Her Secret

Her Secret

Inside the Sea of Consciousness of Huo Yuhao, the Grey Bead that had remained dormant for so long stirred.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shrieked like a startled bird: "Who are you! Trying to snatch territory from Brother, are you?"

"A mere fleshy worm, daring to bark at this old man about territory?"

The ancient voice seemed to hold Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in utter contempt, as if the other had interrupted him from important business, and he merely brushed him off with a perfunctory remark. Afterward, no matter how frantically Tian Meng shouted in his rage, he ignored him completely.

"Who are you?" Huo Yuhao gazed at the chaos within his Sea of Consciousness, feeling somewhat bewildered.

The voice turned toward him: "Little one, do not be afraid. This old man does not belong to this world, and now I am but a wisp of a remnant divine sense, temporarily residing here to recover. I harbor no malice toward you. That matter of the soul fragment the little cat mentioned piqued my interest, which is why I awakened."

"You have a lead on this matter?" Huo Yuhao's eyes brightened.

"A lead... hehe, perhaps that is too strong a word for now. It just feels somewhat familiar. This old man seems to have forgotten much, and I need to slowly repair my divine sense to gradually recall it. In the future, if that soul fragment shows any further abnormalities, you may call upon this old man to try."

"Pity, I cannot directly see what the soul fragment inside that little cat's mind looks like... Hmm? Huo Yuhao, there seems to be something else in your Sea of Consciousness as well."

The Grey Bead suddenly dissipated, blanketing Huo Yuhao's entire Sea of Consciousness. In this entirely grey world, several inconspicuous golden etchings became distinct.

"What is this?" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was clearly just as confused. He had no idea when these etchings had been left behind.

"A little worm would naturally fail to see the clues within," the ancient voice sighed.

"You!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was choked with anger.

"Alright, alright." Huo Yuhao helplessly stepped in to mediate. "I think we can all get along peacefully. So, could you tell us what this is?"

When the voice spoke to Huo Yuhao, his tone was much more peaceful. "These etchings are likely products from another world as well. However, what is interesting is that the power radiating from them is highly similar to the power of your world, and even to your own power."

"My power?" Huo Yuhao was momentarily confused. "What does that mean? Could it be another me?"

"I fear that is exactly the case, which is why it is interesting."

The bold and fearless Huo Yuhao carefully manipulated his Sea of Consciousness, attempting to mobilize his spiritual power to make contact with those etchings. But, the very instant he made contact, his spiritual power was violently repelled, releasing an oppressive shockwave that caused his entire Sea of Consciousness to tremble violently.

The trembling of his Sea of Consciousness manifested in reality as a sudden, splitting headache for Huo Yuhao. His face turned deathly pale, and he nearly lost his footing, saved only by Chi Qiu, who was sharp-eyed and quick-handed, catching him by the shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

During the time Huo Yuhao had suddenly gone blank and silent, she had waited patiently. Because of their attribute connection, she already knew there were a few guests residing in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness.

"N-nothing, just a small accident." Huo Yuhao gave an awkward smile.

As his consciousness was forced to return from his Sea of Consciousness to his body, the old man's final words still echoed in his mind:

"It seems the other you believes the time is not yet right... Wait until you are strong enough, then come and try to touch this secret again."

"Are you really okay?" Chi Qiu looked at his complexion. "Wang Dong is back."

"I'm really fine."

Huo Yuhao nodded at Chi Qiu, his determination deepening in his heart.

With so many opportunities and so many people helping him, he had to become stronger!

His mother's vengeance must be avenged, and he would also find the answer to the secret left behind by the other him!

Just as he made up his mind, Wang Dong returned, acting mysterious and sneaky while holding a black-gold envelope. Watching him tiptoe through the woods, he looked just like a thief.

Huo Yuhao watched as Chi Qiu quietly circled behind Wang Dong and tapped his shoulder, expressionless!

"Ah! Who!" Wang Dong, as expected, shrieked like he'd been electrocuted.

If Huo Yuhao hadn't heard wrong... when that voice went up an octave, why did it sound a bit like a girl's?

After Wang Dong realized what happened, he huffed in anger: "Oh, you two! I go and get the recommendation letter for you, and you team up to scare me!"

Huo Yuhao raised his hands innocently: "I didn't do anything!"

"Don't give me that!" Wang Dong grumpily shoved the envelope into his arms and handed another letter to Chi Qiu. "Brother Huo just stood there watching without warning me; you're a total accomplice!"

"Weren't you tiptoeing around because you wanted to ambush us first?" Huo Yuhao chuckled, immediately countering.

Back and forth, the woods were filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

After this commotion, a few more hours passed, and the sky had turned completely dark. The thousands of lights in Shrek City were now competing with the stars in the sky. Wang Dong suggested he needed to return to the inn to stay the night.

Before leaving, he repeatedly reminded Huo Yuhao:

"Just hand this exemption letter to the teacher when you enroll tomorrow; let them read the contents. You are not allowed to look at what's inside, you hear me!"

"Why?" Huo Yuhao was quite dissatisfied with the tone of his final sentence.

"You..." Wang Dong gave Huo Yuhao's shoulder a hard pat. "This is my secret, a secret, do you understand? A person has to have some secrets, and I've helped you this much already!"

"Fine." Huo Yuhao accepted this reason well enough. He had only been a bit annoyed by Wang Dong's commanding tone earlier.

"Is mine the same?" Chi Qiu asked.

"Miss Qiu's doesn't matter, I bought it on the street for seventeen Gold Soul Coins."

"..."

Wang Dong gave a dry laugh: "I'm off! Brother Huo, Miss Qiu, see you at school on enrollment day! Don't forget my VIP grilled fish!"

With that, he disappeared into the bustling crowd under the night sky.

It was only after Wang Dong had walked away that Chi Qiu spoke again: "Yuhao, there is one thing we can be certain of now."

"What is it?"

"That Wang Dong is a girl." Chi Qiu stated the shocking fact with a cold tone.

"...Really? How do you know?" Stunned by these words, Huo Yuhao felt his tongue tie itself in knots for a moment. "Wait. There did seem to be some signs..."

Huo Yuhao suddenly recalled the moment Wang Dong had been startled by Chi Qiu. Wang Dong's scream had indeed given her away, but his simple mind hadn't thought much of it at the time.

"Then why is she disguising herself as a boy?"

"You would have to ask her that."

"But if she attends school dressed as a boy, won't she be assigned to the boys' dormitory? That's too unsafe."

"Who knows." Chi Qiu shook her head. "Perhaps, just as she said, it's a secret. Everyone has secrets."

After saying this, she looked toward the direction of Shrek Academy, falling into a trance for a moment.

From this angle, one could still see the tops of the tallest statues of the Seven Devils. Among them, the statues of Tang San and Xiao Wu stood very close together; their stone-carved hair was illuminated in iridescent colors by the surrounding lights, yet it made Chi Qiu's heart feel as cold as frost.

At the same time, Huo Yuhao was watching a group of people at a nearby post house. They were wearing the uniforms of the Duke's Mansion and were escorting a golden-haired youth into the building with quite a grand display.

Dai Huabin really did come to Shrek... Huo Yuhao knew his style at a single glance.

Since he was also able to enroll, he absolutely must not lose to him!