if I am very fortunate. Please, let me do something."
Her insistence was earnest, born from a deep-seated sense of honor. Huo Yuhao could see that simply refusing would only make her feel more indebted. He needed to give her a way to feel that the slate was, in some small way, wiped clean.
He sighed, pretending to think it over. "You're right," he said finally. "That did take a lot of effort from… my friend. And it drained me completely." He looked at her, his expression serious. "If you truly insist on repaying this debt… then ten Gold Soul Coins should suffice."
Jiang Nannan stared at him. Ten Gold Coins. For the gift of her mother's life. It was a laughably, insultingly small amount. A single Profound Heart Pill, had she been able to find one, would have cost a hundred times that. She understood immediately. He wasn't asking for payment. He was giving her an honorable way out, a way to close this chapter without feeling the crushing weight of an eternal debt.
'He is not a selfish person,' she thought, a new wave of admiration washing over her. 'He is kind. Truly, deeply kind.'
For now, she would accept his terms. But she made another silent vow. Ten Gold Coins would settle the matter for him, but not for her. She would find a way to truly repay him.
'His Soul Power talent is low, he said,' she mused. 'Perhaps… perhaps I could acquire a Mystic Water Pill for him. The kind they sell at the academy's high-end auction house. It's said to be able to wash the meridians and improve one's innate potential. It would be difficult to get, and incredibly expensive, but for him… it would be worth it.'
She pushed the thought aside for later. "Very well," she said, her voice firm. "Ten Gold Coins it is." She reached into the small, embroidered purse at her waist. She had indeed saved a small fortune, scrimping and saving from her academy stipends and mission rewards. She carefully counted out ten shining gold coins and placed them into Huo Yuhao's hand.
Jin Xi's veiled eyes widened, a delighted sparkle appearing within them. Having lived in the city for over a week, she now understood the value of these shiny metal circles. Ten copper coins bought a fish. A ten coppers made a silver. A ten silvers made a gold. Ten Gold Coins… that was enough to buy a hundred grilled fish! It was enough to ride the weird metal contraptions a hundred times over! They were rich!
Huo Yuhao pocketed the coins, feeling the satisfying weight. He gave Jiang Nannan a warm smile. "There. The debt is paid. Now we are simply a fish-seller and a loyal customer."
Jin Xi, however, had other plans. "Enough with all this serious talk of debts and payments!" she declared, grabbing Huo Yuhao's arm with one hand and Jiang Nannan's with the other. "The park with the amusing Soul Tools is going to close soon! We must go now!"
She looked at Jiang Nannan, her ruby eyes gleaming with excitement. "You should come with us, sad girl who is no longer sad. It will be much more fun with three people. A proper pack!"
Jiang Nannan was taken aback by the sudden invitation and the strange terminology, but she looked at Jin Xi's infectious enthusiasm and at Huo Yuhao's hopeful, friendly smile. A genuine, unburdened smile graced her own lips for the first time that day. Her mother was safe. She felt lighter than she had in years. An evening of fun sounded… wonderful.
"I would like that very much," she replied.
The Heaven Dou Amusement Park was a cacophony of light, sound, and joyous screams. It was a marvel of civilian Soul Engineering. Colossal metal arms swung screaming riders through the air, intricate carriages ran on glowing tracks, and great gyroscopes spun their occupants in dizzying circles.
For Jin Xi, it was paradise. She dragged them from one ride to another, her laughter echoing through the park. She loved the feeling of speed, the rush of wind, the controlled chaos of it all.
For Jiang Nannan, it was a gentle reawakening. The simple, mindless fun was a balm on her weary soul, and she found herself laughing along with the strange, beautiful blonde woman, her earlier grief melting away into the simple joy of the moment.
For Huo Yuhao, it was a classroom.
As he was strapped into the "Soaring Roc," a ride that flung them high into the air, he activated his Spiritual Detection. He wasn't focused on the view. His mind was dissecting the machinery below. He saw the complex gear systems, the powerful Soul Power thrusters, the intricate formation arrays that controlled the ride's movements. He could see how the energy flowed from a central power source, how the control mechanisms worked, how the safety features were integrated. It was a living, breathing lesson in practical, large-scale Soul Engineering.
'Fascinating,' he thought, as the ride plummeted towards the ground, eliciting a delighted shriek from Jin Xi and a nervous gasp from Jiang Nannan. 'The core array is a modified Class 3 propulsion circuit, but it's linked to a dozen smaller Class 1 stabilizers. It's so inefficient, but it's stable. I could make this so much better, so much smoother…'
After they staggered off the ride, laughing and dizzy, they sat on a bench to catch their breath.
"That was… invigorating," Jiang Nannan said, a genuine smile lighting up her gentle features.
As they sat and talked, a thought sparked in Huo Yuhao's mind, a loose thread from his past he felt a sudden urge to tie.
"Miss Jiang," he began, "since you are from Shrek Academy, I was wondering… do you happen to know a Senior Sister named Tang Ya, and a Senior Brother named Beibei?"
Jiang Nannan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Tang Ya and Beibei? Of course, I know them. They are quite famous in the outer court. How do you know them?"
Huo Yuhao's expression softened with fond remembrance. "I met them, about four or five months ago. I had just left my home and was near the Star Dou Great Forest, trying to hunt for my first Soul Ring." He chuckled softly. "Sister Tang Ya… she stole one of my grilled fish. She said she loved it and wanted to make me her personal chef. And Big Brother Beibei was very kind, very polite. They were the first truly kind people I had met on my journey."
A warm chuckle escaped Jiang Nannan's lips. "Stealing your fish? Yes, that sounds exactly like Tang Ya. She has an appetite that defies her thin frame." Her expression grew warmer. "She's my roommate at the academy, actually."
"Your roommate?" Huo Yuhao's eyes widened. The world suddenly felt very small. "Then… are they doing well? I… I felt bad. They invited me to join their Tang Sect, but I had other plans. They even followed me into the forest for a while, to make sure I was safe. I've always been grateful for that."
"You don't need to feel bad," Jiang Nannan reassured him. "The Tang Sect is… well, it's just the two of them for now. They are always trying to recruit people. And they are both doing exceptionally well. Beibei, especially. He is considered one of the strongest disciples in the entire outer academy. His Martial Soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, a peak-tier beast soul, the strongest of all attack types."
Jin Xi, who had been listening with half an ear, let out a dismissive little snort. "Blue Lightning whatever-dragon? The strongest? It doesn't sound that strong to me."
Jiang Nannan looked at her, confused by her strange, confident declaration.
Huo Yuhao quickly nudged Jin Xi with his elbow, shooting her a look that clearly said, 'Please, don't start comparing it to your own or the freakish beasts in the forest.' He then quickly changed the subject to deflect Jiang Nannan's attention.
"What about your Martial Soul, Miss Jiang?" he asked politely.
"Mine?" she said, a faint blush on her cheeks. "It is the Soft-Boned Rabbit. It's an agility-type soul."
"And yours, Huo Yuhao?" she asked in return, her curiosity piqued once more.
"Mine is the Spirit Eyes," he replied honestly. "It's a Body Type Martial Soul. A rare type, and not very good for direct combat."
Jiang Nannan accepted this without question. Body Type souls were indeed rare and she didn't know much about it. She then looked at the beautiful, mysterious Jin Xi. "And you, Miss Jin Xi?"
Jin Xi shrugged nonchalantly, her ruby eyes dancing with mischief. "Oh, me? Mine is just a weak, little golden lizard. Nothing special at all."
Huo Yuhao's face twitched. He had to physically restrain himself from laughing. A weak, little golden lizard. He could just imagine the apoplectic rage on the faces of Di Tian, Xiong Jun, and Chi Yan if they ever heard the heir to the Golden Dragon King, the hope of their entire race, describe her divine Martial Soul in such a flippant, insulting manner. They would probably tear down the entire city in a fit of righteous indignation.
Jiang Nannan, however, saw nothing strange. She simply nodded, a polite smile on her face. She didn't look down on them for their supposedly "weak" or "unusual" souls. In fact, she found herself drawn to Huo Yuhao's quiet strength and humble demeanor.
She looked at him, at the handsome young boy who possessed a god-like skill, a profound kindness, and a quiet, mysterious past.