The Mysteriously Appearing Golden Dragon Girl

The summer breeze swept over the bluestone avenues of Shrek City, stirring up scattered fallen leaves and carrying the warmth unique to midsummer.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er walked side by side along the street. Having just finished their martial soul training for the day, their steps were light as they quietly discussed their insights from cultivation. The young man had gentle features and clear light in his eyes. Beside him, the girl wore a pale blue dress, her long hair tied into a neat braid. Her skin was fair and luminous, her features delicate and lively, and a faint divine power of light lingered around her, bright and dazzling.

They chatted idly along the way, the atmosphere relaxed and peaceful. Huo Yuhao was lowering his head as he explained the finer points of precise spiritual power control to Wang Dong'er. She listened attentively, nodding from time to time, a faint smile curling at the corners of her eyes. Everything felt calm and serene.

But just as they reached the corner of the street, a crisp, forceful gust of wind suddenly struck without warning.

This wind lacked the gentleness of an ordinary evening breeze. Instead, it carried the vast, chilling aura of an ancient forest, along with an invisible yet immense pressure. It was definitely not something an ordinary person could summon.

Huo Yuhao instinctively tensed. A faint golden spiritual power stirred between his brows, and his Spirit Eyes activated on reflex, instantly spreading a dense net of spiritual detection. Yet in the next instant, his extended spiritual perception abruptly stalled, as though it had struck a hazy yet formidable barrier. Every probing thought was shut out, unable to perceive even the slightest thing beyond it.

His footsteps came to an abrupt stop, and intense vigilance rose within him.

To approach silently within Shrek City and easily block his spiritual detection—such strength was undoubtedly far beyond that of an ordinary soul master.

Wang Dong'er beside him also immediately sensed that something was wrong.

The wind around them seemed to freeze in an instant. The clamor of pedestrians and the cries of street vendors faded into vague background noise. Even the light across heaven and earth seemed to dim slightly as a proud, chilling, overwhelmingly domineering presence descended heavily upon them. It carried the pressure unique to a supreme expert, firmly blanketing this small stretch of space.

The smile vanished from Wang Dong'er's face at once. Her clear eyes widened slightly, and she instinctively moved half a step closer to Huo Yuhao. The power of her light martial soul quietly stirred within her, ready to react at any moment.

Both of them looked up toward the direction from which the wind had come.

The next moment, a tall figure appeared at the far end of the street without any warning.

It was as though she had always been standing there rather than having suddenly arrived. Her posture was straight as a pine tree, and a noble, lavish purple-gold gown trailed along the ground. Faint flowing light shimmered within the fabric's patterns, accentuating her slender, graceful figure. Yet there was not the slightest hint of frailty in her. Instead, she exuded an arrogant aura that seemed to look down upon all living things. Her dazzling golden hair cascaded freely over her shoulders like molten gold, gently drifting in the wind, so radiant that no one could look away.

Yet what truly made heaven and earth pale, what caused Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er to lose themselves in an instant, was her face.

Her brows and eyes were identical, her facial features almost perfectly overlapping. A delicate nose, cherry lips, skin fairer than snow—her exquisite, peerless beauty made her seem like the very same person as Wang Dong'er beside him.

And yet, her temperament was completely different.

Wang Dong'er's beauty was bright and lively, clear and gentle, like the rising morning sun. She naturally carried warmth and light, pure and untainted, spirited and lovely, with the innocent charm of youth.

The girl before them was still incomparably beautiful, yet her features were veiled in an unmelting frost of cold detachment. Her eyes were a transparent amber gold, her pupils crystal clear yet utterly without warmth. Cold, aloof, indifferent, and distant, she resembled a king who had lived alone in deep mountains and forests for years, long accustomed to storms and upheavals, naturally radiating an aura that warned strangers to stay away.

The same face—one warm as sunlight, the other cold and proud.

Such extremely similar faces paired with utterly opposing temperaments created a breathtaking beauty that instantly seized the attention of everyone on the street.

The passersby and Shrek students all stopped in their tracks, staring blankly at the golden-haired figure. Even their breathing instinctively softened. Their hearts were filled with shock, and no one spoke.

The entire bustling avenue fell silent in an instant.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er had long since frozen where they stood. Both were stunned, their minds blank, left with nothing but confusion and disbelief.

Huo Yuhao was completely dazed. His pupils abruptly contracted, his breathing caught, and his feet seemed to take root in place, unable to move even an inch.

He had seen countless beauties. The phantom imprint of the Goddess of Light from the God Realm was etched deep into his soul—peerlessly beautiful, holy beyond compare. Yet this girl before him looked almost exactly like that Goddess of Light!

Especially that transcendent aura, standing above all things—cold, noble, solitary, and domineering—it slowly overlapped with the holy and majestic Goddess of Light in his memories.

In that instant, countless chaotic thoughts flooded wildly into Huo Yuhao's mind, shaking his heart and throwing everything into disarray.

How could this be possible?

How could there be someone in this world who looked exactly like Dong'er?!

And this face, this bearing—it was so much like the Goddess of Light he had vaguely sensed!

Who was she?!

Countless questions circled in his mind, but he had no answers. His Spirit Eyes trembled faintly, his spiritual power becoming turbulent and disordered. His usually supremely calm mind was completely thrown off balance, leaving his thoughts empty save for extreme astonishment and confusion. He stared blankly at the purple-gold figure, his gaze dull, completely forgetting to react. For a brief moment, he even forgot Wang Dong'er at his side.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao was utterly dumbfounded.

Wang Dong'er beside him was in much the same state, though she carried even more disbelief and faint panic.

She stared blankly at the golden-haired girl in the distance, her clear, wide eyes round, her long lashes trembling slightly. Her entire body had frozen, and her bright, lovely face was filled with disbelief.

The same face.

Aside from their different hair colors and vastly different temperaments, the person's features, contours, and expression were nearly identical to hers. There was not the slightest difference to be found.

Wang Dong'er had never, from childhood until now, seen anyone whose appearance resembled hers so closely. Not even blood relatives could be so perfectly alike. This sudden appearance of such a similar face threw her into utter confusion, her heart filled with doubt and shock.

She instinctively raised a hand to touch her own cheek, then looked again at the girl in the distance, comparing them over and over. Her eyes were utterly blank.

How could someone look exactly like me?

Strangeness, shock, confusion, and bewilderment tangled together and instantly drowned her. Her previously steady heartbeat suddenly turned chaotic, pounding rapidly against her chest. Even the divine power of light flowing steadily within her showed faint signs of unrest.

She parted her lips slightly, wanting to ask a question, only to find her throat seemingly blocked by something. She could not make a sound. All she could do was stare blankly at that unfamiliar yet familiar figure, her body stiff and her mind completely shut down.

The wind continued to blow, stirring the girl's golden hair and making her purple-gold dress flutter. It only further emphasized Wang Qiu'er's peerless figure and unrivaled splendor.

She stood quietly not far away, her indifferent amber eyes sweeping lightly over the frozen, distracted Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er. Her gaze paused briefly on Wang Dong'er's face, and a trace of complex light flashed through her eyes—scrutiny, indifference, and a thread of fateful entanglement that no one noticed.

She did not speak or move. Simply standing there, she possessed an overwhelming presence that made everything around her fade into insignificance.

The street was so silent that a pin dropping could have been heard.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er remained frozen side by side, both distracted, both bewildered.

One was shaken to the core, utterly stunned by that peerless face resembling the Goddess of Light, his mind in irresolvable chaos. The other was filled with astonishment, completely shocked by this stranger who had appeared from nowhere and looked exactly like her, at a total loss.

Similar faces, opposing temperaments, a sudden meeting that seemed ordained by fate.

No one knew that this unexpected encounter would, from this moment onward, thoroughly entangle the fates of the three of them. In the future, it would stir endless waves and become a bond and conflict that ran through their entire lives.

The wind rose along the long street, and golden hair fluttered.

The stunned young man and girl stood facing the solitary, peerless golden-haired girl beneath the midsummer sun, separated by only a few yards. A fated encounter had quietly begun.

On the deathly silent avenue, the breeze still drifted gently by, but in Wang Dong'er's heart, it left behind only waves of chilling bitterness.

At first, she had merely been shocked by the fact that the girl before her possessed an identical face. Her heart had been full of confused disbelief. But after only a few breaths, that shock was entirely replaced by a sudden surge of sourness from deep within, dense and overwhelming, clogging her chest until she could barely breathe.

Because Huo Yuhao was still staring.

He stared in a daze, stared blankly, stared with such focus that even his pupils held complete astonishment and admiration.

Wang Dong'er turned her head slightly, and her peripheral vision clearly caught the young man's face.

Huo Yuhao, who was usually calm and steady and far more mature than others his age, had completely lost his usual composure. He gazed unblinkingly at that purple-gold, golden-haired figure, his eyes fixed and his breathing incredibly soft. It was as if all his thoughts had been firmly drawn away by the unfamiliar girl in the distance.

He was not looking at her.

Not even the smallest glance or scrap of attention fell upon her beside him.

Their gentle conversation as they had walked side by side, their quiet discussions during cultivation, all seemed to have been completely erased at this moment. The young man whose eyes and heart had been filled with her just moments ago had now given all his attention to a stranger who had appeared from nowhere and possessed the same face as her.

A sharp, sour sense of grievance exploded from Wang Dong'er's heart and spread through every inch of her body.

Her clear, bright eyes dimmed slightly. The eyes that had widened in shock moments ago slowly became clouded with a thin layer of grievance and irritation. Her long lashes lowered softly, concealing the turbulent emotions in her gaze, but her tightly pursed cherry lips and faintly tensed jaw had already revealed her displeasure.

She was jealous.

Truly, undeniably jealous.

Wang Dong'er had always been proud, bright, and carefree. She rarely felt this kind of girlish sourness and resentment. But she understood Huo Yuhao too well.

She knew his standards. She knew that he was usually detached from worldly desires, and that he would never lose his composure like this over people or things he did not care about. Yet the way he looked at that golden-haired girl was far too focused, far too shaken, even carrying an indescribable shock that seemed to come from the depths of his soul.

Even though she knew it was only because the girl's face overlapped with hers and even faintly carried an inexplicable sacred aura, a girl's heart was naturally sensitive and delicate. Someone deeply in love could never tolerate even the slightest imbalance.

They had identical faces, yet Huo Yuhao had lost himself only because of that unfamiliar girl.

Ordinarily, no matter how many talented or beautiful women stood around them in Shrek, Huo Yuhao's gaze would always follow her alone. No matter how radiant or captivating others might be, the tenderness and focus in his eyes had always been reserved for Wang Dong'er alone.

But today, that favoritism that belonged solely to her had been effortlessly shattered by a stranger who had appeared out of thin air.

He continued staring quietly for so long that the sourness in Wang Dong'er's heart slowly fermented and settled, turning from mild grievance into stifled anger.

She secretly lifted her eyes and looked again at Wang Qiu'er in the distance.

That face was exactly like her own reflection in a mirror, exquisite and flawless. Yet that cold, proud, solitary temperament, that indifference toward all living things, that innate and powerful pressure—those were sharp traits she had never possessed.

Especially when the other girl casually swept her gaze over them. It seemed calm and unruffled, yet faintly carried a lofty scrutiny, as though she were comparing and examining her. It made the sense of danger in Wang Dong'er's heart grow increasingly stronger.

Why?

Why could someone who appeared out of nowhere, with an unknown background and the same face as mine, make Huo Yuhao lose himself like this?

Her chest felt stuffy and sour, filled with a grievance so overwhelming that it clogged her heart.

Wang Dong'er turned her head slightly and stopped looking at Wang Qiu'er, but from the corner of her eye, she could still see the motionless young man beside her. He still had not recovered, the shock in his Spirit Eyes lingering for a long time, as though he had become completely immersed in the impact of first seeing Wang Qiu'er.

That was it. Her temper finally flared.

She quietly retreated half a step.

It was only half a step, but it quietly widened the intimate stance they had shared moments ago.

Her shoulder, which had been pressed closely against Huo Yuhao's, moved gently away. The warm, soft aura of light around her instantly withdrew by more than half, replaced by a faint chill of distance. Her bright brows and eyes drooped slightly, her earlier smile gone. Her small face was tightly drawn, her cheeks puffed out a little, making her look like an adorably angry girl who was both wronged and jealous.

She said nothing and did not call to him. She simply stood quietly at the side, bottling up a bellyful of sour frustration.

Countless little thoughts churned in her heart.

Was this face especially attractive just because it had a different temperament? Was this cold, peerless appearance more appealing to Huo Yuhao than her gentle brightness? Did he really think that unfamiliar girl was prettier in that moment?

The more she thought about it, the more sour she became. The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt.

Even the divine power of light that had been flowing steadily within her began to stir faintly, trembling softly along with the little emotions in her heart.

The street remained silent, and everyone's attention was focused on Wang Qiu'er. Only Wang Dong'er's gaze remained firmly locked on the distracted Huo Yuhao.

Watching him stare so blankly and obliviously, Wang Dong'er's nose tingled slightly. Her small hand quietly clenched into a fist, and her slender knuckles turned faintly white.

Fine.

Very fine.

I'll remember this.

When this guy comes to his senses, let's see how I settle the score with him!

That soft yet domineering jealousy completely filled her heart. Clearly, the person before them was the true owner of that face, yet her beloved had lost his soul over a stranger who merely shared her appearance.

This awkwardness and sourness spread unchecked through her heart, impossible to dispel.

Not far away, Wang Qiu'er's indifferent amber eyes swept over the two of them again. She precisely caught the jealousy and irritation surging in Wang Dong'er's eyes, and the corner of her mouth curved into an extremely faint, shallow mocking smile. It seemed knowing, indifferent, and carried a trace of fateful amusement.

Identical faces, an irresolvable entanglement that would last a lifetime—deep foreshadowing had already been planted from this jealous glance.

Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, still lost in his daze, had no idea that this brief lapse of composure had completely angered and deeply upset the girl he held most dear.

Huo Yuhao Realized His Mistake and Hurriedly Tried to Comfort a Jealous Dong'er

The air remained frozen for several seconds.

Huo Yuhao's mind was still roiling with extreme shock. Those eyes that so closely resembled the Goddess of Light, that peerless face identical to Dong'er's, and that dragonlike presence which looked down upon the world all layered over one another in his heart, preventing him from recovering for a long time.

But just as his heart was shaken and he was immersed in utter astonishment, the familiar warm, soft aura of light at his side suddenly faded.

It was an incredibly faint, subtle change. Others would never have noticed it, but Huo Yuhao was far too familiar with Wang Dong'er.

Her soul power, her aura, the sweet warmth unique to her—all of it had long since been engraved into his soul and woven into his spiritual link.

Almost the instant her aura faded, Huo Yuhao shuddered as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.

His unfocused pupils abruptly sharpened, his chaotic mind instantly cleared, and every shock, doubt, and suspicion concerning Wang Qiu'er was forcibly suppressed.

He suddenly turned his head.

In the next instant, the young man's heart clenched hard.

The girl at his side had long since lost every trace of her earlier warm smile.

Wang Dong'er tilted her head slightly. The lines of her profile were taut, her delicate little lips pressed into a straight line of grievance and stubbornness, her cheeks faintly puffed out. It was her most obvious and least concealable expression when she was angry.

She would not look at him.

Not even once.

The shoulder that had been pressed close to his had deliberately moved back half a step, drawing a clear distance between them. The divine power of light around her was no longer gentle and obedient. It faintly carried a trace of restlessness and distance, like a wronged kitten deliberately raising its thorns to protect itself.

What panicked Huo Yuhao most was this—her eyes had dimmed.

The eyes that had been smiling brightly only moments ago, filled with a radiant sea of stars, were now hidden behind lowered lashes. All emotion was concealed, leaving only stifled coldness and sourness.

Buzz—

A roar instantly sounded within Huo Yuhao's mind.

It's over.

Completely over.

He instantly realized exactly what he had just done.

Right in front of Dong'er, he had stared blankly at a face identical to hers. He had gazed for so long, stared himself senseless, become completely absorbed, and even utterly ignored the girl beside him.

Not to mention clever, sensitive, thoughtful Dong'er—anyone would be angry. Anyone would be jealous!

A huge panic instantly swept through Huo Yuhao. The heart that had not wavered even beneath Wang Qiu'er's powerful pressure was now in complete turmoil.

He no longer even had the courage to glance at Wang Qiu'er in the distance.

The phantom of the Goddess of Light, the identical face, the powerful and mysterious girl—none of it mattered in his heart anymore.

Dong'er was angry. That was what truly mattered.

Huo Yuhao instantly gathered his thoughts. The shock and astonishment vanished entirely from his face, replaced by panic and helplessness. He instinctively stepped half a pace forward, closing the distance between them again. His voice was softer than usual, carrying obvious fluster. "Dong'er?"

No one answered him.

Wang Dong'er's lashes trembled slightly, but she still did not turn her head or look at him. She even quietly shifted a little farther away, making her meaning abundantly clear—I'm angry. Don't bother me.

That only made Huo Yuhao panic more.

He understood Wang Dong'er's temperament too well.

She was spoiled, adorable, bright, and usually the easiest person to coax. A little tenderness and a little favoritism could make her eyes curve with smiles. But once she was truly jealous or truly hurt, she would become quietly silent like this. She would not argue or make a fuss, yet she would be the hardest to comfort.

The entire long street remained quiet, and countless gazes were still fixed on Wang Qiu'er ahead.

But in Huo Yuhao's world, there was no one else anymore.

He did not care about the gazes of the pedestrians around them, nor did he care about the golden-haired girl of unknown origin ahead. His heart and eyes held only the sulking girl beside him.

He turned slightly and gently leaned forward, trying to see her eyes. His voice became exceptionally gentle, filled with cautious pleading. "Dong'er, I was wrong. I lost my composure just now. Don't be angry, all right?"

She remained silent.

Wang Dong'er's ear twitched slightly, but she still pressed her lips tightly together, her little face taut as the sourness in her heart continued to churn over and over.

Wrong?

And that's supposed to be enough?

You were staring so intently, so absorbedly. Your eyes were practically glued to her! Who wouldn't be angry?!

Seeing that she still ignored him, Huo Yuhao became completely at a loss. His usually calm and steady mind had utterly failed, leaving behind nothing but deep regret.

He hurriedly explained in a soft voice, his tone sincere and flustered. "I wasn't staring because I thought she was pretty, really! Believe me, Dong'er. It's because... she looked too strange. She looks exactly like you, and I was so shocked that my mind stopped working. That's why I stared. I absolutely didn't have any other thoughts."

It was only half true.

He truly had been shocked, but he did not dare tell her, and could not tell her, about the shock of glimpsing the Goddess of Light's shadow in Wang Qiu'er. He feared that Dong'er, already jealous and hurt, would only overthink things even more.

He cautiously tried to move closer, lowering his voice as he coaxed her almost in a whisper. "In my heart, no one has ever been able to compare to you. No matter who it is, even if she looks like you, she cannot compare to you in the slightest. My eyes have always held only you. I was wrong just now. I shouldn't have lost myself and ignored you. Stop being angry, all right?"

The young man's voice was gentle and clear, filled with complete indulgence and panic.

The Spirit Eyes youth, usually decisive in battle and strong-willed, had shed all his sharpness before her. All that remained was awkward yet sincere pleading.

Wang Dong'er finally turned her eyes slightly and cast him a sidelong glance.

The corners of her eyes were red, and the lingering bitterness in them carried a heartful of grievance and reproach. She gave a soft snort. "Oh."

One word, cold and distant.

Yet that single word made Huo Yuhao breathe a little easier—if she was willing to respond to him, there was still hope.

He immediately pressed his advantage, looking at her with utmost sincerity. His gaze was clear and open, filled only with her, without the slightest hint of perfunctoriness. "Really, I swear."

"No one in the whole world can compare to my Dong'er."

"She only looks like you. She doesn't have your temperament, your gentleness, your radiance, or the you I love. I was distracted just now. I was stupid, and I made you unhappy. I admit I was wrong."

His voice was gentle, every word earnest.

Not far away, Wang Qiu'er stood quietly, taking in the entire scene.

A trace of extremely cold, faint mockery passed through her indifferent amber eyes.

Identical faces, standing mere inches apart.

He had been stunned by a copied phantom, yet turned around and lowered himself before the original, gently coaxing her, indulging her in every way, doing everything he could to please her.

Ridiculous.

And tragically fated.

Wang Qiu'er's long hair drifted lightly in the wind. The chill in her eyes deepened, and the lonely pride and domineering aura around her grew ever sharper. She silently watched the tender entanglement between the young man and woman before her, like a coldly detached traveler of fate looking down upon an ending that had long since been written.

And in the middle of the street,

Huo Yuhao was still carefully coaxing the jealous girl, his gaze utterly focused.

At this moment, there was no stunning golden-haired girl in his world, no inexplicable tangle of fate, no strikingly similar face.

There was only Wang Dong'er, sulking with a little temper and a sour heart.

As long as she was no longer angry, nothing else mattered.

Seeing the panic and sincerity filling his eyes, seeing the usually cool and steady young man flustered like this because of her, the jealousy churning in Wang Dong'er's heart finally slowly began to fade.

Yet her little face remained taut. She deliberately shot him a haughty glare. "Would you dare stare at someone else until you got lost in thought again?"

Huo Yuhao immediately shook his head, utterly resolute. "I wouldn't. Never again."

Looking into her misty eyes, his heart was filled only with tenderness and lingering fear.

He had truly been muddleheaded just now.

No wonder in the world could compare to even a fraction of the beauty in his Dong'er's eyes and brows.

In a moment of distraction, he had nearly made the person dearest to his heart cry. How foolish.

The wind along the long street stilled, and sunlight spilled down.

A sudden encounter, a bout of sweet-and-sour jealousy, and clumsy yet sincere coaxing.

And not far away, that peerless purple-gold-haired figure still stood quietly amid the light and shadow, silently watching the two of them, her eyes concealing an obsession and loneliness that no one could understand.

The entanglement between the three of them had, from this moment on, officially begun.