The Warmth of Mortal Life

"But what about the shop in East Sea?" Demon Spirit followed beside Huo Yuhao as they walked slowly along the shoreline, the evening breeze carrying a salty, damp scent.

Huo Yuhao smiled and took out his soul communication phone. "Don't worry, I'll make arrangements right away." He dialed a number. "Hello, Captain Guang? It's me, Huo Yu... There are some matters at home I need to handle, so I may be away for a month or two. Please help look after the students at the shop... Haha, I'll definitely bring you the freshest seafood when I return and cook it myself!"

After hanging up, they had reached a spot from which they could see the little house by the sea. The warm light in its windows and the faint silhouettes within looked peaceful and ordinary, yet Huo Yuhao's gaze deepened. He had long harbored doubts about the silver-haired girl, Na'er. Now, he was only more certain that he needed to investigate further.

"Brother Yuhao," Demon Spirit said softly, her gaze likewise resting on the window, "that Na'er... you think there's something wrong with her too, don't you?" Though she did not fully understand human affairs, she was exceptionally sensitive to auras and emotions. "The way she looks at people doesn't seem like a child's gaze. It's too calm—calm enough to make one uneasy."

Huo Yuhao nodded, his expression grave. The image Di Tian had solemnly shown him surfaced in his mind once more—the appearance of the Silver Dragon King after taking human form, faintly overlapping with the girl's features.

"Come," he said in a low voice. "Di Tian needs to know about this."

"No need to look for him," Demon Spirit suddenly said, stopping and gazing out over the dark sea. "Uncle Di Tian... is down there. It looks like he's picking up stones?"

"Stones?" Huo Yuhao was taken aback.

In the depths of the sea, Di Tian was bent over, carefully feeling his way across the seabed. His palm brushed over fine sand and reefs, and from time to time he picked up colorful stones stained by seawater, examining them beneath the faint light filtered through the waves. "This one has a gentle luster; Bi Ji should like it... This one has a unique pattern; Zi Ji will surely favor it..." Suddenly, his fingertips touched a piece of Sea Ripple Crystal that gave off faint energy fluctuations, and he paused.

At nearly the same moment, he sensed two familiar spiritual fluctuations coming from the surface.

"Little Ling... and Huo Yuhao?" After a brief thought, Di Tian put the stones he had selected into a net bag woven from seaweed. His figure rose silently like an undercurrent, heading toward the shore.

"Uncle Di Tian!" Demon Spirit's eyes lit up as she waved to him.

Di Tian assumed human form in the shallows and walked over. He casually ruffled Demon Spirit's hair before looking at Huo Yuhao. "You've come at quite a convenient time. Isn't the gathering still a few days away?"

"It's because of the girl beside Tang Wulin." Huo Yuhao got straight to the point, indicating the lit-up house in the distance. "I sensed something unusual about her aura before, and Demon Spirit noticed it too. Di Tian, can you determine her true nature?"

Di Tian's expression turned solemn as his sharp gaze shot toward the little house. After a moment, his brow furrowed slightly. "There are indeed traces of the Silver Dragon Spear... but my lord's origin is hidden extremely deeply, as though something has deliberately concealed it." His voice was heavy with concern.

"Demon Spirit and I plan to stay here for a while and observe. Will you join us?" Huo Yuhao asked. With Di Tian present, they could better determine whether she was the Silver Dragon King. If she was, then he needed to begin preparing.

"Fine." Di Tian nodded, then took out his dragon-patterned soul communication phone and dialed a number. "Bi Ji, inform everyone that the gathering with Yuhao is postponed. We... may have found traces of my lord."

After the call ended, Demon Spirit was already squatting curiously beside the pile of colorful stones Di Tian had brought ashore. "Uncle Di Tian, why did you pick up so many pretty stones?"

Di Tian looked at the stones, soaked in seawater and glimmering under the moonlight, then smiled helplessly. "It's for the pond at the estate. We got ourselves an estate in Shrek City. Though Bi Ji has taken human form, she still misses the lakes and marshes where she once lived. She says the stones sold on the market lack that 'water-moist spiritual charm,' and they aren't comfortable to lie on."

With a wave of his fingers, a three-dimensional image of the estate formed from light. On the eastern side was a dense, lush woodland. "This is where Myriad Demon King, Crimson King, and Bear Lord live. They still prefer the wild charm of mountains and forests." On the western side was a broad, clear pond with a winding shoreline. "This belongs to Bi Ji."

Huo Yuhao looked toward the strangely styled building at the center of the image and could not help laughing. "And this house is...?"

"Don't even mention it." Di Tian rubbed his forehead and sighed, shaking his head. "Zi Ji and Bi Ji, for some reason, were influenced by mortal fashions. One became enamored with the elegant, subtle atmosphere of classical Chinese style, while the other was obsessed with lavish, exquisite Western style. From clothing and jewelry to furniture and decorations, they insist on competing over everything."

As they talked, the three entered a brightly lit restaurant by the sea and sat by the window. Outside, the tide murmured softly. Inside, voices buzzed with life, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of hot food.

Di Tian ordered several seafood dishes, lifted a bottle of liquor, and took a swig before continuing. "And that's not all. Some time ago, the two of them even joined something called the Universal Fashion Awards. Guess what happened? They took first and second place!" He shook his head with a smile. "Now the battlefield has spread from clothes to the appearance of soul devices, architectural styles, interior furnishings... Anything related to 'beauty' has become a battleground."

Demon Spirit pressed her lips together and smiled. Huo Yuhao imagined Bi Ji painting ink-wash scrolls while Zi Ji tailored European-style gowns, and a smile rose to his lips as well.

"There's more," Di Tian said, counting on his fingers. "Bear Lord, that brute, went and joined the blacksmiths' guild. He spends all day obsessed with hammering and forging, so busy taking orders that he can barely keep up. And Crimson King, relying on the extraordinary scent discernment of his three noses, actually opened a perfume workshop in the Star Luo Empire. Business is booming, and the name 'Three-Headed Spirit Scent' has become widely known."

Huo Yuhao and Demon Spirit exchanged amused looks. The image of Crimson King bringing his three heads close to a glass bottle to sniff it carefully was truly vivid.

"Myriad Demon King is, after all, a plant-type soul beast. These days, he has been devoting himself to crop improvement, and his reputation in agricultural circles has been steadily rising. He is greatly respected." Di Tian spread his hands, his expression complicated. "And what came of it? Every one of them found their own amusement, making this 'family head' in charge of the forest's safety look like the idle one. Whenever they need some rare material or hard-to-find item, they toss it to me without a shred of shame and make me handle it. Then they even give me grand reasons, saying, 'This is necessary for integrating into human society and gathering intelligence!'"

He swirled the wine in his cup, looking every bit like an old father toiling for his entire family, though there was no real annoyance in his eyes.

"That's a good thing," Huo Yuhao said warmly as he poured him another drink. "Everyone has gained the warmth of mortal life and found a place of their own. Even you, Di Tian—when you speak of these everyday trivialities now, don't you seem far more alive than when you spoke only of the rise and fall of soul beasts?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping through the restaurant. At the next table, an entire family was celebrating an elder's birthday, their laughter bright and clear. Behind the counter, the proprietress was bent over her accounts, a child's homework spread beside her. Outside the window, strings of lights from returning fishing boats dotted the water, while the rough shouts of fishermen drifted in with the sea breeze. This noisy, warm, mundane scene of human life was the very world in which the once-secluded ferocious beasts now lived in peace.

Following his gaze, Di Tian silently looked around. He saw the most ordinary joys, sorrows, anger, and worries on human faces. He saw the busyness and tenderness that sustained everyday lives. He saw how this race, with their fragile bodies, had built a flourishing civilization through constant creation and connection. In that moment, he suddenly understood why Bi Ji was so attached to the comfort of a pond and its stones, why Zi Ji was so fascinated by the cut of a collar and sleeve, why Crimson King enjoyed blending fragrances, and why Bear Lord lost himself in forging—they were not merely "disguising" themselves. They were experiencing another form of life, carefully touching and passionately embracing life itself.

"Yes... they truly seem to be enjoying themselves." Di Tian slowly let out a breath. The severe lines of his face softened somewhat, though the worry in his eyes remained. "But what exactly is my lord planning? There has been no word from her for five years. If she merely wished to integrate into the human world, why go to such lengths..."

Huo Yuhao gently patted his shoulder and looked toward the little house glowing in the night, his voice calm. "Don't worry too much. Now that we have a lead, we can wait patiently. Perhaps my lord also has her own path through the mortal world to experience. For now, the most important thing is that everyone finds their place, while we—" His gaze moved between Di Tian and Demon Spirit. "—make the preparations we should and wait to see how things unfold."

The tide rolled on. The three raised their cups—to this brief reunion, and to the uncertain tomorrow that they would one day have to face.