The sea breeze was gentle, carrying the lingering warmth of the setting sun and a faint salty dampness as it brushed across Huo Yuhao and Demon Spirit's cheeks. In the distance, the last streak of molten gold reluctantly sank beneath the deep-blue horizon, dyeing the clouds in soft orange-pink and crimson purple. Amid this tranquil twilight, the sea not far away gave a soft splash as Di Tian emerged from the water, carrying a bulging seaweed net filled with stones of every color, their wet surfaces gleaming softly in the dusk.
With a flicker, he arrived on the rocky shore and carefully set the stones aside. His gaze fell on the exquisite shopping bags by Huo Yuhao and Demon Spirit's feet, and one brow rose. "Oh? Quite a haul. Looks like today's trip wasn't for nothing."
"We got to experience the results of the soul beast bigwigs breaking into the human consumer market." Huo Yuhao smiled and patted the reef beside him, motioning for Di Tian to sit.
Di Tian went along with it, leaning against a reef beside Huo Yuhao and stretching his limbs. Up above, Demon Spirit sat on the edge of a flatter boulder, casually swinging her little legs as she watched the shifting colors where sea and sky met. For a while, the three said nothing. Only the waves gently lapped against the shore rocks, their soft rush mingling with the occasional cries of seabirds returning to their nests in a pleasant evening melody.
"Not bad, Old Black." Huo Yuhao suddenly turned his head, smiling in a familiar, teasing tone. "You're pretty good at hiding things."
Di Tian was taken aback by both the nickname and his tone, then showed a trace of disdain. "Hm? What did I hide? And don't talk in that disgusting way." He truly was not used to Huo Yuhao's overly buddy-like teasing.
"This." Unhurriedly, Huo Yuhao pulled out the distinctive package from the largest shopping bag. It bore the Deep Space Dragon Domain logo and was decorated with matte black and Dark Gold scale patterns.
At the sight of that familiar lettering and design, Di Tian's eyes flickered. He knew his secret had been exposed. An extremely brief flash of awkwardness crossed his face before he tried to remain composed. "Well... um... I wasn't deliberately hiding it. It's just... I hadn't found the right chance to tell you yet." By the end, he was actually stumbling over his words.
Huo Yuhao did not press him. He merely smiled and relaxed back onto the reef, gazing up at the increasingly deep sky. Demon Spirit cooperatively blinked, wearing the obedient expression of someone eagerly watching a show.
"...Sigh." After several seconds of stalemate, Di Tian cracked first. His shoulders slumped slightly as he spoke in a tone mixing helplessness with what a bore. "I was planning to wait until the estate was completely finished and all the product lines were ready, then show it to you as a surprise. But you brat stumbled onto it ahead of time. Boring."
Huo Yuhao immediately laughed. "Huh? And somehow that's my fault?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Di Tian simply began to sulk, spreading his hands and leaning back as he copied the human posture of giving up on life. "You found out too early, so the surprise is gone. I'm quitting. I've got no motivation."
After saying that, he deliberately closed his eyes and waited, but instead of the expected comfort or apology from Huo Yuhao, all he heard was the growingly distinct sound of waves. Unable to help himself, Di Tian opened his eyes and raised his voice. "Hey! Huo Yuhao! I'm serious!"
"Yes, yes, yes." Huo Yuhao drawled lazily. "How could the dignified Black Dragon King, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Lord Di Tian, possibly care about the tiny achievement of starting a side business in the human world? I was being nosy."
"You—!" Di Tian choked on that sarcastic praise, both annoyed and amused. A flash of black light flickered at his fingertips, and the phantom of a solid, razor-sharp Black Dragon Sword wreathed in dark energy appeared and disappeared in his palm.
"Fine, fine, my mistake, my mistake!" Seeing this, Huo Yuhao immediately raised his hands in surrender, though his smile only widened. "I'll cover dinner tonight. I'll be the chef—a grilled seafood feast, all you can eat. Is that good enough?" Given his current condition, he truly did not want to test the sword energy Di Tian could casually condense.
Di Tian snorted and dispersed the sword phantom, his expression clearing from cloudy to sunny. "That's more like it. Now for business. Did you sense the discussion in that house? That kid Tang Wulin is going to the forging room for a trial shift tonight."
Up above, Demon Spirit swung her legs as she replied, "Mm, we heard it. His father, Tang Ziran, introduced him through an old colleague, Master Mang Tian. That Master Mang Tian seems to be a rather famous master-level blacksmith."
"Mang Tian... I seem to have seen that name on the association roster." Di Tian nodded slightly. "Ever since Bear Lord became obsessed with forging, he's been thriving in the Blacksmiths Association. His Dark Gold Mountainforge Workshop has quite a reputation in high-end circles. Any certified blacksmith mentioned in, or connected to, that workshop's bulletins must at least have solid skills. This is a proper starting point for Tang Wulin."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "The Golden Dragon King bloodline has an instinctive resonance with strength and metal. This path may truly suit him. Let's go take a look."
The three rose. Huo Yuhao easily stored the clothing bags in his storage Soul Tool, and Di Tian also put away his net of "gems." Carrying shopping bags while strolling around was part of enjoying everyday human life, but when it came time to act, convenience naturally came first.
They quietly arrived near Mang Tian Studio. They watched Tang Wulin, carrying a small tool bag on his back, enter the workshop with both nervousness and excitement. Through the window, they could faintly hear Mang Tian's stern explanations, followed by Tang Wulin's somewhat clumsy yet exceptionally determined hammering attempts, one after another.
After observing for a while and seeing that everything was going smoothly with no abnormal energy fluctuations, the three turned and left, returning to the outside of the Tang family's little house.
Inside, Na'er sat quietly beside Lang Yue. With a piece of cloth, needle, and thread in her small hands, she was learning to make simple handicrafts. The lighting was soft, her profile serene and her purple eyes lowered. She looked entirely like a well-behaved girl next door.
Yet Di Tian, standing outside the window, held no warmth in his violet-gold eyes—only icy scrutiny and a lingering doubt that would not fade.
"Did you see clearly?" Di Tian's voice was very low, carrying an unquestionable denial. "There is absolutely no elemental aura belonging to my lord on her. Not even the slightest trace."
Huo Yuhao and Demon Spirit focused their senses. Indeed, Na'er only had extremely faint Soul Power fluctuations around her, no different from an ordinary child who had only recently awakened. There was none of the Silver Dragon King's vast, primordial aura that should have inspired terror—the aura of commanding all elements.
"The projected aura of the Silver Dragon Spear may still be there, but that is like an object stained with its former owner's scent. It does not mean the true body is here." Di Tian continued his analysis decisively. "If my lord had descended through a divided soul, then no matter how perfect the disguise, elemental affinity and the fluctuations of laws are the essence of life. They could never be concealed so completely. This Na'er before us is either an extraordinarily special avatar created by my lord, one entirely unlike anything we understand, or..."
He paused, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Or she is not my lord herself at all, but some other thing. If she has remained beside the inheritor of the Golden Dragon King's God Core, then she must have an agenda—and a tremendous one at that."
If it was the former, that would be fine. But if it was the latter, the danger would be far greater.
Before you continue