Assassination

The three spirit fruits were expensive. Huo Yuhao paid for the ice spirit fruit and the crimson flame fruit.

As for the dragon scale fruit, the most expensive of the three, he used one of his chances to take an item for free.

Needless to say, his other chance went toward the fire cloud crystal.

Once all the accounts had been settled and checked, Little Red, the girl at the Treasure Appraisal Fair's front desk, spoke with a smile in her eyes.

"To protect everyone's interests, the Treasure Appraisal Fair will have dedicated staff deliver your purchases to your dormitory. Once you return, you can collect them yourself."

Huo Yuhao nodded. Naturally, he did not ask how they would know when he returned to his dormitory.

The Treasure Appraisal Fair and Shrek Academy wore the same pair of trousers. The people in charge here were Shrek's elders, so they certainly had eyes and ears at Shrek. After the goods arrived at Shrek Academy, they would only arrange the individual deliveries once the buyers entered their dormitories.

There was no need to ask about little arrangements like that. After leaving the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion, Huo Yuhao stretched.

Xiao Xiao, who had accompanied Huo Yuhao around the entire fair, stood beside him and gazed at the stars as she spoke.

"Wang Dong really is practical. She didn't even wait for us before heading back to Shrek Academy on her own."

Huo Yuhao smiled at that, then said to Xiao Xiao,

"There's not much to say about that. She wanted me to help her buy something, and I refused. I had no reason to insist that she stay with me.

"Besides, that Soul Bone really was an excellent match for her. You could call it a perfect fit.

"She spotted a prize and couldn't contain her excitement. In her rush to return to the dormitory and absorb the Soul Bone, she forgot about us. That's only human, and hardly something to blame her for."

Xiao Xiao smiled, then said to Huo Yuhao,

"As expected of our class monitor. You really do see things on a different scale from us."

"Of course. Keep learning, young lady. You've still got a long road ahead."

Having bid on a whole pile of good things, Huo Yuhao was in exceptionally high spirits. He patted Xiao Xiao's head and casually joked with her.

Xiao Xiao chased after him, laughing and scolding him.

As the two fooled around, they left Shrek City's busiest street and headed toward the path between Shrek City and Shrek Academy.

But the instant Huo Yuhao stepped onto that path, he suddenly stopped and seized Xiao Xiao's wrist.

Not understanding what was happening, Xiao Xiao glanced at Huo Yuhao. Her face involuntarily flushed red, and she spoke in a timid, soft voice.

"Yuhao... this... this place is far too shabby. Isn't this a bad idea? If you want to, we can go back to Shrek City. There are plenty of hotels there, and then..."

Huo Yuhao was inwardly speechless, but he nodded without betraying anything on his face. Taking Xiao Xiao by the arm, he said,

"That makes perfect sense. Let's head back to Shrek City, then."

As he turned, Huo Yuhao caught sight of Xiao Xiao's shy, bashful expression beneath the hazy moonlight.

Still speechless, he used Spiritual Sharing Detection to convey his spiritual will to Xiao Xiao.

"There's an ambush nearby. They might be after us. I activated Spiritual Sharing Detection as we turned around. Don't make any sudden moves. Head toward Shrek City first, and let's see what they throw at us."

In that instant, the bashfulness froze on Xiao Xiao's face, replaced by clenched fists and killing intent even stronger than Huo Yuhao's.

It was like the intense resentment someone might feel after pulling their trousers halfway down, only to discover that the person emerging was a hulking brute.

Huo Yuhao had no time to concern himself with Xiao Xiao's state of mind. He simply led her onward without betraying anything, maintaining their original pace as closely as possible.

Just then, something whistled through the air. At the same time, within Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, three figures closed around them from three directions in a triangular formation, as though intending to wrap them both up like dumplings with a single strike.

Though his expression revealed nothing, Huo Yuhao had focused all his attention on monitoring their surroundings.

In that fleeting instant, he snapped his fingers and activated the Mist Arena. A layer of pale gray mist spread across the entire path.

After activating the Mist Arena, Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao remained inside it for the moment. They evaded that lethal strike and gained a chance to speak.

"Judging by the way they're using their blades, they're clearly after me. You've been caught in a disaster that has nothing to do with you. I'll open a gap in the Mist Arena in a moment. Leave on your own."

Huo Yuhao spoke to Xiao Xiao calmly. It was not purely his affection for her that made him willing to cover her retreat. More importantly, he did not want to expose his twin martial souls' abilities so thoroughly at a time like this. Hidden cards should stay hidden for as long as possible.

No matter what, the living could never be as reliable as the dead. But he could hardly kill Xiao Xiao just to keep his hidden cards secret.

So, for Huo Yuhao, resolving this without letting Xiao Xiao see his hidden cards would be the best possible outcome.

Unfortunately, Xiao Xiao paid no heed to any of that. Instead, she spoke earnestly to Huo Yuhao.

"I'm not that kind of person. I can't abandon a companion. Besides, we don't really need to be afraid. We're so close to Shrek City. As long as we hold out for a little while and launch a Distress Flare, people from Shrek City and Shrek Academy will come to save us."

Huo Yuhao shook his head with a smile. Core Disciples of the Outer Court were not all that important to Shrek Academy. The original story had explicitly mentioned that even the assassins hired by the White Tiger Duke's Mansion had not cared about Outer Court disciples' distress flares. Only an Inner Court disciple's Distress Flare had frightened them.

Huo Yun'er's sudden death had already made Dai Hao suspicious of the Duchess.

Seeing how determined Xiao Xiao was, Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly, then said to her,

"You need to think this through. They're after me. Given my current combat strength, even if their intelligence is outdated, they'd still have to measure me against a Soul Emperor at the very least. In other words, even the weakest person they sent is very likely a Soul Emperor. What could you accomplish by joining a battle at that level?"

Xiao Xiao gritted her teeth, her fists tightly clenched. Always determined to prove herself, she had clearly been stung by Huo Yuhao's cutting words. Huo Yuhao softened his tone as he continued.

"Sometimes, running away isn't about cowardice. It's about securing the final victory. For us, both of us returning safely to Shrek Academy is victory. As for the wind and rain along the way, arguing over them would only bring a moment's satisfaction.

"I'm worried there might be other unexpected dangers on the way. Otherwise, I'd have already taken you and run..."