Grilled Fish

"Well done, Junior!" He Caitou leaped, landing directly beside the massive, skewered fish.

"My word... this is a real catch!" He Caitou excitedly stroked the fish's body. At over two meters long, he would have loved to hoist it onto his shoulder and carry it back, if not for the fact that parading it through the academy grounds might cause a stir.

"Junior, your aim is no simple feat. Have you practiced?" He Caitou tossed the fish at the feet of Huo Yuhao and Dong'er, then clapped his hands.

"My first soul skill enhances my vision, and I've been catching fish by the river with my mother since I was old enough to remember. I suppose you could say I've practiced," Huo Yuhao chuckled, reaching out to retrieve the 'javelin' from the fish's head.

Though he called it a javelin, it was actually just a straight, sharpened wooden stick he had fashioned and brought with him just before enrolling.

Truth be told, while his patience was decent, Huo Yuhao had little interest in traditional fishing; he found using tools like fish spears far more intuitive.

"I see. A soul skill that enhances sensory perception—that's a very practical ability!" He Caitou said, pulling a kitchen knife as thick as a forearm from the soul tool at his waist, and began to carve up the giant fish.

"If you're more comfortable with a fish spear, you'd be better off heading to the Jungle Simulation Training Area if you want a feast. I've never heard of anyone catching fish in the sea with nothing but a spear."

As he spoke, He Caitou methodically broke the entire fish down into numerous fresh, tender chunks of similar size. By the end, only the stark white skeleton remained on the shore. He Caitou rinsed the blood away with seawater, then divided the organs and meat into dozens of bags.

"Come, come! Everyone gets a share today!" He Caitou shouted, steadily tossing the portions of fish to the other anglers nearby. For a moment, the cheers of "Big Brother He is generous!" nearly drowned out the whistling sea breeze.

"I'm the youngest in this fishing spot, so they all call me Little Brother He. Don't let my age fool you—I'm only twelve, but I have the fewest 'air force' records in this area!"

"Oh, right—'air force' means spending the whole day fishing without catching a single thing, haha." He Caitou explained, handing the largest bag of fish to Huo Yuhao.

"If it weren't for you, Junior, no one here would be enjoying this treat today. This largest portion belongs to you, so don't try to decline—I don't go for that sort of thing."

Huo Yuhao smiled and accepted the large bag, tucking it directly into his storage soul tool.

"Then I thank you, Big Brother He! But, Big Brother He, calling us 'Junior' all the time feels a bit distant."

"My name is Huo Yuhao, and this is Dong'er. From now on, you can just call us Little Brother Yuhao and Little Sister Dong!" Huo Yuhao's tone and attitude put He Caitou at ease, and he burst into hearty laughter.

"Good! From today on, I, He Caitou, am officially a big brother." He Caitou pulled them both into a hug and added:

"If you ever need anything handled at the Soul Tool Department, come find your Big Brother He. I guarantee I'll find a way for you."

"We will!"

After chatting for a while longer, Huo Yuhao took Dong'er and left. Though it was faint, Huo Yuhao could still hear the occasional rumble coming from Dong'er's stomach.

Just after they left, a youth wearing a sun-shielding fisherman's hat walked up to He Caitou and draped an arm over his shoulder.

"Your juniors?"

"No, they're new arrivals from the Martial Soul Department. But before they came to the Unlimited Division... they were students in the class of my master's wife." He Caitou didn't seem to mind the youth's behavior and continued:

"Why, do you know them, Brother Yue Heng?"

"I don't... that little junior named Huo Yuhao just looked a bit familiar. Perhaps I was mistaken." The youth addressed as Brother Yue Heng shook his head. Feeling a bit stifled, he removed his fisherman's hat, revealing a head of beautiful golden hair.

"Where have I seen him before..."

Half an hour later, Huo Yuhao finally found a quiet spot with Dong'er where they could safely light a fire.

He set up the fire and skewered the meat in one fluid motion.

Under the roasting flames, the fish began to emit a savory, charred aroma. Combined with the spices Huo Yuhao had specially prepared, the two scents intertwined, making one's mouth water just from the smell.

"So fragrant... it smells so good..." Dong'er rested her chin on her hands, her eyes fixed on the meat illuminated by the firelight. Huo Yuhao poured his heart into the grilling; with the current enhancement of his Spirit Eye, he could gauge the heat with perfect precision.

Before they knew it, the sun had set, and the only light left to illuminate them was the campfire before them.

"And... done!" After sprinkling a final layer of seasoning over the fish, Huo Yuhao picked up a skewer and handed it to Dong'er.

"Eat up. You look like you're about to starve."

Dong'er wanted to retort, but the rumble from her stomach was exceptionally loud at that moment, so she simply gave up on restraint and began to devour the grilled fish.

Huo Yuhao picked up a skewer for himself. The moment he took a bite, he noticed the fish was extraordinary—not only was the texture superb, but there wasn't a single tiny bone to be found.

Did Big Brother He remove the bones while he was portioning the meat? Huo Yuhao wondered. He had been watching the whole time, and He Caitou had used nothing but a kitchen knife. To be able to remove every single bone with such speed was no simple skill.

"Nom... nom..." Compared to Huo Yuhao's slow and steady pace, Dong'er's eating style was much more spirited. Yet, as always, despite her seemingly messy approach, not a single trace of food could be found on her face or clothes.

"Slow down, no one is going to steal it from you." Huo Yuhao finished his second skewer, while Dong'er's appetite remained as it always was—far greater than his own.

Huo Yuhao leaned against the nearby railing, watching Dong'er eat in silence.

She was so similar. Truly, so similar.

Counting the time, Huo Yuhao had known Dong'er for nearly half a month, and he had lost track of how many times he had felt this sense of daze.

Huo Yuhao had never seen what Wang Dong looked like at six years old, but his instincts kept telling him that at six, she must have looked exactly like Dong'er.

She wasn't as self-centered as she would be at twelve; she was just a slightly mischievous, lively little girl—carefree, daring to do anything, capable of anything.

When he had sent Dong'er out of the range of Lang Ya's soul skill, she hadn't complained or shown any emotional distress; she had immediately found Long Xiaoyao to save the day. On that point alone, she was already far more mature than most children her age.

Sometimes, Huo Yuhao even wondered: could she be his Dong'er?

Although this world had given him countless surprises, for some reason, he could never bring himself to be certain about this one thing.

He feared that the eyes in the heavens were still watching, and he worried that if he revealed something they didn't want to see, those eyes would snatch Dong'er away from his world once more.

Huo Yuhao turned his gaze to the fire before him. He seemed to see his former self within the flames, and the two pairs of eyes stared at each other in silence.

The Huo Yuhao of the past life in the fire slowly opened his mouth, as if he were saying something to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao did not hear a single sound, yet he knew better than anyone what his past self had wanted to say:

Since he had been given a chance to start over, he must absolutely not repeat the same mistakes.

"Yuhao, Yuhao?"

Dong'er held a piece of grilled fish, now only a small portion remaining, up to Huo Yuhao's lips, and he bit into it almost instinctively.

"Hm?" Huo Yuhao suddenly snapped back to his senses, looking at Dong'er with some confusion.

"I can't finish it, help me take care of it, hehe."

"You..."