Year After Year, The Flowers Are Similar

An aged voice drifted from the bead. Su Qing's eyes were filled with anticipation as he immediately projected his spiritual power to capture its attention, but unexpectedly, the bead flew straight toward Huo Yuhao.

Since we aren't fated, so be it. Besides, I'm not used to having a little voice inside my head anyway.

Su Qing sighed. What kind of taste did this thing have? His own spiritual sea was vast and stable, so why did it choose Huo Yuhao?

"Who dares to snatch territory from Brother!"

On the other side, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who had just opened up a spiritual sea for Huo Yuhao and hadn't even had a chance to look around before being beaten to the punch, was furious. What was the origin of this gray bead, daring to move in without asking? How unreasonable! Yet, after he threw a tantrum, the other party remained completely unmoved.

Seeing this, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had no choice but to silently move further away.

Beside him, Huo Yuhao was still digesting the information he had received from Sky Dream Ice Silkworm: a million-year soul ring, a second martial soul, a spiritual sea, and the possibility of becoming a powerhouse in the future to avenge his mother!

"Alright, Brother has told you enough. The process of sealing myself has exhausted me, so I'm going to sleep for a while. With that white-haired guy by your side, walking out safely won't be a problem."

With that, he expelled Huo Yuhao's consciousness from the spiritual sea.

"Brother Su, about what just happened, could you please keep it a secret for me..."

The awakened Huo Yuhao called out to the dejected Su Qing, asking him to keep his secret. Su Qing, always understanding, readily agreed, though he did set some conditions.

"Brother Su, does treating you to grilled fish count as treating you to a meal?"

Huo Yuhao asked tentatively. He had no money, and the prospect of treating Su Qing to a meal left him feeling rather embarrassed.

"Is the grilled fish delicious?"

Su Qing's eyes lit up the moment he heard "grilled fish." Huo Yuhao's legendary grilled fish was famous far and wide. He had brought up the condition specifically to taste it naturally; asking directly would have been too abrupt, but having the other party suggest it made his acceptance perfectly reasonable.

"It's definitely delicious!"

Huo Yuhao was very confident in his skills and immediately patted his chest to guarantee it. Once Su Qing agreed, he led him back to the small stream nearby.

"Brother Su, wait here for a moment. I'll start the fire and catch two fish for you!"

He laid out the dry firewood he had collected and took out a flint to start the fire. Unexpectedly, Su Qing indicated there was no need for such trouble. Immediately after, as if performing a magic trick, flames ignited in his palm, lighting the firewood. Huo Yuhao was stunned. He remembered that Su Qing's martial soul was a spear; where did this ability to conjure fire come from? Could it be Twin Martial Souls?

As he thought about it, envy rose in his heart, but he quickly realized that he, too, could possess Twin Martial Souls, and he felt relieved. He believed that with the help of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, his potential would surely be higher than Su Qing's. Perhaps next time, it would be his turn to save Su Qing from fire and water...

"What are you thinking about, Master Huo? Catch!"

Su Qing, who had volunteered to catch the fish, raised his hand and grabbed two. Seeing Huo Yuhao standing there in a daze, he called out twice. Once the other party snapped back to reality, he tossed the fish toward him.

"Oh, oh."

Huo Yuhao hurriedly caught the fish, prepped them, skewered them with wooden sticks, and set them by the fire. Soon, the overflowing aroma made Su Qing drool. One had to understand, the cooked food he usually ate could only be described as scorched meat—barely edible and good for nothing but filling his stomach.

Today, this "Huo-style" barbecue was a real eye-opener. Such deliciousness truly lived up to the holy name of the God of Grilled Fish!

"Five ants! Five ants!!"

Seeing Su Qing eating as if the world didn't exist, Huo Yuhao felt a bit ashamed. How long had this guy been hungry? Why did he seem even more pitiful than himself?

"Sniff, sniff—"

Tang Ya and Bei Bei, who had just woken up nearby, were originally worried about Huo Yuhao's safety, but they caught a scent that was incredibly familiar to them. Well, actually, only Tang Ya smelled it, so she dragged Bei Bei straight toward Su Qing.

"So fragrant! Little brother Yuhao, I'm so glad you're alright. You can't possibly finish all these grilled fish, right? Sister Ya is here to help..."

Before she could finish, she saw the familiar figure sitting by the campfire. The appearance of the white-haired youth was like a spark falling into an autumn reed marsh, instantly igniting a towering blaze. All her memories surged into her mind at once. Tang Ya could no longer hold back her tears; she darted forward and pulled Su Qing into her arms.

The ravenous way he ate and his tattered clothes, patched with animal hide, all spoke of the hardships he had endured over the years. She felt immense regret that she hadn't been able to notify Su Qing in time when the Tang Sect was destroyed.

In her mind, Su Qing's suffering was surely because he had gone to the Tang Sect to find her, only to be discovered and hunted down by the Iron Blood Sect. This thought had gnawed at her consciousness like a maggot in the bone for years. Every night, when she was alone, she would think that she was the one who had ruined Su Qing, leaving her to live in self-reproach and remorse.

"Sister Ya..."

Su Qing was just about to tell her that he wanted to wash his hands before being hugged, but hearing his voice, Tang Ya cried even harder. She acted as if she had lost her mind, clutching him tightly to her chest.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault you ended up like this, I'm sorry..."

Her voice became increasingly muffled, and Su Qing could only barely make out that she was apologizing. Having never faced such a situation, Su Qing was at a loss. Meeting Bei Bei's helpless gaze, he sighed. Ignoring his greasy hands, he gently patted Tang Ya's back and whispered in her ear:

"Sister Ya, look, I'm alive and well. Besides, I'm already a three-ringed soul master; soon I'll be able to go with you to take revenge on the Iron Blood Sect."

But even so, Tang Ya didn't let go, seemingly clinging to him and refusing to let go. Still hungry, he turned his gaze toward Bei Bei.

"Brother-in-law, are you really not going to do anything?"

Su Qing's use of "brother-in-law" truly pleased Bei Bei. Thinking, If I don't step in, my poor brother-in-law is going to starve to death here because he can't eat, a sense of duty rose within him, and he slowly walked toward the two of them.

"Brother-in-law, I'm coming to save you."

Meeting Bei Bei's firm gaze, Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief. He never expected that his appearance would cause such a massive change in Tang Ya's heart. In the original story, she had almost never shown her vulnerable side, and she had even gone to seek revenge all by herself.

"Iron Blood Sect, you really are ruthless."

Tang Ya's family had lived properly in Tiandou City, never having offended any other factions, yet they were still wiped out by the Iron Blood Sect...