Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they went their separate ways. Only Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao remained at the grilled fish stall, one cleaning up the grill and the other gathering the bowls and utensils.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao felt someone tap his shoulder. Wang Dong held out a porcelain bottle.
"I didn't pay for your grilled fish. Take this instead."
Huo Yuhao froze for a moment and looked down. It was the Mystic Water Pill. Startled, he hurriedly waved his hands.
"No, no! This is too precious! A Mystic Water Pill is worth ten thousand gold! I... I can't accept it!"
Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins! Huo Yuhao had never spent that many Gold Soul Coins in his life. He had never even seen that many.
Wang Dong pressed the porcelain bottle into his hand. "Take it. Your soul power is too weak right now, and it'll affect the speed of our Martial Soul Fusion. If you get stronger, I'll benefit too. So this isn't a gift. It's an investment."
That was only half the truth!
The current Huo Yuhao really was too weak. Without a second ring or the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion as his second martial soul, he could hardly help Wang Dong at all.
If Huo Yuhao was left to cultivate slowly on his own, his progress in the early stages would be far too slow.
Besides, Wang Dong would have the Clear Sky Sect send over some more Mystic Water Pills later.
Huo Yuhao clutched the porcelain bottle, a jumble of emotions stirring in his heart. Of course he knew how precious a Mystic Water Pill was. It was a treasure that could increase soul power and improve one's constitution. Out in the wider world, countless people would fight tooth and nail for one and still fail to buy it.
Yet Wang Dong had given it to him so casually, even finding an excuse to call it an "investment."
He bit his lip, his eyes stinging, and finally nodded. "Then... I'll absorb it tonight. I'll break through as soon as I can. I promise I won't hold you back."
Wang Dong smiled in satisfaction. "That's more like it. All right, head back and get some rest."
Huo Yuhao nodded, clutched the porcelain bottle, and turned toward the dormitory building. When he reached the stairs, he glanced back. Wang Dong was still standing there,
waving to him. Warmth filled his heart, and he hurried upstairs.
Back at his room, Huo Yuhao pushed open the door and found his roommate already there. The green-haired girl sat cross-legged on her bed with her eyes closed, faint ripples of soul power flowing around her as she meditated.
It was Xiao Xiao, who also possessed twin martial souls.
Although the term had only just begun, the two got along well and had already become friends.
Huo Yuhao quietly closed the door without disturbing her. He sat down on his own bed, took out the Mystic Water Pill, drew a deep breath, and began absorbing it.
Once the pill entered his stomach, its gentle medicinal power slowly spread, flowing through his body like a warm current. The process wasn't painful. Instead, it brought an indescribable comfort, as though his whole body were soaking in a hot spring.
He could feel the medicinal power gradually improving his constitution and increasing his innate soul power.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's rich voice rang out in his mind. "Good stuff! This Mystic Water Pill will do you a world of good. Not only can it increase your soul power, it can improve your constitution too. Little Yuhao, that classmate of yours really treats you well. Not just anyone would be willing to give something like this away."
Warmth filled Huo Yuhao's heart. He said nothing and focused on absorbing the medicinal power.
After an unknown amount of time, he slowly opened his eyes and sensed the fluctuations of soul power within him. He froze.
Rank fourteen? I've actually jumped straight to rank fourteen? A single Mystic Water Pill raised me three whole ranks!
Moreover, he could clearly feel that his soul power cultivation was considerably faster than before.
He nearly cried out in delight. But a moment later, his nose twitched as he caught a strange smell.
"What's going on? Why does the room stink so badly?!"
At some point, Xiao Xiao had finished meditating. She was holding her nose and looking at him in disgust.
Huo Yuhao looked down and only then realized that a layer of black grime had seeped out over his body, giving off a pungent stench.
He immediately understood. The Mystic Water Pill had helped expel the impurities from his body. His face flushed, and he hurriedly jumped off the bed. "I... I'm going to take a bath!"
He rushed into the bathroom and spent well over half an hour scrubbing himself clean from head to toe. By the time he emerged, drying his hair, he looked completely renewed.
His formerly dull skin had become fair and luminous, and even his features seemed a little more refined. His eyes in particular glistened as though they held two pools of clear spring water.
Xiao Xiao was leaning against the headboard, reading. Hearing him, she looked up, and her eyes instantly lit up. "Yuhao! You look even prettier! What happened?"
Embarrassed by her gaze, Huo Yuhao sat on the edge of his bed with a flushed face and explained softly, "It... it was Wang Dong. He gave me a Mystic Water Pill. After I absorbed it, it seemed to expel the impurities from my body..."
"A Mystic Water Pill?" Xiao Xiao's eyes widened. "That's really expensive! He gave you a Mystic Water Pill? That pill is worth ten thousand gold! If he treats you this well, don't tell me you two are already dating?"
It was hardly surprising that Xiao Xiao would think that.
Huo Yuhao's face instantly turned scarlet, and he waved his hands frantically. "No, no! We've only known each other for two days. How could we possibly..."
"Then why is he so good to you?" Xiao Xiao tilted her head suspiciously. "Treating you to meals, giving you a quilt, and now a Mystic Water Pill? Isn't that a little too much special treatment?"
Huo Yuhao opened his mouth but didn't know how to explain. He knew perfectly well that Wang Dong might only be treating him kindly out of goodwill.
He was a useless nobody with soul power of only rank eleven. What right did he have to expect someone to see him in a different light? He didn't dare ask for too much, and he didn't feel worthy of it either.
He lowered his head, his voice muffled. "He... he's just a good person... Besides, we have Martial Soul Fusion. If I become stronger, I can help his cultivation in return."
Seeing him like that, Xiao Xiao's eyes darted mischievously, and she suddenly chuckled. "Since you're not dating, then let me pursue the class monitor! He's so handsome. He's exactly my type!"
Huo Yuhao jerked his head up and blurted out, "No!"
Xiao Xiao blinked. "Why not?"
Huo Yuhao froze. He opened his mouth, only to discover that he couldn't offer a single reason. After struggling for a long while, he finally squeezed out, "Anyway... you just can't..."
Seeing how flustered and embarrassed he was, Xiao Xiao couldn't help bursting into laughter. "All right, all right, I was teasing you! Look how worked up you got."
Only then did Huo Yuhao realize he had been tricked. Both embarrassed and annoyed, he grabbed a pillow and hurled it at her. "You're awful!"
Xiao Xiao's eyes flickered as she dodged with a laugh, and the two tumbled into a playful scuffle on the bed. They kept at it for quite a while before finally stopping, breathless, and lying side by side, staring at the ceiling.
Xiao Xiao suddenly said, "Yuhao, that class monitor of yours really is a good person. But if you don't hurry, someone else might actually snatch him away."
Huo Yuhao said nothing. He rolled over and buried his face in his pillow, but Wang Dong's smiling face rose unbidden in his mind.
He tightened his grip on the pillow. His heart was a tangled ball of thread that he couldn't unravel no matter how he tried.
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