Speculation

Qian Renxue, who had already walked some distance away, suddenly stopped.

"Xue'er? A duplicate name? What a coincidence."

Naturally, she did not think her disguise had been seen through. She was merely surprised, and her footsteps unconsciously slowed.

The conversation over there continued.

"Xue'er—what an intimate way to address her. Why is your wife older than you?" The other chef chuckled and teased him as well.

"She really is older than you! Little Brother Huo, don't tell me you've been... put in your place by an old woman?" Seeing that he did not deny it, Old Liu suddenly felt like slapping his thigh. Why had he not met such a perfect son-in-law candidate sooner? But before he could finish, Huo Yuhao's gaze frightened him into silence.

The other chefs around them immediately sensed that something was wrong. This was the first time Huo Yuhao had shown his temper. Then again, although he did not yet have a soul ring, he was still a soul master. Having ventured out into the world at such a young age, he naturally could not be a pushover.

"Brother Liu, watch your words. She is the person I swore to protect for the rest of my life. The kindness she has shown me is something I will never be able to repay in my lifetime." After saying that, Huo Yuhao ignored them. It was only that he usually did not bother arguing with others. He lacked none of the pride of a soul master, a great noble, or a god—and his two years in Killing City had unknowingly magnified it even further.

Huo Yuhao pulled over a stool and began eating directly, unafraid of the heat.

Qian Renxue sensed the killing intent emanating from the young man at once. Though it had lasted only an instant, her pupils still constricted violently.

"!"

It took all her strength to restrain herself from looking at the young man again.

How could he possess the same killing intent as that woman?!

And only those who had emerged from that place could possess such killing intent.

Qian Renxue returned to her carriage as quickly as possible. Aila was excited to see her return, but when she noticed that Qian Renxue's expression was unusual, she immediately stepped forward and took the food box.

"Miss, did something happen?" Aila asked in a low voice.

"Remove this disguise first." As she spoke, Qian Renxue began taking apart the hairpins and ornaments in her hair, and Aila promptly stepped forward to help.

Only after Qian Renxue had completely returned to Xue Qinghe's appearance did the two sit down.

"Aila, bring me the special stationery Grandfather gave me," Qian Renxue ordered.

Aila's expression turned grave. What had happened that Miss needed to use that special stationery, especially when it had not been long since she had parted from the Grand Priest?

She immediately reacted and prepared everything needed for writing. Their carriage was specially made and did not jolt, so writing inside it was naturally possible.

As for the food she had brought back from the young man, she completely forgot about it.

Qian Renxue spread out the paper and pondered for a while, missing not a single detail of the young man's appearance. After the time it took to burn an incense stick, a half-body portrait of Huo Yuhao had appeared on the paper.

After setting the portrait aside, Qian Renxue began writing the letter. Aila did not glance at it even once.

When the letter had been sealed, Qian Renxue said sternly, "Aila, deliver this letter to the Worship Hall as quickly as possible. You must hand it personally to my grandfather. If he is not there, give it to Golden Crocodile Douluo."

Without the slightest hesitation, Aila took the letter and leaped out. It was nighttime now, the ideal time to deliver a secret letter.

Watching Aila leave, Qian Renxue sank into thought.

Could someone truly emerge from that place without even a single soul ring?

She did not know. But her grandfather had once said that the danger there rivaled the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest. Every person who had emerged from it was an unmatched powerhouse.

Including that woman, only three people still alive possessed that kind of killing intent. One of them was even a powerhouse of the same generation as her grandfather and had been missing for many years!

Had something happened in that place? If a large number of people had escaped from there, it would inevitably bring a catastrophe upon the Douluo Continent.

Qian Renxue's reason told her that the second possibility was more likely, yet she had a feeling that the young man's situation might be the first.

Her gaze swept over the food box on the table. Qian Renxue paused, then opened it. The food inside had already gone completely cold.

Yet the braised pork still looked enticing. Qian Renxue silently lifted the bowl, and with a turn of her soul power, white steam gradually rose from the food. She had already mastered sacred fire; heating a little food was naturally no challenge.

The fragrance slowly drifted out. By the time Qian Renxue came back to herself, the food box was empty. She had even eaten Aila's portion along with her own.

"Forget it. Aila won't be back for several days anyway. I'll take her out for something tasty when she returns." Qian Renxue wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth and spoke somewhat guiltily.

Tang San did not have to wait long. Just as in his previous life, Oscar successfully reached rank thirty at the right time.

Under Zhao Wuji's lead, the group headed for the Star Dou Great Forest. When Tang San saw that Teacher Zhao Wuji had been beaten into a panda-eyed state just as he had in his previous life, he knew his father had come.

"I have to meet Father as soon as possible. Huo Yuhao has returned and will surely make a move on the Icefire Yin Yang Well. I have to be quick. With Father's current strength, dealing with that old poisoner will be easy." Tang San no longer intended to negotiate with Dugu Bo. He had too few people at his disposal now. He could only have his father seize the place first.

If that was not possible, then he would first pluck all the treasures there. He could not leave even a single plant for Huo Yuhao. If necessary, he could even bring the Clear Sky Sect into it.

Fortunately, Huo Yuhao still did not know about the dragon bones and dragon soul beneath it. He could only retrieve those two things personally after gaining a certain level of strength.

Most importantly, he had to retrieve the Lovesick Heartbroken Red first. This time, he absolutely would not let Xiao Wu suffer harm again.

Once he planted his mother in the Icefire Yin Yang Well, and she regained a certain degree of consciousness, she would surely be able to help him capture the current Child of Nature. Once it was killed, together with that Blue Silver Empress from Sun Moon, the origin he had previously depleted through poison attributes could be restored.

Thinking of this, Tang San once again wanted to directly dispose of his "teacher." Yu Xiaogang truly did endless harm! Fortunately, he was blessed by fate.

As Tang San thought this, his gaze casually passed over Zhu Zhuqing.

Because of Red Dust Blessing, Zhu Zhuqing possessed fifteen seconds of invincibility. This time, she was not walking at the rear with Dai Mubai, but had moved to the front instead. Tang San himself had taken the position the fat man originally occupied.

Xiao Wu was still the same as before. The Star Dou Great Forest was her home, and she appeared very much at ease.

Not long after the group entered the forest, they encountered the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Snake that Meng Yiran and her grandparents had been pursuing, just as in his previous life.

Tang San had long forgotten that girl who liked him. In both his past and present lives, his heart had room for only Xiao Wu.