Tang Ya suppressed the excitement surging in her heart, pretending nothing was amiss as she discussed their plans for the rest of the journey.
The three of them followed the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest inward for the entire afternoon, but they still hadn't found a suitable third Soul Ring for Tang Ya.
As the sun sank in the west and the orange-red glow of sunset was gradually swallowed by the darkness of the dense forest, night fell over the Star Dou Great Forest. Its nights were always fraught with danger; pressing on recklessly would be no different from courting death.
After discussing it, the three of them left the Star Dou Great Forest and went to a clearing on its outskirts to rest for the night.
The dancing flames drove away the chill and darkness among the trees, illuminating their faces as well.
"Enough. I'll keep watch tonight. You two get some rest."
Tang Ya volunteered to stand watch so Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao could rest and recover their strength, leaving them ready to deal with any dangers that might arise tomorrow.
Bei Bei nodded and leaned against a tree to rest, preparing to help Tang Ya with Soul Hunting the next day.
Tang Ya sat beside the fire with her knees hugged to her chest. On the surface, she was keeping watch, but the corner of her eye remained fixed on Huo Yuhao, who sat cross-legged not far away.
Thoughts churned through her mind, refusing to settle.
Huo Yuhao hadn't noticed her gaze. The moment he sat down, he focused and entered a state of cultivation.
After Zhao Ze had nourished and remade his body with his pure life force, it had undergone a complete transformation.
The blocked meridians caused by his innate rank-one Soul Power had now become broad and supple.
His Soul Power flowed without obstruction, moving more than twice as fast as before!
"Yuhao, cultivation feels wonderful now, doesn't it? I can feel your Soul Power increasing rapidly."
In the sea of consciousness, Zhao Ze lounged on a soft couch, watching him cultivate and nodding with satisfaction.
"It really does..."
Huo Yuhao was delighted and was just about to answer in his mind,
when a very soft, somewhat bashful voice suddenly reached his ear. Warm breath brushed lightly against the tip of his ear.
"Yuhao, Yuhao, can I bother you for a moment?"
Huo Yuhao's eyes flew open, and he jumped in fright.
At some point, Tang Ya had crept right up beside him. They were so close that they were nearly touching.
The warm glow of the campfire fell across her face. Her cheeks were an unnatural red, and her almond-shaped eyes darted away, unable to meet his. She was clearly hiding something.
Huo Yuhao hurriedly scooted backward and straightened up before asking:
"Elder Sister Xiao Ya? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Tang Ya twisted the hem of her clothes between her fingertips and pressed her lips together. After fidgeting for a long while, she seemed to finally make up her mind and spoke softly:
"I...I wanted to ask if you could trade me some more Life Crystals."
Huo Yuhao was taken aback. Then he scratched his head awkwardly.
"Huh? But I'm not sweating right now. Maybe...tomorrow, when we're traveling and hunting Soul Beasts, I'll work up a sweat, and then I can collect some for you?"
"No, I don't want your sweat."
Tang Ya hurriedly shook her head, her voice even softer.
Now Huo Yuhao was completely baffled. He stared at her in confusion: "
"You don't want my sweat? Then...then what else can you collect?"
Tang Ya's breath caught.
She took a deep breath,
then, as if summoning every ounce of courage she had, abruptly lifted her head and looked at Huo Yuhao.
Her cheeks were so red they seemed ready to drip blood,
and even the tips of her ears had turned crimson.
Her voice was faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet every word reached Huo Yuhao clearly:
"I want your...Golden Leaf."
The moment she said it, the air fell deathly silent.
Huo Yuhao tilted his head, puzzled.
Golden Leaf?
He looked at Tang Ya in confusion and asked, "Elder Sister Xiao Ya, I don't have any plants on me. Where would I get a Golden Leaf?"
"Oh, no, not that! Put the first and last characters together and read them."
Tang Ya explained in a panic.
Huo Yuhao thought it over, but still looked confused. He hadn't understood what Tang Ya meant.
He didn't have any golden leaves either, did he?
"Oh, I get it. So that's what this girl wants!"
In the sea of consciousness, Zhao Ze understood at once when he heard Tang Ya's words.
"Master, what is it?"
Huo Yuhao suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Your myriad purple grandsons..."
Zhao Ze then explained it to Huo Yuhao in detail.
After hearing Zhao Ze's explanation, Huo Yuhao felt as if he'd been thrown into boiling water. His cheeks flushed bright red in an instant.
He hurriedly sank into the sea of consciousness and curled up as small as he could, stammering to Zhao Ze:
"M-Master! This, this is way too...way too outrageous!"
Zhao Ze continued lounging lazily on the soft couch. At that, he raised an eyebrow and waved his hand with an unconcerned look.
"Don't be so nervous. It's not like you have to sacrifice anything, and getting rid of the impurities in your body sooner will benefit you, too.
"This is a good thing."
"That's not what I mean!"
Huo Yuhao's face turned even redder with anxiety. He waved his hands frantically, hardly able to get the words out.
"Doing something like this is just...just..."
"Yuhao, don't be shy."
Before he could finish, Zhao Ze cut him off.
"People have to grow up sooner or later. You might as well get used to it."
Huo Yuhao's face fell. He couldn't help grumbling:
"I'll pass on this kind of growing up!"
"Do you still want to become strong?"
Zhao Ze turned to look at him.
"Getting rid of impurities will help you cultivate faster. You can think of this as a necessary step on the path to becoming strong!
"If you want to grow stronger, you have to take that step."
Huo Yuhao was left speechless by the question. He clenched his fists, his face full of conflict.
Of course he wanted to grow stronger. He wanted to avenge his mother and make everyone who looked down on him see him in a new light.
But when he thought about doing something like this, he still couldn't accept it. He fidgeted, wanting to say more.
"Enough. Don't be so wishy-washy."
Zhao Ze cut off his hesitation.
"Tell her that if she wants it, she'll have to pay more!"
Huo Yuhao opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say anything.
He took a deep breath, as if making an enormous resolution, then withdrew from the sea of consciousness.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he met Tang Ya's nervous, expectant gaze.
The girl was still sitting across from him. The warm campfire light fell on her flushed cheeks, and her fingertips were still anxiously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Huo Yuhao's face instantly burned red again. He stammered:
"Elder Sister Xiao Ya...that thing...will cost extra."
Tang Ya's eyes lit up at once. Her breathing quickened, and she leaned closer, saying excitedly:
"You agree! Don't worry, Yuhao. Big Sister will make sure you're well compensated!"
Seeing Huo Yuhao nod, Tang Ya smiled faintly. Then, as if she'd suddenly thought of something, she said:
"When we do it later, let's keep it quiet. Don't let Bei Bei wake up."
Before you continue