The camp was set up beneath the lee slope.
Huo Yuhao chose neither the safest high ground nor a spot too close to the abandoned post road. Too far, and the Blood Fiend Formation Zhang Peng had left behind would not react; too close, and the residual patterns underground would sink their teeth directly into their defensive line.
He Caitou sent word from the outer perimeter: the three soul-tool markers had been buried.
Bei Bei guarded the old road to the east, Xu Sanshi watched the rear route, and Xiao Xiao kept an eye on the fluctuations of Soul Power in the ground. Ma Xiaotao sat beside the campfire, the Evil Fire at her fingertips flickering on and off like a blade sheathed but ready to strike.
The entire Shrek squad was operating in orderly fashion.
Leaning against a tree, Huo Yuhao sorted through the battle formation recording plates, the pale gold of his Spirit Eyes sweeping across the camp layer by layer. Qiu'er sat atop the slope, her palm pressed over that Star Dou Ancient Leaf. In the latter half of the night, wind blew in from the direction of Star Dou, carrying the damp scent of leaves and the faintly sweet, bloody stench 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 into the depths of the barren 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 that kind-hearted?"
She lowered her head to look at the campfire below. Huo Yuhao sat in the firelight, connecting the return-flow patterns of the three-layer warning formation into the recording plate. The flames illuminated his profile, making the young man's features appear even more handsome.
"They want you to go back. What are you going to do?"
Qiu'er's fingers rubbed the edge of the ancient leaf used for messages. It 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 that doesn't mean anyone cares whether I want it 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 to be understood.
"So... you're staying by Yuhao's side?"
Wang Qiu'er thought for a moment. "I like him."
The firelight below flickered. Huo Yuhao seemed to sense something and looked up in their direction. The distance was too great for him to make out their expressions, yet he did not use Spirit Detection on them. He was giving them space.
Dong'er said softly, "But that doesn't mean he should belong to you."
Qiu'er looked at her and smiled faintly. "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. Yet the words "belong to" suddenly felt far too heavy. Huo Yuhao was not her trophy, nor was he someone she could bind forever simply because she had known him first.
Qiu'er continued, "If I don't compete 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 fear isn't that I'll take him. It's whether his heart will stir."
Qiu'er had struck straight at Dong'er's heart. What she feared most was not Wang Qiu'er fighting for him, but that Huo Yuhao might truly fall for Qiu'er—who bore the same face as her, yet was candid, decisive, equally powerful, and equally captivating.
The two fell silent for a while.
Below the slope, Xu Sanshi rolled 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 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 recording plate in his palm faintly warm. He had not been eavesdropping. Ma Xiaotao sat beside him, the firelight making her features look strikingly radiant. "Not going to comfort them?"
Huo Yuhao said softly, "They don't need me to comfort them."
Ma Xiaotao raised a brow. "You've grown."
She leaned a little closer, her voice languid.
"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 your heart can stir. Wrapping desire in responsibility is what makes it easy to hurt people."
At that very moment, the first layer of the warning formation shattered soundlessly. It had not been broken from outside in, but gnawed open from beneath the ground. Huo Yuhao jerked his head up, his Spirit Eyes blazing instantly. "Prepare for battle!"
Atop the slope, Qiu'er rose with her spear. Dong'er unleashed her Light Goddess Butterfly martial soul. Phoenix Flame ignited behind Ma Xiaotao, its light revealing a row of scorpion-tiger blood patterns slowly lighting up in the depths of the barren forest.
The enemy had finally run out of patience.
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