Wang Qiu'er did not return. She only sent back a Soul Tool recording chip. When it reached Sea God Pavilion, it still carried the scent of grass and trees from the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Xuan Zi crushed the seal, and a fragmentary imprint of an altar emerged from within. Black blood-baleful patterns intertwined with Sun Moon Soul Tool engravings, like two venomous snakes that should never have crossed paths, yet had bitten down on the same spot at the heart of the formation.
Huo Yuhao's gaze darkened after just one look. "The Holy Spirit Cult really has joined forces with Sun Moon."
Bei Bei frowned. "Where's Qiu'er?"
Xuan Zi turned over the short message on the back of the recording chip. There were only a few lines on it.
Xu Sanshi rubbed his nose. "That girl really is... decisive when she leaves, and just as decisive when she sends things back."
Jiang Nannan said, "But she didn't forget Elder Xuan's instructions. She confirmed the information for us."
Dong'er said nothing. Standing beside Huo Yuhao, she saw him staring at those lines, his fingers unconsciously tightening. It was a brief, faint lapse of focus, yet one he could not hide at all.
Dong'er's heart stung, but then she comforted herself. Wang Qiu'er truly had not returned. After uncovering the information and sending it to the academy, she had still chosen to remain in the Star Dou Great Forest, as though she had truly decided not to affect them anymore.
Huo Yuhao placed the recording chip onto the Soul Tool sand table, and his Spirit Eyes lit up. Icy-blue spiritual power spread across the imprint, swiftly reproducing the altar's broken patterns. The Holy Spirit Cult's blood baleful intent lay on the outermost layer, while the Sun Moon Soul Tool engravings were hidden beneath it. The true point of guidance still pointed toward the place where the auspicious beast's aura had once touched his Spirit Sea.
"They aren't trying to kill Qiu'er directly."
Bei Bei asked gravely, "Then what do they want?"
Huo Yuhao's fingertip landed on the heart of the formation.
"They want to contaminate Qiu'er's aura and turn it into a guiding source, then use my spiritual attribute to open a passage. Zhang Peng's attack was a test. The old formation at the Abandoned Post Station was also a test. The true formation core is on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, but the final key may be at the tournament grounds."
Sea God Pavilion fell silent.
Xuan Zi looked at him and suddenly said, "Kid, your mind has really been getting sharper lately."
Xu Sanshi muttered under his breath, "You call that a mind? That's straight-up cheating."
Huo Yuhao did not smile. Looking at the final line on the jade chip—"Do not allow Huo Yuhao to come into contact with the remnant formation alone"—he felt as if something had lightly pricked his heart. Qiu'er had decided not to return in time, yet she was still worrying about him.
Dong'er suddenly reached out, took the recording chip from Huo Yuhao's fingers, and handed it to Xuan Zi. Her voice was calm. "Since she sent word back, it's enough that we know what's going on." After pausing for a few seconds, she still said it. "Huo Yuhao, there's no need to keep staring at that message."
Huo Yuhao lowered his voice. "I was only..."
"I know." Wang Dong'er interrupted him. "You're only worried about her. If you're worried, then be worried. She was investigating serious business, not hiding somewhere to cry for you to see. If you really think you owe her, then perform well in the tournament and find the final key."
That night, Huo Yuhao remained alone in the Soul Tool laboratory, studying a new Soul Tool. He remembered Qiu'er grabbing his collar in the inner chamber of the Abandoned Post Station, kissing him with awkward stubbornness. He remembered her saying she would not treat that day as an accident. He also remembered that she had clearly uncovered the information this time, yet had not returned.
Huo Yuhao raised a hand to press his brow and let out a quiet breath. He could not go looking for her.
Dong'er had just given herself to him. He could not crush Dong'er's heart again at a time like this.
The wind outside the window was very soft.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, Wang Qiu'er stood on a hill at the forest's edge, looking up in the direction of Shrek. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's sense of fate gave a faint twitch deep within her brow.
It was not strong.
Yet it felt as though someone, from a great distance away, had touched her heart.
Qiu'er closed her eyes.
"Don't think about me," she whispered.
But after saying it, she smiled first, because she knew she could not do it either.
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