The Incompetent Husband

"You can call me... Old Tang!"

Old Tang?! A god?!

Huo Yuhao only felt that his mind was a complete mess. What was all this supposed to mean?

"Mmmpf! Mmmpf! Mmmpf!!!"

Beside him, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had been bound into a ball by blue-gold divine markings, leaving only its tiny eyes glaring wildly.

It desperately wanted to curse.

It really, desperately wanted to curse.

As a mighty million-year Soul Beast, when had it ever suffered such humiliation?

Even when it had been used as a living battery by a group of Ferocious Beasts in Star Dou, it could still speak!

"Don't be nervous, child." The blue-gold figure looked down at Huo Yuhao and spoke gently. "I mean you no harm."

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment. He really wanted to ask: If you mean no harm, why did you pin down both me and Brother Sky Dream the moment you arrived?

Was this how gods treated their guests?

"Old Tang... what exactly do you want?" Huo Yuhao still watched him warily.

Old Tang offered no further explanation and simply said, "Do you remember that youth? Didn't looking at him leave you feeling empty inside?"

Huo Yuhao's pupils suddenly contracted.

He immediately thought of that exceptionally handsome figure and nodded instinctively.

"Because your destiny, all your glory, is being taken away by this variable that should never have appeared." Old Tang's voice carried a sorrowful sigh for the world. "But child, this is not your fault."

"What..."

Huo Yuhao's mind buzzed, and he froze on the spot.

No wonder... no wonder he had felt so miserable looking at that person's back.

But I have no grievance against you. Why are you taking what belongs to me?!

The abrupt change in Huo Yuhao's expression made the corners of Old Tang's lips, hidden within the light, curl upward slightly.

"Are you willing? To watch your opportunities, everything you have, be taken from you, only to be scorned and looked down upon?" Old Tang's voice seemed filled with some magical power, seeping bit by bit into Huo Yuhao's soul. "Do you want to take back everything that belongs to you? Do you want no one to ever dare look down on you—or the Tang Sect—again?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm struggled desperately beside him.

Mmmpf! Mmmpf! Don't listen! Little Yuhao, don't listen! This blue-haired old bastard is definitely up to no good!

For the first time, it felt like the incompetent husband from one of those illustrated storybooks.

But Huo Yuhao could no longer hear any sound.

Why... why should what belonged to him be taken away?

Why could you act so high and mighty while looking down on the Tang Sect I treasured like a jewel?!

Why was fate so unfair to me?!

Scenes flashed through his mind in an instant: If I had been the one spared from bullying in the Duke Mansion... if I had been the one to resist Zhou Yi... if I had been the one surrounded by everyone... if...

Each possibility took root and sprouted wildly in Huo Yuhao's heart like a seed, binding Old Tang's words tightly within his mind.

Almost instinctively, he let out a low roar. "I do!"

"Then accept it."

A drop of blue-gold water slowly hovered before Huo Yuhao. Old Tang's voice was soft. "This is the seed I left for you. When you are lost, it will guide you. When you are weak, it will teach you how to grow strong. When you are in pain, it will help steady your mind."

Amid Old Tang's voice, Huo Yuhao slowly raised his arm. Yet just as his finger was about to touch it, he suddenly stopped.

"What is the price?" Huo Yuhao's experiences since childhood made it difficult for him to believe there was such a thing as a free lunch.

Old Tang seemed to chuckle softly, and his tone became incomparably righteous. "For the justice and righteousness of this world. When you truly stand at the summit, you will naturally understand the mission you bear."

At that moment, Tian Meng's eyes were nearly popping out with anxiety.

No way, Little Yuhao! Wake up!

You're actually going to accept a slave contract of unknown origin like this?!

As though he had heard Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's inner voice, Huo Yuhao's consciousness truly cleared somewhat.

His outstretched hand slowly lowered, and he asked quietly, "What if I refuse?"

The Sea of Spirit fell silent for a moment before Old Tang's voice rang out again. It remained as gentle as ever, yet carried an unquestionable finality. "Then it will remain here as well."

Huo Yuhao and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm: "..."

Seeing the two instantly fall silent, Old Tang added, "Of course, I respect your choice."

For a moment, Huo Yuhao did not know what to say. He had gradually broken free from Old Tang's words.

After all, neither his immobilized body nor Brother Sky Dream, who had been tied into a ball, looked particularly respected.

Neither of them looked particularly respected.

But he also understood that this being before him was not someone he could resist.

Besides...

His mother's final instructions, the utterly disgusting expression on the Duchess's face, the dejected look Tang Ya had worn when the Tang Sect was belittled...

Every memory was like a whip from behind, urging him toward his choice.

The next moment, he abruptly raised his hand and clenched the blue-gold droplet. His gaze was firm as he said, "I accept!"

Ding—

With a crisp chime, a ring of blue-gold ripples spread outward.

Huo Yuhao only felt a cool sensation wash through his mind, swiftly soothing away his previous confusion and despondency.

At the same time, a faint blue-gold gleam flashed deep within his Spirit Eye before vanishing.

The divine markings around Sky Dream Ice Silkworm finally loosened as well.

The instant it could speak, it immediately cried out in despair, "Liar! Little Yuhao! This guy is definitely a liar!"

Old Tang merely gave it an indifferent glance.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice cut off abruptly, and it silently shrank its body backward.

Damn it, why is this blue-haired old bastard's aura so terrifying to bugs?

Old Tang's figure gradually faded, his ethereal voice echoing through the Sea of Spirit. "I will sleep for a time. When you truly need me, I will naturally awaken."

Huo Yuhao hurriedly asked, "How do I find you?"

"When you call for fate in your heart." Old Tang's voice grew ever more distant. "The sea will answer you."

The blue-gold figure disappeared completely, and the Sea of Spirit returned to calm.

Only a blue-gold droplet had appeared in its depths, quietly suspended in midair.

It was then that sounds from the outside world entered his ears once more.

"Little Yuhao?" Tang Ya looked at him in confusion. "Why did you suddenly space out?"

Huo Yuhao abruptly came back to his senses.

The gates of Shrek City were still bustling with people. Tang Ya was still stomping her feet in anger, while Bei Bei silently watched the direction Long Yaochen had left in.

In the distance, Long Yaochen pushed Zhang Lexuan away, and the group gradually disappeared.

Huo Yuhao lowered his head, a trace of envy flashing deep in his eyes that even he did not notice.

Those things... were they really once connected to me too?

Then he gently clenched his fist and said in a low voice, "Sister Tang Ya, I'm fine."

Tang Ya did not think much of it and merely said angrily, "I'm furious! The way that Long Yaochen spoke was far too unpleasant!"

Bei Bei had calmed down considerably by then. That refined smile returned to his face as he gently stroked Tang Ya's back and said softly, "Tang Ya, it's all right. Believe me, I will definitely make the Tang Sect great again!"

Upon hearing "make the Tang Sect great again," the droplet in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Spirit rippled slightly.