Huo Yuhao: This world isn't normal; Miss Angel's family legacy

"Fuck, Bei Bei, you bastard! You're entering the inner court early? Is that any way to treat your brother? You won't even give me a chance to get revenge!"

At a barbecue stall in Shrek City, Bei Bei had gathered a handful of friends for a farewell dinner: his girlfriend and teacher Tang Ya, his best friend Xu Sanshi, Tang Ya's friend Jiang Nannan, and his junior brother Huo Yuhao.

Yesterday, Xu Sanshi had inexplicably lost to Bei Bei in a soul fight, costing him a Mystic Water Pill. Thinking it over afterward, he was certain that scheming bastard had tricked him. He had been looking for an excuse for a rematch so he could pound Bei Bei's damned head in.

When they met at noon, Bei Bei had offered to treat him as an apology, all smiles. But now that evening had come, the bastard announced that he had connections in the inner court and would be entering early tomorrow. If Tang Ya and Yuhao ran into trouble, he hoped Xu Sanshi would help them however he could, and promised to repay him someday.

Xu Sanshi was so angry that he stuffed whole oysters into his mouth, his teeth crunching away as though the oysters were Bei Bei's flesh.

"We're brothers, so let me apologize. I really had no choice. Something terrible happened in the inner court."

Bei Bei drained his drink and sighed, his voice heavy with grief. "Over the past couple of days, an inner court soul hunting team suffered an accident in the Star Dou Great Forest. The inner court's chief disciple, our eldest senior sister Zhang Lexuan, died trying to save companions who had ventured deep into the forest."

"She was the fastest genius to become a Soul Douluo in the academy's three-thousand-year history, the future successor the academy's leaders had pinned their hopes on."

"With the academy's successor gone, my elder told me to enter the inner court early. He hopes I'll mature quickly before he reaches the end of his life."

"So that's what happened..."

Everyone understood. Even the usually oblivious Tang Ya looked grief-stricken, while Jiang Nannan lowered her head without a word.

Huo Yuhao's brows knotted into three deep furrows. What was going on? Eldest senior sister was dead?

Eldest senior brother was following his elder into the inner court early. That elder had to be Teacher Mu En, right?

Why was the timeline he knew all wrong?

Xu Sanshi frowned in thought, then his expression changed. "Wait, didn't eldest senior sister have an accident a few years ago? I heard eight senior students died that time."

Bei Bei's expression grew even more pained. "Last time, the teacher leading the team was negligent. This time, no one accompanied them. Everyone thought nothing could happen to eldest senior sister, yet an accident happened anyway.

"Eldest senior sister fought with incredible courage. She charged alone into the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest and tragically died in battle.

"Her deeds have already been engraved on the inner court's Sea God Monument. Her name will endure alongside the academy's glory."

"Boohoo... It's so moving! Eldest senior sister, you died so horribly! Why wasn't even your body recovered? Waaah..."

Tang Ya burst into loud sobs. Far away, the finger of a certain female Soul Douluo lying in the moonlight treatment room of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy twitched almost imperceptibly, drawing the medical staff's attention.

"The patient responded! Quick, quick!"

At the barbecue stall in Shrek City, Tang Ya shed torrents of tears, Bei Bei hung his head, Xu Sanshi frowned, Jiang Nannan wept quietly, and Huo Yuhao's brows remained tightly furrowed.

Something was wrong. Something had to be wrong...

That's it! It was them! Xiao Hongchen and the others, those people from the Sun Moon Empire!

A light went on in Huo Yuhao's mind. People from the Sun Moon Empire had killed eldest senior sister. That made perfect sense.

But he had no evidence. No one would believe him if he said it, and he couldn't explain how he knew Xiao Hongchen.

After thinking for a long time, Xu Sanshi said, "I admire eldest senior sister's character, but Bei Bei, I think the academy handled this badly."

"Eldest senior sister carried its future on her shoulders. The academy should have sent a fierce general—a Super Douluo—to protect her. Failing that, it should at least have sent a guard dog, a Titled Douluo skilled in defense. Instead, it sent no one?"

"Now that you're entering the inner court, I'm really worried about your safety."

Bei Bei's hair stood on end at those words. Did he know that during the previous accident, the world's number-one Super Douluo, the Gluttonous Douluo, had been protecting them in secret?

Perhaps, having discovered afterward that it made no difference whether anyone was there, the academy had simply stopped sending protection.

"Pah, pah, pah! Xu Sanshi, don't jinx him!"

Tang Ya stopped crying and rolled her eyes at Xu Sanshi, then sprang into Bei Bei's arms.

"Bei Bei, the inner court sounds really dangerous..."

Huo Yuhao said nothing. Jiang Nannan murmured, "For once, I agree with Xu Sanshi."

"Heh, see? Even Nannan agrees with me. I'm a very dependable guy."

The instant Jiang Nannan spoke, Xu Sanshi went from dependable turtle to ridiculous turtle, spreading his tail like a peacock to attract her attention and willingly marching into the Turtle Suppression Tower.

"Hmph."

Jiang Nannan's expression turned cold in a second, giving Xu Sanshi no chance to climb the pole she'd offered him.

"Heh." Xu Sanshi smiled awkwardly. The road to winning her heart was long; he would have to keep working at it.

"Don't worry about that. The academy has learned its lesson. It won't make that mistake again."

Bei Bei forced a smile and waved a fist at Xu Sanshi. "I'll be in the inner court from now on. If you don't want to get left behind, hurry up and join me."

Like Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi was certain to enter the inner court, but Jiang Nannan was in the outer court. He had even voluntarily repeated a year.

"Forget it. Once you're in the inner court, I'll reign supreme in the outer court. Improving will be a breeze."

Xu Sanshi didn't care. With his talent, a year or two made little difference. He had no elder in the inner court, and how could cultivation compare to true love?

"Boohoo... Bei Bei, I don't want you to leave!"

Having finished crying over Zhang Lexuan, Tang Ya started crying over herself. Bei Bei could only smile helplessly and hurry to comfort her.

"I'll have one day off every month. I'll come out before dawn and go back at night."

"Only one day..."

Tang Ya cried even harder. Would she have to comfort herself with Blue Silver Entanglement when the nights grew quiet from now on?

Xu Sanshi looked thoughtful as his intelligence finally seized the high ground. He suspected Bei Bei's elder didn't particularly approve of Tang Ya.

Had those two not poured all their attention into romance, they would already have become Four-Ring Soul Ancestors. They both knew it, and the older generation could see it too.

That might make Tang Ya quite an eyesore to Bei Bei's elder.

But Bei Bei's family affairs weren't his place to comment on. He would mention it privately later and let Bei Bei keep an eye on things himself.

"All right, enough talking. Let's raise a glass and celebrate that bastard Bei Bei leaving the outer court."

Xu Sanshi chuckled, livening up the mood.

"Xu Sanshi, no ivory ever comes out of a dog's mouth!"

"Bei Bei, rein Tang Ya in. Just tell me whether I'm speaking the truth."

"Sanshi, you know how it is. At a time like this, a brother gets stabbed in the back. For my girlfriend, I'll stab my brother twice."

"Pfft! Just you wait..."

Huo Yuhao offered no opinion from beginning to end. He silently added this debt to the ledger in his heart, to be settled with the Sun Moon Empire someday.

His most urgent task was to break through to rank twenty and head to the Far North to find the Ice Empress.

When would he get to see Sister Xiaotao? Dean Yan's Soul Ascension Pill was very useful.

Night's dark curtain settled over the landscaped estate outside Mingdu. The soul-powered sensor door slid open silently.

Miss Angel's smiling voice floated in with her light footsteps, sweet and pleasant to the ear.

"I'm home! Is anyone here to welcome Her Highness?"

"Yes, miss. I brought a member of my family back today. Would Miss Angel please put aside her regal dignity for a moment and enjoy some delicious food?"

A cool, relaxed voice drifted from the kitchen. Wearing a tall white chef's hat, Yu Tianjun emerged with a plate of golden, crisp roasted bear meat.

His gaze moved, and his already excellent mood improved further. His eyes couldn't help admiring something beautiful.

Beneath the hazy Soul Guidance Lamps, a tall figure stood where light met shadow. A moon-white dress patterned with gilded light accentuated her proud, upright figure. Her face was flawlessly beautiful, and the aura of holy light surrounding her was incomparably pure.

A cheerful smile rested on Ye Guyi's lips. The slight lift at the corners of her eyes held a hint of coy pride, while pale-gold light soul power slowly rippled around her.

In an instant, the thick night seemed washed bright by her radiance, leaving even the stars and moon dim by comparison.

"You're back? (╯▽╰) That smells amazing~~"

Mr. Qilin's return from visiting his family was delightful enough, but the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear paw was even more mouthwatering.

Ye Guyi rushed over and hugged her like-minded companion, then eagerly turned her angelic eyes toward the bear paw, ready to let it contribute to the great cause of justice.

Of course, Miss Angel wasn't someone who abandoned her comrades. She wouldn't leave Mr. Qilin to do all the work. She ducked into her room, then emerged gracefully in a cook's outfit.

Make no mistake: Miss Angel's cooking was nothing to praise. Knowing her limits, she sensibly acted as his assistant, taking charge of serving tea and water. She set a candelabra in the center and arranged two place settings opposite each other, then cut a few sprays of lilies from the garden outside and switched to softer lighting...

When Yu Tianjun emerged from the kitchen again, he saw a wisp of holy flame float from Ye Guyi's finger onto the candelabra.

In an instant, light and shadow intertwined, filling the dining room with a hazy beauty and illuminating the girl's sweetly smiling lips.

"Such a formal occasion?"

Yu Tianjun laughed. A candlelit dinner lit with Holy Angel Flame—truly one of a kind.

"Of course. We're good roommates who've sworn our alliance in Evil Soul Master blood. We must always remember to enjoy our time together and give it a sense of occasion. Boys need the warmth of coming home too."

After helping Yu Tianjun bring out the dishes, Ye Guyi sat down gracefully. Resting her chin in her hands, she took a small bite of bear paw and said with a smile:

"Your cooking is really good. Where did this bear paw come from?"

"Your soul power has improved again too. Sometimes I really can't tell which of us is the Ultimate Soul Master."

"I hunted the bear, of course. I gained quite a lot on this trip..."

Amid candlelight and drifting motes, Yu Tianjun recounted his experiences in cheerful, gentle conversation.

Ye Guyi's beautiful eyes sparkled as she listened, and she swiftly seized on the crucial point. "What about Zhang Lexuan? You didn't bring her home, did you?"

"I sent her to the academy's treatment room. The academy brought in a healing Soul Douluo who's guaranteed a place in the empire's top three and a contender for first."

Their wineglasses clinked. Yu Tianjun sipped his wine and smiled. "That Soul Douluo is an important court physician. It looks like someone important in the imperial family has taken notice of her."

"Vice Dean Liao takes this very seriously too. She had a full examination using the best medical equipment. There's nothing seriously wrong with Zhang Lexuan's body, but her martial soul will be more troublesome."

"The imperial family? That sounds a little troublesome."

An inscrutable glimmer crossed Miss Angel's bright eyes, misted with holy light.

"I heard a rumor that the current emperor didn't come to power very honorably. The former emperor's entire family suddenly died of food poisoning, and His Majesty promptly entered the palace and ascended the throne."

Yu Tianjun picked up a piece of earth dragon tendon and asked, "What do you think happened?"

"Based on my family's experience, it was most likely a coup. The current emperor killed the former emperor's entire family and took the throne himself."

Ye Guyi spoke with eighty percent certainty.

No falsehood or lie can escape my eyes of justice!

Yu Tianjun was amused. Miss Angel looked adorable when she was so earnestly righteous. "With insight like that, should I call you Miss Justice from now on?"

"Forget it. I know exactly how much I weigh. Royal infighting is none of our business, as long as they don't harm ordinary people."

Ye Guyi's position was that circumstances changed. When the imperial family fought among themselves, commoners like them could simply enjoy the show.

"I don't care much about the imperial family either. They can sit in the palace and wait for us to bring back news of victory."

Yu Tianjun remained calm. Compared with the imperial family, confronting Shrek required much more consideration.

To deal with Shrek, he had to consider the threat posed by the God King in the upper realm. The Clear Sky Sect, the Qiankun Asking Love Valley, Sea God Island, and the parents who had yet to leave were all his reaching tendrils.

His first concern was how to deliver a crushing blow to Shrek next year.

Should he proclaim his revenge while trampling the head of Yan Shaozhe's disciple, or simply defeat Shrek and then state his desire for revenge before a million spectators? The details required careful thought.

But Yu Tianjun certainly wouldn't disappoint Miss Angel after she had so carefully prepared this atmosphere. Those wretched matters could wait. Spending every day worrying before he had even faced the God King would be nothing but self-torment.

"When life grants you triumph, enjoy it to the fullest; never let your golden cup face the moon empty. Last time, you said you wanted to look through your family's old possessions. Find anything?"

"Yes, yes, I did, brother. Look at this."

Ye Guyi put down her utensils and swept her slender hand over her Storage Soul Tool. An old book, yellowed and faded, appeared in the air.

"A Complete Compendium of Martial Soul Fusion Skill Cases and Extended Research?"

Yu Tianjun widened his eyes, struggling a little to make out the mottled lettering on the cover.

"That's right. Take a look."

The old book opened. On average, every two pages recorded one Martial Soul Fusion Skill, complete with text and illustrations. The entries covered the characteristics of both martial souls, cultivation levels, martial soul compatibility, battle records, theories on underlying principles, and more.

"Four thousand years ago, one of the Angel Clan's ancestors compiled this book using existing materials and what they discovered through their own searches. It records more than a hundred Martial Soul Fusion Skills."

Ye Guyi explained delightedly, "My research lately suggests that ordinary Martial Soul Fusion Skills can generally be divided into two categories: strong similarity and strong complementarity.

"The first is represented by the Star Luo Empire's Hell White Tiger, which has been passed down reliably for ten thousand years. The White Tiger and Hell Spirit Cat share similar traits, and combining the two makes them stronger. There were also the Dragon Duke and Snake Granny ten thousand years ago.

"A classic example of the second is the Two Extremes Stillness Domain used by two Spirit Hall elders ten thousand years ago. Ghost Douluo embodied utmost yin and cold, while Chrysanthemum Douluo embodied utmost yang and strength. Their Yin-Yang Complementarity produced the Two Extremes Stillness Domain.

"Supposedly, even the Sea God before his ascension feared it enough to launch a sneak attack and kill Ghost Douluo first."

"Well put. So?"

"Don't you think that sounds a lot like us? We happen to have light and darkness, which can complement each other! With a Martial Soul Fusion Skill between Dark Qilin and Holy Angel, sweeping across the continent wouldn't be a dream!"

Yu Tianjun considered for a moment. "The problem is, if our martial soul compatibility really were that high, we'd have sensed it long ago after living together for three months."

"I have Ultimate Darkness. You have holiness and light, not Ultimate Light. The attribute that corresponds to holiness is evil, and darkness is very different from evil."

Ye Guyi's delighted expression froze. Then she said, "I don't care, I don't care. If our compatibility is low, we'll practice a Light-Dark Combination Skill first. We'll still sweep everything before us!"

"Don't you know that Soul Masters often need close physical contact to sense whether they can use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? We've never tried that."

"After dinner, we're going to the Underground Soul Fighting Arena. Understood?"

"Sure."

Yu Tianjun agreed enthusiastically. But as his gaze passed over Miss Angel's jubilant face, he privately decided not to tell her yet that he and Zhang Lexuan had shown a clear Martial Soul Fusion response.

Tsk, why did this scene feel a little familiar? The shady lane you yearn for has long been bustling with traffic?