"That's wonderful!" Bei Bei said to Gu Xingyue with a smile.
But then she changed the subject. "Still, everyone must be tired after traveling today. Why don't we rest first, get our energy back, and then hunt for the third soul ring Tang Ya needs? After all, it's safest to hunt soul beasts when we're fully recovered."
As she spoke, she turned toward Gu Xingyue, a questioning look in her eyes. "What do you think?"
Gu Xingyue met her gaze and nodded. "Sure. I'm hungry anyway. A little rest would be good."
Bei Bei's lips curved into a smile. Then she pulled Huo Yutong in front of her, a hint of mystery entering her voice. "Then you absolutely have to try Yutong's grilled fish. It's truly second to none."
Hearing that, Gu Xingyue actually felt a little doubtful.
He remembered that Tang Ya and the others in the original novel had seemed as though they had never eaten anything good.
It was just a grilled fish. How delicious could it possibly be?
What kind of soul beast hadn't Shrek's students eaten in their dining hall?
Yet a single fish had them eating out of her hand. Today, he could finally taste it himself.
Despite his inward doubts, he still looked toward Huo Yutong.
He spoke naturally. "Yutong, I didn't realize you could cook. And from the way Bei Bei talks, it sounds like your food isn't just ordinarily good?"
At his praise, Huo Yutong smiled shyly and hurriedly waved her hands. "It's not that amazing..."
With that, they stopped chatting and split up to prepare the ingredients.
Huo Yutong walked to a clear stream, took off her shoes and socks, and waded barefoot into the water.
She tucked her loose hair behind her ears, bent down to study the water, and activated her soul skill-Spiritual Detection.
In an instant, she seemed to become God, looking down over the entire area.
Even a dewdrop on the tip of a blade of grass stood out in perfect detail. Her perspective continued downward, sinking to the streambed.
Timing it right, she plunged a hand into the water and caught a silver fish with perfect accuracy.
Watching from the bank, Gu Xingyue couldn't help thinking, If fishing fanatics saw this, they'd probably burst into tears.
After all, Huo Yutong's movements were ridiculously casual, yet every grab caught a fish.
He walked over and asked with feigned curiosity, "Yutong, how do you do that? Those fish practically seem to swim into your hands. Could you teach me?"
Of course he knew how it worked.
Shared Spiritual Detection.
The heaven-defying cheat the Skydream Iceworm had given her: aim-lock, X-ray vision, a full terrain map. Catching a fish was child's play.
Then again, he wasn't without options himself. If he unleashed his Lightning Martial Soul into the water, every fish in the river would probably turn belly-up in less than a second.
But for the system rewards, he had to build their relationship slowly. He couldn't take shortcuts.
Huo Yutong had wanted to tell him she could handle it and that he only needed to wait a little. But when she looked up and met his expectant gaze, she couldn't get the refusal out.
She could only say softly, "Sure, Brother Gu."
"You're so nice, Yutong," Gu Xingyue replied with a smile. "But don't call me Brother Gu. We're about the same age. Just call me Xingyue."
Huo Yutong's cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her head and quietly corrected herself. "Okay... Gu... Xingyue."
"Mm, that's more like it."
The words had barely left his mouth when Gu Xingyue jumped carelessly into the stream, sending up a great splash that soaked Huo Yutong's clothes.
Seeing Huo Yutong glaring at him with a touch of reproach,
he quickly raised both hands. "Would you believe me if I said I didn't mean to?"
Huo Yutong said nothing. She simply took off her wet outer garment, leaving only a thin white top beneath. The flimsy fabric outlined faintly visible contours.
Gu Xingyue hurriedly averted his eyes, silently repeating, Look not upon what is improper. Look not upon what is improper.
While he was distracted, Huo Yutong took a few steps closer and told him, "Xingyue, I'm going to use my soul skill. Don't resist."
Gu Xingyue nodded in agreement, then felt a Spiritual Connection form.
Your teammate Huo Yutong has sent you a party invitation. Accept OR Decline
He chose to accept. The next second, he seemed to be high in the sky, looking down over the land.
The jolt of that shift in perspective was truly quite stunning.
Working together like that, the two began catching fish.
Not far away, Bei Bei and Tang Ya were preparing the other ingredients. Watching the two figures busy side by side in the stream, Bei Bei sighed softly. "When we first met little Yutong, her eyes were always so melancholy. Now that she has someone her own age with her, she's become much more cheerful."
"Yes." Tang Ya nodded, his gaze softening a little as well.
The stream murmured, and the campfire danced.
Before long, several skewers of thoroughly cleaned silver fish had been set over the fire.
Huo Yutong deftly turned the branches, pinching up a little of some unknown spice and sprinkling it evenly over the fish.
As the heat rose, the fat sizzled, and an indescribably rich, meaty aroma instantly spread through the air, forcing its way into everyone's nostrils.
"Ready." Huo Yutong handed Gu Xingyue a skewer of golden, crisp fish, a little anticipation in her eyes. "Try it."
Gu Xingyue took the skewer and bit into it. The skin was crisp, but the fish inside was tender and juicy. The spices perfectly suppressed the fishiness, leaving only a mouthful of savory fragrance.
His eyes lit up, and he generously gave her a thumbs-up. "Incredible! With skills like these, you'd have a packed house if you opened a grilled fish shop in Shrek City."
Huo Yutong's cheeks flushed at his praise, but she couldn't keep a happy smile from curving her lips.
The four sat around the campfire, feasting and chatting about amusing things. For a while, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Halfway through the meal, Tang Ya wiped his hands, lifted his waterskin for a gulp, and grew a little more solemn.
He looked at Bei Bei, then at Gu Xingyue and Huo Yutong. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke. "Xingyue, Yutong, there's something I'd like to ask you."
Gu Xingyue paused in the middle of biting his fish and looked up at him. "Go ahead."
Tang Ya put down his waterskin and asked earnestly, "What do you think... of the Tang Sect?"
The atmosphere briefly stilled.
Bei Bei put away her joking expression and quietly looked at the two.
Gu Xingyue set down his grilled fish and considered for a moment.
He had thought this parallel world's Tang Ya was much more mature and wouldn't ask this sort of question again. But who would have thought Buddha Tang's curse would be so powerful? Was there still no escaping it?
Still, he had no intention of joining any Tang Sect. He could simply refuse. With that thought, Gu Xingyue spoke.
"In its own era, the Tang Sect really was a giant. Hidden weapons, poison arts, cultivation methods-if all of those were created by one person, then there's really nothing to criticize." He opened with a feint.
"But now... soul tools are developing too quickly. The tide of the soul tool era is surging forward.
From offensive methods to defensive methods, from single combat to group battles, soul tools far surpass traditional hidden weapons in both adaptability and general applicability.
Honestly, much of what the Tang Sect has no longer offers any advantage on the battlefield. And that's not even accounting for how rapidly soul tools keep advancing, while the Tang Sect... doesn't seem to have kept pace."
He paused and looked at Tang Ya's slightly tense expression. He seemed to have struck a nerve, so his tone softened a little. "I'm not saying the Tang Sect is bad. I'm saying times have changed. If the Tang Sect keeps clinging to its old ways without changing, how can it revive?
Instead of recruiting people everywhere, you'd be better off thinking about how to incorporate the Tang Sect's essence into a new framework, or... finding another way out (closing up shop sooner rather than later)."
After hearing him out, Tang Ya remained silent for a long time.
The firelight flickered across his face.
Bei Bei reached out and gently laid her hand over his. She said nothing, offering only silent support.
Huo Yutong lowered her head, her thoughts unknown. She glanced at Gu Xingyue, then spoke. "I think the same as Xingyue."
Now it was Gu Xingyue's turn to be a little surprised. The daughter of destiny hadn't formed a connection with the Tang Sect.
He reckoned the Buddha up in heaven was currently red-eyed and panting like an ox, shouting about courting death.
At this, Tang Ya shook his head with a bitter smile. "You're absolutely right. Deep down, I know what state the Tang Sect is in now. It's just... I still can't give up."
Bei Bei tightened her grip on his hand and said softly, "You don't need to worry about what other people say anymore. What matters is you. Whichever path you want to take, I'll be there with you."
Tang Ya nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more, but his expression had visibly relaxed compared with before.
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