Encounter, Getting on Track

Huo Yuhao turned around and looked in the direction the voice had come from.

Two people approached him. In front was a girl who looked fifteen or sixteen, her long black hair tied into a ponytail that fell behind her. She wore a light-blue fitted outfit that perfectly outlined her youthful, budding figure.

Phoenix eyes, large and lively; a high, delicate nose; an almost flawless oval face.

At that moment, she was staring fixedly at the grilled fish in Huo Yuhao's hand.

Behind the girl was a boy with short dark-blue hair. He was similarly young, yet he gave off an air of refined maturity.

"Little brother, are you selling those grilled fish? They smell so good! How did you make them?"

Tang Ya was not the least bit reserved, firing off several questions the moment she came over.

What she herself did not notice was that she had already moved very close to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's little face flushed red.

"I-I don't want money. I'll treat you."

Tang Ya giggled.

"Little brother, you're even shy? Then I won't stand on ceremony."

As she spoke, she reached out to take the grilled fish Huo Yuhao offered her.

The moment she got it, she sat down at the side without a shred of decorum, crying that it was hot while devouring the fish.

"Xiao Ya, have some manners. The little brother hasn't even had any yet, and you've already started eating." Bei Bei stepped forward helplessly and gave Huo Yuhao an apologetic smile.

At the same time Tang Ya and Bei Bei encountered Huo Yuhao, Mu Yuan's group, not far away on the other side, also caught the scent of grilled fish.

It was easy enough to pin down when Huo Yuhao had left.

After all, in the original story, not long after Huo Yuhao joined Shrek Academy, Wang Dong enrolled as well. The two fought, and classes officially began the next day.

All he had to do was ask about the start date for the first-year freshmen and count backward to roughly determine when Huo Yuhao had returned to Shrek City with Tang Ya and the others.

However, Mu Yuan had too many things he could not explain, so he had only investigated in secret rather than asking Elder Chi Xiao and the others for help.

Chi Xiao and the others had noticed his odd behavior as well. Once they confirmed that Mu Yuan was not being threatened or otherwise coerced, they simply let him carry on with these strange affairs.

Thanks to Mu Yuan's efforts, the group arrived at just the right time.

With the grilled-fish scene as an anchor, Mu Yuan's target was clear: the river along the normal route from Shrek City into the Star Dou Forest.

The facts proved that he had gambled correctly.

In truth, even if he had failed to encounter Huo Yuhao, Mu Yuan would not have found it unacceptable. Tian Meng and Electrolux had chosen Huo Yuhao; it was not Huo Yuhao who had wandered into some particular location.

Thus, as long as Mu Yuan was in the corresponding area, even if he did not meet Huo Yuhao and remained some distance away, he could still seize the opportunities that were meant to be seized, provided the timing was right.

Electrolux in particular had arrived by directly tearing through space, and his sensory range in that instant would be extremely broad.

All Mu Yuan needed to do was activate the Spirit-Eating Engraving Knife at that moment.

Fortunately, none of the contingencies were needed. Following the river, Mu Yuan caught the scent of grilled fish.

It was very distinctive. There was no smell of excessive seasoning, only the fragrance belonging to the fish itself and the fruitwood charcoal that had grilled it.

Sensing the disturbance, Bei Bei warily looked toward the direction Mu Yuan's group had come from.

His gaze swept over the group before finally settling on Qi Lin's right arm.

Among the four, Qi Lin's right arm was the most unusual. It was a full circle thicker than his left.

Chi Xiao stopped walking.

He looked at Mu Yuan, signaling for him not to continue approaching.

Mu Yuan frowned.

"Elder, is something wrong?"

On the way here, he had even told Wei Na and the others that they happened to be hungry and should see whether they could have some grilled meat here.

Yet before they could even get close, Elder Chi Xiao had signaled for the four of them to change direction.

"Three little children dare come to the Star Dou Forest?" Chi Xiao said.

He looked toward a spot off to the side and gazed into the distance for a while.

Noticing his actions, Mu Yuan's eyes shifted slightly as he realized something.

That was right. Huo Yuhao did not know how dangerous the Star Dou Forest was, and after fleeing the Duke Mansion, he had plunged straight into it. But Bei Bei and Tang Ya were not inexperienced newcomers.

Or rather, Shrek Academy, which stood behind them, would not simply allow the two of them to come hunt soul beasts alone.

Yes, Bei Bei was a Soul Elder, and he could handle a thousand-year soul beast.

But the Star Dou Forest did not contain only soul beasts with cultivation below a thousand years.

Bei Bei was Mu En's only blood descendant. How could Shrek possibly feel at ease letting him enter the Star Dou Forest like this?

The correct answer was that someone was accompanying them in secret.

As for the cultivation of that hidden Soul Master, Mu Yuan had no idea.

Before they truly encountered that person, their cultivation remained in a Schrödinger-like state.

"Elder, let's go."

Mu Yuan did not insist on making contact with the three of them.

He had already confirmed that Huo Yuhao was here. Next, he only needed to focus on dealing with the opportunity that would soon arrive.

Glancing at Wei Na beside him, Mu Yuan secretly sighed. Senior Sister's talent is beyond doubt. Although she has already obtained three Soul Rings, her Brain Martial Soul still has not been given a Soul Ring. I wonder what Tian Meng's exact selection criteria are.

With the moment at hand, Mu Yuan instead became somewhat hesitant.

That was because Tian Meng's selection criteria were not simply based on Tian Meng's wishes.

Tian Meng also wanted a better investment target.

However, in several of his previous failed investments, the recipients had been unable to withstand his power and had exploded to death.

What if Senior Sister's aptitude truly caught his eye, yet she could not withstand Tian Meng's sacrifice...

Then I would be the one who harmed Senior Sister.

This thought flashed through Mu Yuan's mind.

It could be said that his feelings had become complicated.

He hoped Senior Sister could seize Huo Yuhao's opportunity, cripple this potential enemy, and soar to greater heights in the process.

Yet because he feared that being chosen would instead bring calamity upon Senior Sister and cost her life for nothing, he also hoped she would not be selected.

After Mu Yuan's group of four left, Bei Bei let out a breath of relief.

Just now, he had felt an inexplicable premonition that the four were ill-intentioned. Therefore, even though he usually presented himself as refined and elegant, he had directly shown his wariness toward Mu Yuan's group.

In the shadows.

A teacher from Shrek Academy responsible for protecting the two of them also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness."

He recognized Qi Lin's identity.

"They're actually people from the Body Sect. Good thing no conflict broke out. Otherwise, I might not have been able to handle two Body Sect elders by myself. My mission is to protect Bei Bei. If I can avoid unnecessary trouble, I should."

"Let's find a place to eat first," Mu Yuan said.

"Alright."

After following the river away from Huo Yuhao and the others for some distance, the group began preparing a meal.

They had come because they had been drawn by the scent of grilled fish, so naturally, they decided to grill fish as well.

"How strange."

Mu Yuan personally grilled two fish. They both tasted good, yet neither carried the same fragrance as Huo Yuhao's.

Mu Yuan was rather puzzled.

So what was Huo Yuhao's secret to grilling fish?

[I only wrote one chapter and posted it first so everyone wouldn't worry that I'd dropped the story. I'll make up another chapter during the day.]