"All right, all right, don't be angry. I was only teasing you."
Huo Wu kneaded Xiao Wu's cheeks, her eyes full of affection.
This little girl's spirited, willful personality was like a little chili pepper, so much like Huo Wu herself as a child.
Thinking back, if her older brother hadn't protected her, who knew how many times her parents would have spanked her little bottom?
That was precisely why Huo Wu admired Tang Yin so much.
Born into a family like this, he had still managed to raise his two younger sisters into such lovely, healthy girls. That was no easy feat.
"Huo Wu, take a seat for a moment. I'll buy some meat and vegetables and give you a proper welcome tonight."
Dressed in plain white training clothes, Tang Yin stood as straight and tall as a pine.
"Little San Niang, look after Huo Wu."
"Got it, Brother."
Just then, Tang San Niang emerged from her room.
Huo Wu strode forward and rested her delicate hand on Tang Yin's shoulder.
Her bright eyes brimmed with smiles.
"Brother Tang Yin, I happen to want some Osmanthus Wine. Why don't we go together?"
His family's circumstances genuinely surprised Huo Wu. After all, Tang Yin had previously asked to buy crimson sun stone from her.
Although they hadn't known each other long, Huo Wu didn't think Tang Yin was one to boast idly.
So there could only be one truth: he had emptied his family's coffers just to buy something calming for that sister of his who moved like a fleeing rabbit. How touching.
Soul Masters needed to empty their minds and enter a meditative state to cultivate.
Huo Wu knew very well that, with a temperament like Xiao Wu's, meditation would yield half the results for twice the effort. The resulting frustration would also make her frequently reluctant to cultivate.
For a Soul Master, that was no different from a disability. Huo Wu had plenty of experience with this, because she had been required to wear crimson sun stone jewelry since childhood and hadn't been able to stop until she was nine.
Unfortunately, jewelry with that effect stopped working once its energy had been absorbed. Otherwise, she could have given hers to Xiao Wu.
With such immense financial pressure resting on this boy's shoulders, Huo Wu decided she should pay for the groceries herself.
Crimson sun stone had a price but no sellers. As the daughter of the Blazing Fire Academy's dean, she had no shortage of sources, but even the lowest price was a hundred Gold Soul Coins-not a small sum.
Huo Wu herself didn't have that much money. After all, she was generous and valued friendship over wealth... all right, simply put, she spent her allowance every month, letting money flow away like water.
But she could at least help with the groceries. They were buddies, after all.
"Huo Wu, Osmanthus Wine is only sold in Nuoding City."
"That was careless of me. I forgot to prepare some for you. I'm truly sorry."
"Just rest at home. I'll make a quick trip to Nuoding to make up for my mistake."
Tang Yin had no idea what Huo Wu was thinking.
After all, his Storage Soul Tool held nearly two thousand Gold Soul Coins looted from the old man.
Making money was that effortless for a Titled Douluo, and Tang Yin felt no guilt whatsoever spending it.
"Going to Nuoding City? Then you need me even more."
Huo Wu raised an eyebrow with a smile.
She put her pale, slender fingers to her lips and blew a piercing whistle.
Screee!
A long cry answered from the sky, followed by an enormous, fiery-red bird swooping down, its feathers like scarlet flames.
"Come on, Brother Tang Yin."
Huo Wu wrapped an arm around Tang Yin's waist and leaped onto the bird's back.
The space on its back wasn't exactly roomy for humans, so the two had to press closely together.
The girl radiated considerable heat, and something astonishingly soft pressed right against his cheek.
Tang Yin's expression grew slightly awkward.
Even he was startled by Huo Wu's actions.
You might call me your buddy all the time, but you can't really forget I'm a man.
And aren't our positions supposed to be the other way around?
Held in Huo Wu's arms, Tang Yin felt rather embarrassed.
Her bosom was soft and comfortable, carrying a young girl's delicate fragrance.
After all, there was a five-year age gap between them, and Huo Wu was slightly taller. At first glance, the position seemed perfectly fine, except their genders seemed to have been reversed.
Huo Wu stared straight ahead, her fair cheeks burning fiercely.
She was straightforward by nature and quite fond of Tang Yin, so she had indeed been a little impulsive just now.
Only after calming down did she realize how inappropriate it was. But the timber had already been made into a boat-what could she do? She could only pretend nothing had happened.
Nuoding City wasn't far from Holy Soul Village.
Yet those brief ten minutes felt incredibly long to both Tang Yin and Huo Wu.
As a gifted girl whose affinity for the fire element was at its peak, Huo Wu's body was intensely warm. The heartbeat coming from her chest sounded like pounding drums in Tang Yin's ears.
Neither spoke, but the atmosphere grew subtly charged.
At last, they reached Nuoding City.
The soft little hand around his waist let go, and Tang Yin breathed a sigh of relief.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Huo Wu's flushed cheeks. She looked so alluringly radiant that she was utterly captivating.
He chuckled inwardly. So Huo Wu gets shy too.
"Huo Wu, let's head into the city."
Tang Yin spoke as though nothing had happened.
"Mm, to buy osmanthus wine..."
Huo Wu tried hard to remain composed, without realizing how soft her voice sounded.
After they bought osmanthus wine and some roast meat and other dishes to accompany it in Nuoding City, Huo Wu tried to compete with Tang Yin over paying, only to be struck speechless by the handful of Gold Soul Coins he casually pulled out.
Huo Wu was stunned. I thought I was generously opening my purse for friendship's sake, but it turns out I'm the clown!
After leaving Nuoding City, they had to ride the Firelie Bird back again.
Huo Wu looked composed.
"Brother Tang Yin, this time you hold me."
"Let me lean against your chest and see how it feels."
A smile lingered at Huo Wu's lips, her eyes blazing like fire.
She truly was a fiery girl who dared to love and hate without reservation.
Tang Yin silently praised her. Without making a fuss, he reached out and wrapped an arm around Huo Wu's supple, seemingly boneless waist.
His hand met fragrant warmth and softness. A faint tremor ran through her body, making Tang Yin inwardly chuckle.
Huo Wu isn't as calm as she looks either.
The return journey still felt long, but the atmosphere was no longer quite so charged. Leaning against Tang Yin's solid chest and breathing in his distinctive, fresh scent of grass and trees, Huo Wu gradually relaxed.
When they returned to the Blacksmith Shop, Tang San Niang had already cooked rice over the wood fire.
Previously, because Tang Yin had to work in the fields, Tang San Niang had always handled the housework, laundry, and cooking.
Although Xiao Wu had now joined their household, the moment she got involved, the kitchen instantly turned into a playground for mischief. Thus, the kitchen had become a rabbit-free zone.
Wine and dishes filled the entire table.
"Cheers to Huo Wu's successful soul hunting!"
Xiao Wu raised her wine bowl, her face full of excitement.
She was the smallest person there, looking just like a six-year-old child.
The four sat around the table, raised their bowls, clinked them together, and drained them.
Thump!
The other three turned to look. Good grief-Xiao Wu had gone down after a single bowl. The effect had been instant; she could fall asleep anywhere, anytime. What a sleep aid.
"Hahaha!"
Huo Wu burst into cheerful laughter.
"Next time Xiao Wu joins us at the table, pour her some goat's milk."
Her words amused both Tang Yin and Tang San Niang.
Tang Yin picked Xiao Wu up. The girl was astonishingly supple, curling into his arms and snoring softly like a kitten.
After laying her on the bed and tucking her in, Tang Yin went back out.
Huo Wu's exuberant personality kept the atmosphere at the table lively.
The three shared osmanthus wine, linking arms as they talked of life's simple joys.
They drank from the fading sunset until the moon shone bright and the stars grew sparse.
They talked of everything from childhood amusements to their dreams in life.
Meanwhile, outside Holy Soul Village, a tall, burly figure came bounding through the air.
He landed in front of the Blacksmith Shop and listened to the cheerful laughter of the boy and girls inside.
Just as he was about to push open the door, Tang Hao stopped.
He folded his arms, leaned against the wall, and gazed up at the heavens.
As he listened, a thin mist gradually veiled Tang Hao's eyes.
The Milky Way unfurled like a ribbon, scattered with stars. Beneath the moon, in a forest, two boys and a girl sat around a campfire.
Time flew like a white horse flashing past a narrow gap, while the affairs of the world turned through their cycles.
This scene, these feelings, were just like those of years ago.
Since that parting,
so many years.
Before you continue