The market rang with voices. Vendors' calls rose and fell along the street, soul-tool light screens shimmered, and the aromas of sugar-roasted ore candy and grilled Soul Beast meat mingled in the air.
To Meng Hongchen and Ning Tian, everything around them was lively, full of the warmth of everyday life.
But to Huo Yuhao, the world seemed veiled in a thin layer of gray gauze.
Nothing was wrong with his vision. It was the undercurrent between the two girls at his side that kept his nerves taut.
On one side stood Meng Hongchen, bright, bold, and direct. On the other stood Ning Tian, reserved, clever, and thoughtful.
They appeared to get along, but every glance and tiny gesture concealed a silent contest!
Caught between them, Huo Yuhao stayed on edge the entire time. His scalp prickled, and even the bustling market before him seemed to lose its color.
At a roadside stall selling sugar figurines, scalding amber syrup flowed deftly through a craftsman's hands. Delicately shaped figures took form in moments.
Meng Hongchen paused when the stall caught her eye.
She spotted a sugar figurine shaped like an eye. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately paid for it.
The figurine was clear and gleaming, with a soft caramel sheen. Its outline had been carved in exquisite detail, down to the fine lines of the iris.
"Yuhao, try this." Meng Hongchen hurried to Huo Yuhao's side and held it out to him. Expectation filled her eyes, while a hint of mischief hid at the corner of her mouth. "I specifically asked the vendor to add more sugar. Three whole spoonfuls."
"Three spoons of sugar?"
Huo Yuhao's pupils trembled. He nearly lost his composure and laughed out loud.
A dark joke sprang unbidden to mind.
*Wait. "Three Spoons of Sugar"