Fate Deviates

"Crying doesn't make you a hero, you know."

A clear, gentle voice with the distinct, crisp tone of a youth suddenly rang out beside him.

Huo Yuhao stiffened, instantly snapping out of his emotional turmoil. He whipped his head around, eyes scanning the direction of the voice with sharp vigilance.

On a bluestone not far away sat a boy and a girl of about his own age, both appearing to be no more than twelve years old.

The one who spoke was the boy, dressed in neat, black martial attire. His ink-colored hair was pulled high by a wooden hairpin, revealing a smooth, broad forehead.

He was exceptionally handsome, his brows curved with a gentle smile. He looked like a young master from a noble family, clean and transparent.

Yet, those pitch-black eyes held a composure and depth that belied his age; even just sitting there casually, he carried a presence that inexplicably put one at ease.

Leaning beside him was a young girl with silver hair.

She wore a moon-white long dress, her long silver hair loosely tied with a pale purple ribbon. A few stray strands fell against her cheeks, making her delicate face look even more exquisite.

Her eyes were a stunning violet-gold, like glass filled with the glow of a setting sun. Her temperament was cool and aloof, and as she sat there quietly, idly playing with a tender green leaf, her gaze rested on him with a hint of faint curiosity.

These two were none other than Gu Yuan and Gu Yue Na, who had taken on the forms of a young boy and girl.

To avoid frightening this sensitive and insecure boy, the two had deliberately suppressed all their dragon might and aura, appearing as twelve-year-olds and revealing only the soul power fluctuations of a Soul Elder, looking like a pair of siblings from a noble family out for training.

Huo Yuhao tensed his body instantly, gripping the rusted dagger in his hand tightly. His small frame shrank back as he watched them warily.

Having grown up in the White Tiger Duke Mansion, he was accustomed to the bullying and malice of his peers. Even if the brother and sister before him looked gentle, he dared not lower his guard.

Moreover, this was the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest. For two children his age to be sitting here so calmly was, in itself, highly unusual.

"Who... who are you? Why are you here?" Huo Yuhao's voice trembled, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to show weakness.

He could sense that even if these two children looked young, their strength was far beyond his own. If they wished him harm, he wouldn't even have a chance to resist.

"Don't be nervous, we mean no harm." The boy hopped down from the bluestone and walked slowly toward him.

His footsteps were light, and a gentle smile remained on his face. There was no hint of aggression as he stopped two steps away from him.

"My name is Gu Yuan, and this is my sister, Gu Yue Na." The boy's voice was soft and gentle, like a breeze in spring, blowing away some of the wariness in Huo Yuhao's heart.

"We are siblings out on a journey. We happened to pass by and saw you had fainted, so we helped treat your wounds and kept watch for a while, fearing you might be snatched away by a soul beast."

Huo Yuhao was stunned, subconsciously touching his back. The bones that had been broken were already healed, without a trace of pain, and the bloodstains on his body had been cleaned away. Clearly, he had been meticulously cared for.

Could it be... that the two experts Electrolux mentioned were them?

But they looked to be about the same age as him...

At this moment, Huo Yuhao did not know that the two people before him would become his greatest backing, the saviors who would rescue him from a fate of being treated like a dog.

"Did... did you save me?" Huo Yuhao's voice remained hesitant, though he quietly lowered the dagger in his hand.

Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow, a flicker of imperceptible amusement in his eyes, and said nonchalantly, "It was just a small favor. We saw you lying there next to the corpse of a Wind Baboon, and since your injuries were quite severe, we were afraid you might not make it."

He spoke with such lightness, as if he had done something trivial, but a massive storm surged in Huo Yuhao's heart.

Huo Yuhao had only ever known bullying from his peers. Now, two strangers his own age had reached out to help him, saving his life in the dangerous Star Dou Forest. His favorability toward them skyrocketed.

He scrambled up from the ground and bowed deeply to Gu Yuan and Gu Yue Na. His small body bent very low, his voice filled with heartfelt gratitude: "Thank you both for saving my life. Huo Yuhao will never forget this!"

He bowed with great sincerity; in ten years, no one had ever helped him without asking for something in return.

After his mother passed away, he had suffered cold eyes and bullying in the Duke Mansion, unable to even get a full meal, let alone have someone reach out a hand in his time of need.

"Stand up, there's no need for such formalities." Gu Yuan smiled and raised his hand, a gentle force lifting him up, preventing him from bowing further.

"We only helped out of convenience; it was mostly your own resilience that pulled you through."

Gu Yue Na also walked over from the bluestone, her cool voice soft and tinged with comfort: "Your Spirit Eye martial soul has great talent; don't waste it."

She didn't say much, but it warmed Huo Yuhao's heart even more.

He looked up at the gentle-faced siblings, his eyes reddening once again.

For ten years, no one had ever affirmed him like this; no one had ever told him his talent was good.

In the White Tiger Duke Mansion, everyone only called him trash or a bastard. Only these two strangers had given him a sense of affirmation and warmth he had never known before.

"You two..." Huo Yuhao's voice choked, and for a moment, he couldn't speak.

Gu Yuan saw his reddened eyes and understood.

This child had suffered so much since he was young that even a little warmth could make him remember it for a lifetime.

He reached out and patted Huo Yuhao's head, his tone gentle, every word striking a chord in Huo Yuhao's heart: "I heard you muttering about revenge earlier. Did the people from the White Tiger Duke Mansion bully you?"

Huo Yuhao shuddered, his head snapping up in shock. He had never told anyone about his background; how could this person know?

"Don't be surprised." Gu Yuan smiled and pointed to the half-piece of jade hanging at his waist, engraved with the character "Hao".

"This jade pendant is a standard issue from the White Tiger Duke Mansion. It wasn't hard to guess."

Huo Yuhao looked down at the half-pendant in his hand; it was the only heirloom his mother had left him.

His fists clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms. Hatred and grievance surged in his eyes: "My mother was killed by people from the Duke Mansion. They all bully me, calling me trash, calling me a bastard..."

His voice grew lower, filled with the irrepressible grievance of a youth.

Gu Yuan listened quietly, not interrupting him, and only spoke slowly after he finished: "You want revenge, don't you?"

"Yes!" Huo Yuhao raised his head, his eyes filled with a resolve far beyond his years, and answered with ironclad certainty.

"I must become strong! I must avenge my mother! I must make those who bullied me pay the price!"

Gu Yuan looked at him and did not pursue the topic further.

"Your soul power has reached level 20; you are just one soul ring away from becoming a Soul Grand Master. If you don't mind, Nana and I can help you obtain your second soul ring."

Huo Yuhao's gratitude was nearly overflowing; this big brother was truly a wonderful person! Not only had he saved him, but he was also offering to help him obtain his second soul ring.

However, pies do not fall from the sky. Although he, Huo Yuhao, had already been struck by one massive pie, they couldn't just keep falling forever, could they?

The precocious Huo Yuhao knew that the two older figures before him possessed strength far exceeding his own; helping him must surely come with a price. But he had nothing now—besides this life, what did he have that was worth them plotting for?

Seeming to see through his thoughts, Gu Yuan smiled faintly, crouched down to look him in the eye, and spoke with a serious tone: "You don't need to overthink it. We have no ill intentions toward you. Just think of us as a pair of kind older siblings."

Gu Yuan's words were like a warm current instantly flooding Huo Yuhao's entire body.

He looked at the youth before him, only two years his senior, observed the sincerity and gentleness in his eyes, and recalled the look in his mother's eyes before she died, as well as the disdainful gazes of those at the White Tiger Duke Mansion.

Without a moment's hesitation, he dropped to one knee, bowed deeply to Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena, his small body held rigid, his voice ringing out with the unique decisiveness and determination of a youth.

"Huo Yuhao deeply thanks you both! From this day forward, should you have any commands, Yuhao will not refuse even at the cost of his life!"

This was no impulsive decision. If a person has spent long enough in the darkness, and a warm light suddenly enters their world, they will cling to it tightly and never let go, even if they know there is an ulterior motive.

Moreover, Huo Yuhao felt in his heart that befriending Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena would bring only benefits and no harm; besides, he craved this warmth.

"Get up quickly, what is this for?" Gu Yuan helped him up again, looking at his reddened eyes and soothing him with a smile.

"There is no time to lose; we leave now. The second soul ring you need will not be easy to find."

As the words fell, Gu Yuan raised his hand, and an invisible, gentle force enveloped Huo Yuhao. Gu Yuena also walked slowly to his other side, and the three figures sped silently toward the depths of the Star Dou Forest.

They left behind only the corpse of the Wind Baboon and the undried blood on the ground, proving everything that had just occurred.

Just a short while after the three had left, two figures sped rapidly through the forest and landed where Huo Yuhao had just been.

Leading them was a youth dressed in blue athletic gear with a handsome face and a gentle temperament—it was Bei Bei.

The two stopped, and Bei Bei immediately leaned down to examine the Wind Baboon's corpse, then looked at the surrounding traces of battle, his brows knitting slightly: "Xiao Ya, look, a battle just took place here. It looks like the person who struck was a child, and their soul power wasn't very high."

Tang Ya also crouched down, looked at the blood on the ground, then looked up at the surroundings, frowning in confusion: "That's strange, where are they? Logically, if they could kill a Wind Baboon, they should be a soul master here to obtain a soul ring in the Star Dou Forest. Why is there no sign of anyone?"

Bei Bei's expression grew solemn. He channeled his soul power to carefully probe the surrounding aura, but apart from a faint scent of blood and a trace of dragon might that was nearly imperceptible, he could detect no other traces.

That dragon might, even if it was just a lingering remnant, caused his own martial soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, to tremble uncontrollably and feel a sense of awe.

"What a terrifying aura..." Bei Bei gasped.

"This aura has an absolute suppressive force over my dragon-type martial soul!"

"Then... then that child, could they have been taken away by them?" Tang Ya said with some concern.

"It's hard to say." Bei Bei shook his head, his brows locked tight.

"The traces of the battle are complete; there are no signs of a struggle, so it shouldn't have been a forced abduction. It's just... what kind of person would take a child who has just obtained their first soul ring deep into the Star Dou Forest?"

The two looked at each other, seeing confusion and bewilderment in each other's eyes. They searched the area for a long time but found no clues. In the end, they could only shake their heads, give up the search, and continue walking toward the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest.

They would never know that they had just brushed past the youth who, in the original destiny, would have joined the Tang Sect and become its future pillar.

God Realm, Sea God Temple.

Deep within the temple, endless seawater surged. On the Sea God's throne in the center, a man dressed in blue divine armor slowly opened his eyes.

He had a handsome face, blue hair, and blue eyes, and his body was surrounded by the vast divine might of both the Sea God and Asura god positions. He was the God Realm enforcer, the Sea God Tang San.

His fingertips held a strand of golden thread of fate, but at this moment, that thread, which had been perfectly clear, snapped instantly and dissipated into the void as a sky full of light spots.

Tang San's brows instantly knitted tightly, and a cold chill flashed through his deep eyes.

He could clearly feel that Huo Yuhao's mark of destiny had deviated from the trajectory he had planned and had even vanished from his perception of fate.

Originally, he had calculated that Huo Yuhao would step into the Star Dou Forest today, encounter the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, obtain a million-year soul ring, then meet Bei Bei and Tang Ya, join the Tang Sect, and enter Shrek Academy, step by step following his plan to become another pawn for him to control the God Realm.

But now, everything was in chaos.

The sacrifice of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had occurred, but Huo Yuhao's trajectory of fate had escaped his control.

He could not even sense Huo Yuhao's specific location.

"What is going on?" Tang San's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne, a thick sense of vigilance flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"How could someone tamper with the trajectory of fate I laid out?"

He stood up slowly, his gaze piercing through the barriers of the God Realm to look toward the direction of the Douluo Continent, the chill in his blue-gold eyes growing deeper.

He could feel that something on the Douluo Continent had undergone a world-shaking change.

The chess game he had laid out seemed to have encountered a variable he had never calculated.

"Interesting." A cold arc curled the corners of Tang San's mouth.

"I would like to see exactly who dares to touch a pawn of mine, Tang San."

Endless Sea God divine power erupted from his body and spread toward the direction of the Douluo Continent.

Meanwhile, far away in the Star Dou Forest on the Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao, protected in the center by Gu Yuan's power, was excitedly looking at the exotic flowers and plants he had never seen before, chattering away as he asked Gu Yuan all sorts of questions.

Gu Yuan answered them one by one with patience, and Gu Yuena would occasionally add a few words. The three figures gradually disappeared into the dense forest of the Star Dou.

Gu Yuan seemed to perceive that divine sense coming from across the plane; he looked up slightly toward the horizon, a faint smile curling his lips.

Tang San is already getting anxious? There are many more variables to come in the future; let's play slowly.