Then Work with Me

"Little Huo, I heard your roasted fish business is booming. Good lad, not bad!"

The moment Huo Yuhao stepped out of Snack Street, he spotted Huang Yu. The man immediately approached with a cheerful smile upon seeing him. As the manager of Snack Street, he naturally understood what he should not be jealous of. The boy had handed him a Gold Soul Coin as soon as he arrived; being able to make money was the boy's own skill.

If he sabotaged every popular stall, who would dare set up a stand here in the future?

As he drew closer, Uncle Huang noticed that Huo Yuhao did not look too well, and the smile on his face faded somewhat.

"What? Did someone bully you?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly. "No, Uncle Huang. It's just that a friend may have run into some trouble. I'm going to check on her."

"Do you want me to bring some people with you?"

"Thank you, Uncle Huang, but it's nothing serious. I can go on my own."

Only then did Huang Yu nod.

"Fine. Be careful. If you run into anything you can't handle, don't act rashly. I know a few people in Heaven Dou City."

As he spoke, he curled his lips and patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder with his large hand. "I don't want to rent out a stall only for it to sit empty. It's only been two days, and I've already heard plenty of people talking about your roasted fish. You've made me want to try some myself."

"Sure. If Uncle Huang comes to eat, it'll be free."

"You brat, do I need you to treat me? I can afford a few fish. Enough nonsense—go on."

After thanking him again, Huo Yuhao quickly disappeared from Huang Yu's sight. After hesitating for a moment, one of the younger men beside him leaned closer.

"Brother Huang, why are you taking such good care of that kid?"

Huang Yu did not answer immediately. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips. Seeing this, the younger man hurriedly took out a match and lit it for him.

"Hiss—puff—"

"He just looks too tired. I wanted to lend him a hand."

Through the swirling smoke, Huang Yu's gaze was somewhat complicated. "As someone with children, I just can't bear to see such a young child carrying so much pressure."

"But now that I think about it, he's far more capable than I imagined..."

Bang!

The plaque engraved with the words "Tang Sect" crashed heavily from the tall gatehouse, shattering into pieces.

Before the gatehouse, a tall middle-aged man could not help but reveal a cold smile at the sight. Yet the next second, his expression changed as if he had turned a page, instantly becoming fierce. One white, two yellow, and three purple Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.

The pressure of a Soul Emperor erupted without restraint. He swept his gaze around at the Passerbys who had been drawn over by the commotion and stopped to watch. Anyone who met the middle-aged man's eyes instinctively lowered their heads. Seeing this, the man finally let out an Arrogant snort and shouted furiously.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a demolition before!? Get lost!"

At his rebuke, the surrounding crowd immediately scattered like frightened birds and beasts, not daring to look any longer.

Before long, two young men arrived beside the middle-aged man and bowed respectfully.

"Sect Master."

Seeing that the two young men had returned empty-handed, the middle-aged man frowned.

"Did you find her?"

A hint of panic flashed through the two young men's eyes. One of them swallowed and answered tremblingly.

"R-Reporting to Sect Master, the Tang Sect's secret passages were too well hidden. We couldn't find them."

"Useless trash!"

The middle-aged man cursed angrily. "You can't even catch a little girl! Heaven Dou City is only so big—where could she possibly run? Expand the search area and keep looking!"

"Yes, yes!"

The two young men hurriedly nodded and turned to leave without looking back. Only after the Sect Master was out of sight did their bodies relax slightly. One of them could not help curling his lip and muttering under his breath.

"He says Heaven Dou City is only so big, so why doesn't he search himself? Looking bit by bit like this, we won't find her even after three days. That little girl has probably run far away already."

"Enough complaining. Just search. It's not like there are only the two of us. Besides, I remember that Tang Sect girl was quite pretty. If we really find her... hehehe."

Hearing his companion's lecherous chuckle, the man's expression eased, and an inexplicable smile curled at his lips. The two unconsciously quickened their pace.

Soon, they arrived at an alley. After searching without results, they were about to leave when they turned around and discovered a small, slender figure standing silently at the entrance.

Sunlight slanted down from behind him, leaving his front completely shrouded in shadow. A pair of azure eyes, carrying bone-chilling coldness, stared fixedly at them.

Sensing that something was wrong, the two exchanged a glance, then both drew their weapons and glared at the boy with unfriendly expressions.

"Kid, what do you want?"

"Aren't you demolition workers?"

Looking at the long blades in their hands, Huo Yuhao raised a brow, his tone filled with surprise.

"Or is it perfectly reasonable for demolition crew employees to carry swords around these days?"

"Forget it."

Without waiting for them to respond, Huo Yuhao shook his head, then changed the subject.

"Either way, it won't stop me from asking you a few questions."

He took the White Tiger Dagger from his Storage Space. Its sharp blade reflected a chilling gleam beneath the sun.

"If I'm a little too heavy-handed later, you'll have to forgive me!"

For the entire day, Tang Ya had seemed as though she had lost her soul. Curled up in an empty alley with her arms wrapped around her knees, she stared blankly at the dirt on the ground.

Even though her stomach had long been growling pitifully from hunger, she seemed utterly unaware of it.

Thanks to the secret passage prepared when the Tang Sect had first been built, she had successfully escaped the Iron Blood Sect's ambush. But her parents had remained there forever to protect her.

She clutched the Storage Ring in her hand tightly. Inside was the Tang Sect's final inheritance: the last batch of rare metals originally meant for crafting hidden weapons. Her parents had handed it to her with smiles before going to sleep, after hearing what she had said.

Everything had happened too suddenly, like a nightmare. Her mind was still in complete chaos. She had sat here blankly for an entire day without figuring out where she should go next.

Just then, a steady set of footsteps sounded outside the alley. She showed no reaction at all until the footsteps suddenly paused, then drew closer and closer, as though they were coming toward her. Only then did a faint ripple stir in Tang Ya's heart.

They're coming for me. Have the Iron Blood Sect's people found me?

At last, the footsteps stopped before her, and a gentle voice sounded beside her ear.

"If you don't eat, your body will break down."

Tang Ya's body jolted. The instant she looked up, she saw two skewers of roasted fish offered before her. Perhaps because they had nearly gone cold, their aroma was no longer as rich as it had been yesterday, but they still made her long-empty stomach let out a strange growl.

"Eat. I promised I'd save some for you."

He did not comfort her or say anything else. The boy merely pushed the roasted fish in his hands toward her. At last, Tang Ya responded. She took the roasted fish somewhat stiffly and stared blankly at it in her hands.

Suddenly, as if some switch had been flipped within her, she opened her mouth and took a huge bite from the fish, tearing at it fiercely and chewing in great mouthfuls.

As her cheeks moved, tears once again poured from her already swollen, red eyes. She raised the hand holding the fish and desperately wiped at them with her arm, but she could not stop them at all.

The whole scene looked rather comical, but the boy before her did not laugh. Instead, he slowly sat down beside her and silently looked at the scenery beyond the alley.

Realizing that wiping her tears was futile, Tang Ya simply gave up. Suppressing sobs like those of a little beast, she swallowed mouthful after mouthful of fish.

Only after she had cleaned off both roasted fish did Tang Ya feel as though she had come back to life. She pressed her lips together, looked toward Huo Yuhao, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Why did you come?"

Huo Yuhao spoke softly. "I saved two roasted fish for you, but you never came. I couldn't bear to waste them, so I came over."

Tang Ya suddenly felt as though her words were stuck in her throat. After stammering for a while, she finally continued, "Then how did you find this place?"

The Iron Blood Sect was surely searching for her. Even they had not found this place, yet this boy had managed to do so.

"Just luck. My luck has always been pretty good. I searched around casually and happened to find you."

"Liar."

Tang Ya gave a soft snort, mercilessly exposing Huo Yuhao's lie. "It's almost evening already."

If he had started looking at noon after noticing she had not come, then he had clearly spent the entire afternoon searching.

"Fine."

Huo Yuhao spread his hands helplessly. "After hearing that you were from the Tang Sect, I thought the Tang Sect must have an escape passage, and it definitely wouldn't be near the Tang Sect. So I started expanding my search in wider and wider circles. You really made me search hard."

As for whether anyone would place the exit of a secret passage near their sect, Huo Yuhao did not think so. If the Tang Sect had truly done that, there likely would not have been any survivors in his previous life.

Wouldn't that just be waiting to get caught like turtles in a jar?

Tang Ya fell silent again upon hearing this, then held the ring out before Huo Yuhao. "These are the rare metals I promised you."

"I don't have enough money to buy them."

The next second, Tang Ya forcefully stuffed the ring into his hand.

"Consider it payment for the roasted fish just now. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to bring even these things out."

"This is worth who knows how many meals of roasted fish."

Though he said that, Huo Yuhao did not refuse again. After accepting it, he looked at Tang Ya. "What are you planning to do next?"

"...I don't know."

"Do you want revenge?"

Huo Yuhao pressed on. His calm voice made Tang Ya's body tremble. Her parents' resolute expressions as they pushed her into the secret passage surfaced in her mind, and in an instant, her fists clenched tightly as she nodded hard.

"Then work with me."