Looks Like Huo Yuhao Was Planning to Run Away Tonight...

Before long.

The tempting aroma spread through the camp.

Even Qian Renxue, meditating nearby, could not help opening her eyes.

It smelled wonderful.

Since when had Third Brother become so good at grilling fish?

Huo Yuhao took a fish off the fire, its skin golden and crisp.

He carefully picked out the largest, most perfectly grilled one and handed it to Qian Renchuan.

"Boss."

"You only ate half a fish on the Back Mountain last time. This time, you get the big one."

On the other side of the fire, Qian Renxue went rigid at those words.

That grilled fish from last time.

She remembered it clearly.

That afternoon, her eldest brother had come all the way to the girls' dormitory and pressed a grilled fish into her hands.

What had he said then?

"I ate with Third Brother on the Back Mountain. I brought one back just for you."

Qian Renxue had always thought it was an extra fish they had not finished.

Only now, hearing Huo Yuhao, did she understand.

Her eldest brother had eaten only half a fish.

He had saved an entire other fish and made the long trip back to the dormitory just so his little sister could taste it.

Her emotions surged again.

That pure, unquestioning affection filled Qian Renxue's heart with warmth.

Across the fire, Qian Renchuan had not expected Huo Yuhao to bring it up. Catching Qian Renxue's expression from the corner of his eye, he smiled and accepted the largest grilled fish.

The firelight flickered.

It lit his face, making him look especially gentle.

Then his gaze happened to meet Huo Yuhao's.

This time, Huo Yuhao did not look away. His eyes held a tangle of emotions.

Gratitude.

Inner conflict.

And a deep reluctance to part.

At the sight, something clicked in Qian Renchuan's mind.

Looks like Huo Yuhao was planning to run away tonight...

Night fell.

Darkness settled thickly around them.

The camp was silent. Everyone seemed to be asleep.

Only the campfire still crackled.

In a place like the Star Dou Great Forest, where danger lurked everywhere, lighting a fire at night was usually a grave mistake.

But Qian Renchuan's group did not care.

Two Titled Douluo above Level 90 were guarding them in person.

The low-level Soul Beasts on the outskirts, at most a thousand years old, did not even dare come within a hundred meters of the camp.

At that moment, Qian Renchuan was sleeping soundly in the tent he had brought with him.

Outside the tent, however,

soft footsteps suddenly sounded.

They stopped beyond the flap, their owner deliberately keeping his breathing quiet.

"Boss, wake up."

Huo Yuhao's voice came through the tent fabric, low and a little hoarse.

Qian Renchuan's eyes snapped open.

He sat up, rubbed his hair, and pulled open the flap.

Huo Yuhao stood outside. The firelight at the center of camp stretched his slight figure into a long shadow, making him look terribly alone.

"Third Brother?"

Qian Renchuan yawned, still looking half-asleep.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Huo Yuhao stared at him without answering at once.

In the firelight, his clear eyes held too many tangled emotions. Only after a long pause did he speak.

"I can't sleep. Want to take a walk with me?"

Can't sleep?

Qian Renchuan's thoughts raced.

He had noticed something off about Huo Yuhao while they ate, but why had the boy come to him in the middle of the night?

If you're leaving, just leave. Why tell me?

Or are you going to give me that gift you mentioned?

At that thought,

Qian Renchuan felt another flicker of realization.

Without asking anything else, he put on his shoes and nodded.

"Sure. Let's take a walk."

"There's something I want to tell you, too."

The two walked out of camp side by side.

But before they had gone a dozen steps, an eerie voice drifted down from a towering tree nearby.

"Eldest Young Master, Third Young Master, where are you going?"

It was Gui Mei.

He leaned against the trunk with his arms crossed, looking down at them from above.

As a guard,

he naturally could not spend the whole night asleep.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei had been taking turns on watch to make sure no Soul Beast caught them off guard.

Before Qian Renchuan could answer, Huo Yuhao stopped and looked up.

"Uncle Gui Mei, I can't sleep. I want Boss to take a walk with me."

Thud.

Gui Mei leaped down from the tree.

He made only a faint sound when he landed.

But his body blocked their path like a wall of black, and his voice was deep.

"The Star Dou Great Forest is full of danger."

"Even out here on the outskirts, two six-year-olds cannot wander around alone."

"If Third Young Master insists on taking a walk, I must come along. I'll wake Yue Guan and have him guard the camp."

"No."

Huo Yuhao refused without hesitation.

Gui Mei frowned.

Third Young Master was usually so quiet he barely drew notice. Why was he being so forceful tonight?

For a moment, neither side budged.

Fortunately, Qian Renchuan stepped forward just then and said with a smile,

"Don't worry, Uncle Gui Mei. We'll be fine."

He pointed toward the woods nearby.

"We'll just look around here. I promise we won't go far. If we run into a Soul Beast foolish enough to bother us, we'll shout for you."

"You're a Titled Douluo. At this distance, are you worried you won't reach us in time?"

Gui Mei fell silent.

He looked at Qian Renchuan's carefree face, then at the stubborn Huo Yuhao beside him.

They were the Pope's children.

In the end, he did not dare be too strict with them.

"All right."

He finally relented and stepped aside.

"Both of you, be careful. Do not go beyond the range of my senses."

But Huo Yuhao was unusually stubborn tonight and showed no appreciation.

He stepped forward and stared straight at Gui Mei's shadowed face.

"Uncle Gui Mei, you'd better not follow us in secret."

"If I catch you, I'll be very unhappy."

With that, he reached out, took Qian Renchuan by the wrist, and pulled him toward the dark forest beyond the camp.

Gui Mei stood where he was, watching the two small figures disappear into the night with a deep frown.

Those two little terrors.

What are they up to?

Elsewhere,

Qian Renchuan and Huo Yuhao, two six-year-old boys, made their way through the Star Dou Great Forest hand in hand.

The trees in the Star Dou Great Forest were enormous.

Their canopies blotted out the sky.

They blocked the starlight too, making the path difficult to follow.

Only the chirring of unknown insects and the occasional rustle of wind through leaves reached their ears.

Qian Renchuan said nothing along the way.

Neither did Huo Yuhao.

The silence weighed heavily between them.

Only after they had walked several kilometers did Qian Renchuan finally stop.

"Third Brother, why did you drag me out here in the middle of the night?"

"You've seemed off all day."

Huo Yuhao stopped.

Silently, he let go of Qian Renchuan's hand.

After glancing around, he found a moss-covered boulder and sat down. He lowered his head again, hiding the reluctance in his eyes, and spoke softly.

"Boss, I'm leaving."