Night Talks Before Battle: Qiu'er Reveals Dong'er's True Worries

The camp was set up beneath a sheltered slope.

Huo Yuhao had not chosen the safest high ground, but a spot neither too near nor too far from the abandoned post road. Too far, and the Blood Fiend Formation Zhang Peng had left behind would not activate; too near, and the residual markings beneath the ground would bite directly into their perimeter.

He Caitou sent word from the outer ring: the three soul-tool markers had been buried.

Bei Bei guarded the old eastern road, Xu Sanshi covered the rear, and Xiao Xiao watched the fluctuations of soul power in the ground. Ma Xiaotao sat beside the fire, the evil fire at her fingertips flickering on and off like a blade held within its sheath.

The entire Shrek squad was operating in orderly fashion.

Huo Yuhao leaned against a tree, sorting through the battle formation record sheets as the pale gold light of his Spirit Eyes swept over the camp layer by layer. Qiu'er sat atop the slope, her palm pressed against the Star Dou Ancient Leaf. In the latter half of the night, the wind blew from the direction of Star Dou, carrying the damp scent of leaves and the faintly sweet, bloody smell of the Blood Fiend Formation. Dong'er rose to her feet. Huo Yuhao noticed, but did not follow.

She was not going to find him. She was going to find Wang Qiu'er.

The top of the slope was colder than the camp. Wang Qiu'er did not turn around. The Golden Dragon Spear lay across her knees, its tip aimed toward the depths of the wild forest.

"Did you come to persuade me to return to the Star Dou Great Forest?" Wang Qiu'er asked.

Dong'er sat down beside her. "Am I really that kind-hearted?"

She lowered her head to look at the campfire below. Huo Yuhao sat at the edge of the firelight, connecting the reflux patterns of the three-layer warning formation into the record sheet. The firelight fell across his profile, making the young man's features seem all the more handsome.

"They want you to go back. What are you planning to do?"

Qiu'er's fingers traced the edge of the ancient leaf used for messages. The leaf had already withered somewhat, yet it still retained the aura of Star Dou's core region.

"If I go back, I'll still be the Emperor Auspicious Beast. Every soul beast knows I'm important, but not necessarily that anyone cares whether I want to return or not." She paused. "If I don't go back and something happens, they'll say it was my responsibility."

Dong'er looked at her. This was the first time Wang Qiu'er had laid out her predicament so clearly—without grievance, without asking for understanding.

"So... are you staying by Yuhao's side?"

Wang Qiu'er thought for a moment. "I like him."

The fire below flickered. Huo Yuhao seemed to sense something and looked up in their direction. The distance was too great for him to see their expressions clearly, yet he did not extend his spiritual detection toward them. He was giving them space.

Dong'er said quietly, "But that doesn't mean he should belong to you."

Qiu'er looked at her and smiled softly. "Then does he belong to you?"

Dong'er did not answer at once. Of course she wanted to say yes. From the dormitory to Sea God Lake, from Wang Dong to Wang Dong'er, she and Huo Yuhao had walked too many roads together. More than anyone, she had the right to stand at his side. But the word "belong" suddenly felt too heavy. Huo Yuhao was not her trophy, nor was he someone she could bind forever merely because she had come first.

Qiu'er continued, "If I don't fight for him, will you feel at ease?"

Dong'er froze for a moment.

"You won't." Qiu'er gazed into the distant darkness, her voice calm. "Because what you're afraid of isn't me fighting for him. It's whether his heart will be moved."

Qiu'er had struck straight at Dong'er's heart. What she feared most was not Wang Qiu'er competing for him, but whether Huo Yuhao would truly fall for Qiu'er—who had the same face as her, yet was frank, resolute, equally powerful, and equally captivating.

The two fell silent for a while.

Below the slope, Xu Sanshi turned over and was kicked awake by Bei Bei. Dong'er suddenly said, "If Zhang Peng comes for you tomorrow, I'll save you."

"Don't misunderstand. It's not because I like you." Wang Dong'er stood up and brushed the grass clippings from her hem.

"I'm afraid that if you really die, Yuhao will blame himself," she said softly. "...And remember you forever."

Below the slope, Huo Yuhao still sat by the fire, the record sheet in his palm faintly warm. He had not eavesdropped. Ma Xiaotao sat down beside him, her features radiant in the firelight. "Not going to comfort them?"

Huo Yuhao replied quietly, "They don't need me to comfort them."

Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow. "You've improved."

She leaned a little closer, her voice lazy.

"But, junior brother, don't pretend you're so spotless. You want to protect Dong'er, but you can't resist Qiu'er either. There's no shame in admitting that your heart can be moved. Wrapping desire in responsibility is what really hurts people."

At that very moment, the first layer of the warning formation shattered without a sound. Not from the outside inward—it had been bitten open from beneath the ground. Huo Yuhao abruptly looked up, his Spirit Eyes blazing to life. "Prepare for battle!"

At the top of the slope, Qiu'er rose with her spear. Dong'er activated the Goddess of Light Butterfly martial soul, while phoenix fire ignited behind Ma Xiaotao. The flames illuminated a row of slowly brightening scorpion-tiger blood patterns deep within the wild forest.

The enemy had finally run out of patience.