Firelit Street Alleys

In Eastsea City's Seaside District, evening had fallen over Seafood Street. The salty, damp sea breeze rolled through the lanes, carrying the scents of hundreds of foods. Amid this bustling slice of everyday life, Huo Yuhao stood with the green-skirted girl transformed from the Demon Spirit before a storefront bearing a red notice: "Owner Urgently Transferring. Price Negotiable."

The shop was small, and its facade was somewhat worn. It had previously sold wonton noodles; the greasy stove and clutter piled in the corner were still visible inside. The middle-aged man in a sleeveless undershirt, squatting at the entrance and smoking, was the owner, Old Chen.

"Boss, can we take a look at the place?" Huo Yuhao stepped forward, his tone calm.

Old Chen raised his head and sized up the young pair before him. The young man wore ordinary dark clothes and looked refined and clean, with steady eyes. The girl appeared timid and delicate, like she had come from somewhere else. "Looking at the shop? You two brother and sister?" Old Chen rose to his feet and dusted off his pants. "Come in and have a look. It's not a big place, but all the stove equipment can still be used. It's just a little old."

Huo Yuhao walked inside and looked around. His Spirit Eyes stirred slightly, and the structure, ventilation, plumbing, and wiring were immediately clear to him. The Demon Spirit—now publicly introduced as his younger sister, "Huo Xiaoling"—followed behind him with curiosity and caution, not daring to touch the greasy things.

"How are you planning to transfer it?" Huo Yuhao asked.

"With the remaining half year of rent included, this amount." Old Chen gestured with his hand. "To be honest with you, something came up back home, and I need to hurry back. This location isn't bad, but the competition is fierce, and it wears you out. You two are young. If you really want it, the price is negotiable."

Huo Yuhao nodded. Rather than bargaining immediately, he asked, "Is food business on this street strictly regulated? Are permits and things like that hard to get?"

"Ah, those people at the district management office collect management and sanitation fees every month without fail." Old Chen blew out a puff of smoke. "For proper permits, you have to run around yourself—fill out forms, register, wait for approval. It's a hassle, but they can't be bothered to make things difficult for little stalls and shops like yours. A lot of people just start working first and make up the paperwork later."

Only after understanding the situation did Huo Yuhao begin discussing the price with Old Chen. He did not say much, but every word was practical. He neither pressed the price down so hard that he seemed petty nor agreed at once like some greenhorn. In the end, they settled on a price both sides found acceptable. They agreed that Huo Yuhao would pay the next day and sign a simple transfer agreement, with the remaining lease transferred directly to him.

"Alright, young man, you're straightforward." Old Chen was quite pleased. "Oh, right. Old Li next door on the left sells Iron-Pot Beef. He's a solid fellow too. The owner of the seafood congee place on the right is a bit fussy, so just watch yourselves around her. That's this street for you—every sort of person is here."

After leaving the shop, Huo Yuhao did not intend to rely entirely on Old Chen's suggestion to "make up the paperwork later." Once he had settled Xiaoling into a cheap nearby inn, he focused his mind and activated the auxiliary unit on his wrist.

His spiritual power flowed into it like a trickling stream, and the unit flickered faintly. His goal was not to create something out of thin air, but to "accelerate" and "correct." First, in a redundant lower-level area of the municipal soul tool information network, he silently "pre-generated" two inactive draft household registration files and linked them to several reasonable, untraceable migration records—for example, people who had come seeking work from a mining town whose records had been partially damaged in a soul tool accident. Then, he located the offline data cache of the Seafood Street district management office—their soul tool terminal security was practically nonexistent. He did not write anything directly into it. Instead, he carefully altered the transmission logs and a batch update file awaiting submission, cleverly "embedding" his shop information, based on his genuine agreement with Old Chen, along with the indexes for the two household registration drafts. That way, when the office staff performed their next routine data synchronization, the information would naturally appear in the system as though it were ordinary paperwork whose entry had been delayed through oversight, minimizing the risk of detection by the core security mechanisms.

After finishing everything, he let out a slight breath of relief. Technology was only an aid. To truly fit in, they would have to rely on the days ahead.

The next day, he paid the money, signed the agreement, and accepted the keys from Old Chen. Huo Yuhao and "Xiaoling" began cleaning and renovating the shop. There was no major reconstruction, only a thorough cleaning. The greasy stove was scraped and scrubbed clean, the walls were repainted, and Huo Yuhao personally adjusted the ventilation. Using limited materials, he made several small devices to distribute the charcoal fire more evenly. The tables and chairs shone after being wiped down. They were old, but clean.

When purchasing basic supplies, Huo Yuhao deliberately went to the market to buy bowls, chopsticks, and seasonings, familiarizing himself with the surroundings along the way. Through a secret channel Di Tian had left behind, he also received the first batch of Silver-Scaled Fish and special herbs from the outskirts of the forest. The fish were disguised as ordinary catches and transported mixed in with other seafood, their flesh faintly radiating spiritual energy.

"Brother Yuhao, these fish are so pretty." Xiaoling looked at the fish in the basin, their scales glimmering faintly, and spoke softly.

"Mm. They're one of our shop's strengths." As Huo Yuhao spoke, he hung a simple wooden sign reading "Yuling Grilled Fish" outside the door. "But remember, tell everyone these are ordinary sea fish bought from Old Wu's Fish Stall at the docks."

Before the shop opened, Huo Yuhao took Xiaoling to visit Uncle Li next door at Iron-Pot Beef, bringing several grilled fish wrapped in oiled paper as gifts. Old Li was a man in his fifties, wearing a greasy apron as he watched over several large black iron pots bubbling with steam.

"Uncle Li, busy? My sister and I just took over the shop next door. We're opening tomorrow to sell grilled fish. Just a small token—please have a taste." Huo Yuhao smiled warmly and offered him the grilled fish.

Old Li was somewhat surprised. He accepted the oiled paper packet, and steam mixed with an unusual fragrance drifted out, making him sniff despite himself. "Oh, you really shouldn't have... You're a polite young fellow. Whoa, this fish smells wonderful!" He took a bite, and his eyes lit up. "Not bad! You've got some skills! We'll be neighbors from now on, so let's look out for each other! On this street, it's all about repeat customers. You need honesty and good flavor if you want to establish yourself."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Old Li lowered his voice. "Auntie Wang at the congee shop on the right... She's not a bad person, but she's a chatterbox and loves to fuss over things. Just be a little careful. Don't give her a reason to lecture you."

"Thank you for the advice, Uncle Li." Huo Yuhao thanked him sincerely. This simple neighborly interaction did more to make them feel grounded than any disguise could.

On their first day of business, there was no ceremony. The charcoal fire rose, and Silver-Scaled Fish brushed with special sauce sizzled on the grill. Their distinctive aroma, blended with unusual herbs, quickly drifted through the street. At first, only a few diners drawn by the fragrance stopped by, but after tasting the fish, its tender, flavorful flesh and lingering aftertaste immediately won praise.

Huo Yuhao wore an apron and focused on controlling the heat, his movements neat and efficient. At first, Xiaoling was a little flustered. She nearly dropped a plate and spent ages counting on her fingers when handling money. Huo Yuhao did not rush her, only reminding her softly, "Slow down. Look carefully at the coins. When taking money or serving food, say things like 'Please wait a moment' and 'Your fish.'"

After a busy noon, Xiaoling gradually got the hang of it. Her smile was still shy, but at least she no longer made mistakes. After closing up, Huo Yuhao cleaned the stove while seemingly casually asking, "Did you hear anything interesting today?"

Xiaoling thought for a moment. "One man said his child was almost six, and he was worried about whether to save money to buy a ten-year Soul Spirit from the Spirit Pagoda or take a gamble and see whether the child could awaken a good martial soul... There were also two women saying that Eastsea Soul Master Academy's tuition had gone up again."

"Mm. This is the truest kind of life." Huo Yuhao nodded. The wrist-mounted unit silently recorded these voices of the common people, piecing together the perspective of ordinary people in this era.

After closing in the evening came study time. Using ordinary metal sheets and engraving knives he had bought, Huo Yuhao taught Xiaoling the most basic soul tool energy circuit etching. "You're a natural spirit, so you're innately sensitive to energy flow. Don't use brute force. Feel the metal's 'veins' and guide your natural power through them, like a little stream flowing into a ditch, brushing gently across..."

Xiaoling studied very seriously. Her pure perception allowed her to learn quickly. When she carved her first pattern that could faintly guide energy, childlike delight appeared on her face.

Late at night, Huo Yuhao would perform his most important daily "lesson"—sensing the Eternal Snowflake. He calmed his mind and immersed his consciousness in the connection that shared its origin with the snowflake. Soon, a thread of tranquil, peaceful sensation came through, carrying the simple, vigorous life force unique to a child. The direction... clearly pointed northeast, not within Eastsea City but farther away... toward Aolai City.

In Aolai City... As long as you're safe, that's enough. Huo Yuhao silently thought. Confirming that safety each day was the deepest comfort in his heart.

Before sleeping, he would chat with Xiaoling for a while.

"Xiaoling, you are not a soul beast born of flesh and blood." Huo Yuhao looked into her especially clear eyes beneath the lamplight. "Di Tian told me that ten thousand years ago, when the Emperor Auspicious Beast fell and Star Dou's fortune scattered amid the upheaval, the forest's endless vitality and the grief, hopes, and other intense desires of countless soul beasts to continue their bloodlines intertwined and condensed over long years. In the end, nourished by Lake of Life, you were born. You are a natural spirit, as well as the pure incarnation of the soul beast race's collective will and a portion of its remaining fortune."

Xiaoling nodded, her eyes holding hazy, distant memories. "I... don't remember much myself. It seems that a very, very long time ago, there was a patch of golden light that was very warm, very sad... Then I woke up inside a crystal flower. Auntie Bi Ji said I was a little like... a dream the Auspicious Beast left for the forest. A hope. I can feel the forest's 'breathing,' and I can vaguely feel everyone's sadness and... unwillingness to accept it."

"That's why you're naturally sensitive to emotions and auras," Huo Yuhao said. "I'll teach you a method from the Divine Realm. It has nothing to do with combat; it focuses on 'perception' and 'harmonization.' It can help you better sort through the emotional ripples within yourself and around you, preserve clarity of mind in this chaotic human world, and perhaps... let you sense more clearly the flow of that 'fortune' which shares your origin."

He began teaching her a simplified, adjusted meditation technique based on emotional perception and resonance with the world's vital energy. For Xiaoling, it was both necessary for her disguise and something that might point toward a deeper future mission.

And so the days flowed steadily onward amid the smoke and fire of grilled fish, neighborly pleasantries, the clink of engraving knives, and their silent daily watch over that thread of safety far away. Yuling Grilled Fish gradually gained a reputation. To the diners, Huo Yuhao became the quiet, steady "Boss Huo" with exceptional skills, while Xiaoling was the diligent but somewhat shy "Little Sister Xiaoling." Like two inconspicuous drops of water, they merged into the bustling river of everyday life in Eastsea City, quietly lying low, waiting, and preparing.