HaoDong's Sweetness Deepens, Qiu'er's Clues Return to Shrek

On the first day after Wang Qiu'er left, the training grounds became much quieter. No one bickered and squabbled with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er every day. No one suddenly dragged Huo Yuhao away without a care. And no pair of blue-gold eyes watched him.

Dong'er stood at his left as usual. When the Goddess of Light Butterfly spread its wings, blue-gold radiance covered half the training grounds.

Everything looked perfectly normal.

Only Huo Yuhao knew that it was not normal. In quiet moments, he would lose himself in thought. When Dong'er turned away and he could no longer see her, he would frown. When Xiao Xiao called for him to adjust the battle formation's spacing, he would react half a beat too late. And when his Spirit Detection habitually spread to both sides, he would find that she was no longer on his right.

Why hadn't Qiu'er returned yet?

Whenever that thought surfaced, Huo Yuhao immediately forced it down. Dong'er was right beside him; he should not have been thinking this way. Yet the more he suppressed certain things, the clearer they became—like the missing corner of the training grounds. Not speaking of it did not mean it was not there.

His Spirit Detection spread outward. On the left wing was Dong'er's steady, powerful aura of light. Behind them were Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. Bei Bei's Thunder Dragon Claw held down the front. Xu Sanshi lazily occupied the forward line, complaining all the while, yet holding his Black Tortoise Shield steadier than anyone else.

But the golden dragon spear that should have charged in so domineeringly was gone.

Less than a quarter of an hour after the mock battle began, Huo Yuhao abruptly changed the order. "Senior Brother Sanshi, Black Tortoise Transposition. Switch with me."

Xu Sanshi froze. "What are you up to now?"

Huo Yuhao did not explain. His Spirit Eyes lit up, and spiritual interference descended upon the opposing control-type soul master. Ultimate Ice spread along the ground, freezing the ankles of two assault-type soul masters. In the next instant, Xu Sanshi switched him to the front of the formation's core. Huo Yuhao raised a hand, condensing ice-blue soul power into a thin blade that forcefully dismantled the core pattern of the enemy's soul tool barrier.

"Break."

The barrier shattered.

Xu Sanshi rubbed his nose. "Junior Brother, the way you cheat now is getting a little ridiculous."

Jiang Nannan said flatly, "Yuhao is filling the gap himself."

Dong'er withdrew her wings of light and walked to Huo Yuhao's side, her voice quiet. "Without her, you're filling it yourself?"

Huo Yuhao lowered his voice. "The formation can't have a gap."

"Was I asking about the formation?"

Huo Yuhao fell silent.

Dong'er watched him for a while. Then she suddenly reached out and wiped the sweat from his brow. Her touch was gentle, but her words carried a trace of bitterness. "Just don't lie to me."

Huo Yuhao held her hand. "I won't."

Dong'er did not pull her hand away. "Then tell me—at that moment just now, were you thinking about Qiu'er?"

Huo Yuhao looked at her, then finally nodded.

"I knew it."

After saying that, she shook off his hand and turned toward the laboratory.

Huo Yuhao hurried after her. "Dong'er."

"Don't look like I'm about to get angry and give you the cold shoulder again." Dong'er did not turn around. "I'm just going to study the soul tool recording."

Dong'er paused. "Didn't you say you wouldn't lie to me? Then I won't lie to you either." She turned back to look at him. There was bitterness in her eyes, but also a clarity steadier than it had been days ago. "I don't like you thinking about her. I really don't."

"But she isn't useless. With her gone, perhaps our battle formation really is missing something. And ever since she left, I keep feeling as if my own strength has weakened a little too... That's strange..." Dong'er's voice gradually faded, then suddenly rose.

"Huo Yuhao, I won't pretend not to know about all of this just because I'm jealous."

That evening, the two studied the battle formation recordings together. Dong'er sat beside him, her shoulder pressed against his. She no longer kept a slight distance from him as she had before, nor did she deliberately pretend nothing was wrong. As Huo Yuhao inscribed the Spirit Conduction Runes, she assisted him with a strand of light soul power, stabilizing the soul power circuits for him.

Huo Yuhao said softly, "Dong'er, you should go back to the dormitory and rest. This will tire you out."

"Mind your own business."

Her words were cold, but she did not withdraw her hand.

After a while, she suddenly asked, "Do you regret what happened last night?"

Huo Yuhao's pen paused.

"I don't."

Dong'er's ears reddened again. She turned her face away and deliberately spoke coolly. "That was a quick answer."

Huo Yuhao looked at her and chuckled softly. Embarrassed by his gaze, Dong'er raised a hand and pushed him.

"Watch your formation."

But Huo Yuhao suddenly took her hand. Dong'er had just been about to jab at him when he lowered his head and kissed her knuckles. It was light and slow, as if he were confirming that she was truly still willing to stay by his side.

The sharpness Dong'er had been forcing herself to maintain softened a little.

"Huo Yuhao, you're learning to be bad."

Huo Yuhao lightly laughed and refuted her. "I'm not."

"You call this not learning to be bad?" She leaned closer and teased, "When 'Wang Dong' used to share a dormitory with you, you didn't look at me like this."

Huo Yuhao suddenly rose, caught her wrist, and pulled her out of her chair.

"Come on."

Dong'er was startled. "Where?"

"We're not studying this tonight." Huo Yuhao lowered his head to look at her. A dark fire he could not suppress burned in his eyes as he muttered, "The first time was here, and the second time is still here... It's not appropriate..."

He pulled her outside, walking quickly but never letting go of her hand. Dong'er's ears burned fiercely, yet she did not struggle free. She only asked in a low voice, "Yuhao, where are you taking me?"

"Back to the dormitory that Wang Dong and I shared." Huo Yuhao turned back and smiled brightly at her. They kept holding hands, as if they were about to run all the way back.

The moment the dormitory door closed, Huo Yuhao pressed her against it and kissed her deeply.

This time, there was no hesitation at all.

His hand slid from her waist to her back, pressing her firmly against him through her clothes. Dong'er trembled as she responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and threading her fingers through his black hair. Their kisses grew more intense, their breaths tangling together, their lips damp as faint wet sounds filled the room.

Huo Yuhao lowered his head to kiss her neck, moving downward until his teeth gently caught her collarbone and left a faint red mark. Dong'er let out a soft whimper, her body so weak she could barely remain standing, yet she still clutched his lapels.

"Yuhao... Huo Yuhao..."

"Mm?" His voice was terribly hoarse. His hand had already slipped beneath the hem of her clothes, his palm resting against her smooth, burning waist as it slowly moved upward.

Dong'er's breathing was completely chaotic, the corners of her eyes red, yet she still looked up at him. "When you're with me... you're only allowed to think about me."

Huo Yuhao reached out and held her. "All right."

His gaze darkened completely. He lowered his head and kissed her fiercely, lifting her in his arms as he carried her toward the bed.

When they fell onto the bed, Dong'er's hair ribbon came loose, her long hair spreading across the pillow. She took his hand and pressed it over her heart, where the beating was rapid and unsteady. Huo Yuhao's kisses grew heavier. With trembling fingers, he undid her buttons and lowered his head to kiss her chest, making Dong'er arch her body and release broken, uncontrollable breaths.

Dong'er panted into his ear, her voice carrying both bashfulness and sweetness. "Why are you in such a hurry today...?"

Huo Yuhao gave a low laugh. "Because I didn't do well last time."

Hovering above her, his eyes were gentle, touched by a faint, dazed gleam. Yet he still asked softly, "Dong'er... are you still afraid?"

The corners of Dong'er's eyes were red, and her breathing was ragged, but she grabbed his lapels and pulled him down, her soft curves pressing fully against his chest.

"I'm not afraid anymore..."

Huo Yuhao's palm slowly traveled down the curve of her back before settling at her waist. He lifted her firmly, drawing them together until there was no space left between them. Dong'er kissed him first, her hands slipping beneath his clothes, her palms touching his scorching skin in a gentle caress. Huo Yuhao gave a muffled groan and held her even tighter as their clothes gradually fell away in their embrace.

This time, there was none of the awkward tension of their first time. Dong'er's fingers traced down his chest and lightly brushed over the muscles of his abdomen, making Huo Yuhao's breathing grow even more urgent.

"Yuhao... slower..."

"All right..." Huo Yuhao's voice was low and husky as he nipped gently at her earlobe. Dong'er's face had flushed all the way to her ears, yet she still wrapped her arms around his neck and bit his lips in retaliation. As they rolled together, Huo Yuhao pulled her against him. Dong'er bent down, panting as she kissed him, her long hair falling like a curtain around them. They felt each other's responses, and Dong'er's voice had completely softened.

"Huo Yuhao... you really have learned to be bad..."

Huo Yuhao held her with both hands, his gaze so tender it seemed ready to drip with water. "Only in front of you."

The dormitory filled with their mingled breaths, the faint sounds of skin touching skin, and the searing union of blue-gold light aura and Ultimate Ice. Later, Dong'er lay exhausted on his chest, her fingertips still trembling slightly, yet she refused to loosen her arms around him.

At the same time, in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Qiu'er stood alone before an abandoned altar, the Golden Dragon Spear planted diagonally in a cracked stone crevice. The altar still bore the bloody Sha Qi of the Holy Spirit Cult, along with extremely faint Sun Moon soul tool markings. After tracking them for an entire day, she had finally found the first source. She copied the altar's patterns into a soul tool recording, then went to the Surveillance Transmission Array at the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest to send the clue back to Shrek. Her message was brief: The Holy Spirit Cult is indeed connected to the Sun Moon Empire. There is more than one altar. Do not let Yuhao approach the damaged formations alone.

When she wrote the two characters for "Yuhao," she paused for a long time.

She had considered returning immediately after finding the information. But when she thought of the blue-gold light spilling through the laboratory door, her grip on the Golden Dragon Spear tightened.

I've already taken one step back.

Then I'll step even farther away.

The wind passed through the forest. The possessiveness she had kept restrained within those golden eyes had not extinguished; she had only forcibly buried it deeper.