I'm Here to Join You

Deep within the Sea of Spirit.

The Heavenly Creation Cauldron let out an extremely faint hum.

A hazy layer of Creation Mist slowly dispersed.

Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and looked at the few dark-red pills in his hand, a deeply satisfied expression appearing on his face.

This was an upgraded version of the Red Jade Pill.

Or it could be called version 2.0.

It used that batch of Thousand-Year Whale Rubber as its main ingredient.

It was further mixed with Blood Demon Tiger bones, Azure Spirit Deer antlers, Blackwater Turtle shells, and various other valuable materials stripped from ten-year soul beasts.

Finally, dozens of mutually complementary ten-year medicinal herbs were added as catalysts.

The originally chaotic and violent medicinal properties had been forcibly crushed and fused together through the Heavenly Creation Cauldron's utterly unreasonable transformation.

Its basic efficacy was a full five times that of the Red Jade Pill version 1.0.

It was exceedingly potent.

Even an ordinary person would probably bleed from the nose until death after taking a mere bite.

But for a Soul Master who had already absorbed their first Soul Ring, this medicinal potency was just right.

Not to mention him now.

Even if this stuff were given to Shao Xing, the six-ring Soul Emperor guarding outside, it would still have a powerful effect in strengthening his foundation and nourishing his vitality.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had gone by.

Over the past six months, Huo Yuhao had practically lived like an immortal.

With an unlimited supply of top-tier resources piled onto him.

The nutritional deficiencies he had suffered from as a child, when he had never gotten enough to eat at the White Tiger Duke's Estate, had been completely wiped away.

The current Huo Yuhao was still not yet nine years old.

But the shriveled, skinny appearance of a starving refugee had long since vanished.

His body had become much sturdier, faintly carrying a balanced sense of strength.

Especially his eyes.

With ample nutrition and long-term nourishment from Soul Power, his eyes had become clearer and brighter than those of ordinary people, making him look exceptionally spirited.

On this day.

The afternoon sunlight was lovely.

In the small courtyard of the camp.

Huo Yuhao was sitting peacefully on Ye Guyi's lap.

His back rested against her soft embrace.

He had his eyes slightly closed, thoroughly enjoying this rare moment of peace.

He had to admit it.

Compared to Ju Zi, whose body had not even begun developing but whose mental age was that of a fully leveled, reborn regent empress dowager.

He actually preferred being around Ye Guyi.

After all, she was a genuine teenage girl of fifteen or sixteen.

Soft jade and warm fragrance.

That was what normal taste looked like.

If he truly harbored improper thoughts toward ten-year-old Ju Zi, how would he be any different from a beast?

On the other side.

Ye Guyi quietly held the boy in her arms.

For someone like her, who had spent years hunted by Evil Soul Masters and could only hide from place to place in remote wildernesses, such peaceful and comfortable days were something she had never even dared dream of before.

Such peaceful and comfortable days were something she had never even dared dream of before.

Since Ju Zi said Huo Yuhao would be her younger brother in the future.

Then.

An older sister holding her younger brother.

Was only natural.

Ye Guyi's arms gently circled Huo Yuhao's shoulders, her breathing steady.

The feeling of being depended on quietly filled the desolate place in her heart that belonged to family.

But soon, Ye Guyi's expression changed.

She saw a figure entering through the courtyard gate.

Ju Zi.

Seeing that delicate little face with its faint smile, Ye Guyi's heart lurched in panic.

After spending a full half year together.

She understood this ten-year-old girl's way of doing things far too well.

Ju Zi practically treated Huo Yuhao as a personal jade pendant engraved with her name.

Other than herself, anyone else who wanted to so much as look at him twice had better think carefully.

It was an absolute possessiveness that felt somewhat suffocating.

"Yuhao..."

Ye Guyi lowered her voice and gently nudged Huo Yuhao, who was in her arms.

She wanted him to get up quickly.

Huo Yuhao opened his eyes.

He saw Ju Zi walking toward them as well.

"Good afternoon, Sister Ju Zi."

Huo Yuhao greeted her obediently.

But he did not get down from Ye Guyi's lap.

Having lived off others for so long, he had become much bolder. Besides, he had not done anything shameful.

Yet Ye Guyi became even more flustered.

She took a deep breath, her body gradually tensing.

She had even prepared herself to lower her head and apologize, because she simply could not afford the cost of leaving this shelter.

If she angered this young mistress, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"It's fine."

The smile on Ju Zi's face did not change in the slightest.

She walked before the two of them, her voice still as gentle and soothing as a spring breeze.

Then.

Ju Zi took two exquisitely crafted wooden boxes from the black-clothed guard behind her.

The guard withdrew.

She casually placed the boxes on the stone table beside them.

With a soft snap.

Both lids opened at once.

Ye Guyi's gaze instinctively fell upon them.

In only a second.

Her pupils suddenly contracted, and her entire body froze.

Inside the box on the left lay a pale cyan pill that gave off a faint fragrance.

Inside the box on the right was a smooth, pitch-black pellet that contained intensely powerful water-element fluctuations.

Others might not recognize what they were.

But Ye Guyi, who came from the Angel lineage, possessed knowledge far beyond that of ordinary people.

"Th-that..."

Ye Guyi's voice trembled slightly.

"Is that a Soul Ascension Pill?"

"Yes."

"And the one beside it... could it be a Profound Water Pill?"

"That's right."

Ju Zi nodded, her tone as calm as if she had merely gone out to buy two bundles of scallions.

At that moment, Huo Yuhao's heart began pounding uncontrollably as well.

These were the Profound Water Pill and the Soul Ascension Pill!

They cleansed the meridians and marrow, and could raise one's Soul Power by a level while ignoring bottlenecks.

These were absolutely top-tier divine treasures that people outside would fight bloody battles over. Even core disciples of major sects might not receive a single one.

Huo Yuhao ranted wildly in his heart.

When he had read the original novel as a reader, the original Huo Yuhao would never have been qualified to obtain either of these treasures early on if he had not been the child of destiny.

And now?

High-grade resources were being delivered straight to his doorstep in heaps.

Just how far had this ten-year-old girl secretly gone?

She could even forcibly obtain the Dark Nether Sect's secret medicine?

She was utterly insane.

"They're for you."

Ju Zi closed the two boxes again and pushed them directly in front of Huo Yuhao.

"Don't rush to take them."

After thinking for a moment, Ju Zi added thoughtfully, "You can study how to refine these things if you want. But if you plan to consume them, remember to do so under my supervision."

"Thank you, Sister Ju Zi."

Huo Yuhao obediently accepted the boxes.

The matter had been settled.

Logically, Ju Zi should have turned and left at this point, returning to her grand undertaking of unifying the continent.

But.

Ju Zi did not move.

Under Huo Yuhao and Ye Guyi's bewildered gazes, Ju Zi stepped forward.

Not only did she not explode because her territory had been invaded.

She instead squeezed naturally into Ye Guyi's embrace.

Then, imitating Huo Yuhao, she leaned back against her comfortably.

Ye Guyi:?

Huo Yuhao:?

The impending storm of a battlefield between rivals was instantly shattered by this utterly bizarre action.

"What are you doing?"

Ye Guyi's body stiffened, both hands suspended in midair as she had no idea where to put them.

Ju Zi found a comfortable position.

She closed her eyes, a composed smile curving across her lips.

"I'm not here to break you two apart."

"I'm here to join you."