Gift

Hearing there were gifts, Xiao Wu immediately perked up. She nodded and followed Huo Yuhao as they wandered about, purchasing quite a few items.

The sky gradually dimmed. After finishing their dinner, the two returned to the academy carrying their various bags.

"Wang Sheng, what happened to you?"

As soon as they entered the dormitory, they saw Wang Sheng with a bruised face.

Several other Work-Study Students were gathered around him, their faces filled with indignation.

"Someone in the cafeteria bullied us Work-Study Students during dinner, so I got into a fight with their leader."

Wang Sheng lowered his head, looking somewhat ashamed; it seemed he had lost the fight.

"Who dares to bully my people! Who is it? I'll stand up for you all."

Hearing that her people had been beaten, Xiao Wu gritted her teeth and lifted her leg, ready to rush over and settle the score.

"Boss, don't go. That guy is called Xiao Chenyu. He has already added a soul ring and is an eleventh-level Soul Master." Wang Sheng hurriedly stopped her. Running to fight someone with a soul ring when you don't even have one yourself—wasn't that just asking for trouble?

"Hmph, I'm not afraid of him. It's not certain who will win yet!"

Xiao Wu didn't feel timid just because the opponent was a Soul Master; once her temper flared, no one could stop her.

"Wang Sheng, challenge Xiao Chenyu to a duel tomorrow. Set the time for two days from now after school. I will deal with him."

Seeing that Wang Sheng, a fellow Work-Study Student, had been beaten, Huo Yuhao was also quite annoyed. This had moved beyond the scope of children's squabbles.

He couldn't help but recall the treatment he had suffered at the Duke Mansion in his previous life. His mother, Huo Yun'er, had also often been covered in injuries, eventually passing away when Huo Yuhao was still very young.

"Alright, Yuhao. Be careful."

Wang Sheng knew Huo Yuhao's strength. Seeing his gloomy expression, he nodded and said nothing more.

Before going to sleep, Huo Yuhao took out the materials he had bought today, along with the two blue stones.

Exhaling a breath, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a sense of joy. These two stones were exactly Starlight Sapphire, a necessary component for crafting a storage Soul Tool.

In this era, the method for crafting storage Soul Tools did not yet exist, so the stones were treated as ordinary decorations. This time, he had managed to pick up a bargain.

"A small piece like this should be able to provide about five cubic meters of space. That's enough for now."

Huo Yuhao immediately began his work. Xiao Wu watched from the side for a long time, but she couldn't tell what Huo Yuhao was tinkering with.

Although she didn't understand, the mere thought that this was a gift from Huo Yuhao for her made her so happy she couldn't fall asleep.

From Wang Sheng's perspective, Huo Yuhao was focused intently on crafting something.

As for Xiao Wu... she rested her chin on her hands, pouting her little lips, just watching the earnest Huo Yuhao. Her eyes were sparkling, and she would giggle to herself from time to time.

"..."

Wang Sheng wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. He shook his head, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

"Phew... Level ten soul power is still a bit of a stretch, but at least it's finished."

Presented in Huo Yuhao's hands were two white metal bracelets, each a finger's width wide.

They featured mechanical-looking patterns that appeared to be mere decorations, but were actually channels for the flow of soul power. In the center, a sapphire was embedded, looking magnificent and incredibly exquisite.

Stretching his back, Huo Yuhao prepared to go to bed, but saw Xiao Wu sitting next to him, already fast asleep. He shook his head helplessly and picked her up, intending to place her on the bed.

Because of the grilled fish at noon, a faint scent still lingered on him. He saw Xiao Wu's little nose twitch in his arms.

"Grilled fish... (╯▽╰) so fragrant~~"

Immediately after, her two hands wrapped around Huo Yuhao's neck.

"!!!"

As if struck by a paralysis spell, Huo Yuhao's mind went blank. Although he had been hugged around the neck before, it had never been at such close range!

Feeling the breath sweeping across his neck, Huo Yuhao's little brain successfully crashed.

After being held for quite a while, Huo Yuhao felt his arms go sore and finally regained his senses.

He slowly shuffled to the bedside and bent down to place Xiao Wu on the bed, but the hands around his neck were like iron hoops. With no other choice, Huo Yuhao had to push Xiao Wu toward the middle and lay down on the outer edge himself.

Fortunately, the two beds were pushed together and were large enough.

Just like that, Xiao Wu slept in the middle of the two beds, while Huo Yuhao slept on Xiao Wu's bed, the two of them facing each other.

Being held, Huo Yuhao felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. Looking at the cute sleeping face just inches away, he slowly closed his eyes.

The only witnesses to all this were the pair of bracelets on the desk, the embedded Starlight Sapphire emitting a faint, subtle glow... and Electrolux in little Yuhao's spiritual sea.

"Heh heh, youth is truly wonderful."

A ray of sunlight hit his face, and his eyelids fluttered slightly. What greeted Huo Yuhao's eyes was a pair of large, watery eyes, brows curved, reflecting his own sleepy face.

His body trembled slightly, and Huo Yuhao suppressed his somewhat shaky voice.

"Good morning."

"Hmph hmph, was my bed comfortable to sleep in?"

"You were hugging me last night; it was a matter of necessity."

Coughing twice, Huo Yuhao sat up and turned away to hide the flush on his face.

Not giving Xiao Wu a chance to continue her questioning, he walked straight to the desk and handed a bracelet to her.

"This is for you. Put it on and try injecting your soul power into it."

Looking at the exquisite object in her hand, Xiao Wu was somewhat stunned. She looked up to meet Huo Yuhao's eyes and nodded before wearing it on her wrist.

As she injected her soul power, a slightly blurry space of about five cubic meters instantly appeared before her eyes.

"Wow, this is too magical! What is it used for?"

Xiao Wu's curiosity was instantly piqued.

After Huo Yuhao taught her how to use it, Xiao Wu immediately began to play with it delightedly, stowing away her pillow one moment and the desk the next.

Watching Xiao Wu, who looked like a child with a new toy, Huo Yuhao smiled.

Xiao Wu turned back, and while Huo Yuhao was distracted, she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for the gift, I really like it."

The lingering saliva made Huo Yuhao's face flush red, drawing a burst of laughter from Xiao Wu.

"We'll go sell grilled fish again tonight," Huo Yuhao said, changing the subject.

"We can make money again? Yay!"

Thinking of how well the grilled fish sold yesterday, Xiao Wu could hardly wait.

Class time passed in a flash, and Huo Yuhao, having listened to lectures all day, shook his head.

Compared to the mature educational system ten thousand years later, the current curriculum was of no help to him at all; he did not intend to waste any more time on it in the future.

With the Storage Bracelet, there was no need to carry a backpack anymore. After skillfully dividing their tasks, the two met up at the usual spot.

As soon as the grill was set up, many people recognized him, and the stall was already crowded with people.

"Young man, you're finally here! After eating your grilled fish yesterday, I couldn't forget the taste. I didn't see you at noon and thought you weren't coming."

Huo Yuhao responded with a smile.

"I'm also a student at a nearby academy and have classes during the day, so please forgive me. It's the same as yesterday: please line up. However, to ensure those at the back don't miss out, there is a limit of two fish per person."

After speaking, he nodded to Xiao Wu.

"Everyone, please line up. We have prepared fifty fish in total today. Please keep track of your place in line; those beyond the limit can come back tomorrow."

The crowd expressed their understanding, lined up, and paid in order. All fifty fish were sold before they were even grilled.