Huo Yu'er fell silent for a long while.
The lake breeze swept past, stirring the wisps of hair on her forehead. She lowered her head, unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her knuckles faintly whitening from the pressure. Lin Shuo didn't urge her. He simply sat quietly beside her, his gaze resting on the last streak of dark orange glow over the distant lake.
"Big Brother Lin," she said softly, her voice as light as a feather landing on the water. "Actually... I ran away from Duke White Tiger Mansion."
The lake breeze grew cooler.
Huo Yu'er's voice trembled faintly in the dusk, as if it had taken every ounce of strength she had to say those words.
"My mother... was once Duke White Tiger's personal maid."
Her fingers tightened around the hem of her clothes.
"Later, my mother became pregnant with me. But when Duke White Tiger went off to war, the Duchess took charge of all the affairs of the mansion. Jealous that my mother had grown up alongside Duke White Tiger, the Duchess drove the two of us into the servants' quarters. When I was eight, Dai Huabin had his guards beat me while I was helping my mother hang the laundry. My mother protected me, and that was how she died a year ago."
"I hate Duke White Tiger Mansion. If it weren't for them, Mom wouldn't have left this world so soon."
The last streak of sunlight sank beneath the horizon, and dusk completely blanketed the shores of Sea God Lake. Lin Shuo drew his gaze back from the distance and turned to look at the girl beside him.
She sat on the bench with her fists clenched, her shoulders taut as a bowstring pulled to its limit. Her deep blue eyes brimmed with twelve years of hurt, fury, and resentment. For the first time, there was no timid avoidance in them, only a scorching hatred that seemed ready to spill over.
"Ah." Lin Shuo heard an old man's sigh. It was very faint, yet its lingering note was complex and hard to describe—like reminiscence, like wistfulness.
Lin Shuo ignored Electrolux. After all this time nourishing himself in Lin Shuo's Sea of Consciousness, Electrolux had finally stirred.
Lin Shuo reached out and gently pressed a hand over Huo Yu'er's clenched fist. It was cold, her knuckles unnaturally white from the pressure.
"Yu'er, there's nothing wrong with your hatred."
Huo Yu'er lifted her head and met his pitch-black eyes. There was nothing in them that she had feared seeing—no evasion, no strange look born of learning about her past. His gaze was still exactly the same as it had been when they first met in Star Dou Great Forest three months ago.
"Those who hurt you, those who took your mother from you—you have every right to hate them. You don't need to feel guilty or blame yourself for it. If anyone tells you that you should forgive them, it's only because they've never endured that kind of pain."
Huo Yu'er's eyes reddened, but she bit her lip hard, refusing to let the tears fall. She didn't want Big Brother Lin to think she was a crybaby.
Lin Shuo withdrew his hand. His tone remained calm, yet carried a certainty that left no room for doubt.
"But hatred can be your starting point; it can't be your destination. Your mother surely wouldn't want you to spend your whole life living with nothing but hatred. She'd want you to live with your head held high."
His gaze settled on Huo Yu'er's face. "Huo Yu'er is no longer the daughter of a maid who can be bullied at will. She's a student of Shrek Academy, and she'll be the champion of the freshman assessment. She's the possessor of a Body Martial Soul, a disciple of the Tang Sect, and a future powerhouse. One day, everyone in Duke White Tiger Mansion will look at you with awe."
"You may seek revenge in the future, but I hope you'll think carefully about who truly deserves it. Don't forget this hatred, but don't let it blind you, either."
Huo Yu'er lowered her head, clenching her hands even tighter. After a long while, she took a deep breath and lifted her head again. Hatred still burned in her deep blue eyes, but beneath it lay something stronger and more steadfast.
"Big Brother Lin, thank you. Thank you for not telling me to let it go. I promise you—I won't let hatred blind me. I'll grow stronger, strong enough to avenge my mother, strong enough that those people can never hurt me again."
She paused, the corners of her mouth curving into an awkward but utterly earnest smile.
"Strong enough to stand in front of you if you ever get into trouble."
Lin Shuo froze for a moment. "All right," he said, rising to his feet and holding out a hand to her. "Then it's a promise. Future great master Huo Yu'er, for now, go back and get some rest. The finals are tomorrow. As for that older brother of yours, you'll avenge your mother yourself one day. Tomorrow, I'll teach him a little lesson."
Huo Yu'er took his hand and rose from the bench. She realized her hand had stopped trembling.
After walking Huo Yu'er back to her dormitory, Lin Shuo returned alone to Dormitory 108. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, dividing the stone floor into alternating squares of light and shadow. He didn't turn on the light. He sat down on the bed and closed his eyes in the darkness.
His consciousness sank into the Sea of Consciousness.
It was a vast, boundless ocean, where seven-colored light slowly swirled through the void—his Martial Soul Origin. Near the edge of his Sea of Consciousness, a mass of gray mist floated quietly. It had grown much more solid than it had been three months ago, and the outline of a human figure was just barely visible. Lin Shuo stopped in front of it.
"Senior, you're awake?"
The gray mist rippled slowly, then an old, gentle voice rang through the Sea of Consciousness.
"Young friend, I come from another world. When I sensed the Gold of Life within you, this fragment of my soul was drawn in and took up residence in your body."
"After being nourished by you for all this time, I've recovered some of my memories. I am the Holy Necromancer, the Scourge of the Undead—Electrolux."
"Young friend, you are no ordinary person!" Electrolux exclaimed. "Such a powerful dragon bloodline—I doubt I ever encountered one like it, even in my lifetime. I am now only a fragment of a soul and mean you no harm. I'm afraid I won't be able to leave you, either. If there's anything you need, you can tell me. I have considerable knowledge of light magic, purification, and Necromancy."
Lin Shuo nodded slightly and asked no more. As a transmigrator, he knew Electrolux well enough. "Elder Yi, please rest here in peace. If you need anything, just say so. And if I need anything, I'll be counting on you."
The gray mist wavered slightly, and the old voice sounded again. "Then I shall shamelessly continue residing in your Sea of Consciousness. I heard what you just said to Huo Yu'er. Back then, I, too, seemed to have been blinded by hatred, with consequences that could never be undone."
He paused, falling silent for a moment before continuing.
"You said not to let hatred blind you."
The edges of the gray mist rippled ever so faintly, as if some emotion had surged within it, only to be suppressed.
"If I had understood that, perhaps some things that happened later would never have come to pass."
Once Electrolux had finished speaking, his presence fell silent.