First Meeting with Huo Yuhao

Tang Ya covered her mouth and chuckled beside them, watching Bei Bei with glee as though a mouse had run into a cat.

Ever since he had met Bei Bei, every time he encountered Ye Chen, Bei Bei was forced to call him "Little Uncle."

And Bei Bei had no choice but to accept it. His seniority was simply lower.

"Xiao Chen, why are you here? Don't tell me you've reached Rank 30 and came to obtain a soul ring?"

Bei Bei understood his little uncle's talent very well, and he sincerely admired him.

The last time they had met, Ye Chen had already been Rank 29. His Soul Power Level was nearly catching up to Bei Bei's.

But Ye Chen knew his own situation best. He was still only Rank 29, and that was only because he cultivated desperately every moment of every day.

During the day, he spent three hours studying with Mu En. Aside from meals, all his remaining time was devoted to meditation.

The main reason was that once he reached Rank 30, the cultivation speed of an ultimate-attribute martial soul would be restricted. That was why he had begun cultivating so desperately.

After Rank 30, simply working hard probably would not be enough to accelerate his cultivation. What he would need then would be opportunities.

Mu En, who guided his cultivation, said nothing about this and simply let him do as he pleased.

After all, being more diligent was a good thing.

"What, can't I come watch you two feed each other dog food? I want to see how my grandnephew courts a girl and pick up some experience!" Ye Chen said with a wicked grin, sounding utterly casual.

Ye Chen did not care what Bei Bei called him. As long as Bei Bei called him that once whenever they met, he was completely satisfied.

Tang Ya burst out laughing. Although she did not know what "dog food" meant, she could not help finding the child's thoughts amusing.

Bei Bei, meanwhile, felt his scalp tingle under Ye Chen's gaze. If Ye Chen followed them, he would not even dare make any slightly intimate gestures.

First, it would be embarrassing with him watching. Second, he was afraid Ye Chen would go back and tell his great-grandfather, Mu En.

Bei Bei knew perfectly well about the childhood betrothal Mu En had arranged for him. Even if Mu En would not say anything upon finding out, Bei Bei still would not dare.

"You're still so young. What do you know about dating? Go back and drink your Beast Milk!" Bei Bei hurriedly said, hoping to persuade Ye Chen to leave.

Bei Bei had struck a sore spot, and Ye Chen's entire face flushed the color of pig liver.

Once, after finishing another lesson with Mu En, he had gone to Gong Changlong's room to steal Beast Milk, then hidden somewhere deserted to drink it in secret.

But Bei Bei had happened to catch him that time, and so...

Ye Chen's deep, gemstone-like eyes shifted. Rather than argue with Bei Bei, he decided to give him some face. After all, hearing that "Little Uncle" had made him feel thoroughly pleased.

"How about this? We'll take you with us, on the condition that you join our Tang Sect," Bei Bei said gently, though a trace of cunning flashed through his eyes.

"Joining the Tang Sect is impossible. My seniority is what it is—I can't exactly lower my generation, can I?" Ye Chen replied without a second thought.

Hearing Ye Chen reject him without hesitation, Bei Bei and Tang Ya both looked somewhat disappointed, but they quickly recovered.

The two of them knew very well what benefits Ye Chen's talent would bring them if he joined the Tang Sect.

It would practically mean that, in the near future, the Tang Sect would definitely rise again!

It was precisely because they knew this that Bei Bei had begun trying to recruit him long ago. Yet Ye Chen rejected him every time with the laughable reason that it was "not fun."

So, being rejected again, they did not take it too seriously.

In truth, Ye Chen had his own plans.

He truly had little interest in joining the Tang Sect, because there was no real use in it.

Even without joining, if Bei Bei ever ran into trouble, Ye Chen would help him without hesitation.

Though they were a generation apart, they had grown up together since childhood.

However, while Ye Chen did not intend to join the Tang Sect, he was very interested in those Tang Sect's Secret Arts.

He wanted to use the Tang Sect's Secret Arts as references and create unique techniques of his own in the future.

"How about we make a deal? Let me have a look at your Tang Sect's Secret Arts. I guarantee I won't pass them on, and I promise that if the Tang Sect ever faces a crisis, I'll do everything in my power to help you."

"And, of course, take me along on this trip."

A sharp glint flashed through Ye Chen's eyes as he spoke to Tang Ya.

He knew that Bei Bei had absolutely no standing around Tang Ya, so he simply ignored him.

Tang Ya's beautiful eyes moved between this unusual uncle-and-nephew pair as she fell into deep thought.

The Tang Sect's current situation was already precarious. Originally, she had been its only remaining member.

Bei Bei was someone she had only managed to recruit later with great difficulty.

Therefore, as long as Ye Chen did not spread the Tang Sect's Secret Arts outside, there was no harm in teaching them to him.

Tang Ya knew Ye Chen's identity. Though it was only a small promise, it might one day bring the Tang Sect a chance to turn things around.

If that day truly came, even if Ye Chen himself lacked the strength to help, the entire Shrek Academy stood behind him!

"Do you mean that?"

Tang Ya glanced at Bei Bei one last time. Seeing the certainty in his eyes, she asked the question aloud.

"Even if you don't believe me, don't you believe Bei Bei? Given my relationship with him, this is nothing more than a small matter."

Ye Chen spoke nonchalantly, pulling a green fruit from his ring, casually wiping it on his clothes, and taking a savage bite.

"Don't worry. As long as you take me with you, I guarantee I won't tell Grandpa Mu."

After hearing that, Bei Bei's left eyelid twitched wildly, and a chill ran through his heart.

In the end, Ye Chen still followed them, and he also obtained the Tang Sect's Secret Arts he had been longing for.

Although all he had given was a small promise, Ye Chen knew that without trust, a person could not stand.

Besides, even without that promise, he would still help when help was needed.

The reason he insisted on coming to the Star Dou Forest was simple: he wanted to run into Huo Yuhao.

He had always been deeply curious about and full of admiration for the protagonist of this original world.

Of course, that was not Ye Chen's true thought.

He wanted to take this opportunity to see whether he could find the Calamity of the Undead.

It was better to keep something like a soul spirit under his own control.

Ye Chen indulged in this pleasant fantasy without feeling much guilt.

At that moment, he had both hands clasped behind his head and a sunny smile on his face as he followed behind Bei Bei and Tang Ya toward the Star Dou Forest.

Anyone who saw him would think he was an upright, cheerful young man.

But who could have imagined that behind that sunny smile hid a "filthy" soul!

After all, this had originally been Huo Yuhao's opportunity. Stealing someone else's opportunity was no different from robbing them of wealth and life.

Shrek Academy was very close to the Star Dou Forest.

At the pace of the three of them, they arrived nearby a few hours later.

At that moment, the sound of trickling water came from one side of the road.

This should be the place, Ye Chen thought silently.

But what did not match his memories was that if Tang Ya and Bei Bei were heading to the Star Dou Forest, they should have continued straight down the official road.

What had made them turn toward that stream and encounter Huo Yuhao?

Just as he pondered this question, Tang Ya's voice came from ahead.

"Bei Bei, do you still have any water?" Tang Ya stopped and asked Bei Bei beside her.

Bei Bei took a waterskin from his storage ring and handed it to Tang Ya.

Tang Ya found that the waterskin had already gone flat, so she turned to look at Ye Chen, who was lagging behind them.

Ye Chen shook his head. Then Tang Ya's next words made him realize that he had overthought things—the reason was really that simple.

"I heard the sound of water over there. Let's go take a look. We're about to enter the Star Dou Forest, and we can't go without a clean water source!"

Bei Bei nodded in agreement. For a soul master, entering a place inhabited by soul beasts meant preparing enough water and food.

If they expected to obtain water on the spot from inside the Star Dou Forest, they would not be far from death.

That was because most soul masters had no way to determine whether water contained deadly poison.

Of course, once a soul master's strength reached a certain level, they would not need to worry about such things at all.

But the three of them were clearly not at that level.

"It smells so good!"

After the three arrived at the stream, a delighted cry came from Tang Ya.

A skinny young man in tattered clothes sat cross-legged by the stream. A small bonfire burned in front of him, with several golden grilled fish roasting over it.

So this is the protagonist of this world, Huo Yuhao, Ye Chen thought as he looked at the ordinary-looking boy in the distance.

Judging by his face, Ye Chen truly could not tell that this kid would become such an unusual scumbag in the future.

Please believe in me, everyone. I admit that the earlier chapters were a little padded out. This is also my first time writing a novel, but people improve, right? I still hope you'll keep reading. The protagonist really isn't groveling before the original protagonist, and I'll fill in every plot hole I set up earlier. I hope everyone will continue supporting me. Thank you!