Qiu'er Catches Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er Sharing a Kiss That Seals Their Love

On the first day of the Eye of Destiny's records, Xuan Lao arranged the venue in a quiet chamber behind the Inner Courtyard Training Grounds. Though it was called a quiet chamber, it was more like a small sparring hall sealed by a soul guidance array. The four walls were carved with patterns that isolated spiritual fluctuations, and three Soul Guidance Sensor Stones sat at the center of the floor, specifically designed to record changes in soul power and spiritual power. Huo Yuhao stood in the middle, with Wang Dong'er on his left and Wang Qiu'er on his right. He suddenly felt that this formation should not be called a spiritual isolation array—it should be called a sealed death trap.

Xuan Lao sat at the doorway and said lazily, "Don't be nervous. Just get a little closer and see whether the soul power and aura resonance Yuhao mentioned before appears again."

Dong'er had already pursed her lips disdainfully, while Qiu'er eagerly moved closer on her own. Dong'er shot Qiu'er a glare. Seeing this, Xuan Lao's mouth twitched as he suppressed a laugh. "Begin. Release your martial souls first, but keep your soul power at its weakest."

The three nodded. The instant Spirit Detection spread out, every detail in the quiet chamber entered Huo Yuhao's senses. Wang Dong'er's aura was still familiar, bright, and lively. Qiu'er's, however, was entirely different—ancient, weighty, wild yet warm, making one feel as though bathed in a spring breeze. The two powers should have been incompatible, yet when Huo Yuhao's spiritual power touched them both at once, all three Soul Guidance Sensor Stones lit up.

Xuan Lao sat up a little straighter. "Continue."

Huo Yuhao steadied his breathing and expanded Spirit Detection further. Wang Dong'er raised her hand, and the aura of the Butterfly Goddess gently entered Spiritual Sharing. Wang Qiu'er also released a strand of soul power. In that instant, Huo Yuhao's brow grew hot. The Eye of Destiny did not fully open, but it was as though a crack had opened in the darkness.

He saw three lines.

One was warm, winding around his past.

One was sharp, piercing into his present.

The last was so blurry it was nearly transparent, leading toward an unseen future. At the end of that line seemed to be a vague figure—she had Dong'er's gentle wings, but also Qiu'er's golden radiance. Before he could see clearly, though, the image was torn apart by a burst of excruciating pain.

"Yuhao!"

Wang Dong'er's voice rang out. When Huo Yuhao came back to himself, he realized he had staggered half a step back, cold sweat already beading on his forehead. Wang Dong'er gripped his arm, her eyes full of worry. Wang Qiu'er also stepped forward, frowning at him. "What did you see?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head. "I couldn't see clearly."

Xuan Lao said solemnly, "Don't force yourself to look. The more you see of fate, the easier it is to suffer backlash."

Huo Yuhao nodded, but that vague figure had already been branded into his heart—like Dong'er, like Qiu'er, yet neither of them.

Noticing his silence, Wang Dong'er asked softly, "Does it have something to do with us?"

Huo Yuhao did not lie to her. "It does."

Wang Qiu'er asked, "Is it something bad?"

Sensing Yuhao's discomfort and distraction, Xuan Lao tapped his wine gourd. "All right, we'll stop recording here for now. Since the resonance does exist, we'll need to continue later. For the rest of today, you three will do some coordination training. What's the point of arguing every day? Whether you can argue your way into combat power, we'll find out."

An area of the training grounds was quickly cleared. Their opponents were three Inner Courtyard disciples, all of whom were fairly strong and had well-honed teamwork. When they heard they would be facing Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er, and Wang Qiu'er at the same time, their expressions held more than a little curiosity.

"Huo Yuhao," one of them sneered, "that lineup of yours won't be easy to lead."

"..."

The match began. The three Inner Courtyard disciples did not underestimate them. From the start, they scattered at top speed, trying to cut off Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sharing. Huo Yuhao immediately unleashed Spirit Detection. Dong'er understood Huo Yuhao's rhythm perfectly and charged toward the left flank almost the instant Spiritual Sharing descended. The Light Wings shone brilliantly as the Wing Guillotine repeatedly drove her opponent back. Wang Qiu'er, meanwhile, acted completely outside convention. Raising the Golden Dragon Spear, she broke through head-on, tearing open the central defense with a single thrust. Her golden soul power surged like a soul beast emerging from the forest, savage and fierce.

Huo Yuhao adjusted swiftly. "Dong'er, shift right. Qiu'er, keep pressing!"

The three of them were unexpectedly in perfect sync. Wang Dong'er's steadiness and trust, Wang Qiu'er's explosive power and instincts, Huo Yuhao's calculations and battlefield control—they blended flawlessly into a net. In less than half an incense stick's time, the opposing formation completely collapsed. For the final blow, Dong'er and Qiu'er attacked at the same time. On one side were bright wings of light, on the other the tyrannical golden gleam of the dragon spear. Huo Yuhao's Spirit Shock froze their opponent for an instant, and the two forces crashed down together, blasting the last person out of the battle zone.

After a moment of silence at the sidelines, cries of amazement erupted. Xuan Lao's eyes brightened.

"Not bad."

Wang Dong'er panted lightly, unable to hide the surprise in her eyes. She hated Wang Qiu'er being close to Huo Yuhao. But in that moment, she had to admit that Wang Qiu'er was very strong. If Qiu'er stood beside Huo Yuhao, she truly could help him. Wang Qiu'er looked at Huo Yuhao. "We work well together."

Huo Yuhao replied seriously, "We do. Your instincts and explosive power are exactly what I need."

Wang Qiu'er nodded in response.

After the training ended, Xuan Lao kept the three Inner Courtyard disciples behind for a review and called Wang Qiu'er over as well. "Your fighting style is too reckless," Xuan Lao said, tapping his wine gourd. "Being fierce is a good thing, but now you're on a team with Yuhao and Dong'er. You're not supposed to charge through the entire field alone."

Huo Yuhao was being pulled by Wang Dong'er to the corridor outside the quiet chamber. A soundproof soul guidance lamp hung at the end of the corridor. Its light was dim, pressing only their shadows against the wall. Dong'er walked quickly and did not stop until they were out of everyone's sight.

She grabbed Huo Yuhao and asked, "Do you still need me?" She knew she should not sound like a little girl fighting for affection, but she could not help it. She wanted an answer. Huo Yuhao led her out of the training grounds, and on the way back to the dormitory, he spoke to her gently, sentence by sentence. "You have always been wonderful. Even if Qiu'er can fill in a missing piece of our battle formation, without you, my tactics would never have stood from the start. Without you, I could never feel this at ease. You are my foundation."

Those words were like scorching honey poured straight into Wang Dong'er's heart. Her eyes reddened, yet she was delighted deep down. She clearly wanted to jab at him a few more times, but only muttered softly, "You only know how to say things like that to sweet-talk people..."

Huo Yuhao raised a hand and gently tucked the loose strands of hair from training behind her ear. When his fingertips brushed her delicate earlobe, Wang Dong'er's body trembled lightly. She did not dodge. Instead, she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him toward her. "Yuhao, I like hearing you say those things." That fragile, shy response threw Huo Yuhao's breathing into disarray. He lowered his head and lightly kissed her forehead, then slowly trailed down along her brow ridge until his lips landed on her trembling eyelashes. But Wang Dong'er was not satisfied. She hooked a hand into his collar and tugged hard. The instant their lips met, they both let out a quiet sigh.

Dong'er kissed him somewhat urgently, as if she wanted to pour all the unease and jealousy of recent days into him through that kiss. Her body pressed against his of its own accord, her soft chest tight against him through their clothes, carrying the lingering warmth of training and a faint girlish fragrance. At first, Huo Yuhao restrained himself and merely held her waist. In the end, though, he could not endure it. One hand wrapped around her slender waist and pulled her tighter into his embrace, while the other cradled the back of her head, deepening the kiss. Their tongues entwined with faint, wet sounds that seemed especially intimate in the quiet corridor. Wang Dong'er's breathing gradually grew ragged. Her hands wrapped around his neck without her realizing it, her fingers sinking into the hair at his nape. Her legs even weakened slightly, and she nearly hung from him, silently asking for more.

After a long while, their lips parted. Their foreheads rested together, their breaths intertwined. A faint glimmer of tears shimmered at the corners of Wang Dong'er's eyes, and her lips were flushed, moist, and glossy from the kiss. She murmured softly, "Yuhao... you can only be mine."

Huo Yuhao's Adam's apple bobbed as he answered in a hoarse voice, "Mm... Dong'er."

In the shadows at the other end of the corridor, Wang Qiu'er stood quietly. She had only come to retrieve the sensor stone Xuan Lao had told her to take away, but she saw this scene—Dong'er had melted into a limp heap in Huo Yuhao's arms. The girl who had just been as sharp as light now looked like a little beast completely tamed, her cheeks flushed, her lips slightly parted, allowing Huo Yuhao's hand to hold her waist and back. That gentle yet forceful possessiveness, that panting and entanglement only found in the utmost intimacy, stirred an unfamiliar heat in Qiu'er's chest.

So this was what closeness felt like. An instinctive longing arose in Qiu'er's heart—she wanted Huo Yuhao to kiss her like that too. She wanted him to call her name in that same low, gentle voice. She wanted to press herself softly into his arms and feel the warmth and strength in his palms.

Wang Qiu'er clenched the sensor stone in her palm. A thin golden line was actually scorched into its surface.