Golden Spear and Jade Maiden

The lingering undead soul power in the forest clung to the girl like gangrene, winding around her in wisps and making her shudder uncontrollably. That bone-chilling cold did not come from the weather, but from the corrosive effects of an Evil Soul Master's soul skill. Though it had not broken her skin or drawn blood, it seeped through her pores and into her flesh, leaving every limb stiff with cold and even putting an almost imperceptible tremor in her voice.

Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection had long since sensed the chaotic aura within her. That mass of gray-black undead soul power was slowly eroding her meridians, clashing with the pure power of her own Martial Soul and making her forced claim that she was "fine" seem especially hollow. Before the girl could finish saying, "Stay away from me," he stepped forward. A gentle yet vast azure glow spread across his palm, warm as the morning sun in spring. It dispelled the gloom of the forest and made her hold her breath unconsciously.

"You have undead soul power tangled inside you. If it isn't dealt with, it will damage your foundation," Huo Yuhao said steadily and decisively, without the slightest hesitation. "This is my soul skill, Tianmeng Healing. It won't hurt you."

Before his words had even faded, his hand gently settled on her shoulder. The azure soul power flowed into her body through his palm as though it possessed a life of its own. Wherever it passed, the freezing undead soul power melted and collapsed like ice and snow beneath the warm sun, turning into wisps of gray vapor that escaped from around her body and were carried away by the forest breeze. An indescribable warmth flowed along her meridians. Her stiff, icy limbs instantly regained feeling, the tightness in her chest vanished, and most of the discomfort caused by the undead soul power dissipated within that warmth. Her body felt as light as though a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

She stood there blankly and looked up at Huo Yuhao. Her clear eyes were filled with astonishment. The chill that had surrounded her was completely gone, and even some color had returned to her face.

Huo Yuhao withdrew his hand, and the azure glow slowly faded. His tone remained gently concerned. "You should be fine now."

The girl came back to her senses and unconsciously touched her shoulder. There was no trace of cold left there, only a faint warmth lingering across her skin. She pursed her lips. The distance in her voice had lessened somewhat, but the loneliness and resolve within it remained impossible to hide. "Thank you for saving me, and thank you for healing me. But you should still leave me quickly. I bring misfortune to everyone around me."

Her gaze fell upon the dead branches and fallen leaves on the ground. Her voice was as soft as a sigh, yet it carried a self-denial that ran deep into her bones. "Those Evil Soul Masters came for me. Anyone who gets close to me will be dragged into danger. Without exception."

Huo Yuhao looked at her lowered eyes, the determination in his own gaze never wavering in the slightest. He took a step forward and looked directly at her. "I don't believe in misfortune. If you hadn't fought desperately to hold them back just now, I might not have been able to deal with those Evil Soul Masters so quickly. In the end, you were the one who protected me first."

His voice was not loud, but it carried an inexplicably reassuring strength. "Besides, I can cure undead soul power, and I can stop Evil Soul Masters. The misfortune you speak of is nothing to me."

As night deepened, the wind through the forest gradually softened. It blew away the last traces of the Evil Soul Masters' aura and stirred the hair before the girl's forehead. She raised her eyes and met Huo Yuhao's clear, steadfast gaze. At that moment, the defensive barrier locked tightly around her heart loosened slightly.

Deep within Huo Yuhao's Spirit Sea, Tianmeng Ice Worm's lazy voice rang out with a hint of teasing. "Not bad, Little Yuhao. You used that healing move pretty smoothly. But this little girl is interesting. She's scared stiff, yet she still insists on acting so resolute."

Huo Yuhao responded calmly within his Spirit Sea, but his eyes remained fixed on the girl. "She's only trapped by what happened in the past."

Tianmeng Ice Worm yawned and turned over in his azure body within the Spirit Sea. "So what if she is trapped? Who is our Huo Yuhao? The Dragon God! Besides, with this ancestor's soul skills, what hurdle can't we cross? But speaking of which, this girl's Martial Soul aura is very pure. She is a natural opposite to those Evil Soul Masters, so they'll probably keep coming after her in the future."

Huo Yuhao understood inwardly, though his expression remained calm. Looking at the still-wary girl before him, he said softly, "No matter how many Evil Soul Masters come in the future, I can protect you. You don't have to hide alone anymore."

The girl stared at him blankly. Her eyes reddened slightly, and her long lashes trembled, but in the end, no tears fell. Still, her formerly distant gaze held a softness it had never possessed before.

The forest breeze gradually became gentler, dispersing the last chill of the undead soul power, but it could not blow away the emptiness in the girl's eyes. Huo Yuhao looked at her lowered lashes and introduced himself softly first. His tone was open and carried an unintentional gentleness. "My name is Huo Yuhao. I belong to no sect or clan. I've been alone since I was young, wandering the world by myself all these years."

He paused, his gaze falling on her slightly tense shoulders as he gently asked, "You still haven't said what you plan to do next."

The girl's fingers quietly curled at her side. Her voice was as soft as a sigh, yet it revealed a loneliness that had seeped into her bones. "I... have no family left. The world is so vast, but wherever I go, it's all the same."

"I see." There was not a trace of pity in Huo Yuhao's voice, only sincere empathy. He looked up at her, his eyes so clear they seemed to reflect the forest's shifting light and shadows. "What a coincidence. I'm an orphan too."

Those five words were spoken lightly, yet they were like a stone suddenly cast into the still lake of her heart. She abruptly raised her head and stared at Huo Yuhao in astonishment, her clear eyes full of disbelief. This boy before her, who had saved her life and used warm soul power to drive away the chill within her, had experienced the same lonely past as she had? He did not look at her with pity, nor did he offer hollow consolation. With just one sentence—"I'm an orphan too"—he had caught all her grievances and helplessness.

"You..." The girl opened her mouth, her voice carrying an almost imperceptible choke, but she did not know what else to say.

Huo Yuhao looked at her reddened eyes, his tone still calm. "You don't need to feel alone. There have always been many people in this world walking forward by themselves. I'm heading to the Sun Moon Empire next. If you have nowhere to go, why not come with me?"

The girl stared at him blankly, the chill in her heart gradually melting beneath the warmth of their shared fate. She remembered how he had acted without hesitation to save her, the azure warmth from his palm, and the terror of years spent wandering while being hunted by Evil Soul Masters. At this moment, she unexpectedly felt a sense of security, as though she finally had someone to rely on. Mixed quietly into that security was an indescribable fondness—both gratitude toward her savior and closeness toward someone who shared her fate.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the moisture in her eyes, and looked seriously at Huo Yuhao as she clearly stated her name. "My name is Ye Guyi. My Martial Soul is the Holy Angel. I am currently a rank thirty-nine assault-type Soul Elder."

After saying that, she seemed to have made an enormous decision. Her fingertips trembled slightly, yet her voice was firm. "Huo Yuhao, I want to travel with you."

At her words, a faint smile rippled through Huo Yuhao's eyes. It was like a tender bud blooming in spring, carrying pure warmth. "Alright, Ye Guyi. Then we'll have each other for company on the road from now on."

It was the first time he had called her by name. His tone was gentle, yet it made Ye Guyi's heart tremble. She looked into the boy's clear eyes, her nose stinging slightly, but she could not help curling her lips into a smile. So even a lonely fate could arrange an unexpected meeting around some corner. He was her savior, and someone who shared her lonely fate. This bond allowed her to see light again amid despair. The fondness in her heart was like a seed quietly breaking through the soil, taking root and sprouting beneath the nourishment of gratitude and resonance.

Deep within Huo Yuhao's Spirit Sea, Tianmeng Ice Worm fluttered his azure body, his voice full of teasing. "Not bad, Little Yuhao. You've already gained a beautiful confidante? Ye Guyi, Sacred Angel Martial Soul—pure as can be. She'll definitely be a capable helper in the future. Maybe the two of you can develop some other kind of relationship too!"

Huo Yuhao ignored Tianmeng's chatter. He merely nodded slightly at Ye Guyi, raised a hand to brush away the dead leaf resting on her shoulder, and spoke gently. "Let's go, Ye Guyi. Before it gets completely dark, let's leave this forest and find somewhere to rest."

Ye Guyi softly murmured, "Mm," her voice as gentle as the forest breeze. She followed close beside Huo Yuhao, and the two figures walked side by side through the dappled forest light. The loneliness that had once surrounded her faded by more than half with those shared footsteps. She secretly glanced at the boy beside her, warmth filling her heart. Though the road ahead was still full of unknowns, it no longer seemed quite so frightening.