Departure, Far North Land

"Nan Nan Jie, don't let your thoughts become unsettled. Follow the guidance of Mental Detection to clear it out. Nothing will go wrong."

Huo Yuhao comforted Jiang Nannan, telling her to calm herself. Treating her mother would naturally make anyone extremely nervous, but for her mother's life, she had to remain in her best condition throughout.

Jiang Mu wore a close-fitting white undershirt, though the fabric over the right side of her heart had been pulled aside slightly, covered by Jiang Nannan's hand. Her mature, charming body was lovely, but the skin exposed below her fair neck had an unhealthy, cold pallor.

"We can't delay any longer." Jiang Nannan took a deep breath, held steady, and slowly mobilized her Soul Power.

Following the route on the Detection Map, guided by her, Soul Power continuously flowed in through the spot where Jiang Nannan's palm made contact...

Jiang Nannan controlled her Soul Power with utmost care, slowly guiding it through her mother's heart and breaking down the congested blood within it bit by bit as she cautiously cleared the blockage.

Second by second, Jiang Mu's weak, labored breathing gradually became soft and steady.

"Nannan, Mom feels much better." Jiang Mu looked at Huo Yuhao, her eyes calm and gentle. "Yuhao, thank you."

Huo Yuhao smiled. "It's nothing, Auntie. It really didn't take much effort."

Seeing her mother's condition improve so noticeably, Jiang Nannan brightened and focused even more intently on clearing the blockage.

After some time, the entire process continued smoothly. All the congested blood in Jiang Nannan's mother's heart had been broken down by her Soul Power.

Although the large patch of skin on Jiang Mu's chest was still bloodlessly pale, her breathing had returned to a normal rhythm and was much smoother than before.

Jiang Nannan's expression relaxed slightly, but she had not completely let down her guard. Huo Yuhao still needed to use Life Aura to restore vitality to her mother's heart and thoroughly resolve the heart failure.

Jiang Nannan then stood up and gave Huo Yuhao her place, smiling softly. "Yuhao, your turn. Don't be nervous."

Huo Yuhao smiled reassuringly at her, then rose and walked to the bedside. He lifted his hand and gently placed it where Jiang Nannan's hand had been, sending a thread of Life Aura into her body.

Through Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection Sharing, Jiang Nannan saw the Life Aura flow in and could not help holding her breath. Her long lashes trembled slightly. Her mother's years-long illness was finally about to be cured.

As pure life force flowed in, Jiang Mu's cheeks gradually turned rosy, and her skin changed from its former cold pallor into an alluring, tender white.

Soon, the flush on Jiang Mu's cheeks had spread to her neck. The sensation of recovering after a long illness made her body tremble comfortably.

"Mom, you look so much better." Delight welled up in Jiang Nannan's eyes.

"Nannan, is it because I'm about to recover? Mom feels a little hot." A faint blush appeared on Jiang Mu's face.

Jiang Nannan's voice brimmed with irrepressible excitement and joy as she nodded firmly. "Mm-hm, Mom. You're about to be completely cured."

Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that the formerly icy sensation beneath his palm was gradually becoming smooth, soft, and warm. A little sweat had formed, making it feel as though he were holding a warm water bag.

He focused on the treatment so his thoughts would not drift in the wrong direction.

Guided by his Mental Power, the Life Aura gradually nourished Jiang Mu's heart.

Finally.

The Life Aura traveled once through the route that had previously been cleared.

Jiang Mu's heart regained its vitality. Its steady thump-thump-thump echoed from within her chest as blood flowed smoothly into her limbs and body. Her graceful, charming figure was no longer sickly pale, but displayed skin as fair as soft jade.

Jiang Mu appeared to have her eyes lightly closed, gently biting her full lips as she quietly received the treatment,

but the reaction of her blood and qi after the Life Aura nourished her heart had flushed her cheeks crimson.

Huo Yuhao pursed his lips, wondering whether it was because Jiang Mu's heart, which had been failing for so long, had suddenly regained vitality, and the replenishment of life force had made her blood and qi overly vigorous...

No matter how calm he remained, he could not control Jiang Mu's reaction to the "abundant Life Aura." His palm seemed to be pushed upward slightly by something full and soft.

"Auntie, how do you feel? Is there any discomfort?" Huo Yuhao withdrew his hand and asked with concern.

Jiang Mu slowly opened her eyes and glanced at Huo Yuhao. Seeing that he showed no strange expression, she secretly sighed in relief and answered in a soft voice.

"I'm fine, Yuhao. Other than feeling a little hot, everything else feels quite good. My chest doesn't feel tight anymore, and I can breathe very smoothly."

"Yuhao, does that mean my mother is well now?" Jiang Nannan could no longer suppress her joy, and her eyes shone brightly.

"Mm, there shouldn't be any major problems now."

Huo Yuhao nodded. "Later, buy some nourishing medicine from an apothecary and help Auntie recuperate properly. Massage the areas that were more seriously affected by the illness often to promote blood circulation, and she'll gradually recover completely."

As he spoke, he took out two Soul Return Pills from his Ring of Holding. He ate one himself and gave the other to Jiang Nannan. Neither of them had expended much Soul Power, but they were mentally exhausted. After all, a human life had been at stake.

Jiang Nannan walked to the bedside, tears glimmering in her eyes. "Mom, your illness is cured. It's finally cured."

Jiang Mu slowly sat up from the bed and closed her collar. She looked at Jiang Nannan with gentle eyes and stroked her hair again and again.

"Nannan, all these years, you've suffered so much for Mom..."

Jiang Nannan shook her head, her eyes misty as she said it had not been suffering. Then she turned toward Huo Yuhao beside her and took out the palm-sized bag of Gold Soul Coins.

"Yuhao, thank you. Thank you for saving my mother. Once I save up more money, I'll compensate you for the rest."

"There's no need for compensation..." Huo Yuhao waved his hand, intending to refuse, but Jiang Mu softly called to him and beckoned him over.

Jiang Mu gave Huo Yuhao a gentle hug. "Yuhao, thank you for saving Auntie. Otherwise, Auntie wouldn't even know how much longer she could have held on."

After curing Jiang Mu's illness, the three sat by the bed and chatted for a while. By then, it was already evening.

During that time, Jiang Nannan also learned that Huo Yuhao was an orphan who had cultivated to Rank Twenty on his own. He was preparing to obtain a Soul Ring and currently had nowhere to stay.

This experience made both mother and daughter feel a measure of affection and concern for Huo Yuhao.

Jiang Nannan held her little money pouch. "Yuhao, since you refuse to accept it, I plan to rent us a place in Heaven Dou City."

"Then I'll take half a year's leave from Shrek Academy. I'll cultivate in Heaven Dou City while taking good care of my mother for half a year, until her body recovers to the same condition as a normal person's."

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao considered it briefly. Since Jiang Nannan no longer needed the Black Tortoise Divine Pill from the Xuan Ming Sect, who would Xu San Shi perform the ritual with now? Surely he would not knock on the wrong door again this time?

Honestly, the heaven-defying ideas That Lord came up with from time to time always resulted in some rather memorable developments.

Huo Yuhao stood up and said, "Nan Nan Jie, I'm going out to buy a few things and prepare to obtain my Soul Ring."

He wanted to buy a Soul Guidance Snow Sled, preferably one with a booster.

That way, when he headed to the Far North Land, he could greatly reduce the time wasted on the journey.

Jiang Nannan readily agreed. "Yuhao, I'll go with you. We can also stop by an apothecary in Heaven Dou City and buy some medicine to help Mother recuperate."

"Alright, let's take a look." Huo Yuhao nodded. The two left the hotel and arrived on the streets of Heaven Dou City.

Snow sleds were more of a daily-use Soul Tool, so Huo Yuhao was not sure whether he could buy one in Heaven Dou City. Still, he had to take a look.

If he could not find one, he would buy a few pieces of metal and make a makeshift one himself.

It did not take long for Huo Yuhao to find a shop. The sign above its entrance bore the words "Soul Tool Specialty Store."

Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan entered the shop. The interior was laid out quite neatly. There were Soul Guidance Ray Guns, Soul Guidance Cannons, and protective barriers arranged by rank on the shelves. It looked fairly legitimate.

After glancing around, Huo Yuhao saw that they were all low-level Soul Tools. The highest-ranked ones were only fourth-rank Soul Tools, though it was possible that the owner had hidden away his better stock.

Looking down the shop's aisle, they saw the owner reclining leisurely in a Soul Guidance Chair, gently rocking with a book covering his face.

Noticing Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan enter, the owner immediately sat up and smiled. "What kind of Soul Tools are you two looking for?"

"I'll look around first." Huo Yuhao glanced at the nearest shelf by the entrance, where first- through third-rank Soul Guidance Ray Guns were arranged neatly. Clearly, none of those were what he needed.

A few minutes later, the owner noticed that Huo Yuhao did not seem interested in either defensive or offensive Soul Tools, so he smiled and asked tentatively.

"Young man, you don't look very old. Are you looking for some daily-use Soul Tools?"

"Strange, really. Soul Tools can clearly be made into fixed-installation types, yet Soul Engineers rarely make daily-use Soul Tools. It can't possibly be a technical issue."

Huo Yuhao replied, "Boss, do you have any here?"

"I do, but they're all little trinkets no one buys. You might not have any use for them."

The owner led Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan to the last shelf.

Huo Yuhao immediately spotted a long, smooth metal board.

"Snow Sled. When propelled with a large amount of Soul Power, it can reach speeds comparable to the continent's dedicated means of transportation—a horse carriage. Price: ten Gold Soul Coins."

"Goggles. Use Soul Power to form a thin film over the lenses. They keep out dust and provide a wide field of vision. Price: two Silver Soul Coins."

Huo Yuhao asked, "Boss, what do you mean by comparable to a horse carriage's speed?"

The owner smiled awkwardly. "Because the Core Array inside this Soul Tool isn't very effective. It basically relies entirely on Soul Power for propulsion."

"If you want it, I'll sell it to you at half price—five Gold Soul Coins." The owner took down the Snow Sled.

"I'm not making a single coin off five Gold Soul Coins. The raw material for this Snow Sled is Rare Metal. Even if I sold it as a lump of metal, it would still be worth several Silver Soul Coins."

Huo Yuhao nodded. So that was what he called not making any profit.

When Jiang Nannan saw that someone was trying to make her and Yuhao spend more money, she simply could not stand it. She immediately began an intense round of bargaining with the owner.

In the end, she bought the Snow Sled and Goggles for one Gold Soul Coin.

Watching Jiang Nannan match wits with the owner, Huo Yuhao gave her a thumbs-up. You could tell from how she even bargained with Huo Gua when buying Grilled Fish in the Original Work that she possessed the virtue of thriftiness—no, the trait of being money-obsessed.

After the deal was complete, Huo Yuhao placed the Snow Sled into his Ring of Holding.

The two then went to an apothecary. Jiang Nannan bought some medicine to help her mother recover, while Huo Yuhao bought medicinal ingredients for refining Soul Return Pills.

After returning to the hotel, Huo Yuhao took out the pill cauldron he had received as a reward and prepared to refine some Soul Return Pills.

Seeing the Pill Furnace appear, Jiang Nannan asked curiously, "Yuhao, were all those pills refined through this?"

"No. The Soul Return Pills you saw before were refined using someone else's martial soul."

Seeing Jiang Nannan's puzzled expression, Huo Yuhao explained, "Her martial soul is a cauldron."

"Oh." Jiang Nannan suddenly understood, then gave the medicine she had bought to her mother.

A few hours later, Huo Yuhao had refined nearly fifty Soul Return Pills. Feeling that it was enough, he prepared to sleep. Tomorrow, he would depart for the Far North Land.

"Nan Nan Jie, I'll go rent another room."

Seeing Huo Yuhao walking toward the door, Jiang Nannan hurriedly stopped him. "Hey, Yuhao, why rent another room? Let's not waste money like that."

"This double bed is pretty big. The three of us can squeeze in; we'll definitely fit."

Jiang Mu also spoke from the bed. "Yuhao, you're only eleven. You don't take up much space. Let's make do for one night, and Nannan will rent a place afterward."

Huo Yuhao ultimately could not refuse. After washing up simply, the three rested on the bed in the order of Huo Yuhao, Jiang Nannan, and Jiang Mu.

That night, all three slept peacefully and behaved themselves.

The next morning, Jiang Nannan remembered the Soul Tools Huo Yuhao had bought the previous day and asked curiously, "Yuhao, where are you planning to go to obtain your Soul Ring? I can help you."

After thinking for a moment, Huo Yuhao did not hide it from her. "I'm planning to go to the Far North Land."

Jiang Nannan froze. She had wanted to say that the Far North Land was extremely dangerous for their current cultivation level, and that one careless misstep could cost them their lives.

But although Huo Yuhao's tone sounded calm, it carried an unquestionable determination. Jiang Nannan knew she could not persuade him, so she did not try.

Outer region of the Far North Land.

Wearing a white down jacket at Jiang Nannan's insistence, Huo Yuhao took out the Snow Sled from his Ring of Holding and put on the Goggles.

Huo Yuhao turned to Jiang Nannan, who had accompanied him all the way here. "Nan Nan Jie, this is far enough. Go back and take care of Auntie. I'll only wander around the outer region. If I can't find a suitable soul beast, I'll return to Heaven Dou City."

"The shed shell I'm wearing has very high defense. If you keep accompanying me, I'll have to protect you when the time comes."

Jiang Nannan tucked her hair behind her ear and asked sideways, "Yuhao, how long until you come back?"

Huo Yuhao thought about it. In the Original Work, Huo Gua had spent the entire month-long vacation there and was even late returning to Shrek Academy. He would definitely take far less time than Huo Gua.

"More than twenty days. No longer than a month."

Jiang Nannan felt that was quite a long time. She pursed her lips without saying anything, but remembering that Huo Yuhao had saved her mother's life, she said, "Yuhao, if you haven't come back after twenty days, I'll come find you."

Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded, waving goodbye to Jiang Nannan.

Endless white snow stretched between heaven and earth. With one burst of acceleration, he shot straight into it.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang out in his mind. "Yuhao, let's go. Bing Bing, wait for me! Your big brother is coming back to save you!"

"Yuhao, that girl just now seemed to like you. Who would've thought? You've got a bit of your big brother's former charm too."

"Back then, a cold and aloof beauty who liked me actively pursued me across more than half the Far North Land."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was immensely proud.