Tang Ya and Bei Bei

After bidding farewell to his departed mother, Huo Yuhao traveled light. A few days later, he arrived at a small forest not far from the Star Dou Great Forest, a necessary route from Shrek City to the Star Dou Great Forest.

He had been stuck at Rank Ten for some time. The reason he had not gone to obtain a Soul Ring was, on one hand, because of his mother, and on the other, because he wanted to encounter Sky Dream Ice Silkworm just like in the plot.

Just as he had learned the opening date of Shrek Academy and roughly confirmed the timeline of the plot, his mother passed away.

He had once suspected that Tang San had meddled. In the Original Work, after his mother died, her soul was taken to the God Realm by Tang San, becoming a safeguard through which he could control him.

Now that he had cured his mother, Tang San might well have secretly manipulated someone into killing her before ferrying her soul away.

Of course, all of that was merely his speculation and could only be verified later. Right now, the most important thing was heading to the Star Dou Great Forest to "happen upon" Tian Meng.

The useless Golden Finger in his mind had remained silent all this time, so Huo Yuhao could only firmly seize this chance to defy fate through Tian Meng first.

Looking at Huo Cheat from the Original Work, without Tian Meng, there would have been no Divine Sense of Electrolux, no Second Martial Soul, Ice Empress, and no Snow Empress, the first Soul Spirit in the world.

It could be said that Tian Meng was the foundation of all Huo Yuhao's important opportunities.

As for Old Electrolux, he could teach him how to create a godhood of his own and how to open up a plane. Huo Yuhao felt that if his Golden Finger proved unreliable, Old Electrolux would be his safeguard for breaking free of Great God King Tang's control.

Therefore, this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest was imperative.

Setting aside his thoughts, Huo Yuhao caught several fish by the river as usual, lit a fire, and began making the famed Yuhao Grilled Fish of his past life's Douluo fanfiction world.

He sprinkled his specially blended seasonings over each part of the fish according to the texture of the flesh, using his Spirit Eye to control every trace of heat so that the fragrance seeped into every strand of fish.

Under Huo Yuhao's turning, the two skewers of grilled fish gradually became crisp on the outside and tender within, golden all over. The sight alone made mouths water. Before long, the rich aroma of grilled fish spread throughout the little forest.

"Smells so good!"

A delighted cry rang out, crisp and pleasant.

Huo Yuhao looked toward the source of the voice and saw a young man and woman walking along the stream.

In front was a girl of fourteen or fifteen, her long black hair tied into a ponytail that fell behind her. Most eye-catching was her light-blue fitted outfit, which accentuated her youthful figure. Black knee-high socks tightly wrapped her pair of round, straight long legs, ending just above the knees and pairing with her short skirt to reveal a stretch of fair skin.

The girl's lively phoenix eyes stared fixedly at the grilled fish in Huo Yuhao's hands, practically drooling. She looked as though she might pounce at any moment—a true foodie through and through.

Following behind her was a boy about her age. He had short blue hair and gentle features, giving him an elegant and refined air.

They were here, they were here! The messenger and scout delivering the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm-branded cheat—Tang Ya and Bei Bei. Huo Yuhao was overjoyed.

If you encountered these two outside the Star Dou Great Forest while they were hunting the Third Soul Ring for Tang Ya, then continue onward. Ahead lay the beginning of your cheat-filled life.

Huo Yuhao immediately let out a breath of relief, his heart brimming with joy.

Before this, he would have been lying if he said he was not nervous about whether he could encounter Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. But meeting these two here put much of his anxiety to rest.

According to the plot, he should be able to meet Sky Dream Ice Silkworm soon and win Electrolux over, right?

Tian Meng, Old Electrolux, I, Huo Yuhao, am coming! From now on, if I have a bite to eat, I'll make sure you have a sip to drink. You must come find me!

Huo Yuhao came back to his senses and looked at the girl, who had skipped over to him in just a few steps.

She crouched on the ground, her clear, crystalline phoenix eyes fixed unblinkingly on the grilled fish. Her nostrils fluttered slightly as she inhaled the scent in the air, and the tip of her pink tongue quietly swept across the corner of her lips, presenting an alluring sight.

The corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. What kind of foodie could make such a seductive little expression in front of food? Unfortunately, Bei Bei behind her did not see it.

Huo Yuhao moved the grilled fish to the left, and Tang Ya's gaze followed it left. He moved it to the right, and her eyes followed it right as well. At that moment, Tang Ya looked like a little dog waiting for its owner to feed it, her gaze full of longing.

"Cough, cough!"

Seeing this, Bei Bei hurriedly coughed twice to remind Tang Ya of her loss of composure.

Only then did Tang Ya restrain her gaze, suppressing the craving in her mouth as she asked, "Little brother, are you selling your grilled fish? It smells so good! How did you make it?"

"Not selling."

Huo Yuhao shook his head.

But before the girl could be disappointed, Huo Yuhao separated one grilled fish and handed it to Tang Ya. Though he did not like the Tang Sect, Tang Ya's expression just now had been too tempting. He would consider the grilled fish a reward for her.

"My grilled fish isn't anything rare. Meeting is fate, so I'll treat you both."

"Then thank you, little brother! I won't stand on ceremony!" As she spoke, Tang Ya swiftly snatched the grilled fish from him, sat down right where she was without the slightest concern for her image, and cried out, "Hot!" Yet her pearly teeth did not slow in the least. With a light bite and a sweep of her fragrant tongue, the tender fish beneath its golden crust quickly vanished between her cherry lips.

The boy accompanying the girl had also come over by then. With a helpless expression, he first raised a hand to greet Huo Yuhao, then reproached the girl with indulgent affection. "Xiao Ya, this little brother hasn't even eaten yet, and you've already started."

Xiao Ya's beautiful eyes widened as she asked irritably, "What did you call me?"

The boy immediately raised both hands in surrender. "All right, Teacher Xiao Ya. Is that better?"

Xiao Ya rolled her eyes at him. "That's more like it. Mind your status."

Huo Yuhao watched the scene with interest. It was clear that the two before him had a very good relationship, but unfortunately, they were teacher and student.

One had to know that the social structure and customs of the Douluo world leaned more toward an ancient feudal society. Here, a romance between teacher and student was considered an improper relationship.

Huo Yuhao figured that perhaps the two would need his help resolving their relationship issues in the future. He had always been happy to help others. When the time came, even if there was no problem, he would create one to help them.

Huo Yuhao held the other grilled fish out to Bei Bei. "Want some?"

Bei Bei waved his hand with a faint smile.

"A gentleman does not take what another loves. Little brother, you haven't eaten yet!"

"It's fine. There are still two fish here. Go ahead and eat first!"

Huo Yuhao stuffed the grilled fish into Bei Bei's hand and skillfully began grilling the other two fish laid out on the ground.

Bei Bei smiled gently. He held the grilled fish without eating it and said, "We haven't introduced ourselves yet. My name is Bei Bei, and she is Tang Ya. Little brother, what is your name?"

"Huo Yuhao." Huo Yuhao answered while carefully grilling the fish.

Once Huo Yuhao's second batch of grilled fish was done, Tang Ya, her mouth glistening with oil, eagerly snatched another skewer.

This time, with Bei Bei deliberately waiting, the three of them finally ate the grilled fish together.

"It's so delicious! I've never had grilled fish this good before. Little Brother Yuhao, how about I hire you as my chef? What do you say?" Tang Ya stretched lazily in satisfaction, her curves fully displayed, though she seemed completely unaware of it.

"Do you have money, Teacher Xiao Ya?" Bei Bei threw cold water on her from the side.

"Uh... I will in the future." Tang Ya sat up awkwardly and glared at Bei Bei, seemingly quite dissatisfied with him exposing her.

After finishing the grilled fish, Huo Yuhao packed up his belongings and bid the two farewell. "I'm leaving now. Xiao Ya-jie, Big Brother Bei Bei, goodbye!"

Bei Bei quickly said, "Little Brother Huo, this is the wilderness, and it isn't far from the Star Dou Great Forest, where soul beasts roam. Where are you going?"

Without turning back, Huo Yuhao waved a hand and called out evasively, "Just taking a look around. We'll meet again if fate allows!"