Huo Yuhao looked at Gu Yue, who was still dazed beside him, and asked with a hint of anticipation, "Well? How potent is this Transfiguration Pill?"
Gu Yue's lips moved slightly. On her tongue lingered that torment of five clashing flavors, enough to turn a dragon's life upside down.
That was no sweet aftertaste from a miracle medicine. It was torture for the soul.
But seeing Huo Yuhao's sincere eyes and his earnest readiness to use her feedback to improve the Soul Beast Cultivation System, Gu Yue could not bring herself to complain.
After a moment's silence, Gu Yue steeled herself and told a lie from beginning to end. "...It's very good."
Doubt flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes, and he narrowed them slightly. "Really?"
"Really." Gu Yue nodded firmly, quickly hiding the complicated feelings in her eyes. She looked up at Huo Yuhao, her tone carrying a cautious plea. "Since it's no use to you, could you give me this pill?"
"Of course." Huo Yuhao waved a hand, open and warm. "I saved it especially for you in the first place. Just take it."
At his answer, a faint warmth spread through Gu Yue's eyes. After a moment, she changed the subject and said something that made Huo Yuhao's mind freeze.
"Yuhao, about The Permanence... I think I've already set foot on that path."
Huo Yuhao: "???"
His pupils stilled. His mind raced, disbelief filling every corner of it.
Wasn't the Progenitor of the Ten Thousand Dragons of the Abyss already dead? How did you get onto that path?
Before he could ask, Gu Yue softly answered all his questions—and planted an enormous seed for what was to come:
"I came into contact with a secret organization. They call themselves... the Tavern."
Huo Yuhao was utterly dumbfounded.
The Tavern?
*Wait...