Huo Tian took out a red handkerchief and gently wiped the dirt from Huo Yutong's little face. Once the dirt was gone, her delicate features were revealed.
Years of malnutrition had left Huo Yutong's little cheeks uneven and sunken. She held her hands behind her back, rubbing them together uneasily.
"Th... thank you, Master!"
Huo Yutong stammered, at a loss before this sudden kindness from the outside world. For the past ten years, she had lived amid other people's insults.
"Little Yutong, we're family from now on. There's no need to say thank you!"
Huo Yu stroked her dark blue hair, smiling as he looked at her. Their eyes met.
Whether it was Huo Yuhao in the original story or Huo Yutong, their miserable childhoods had been brushed over with a few strokes of the pen.
Who was to blame for what Huo Yutong had suffered as a child-Tang San, Dai Hao, or her love-addled mother...?
Everyone had different positions and different views, but none of that mattered anymore! Since Huo Tian had become Huo Yutong's master, he certainly would not let her repeat the same mistakes.
"Little Yutong, go and say a proper goodbye to your mother."
"Then I'll take you traveling around the continent."
Huo Tian stood up and clasped his hands behind his back. Circulating his Soul Power, he flashed over beneath the large tree.
"Mm!"
Huo Yutong answered steadily. She turned and walked over to Huo Yun'er's grave, drawing closer until she wrapped both arms around the wooden marker, as though nestling into her mother's embrace.
"Mom, Tongtong has become the disciple of a really powerful Soul Master! No one will ever be able to bully Tongtong again!"
"Mom, you can rest easy now. With Master, Tongtong will have enough food and warm clothes. I won't have to suffer like before!
"Mom... I really wish I could see you one more time..."
"From now on... wherever I go, I'll still think of you, Mom."
"Maybe one day, somewhere, I'll meet you again-Mom."
"Even if the path of a Soul Master is dangerous and lonely, I won't turn back..."
"Because... I have nothing left to lose."
"Mom, the next time Tongtong comes back, maybe Tongtong will already be famous across the continent!"
"I'm leaving with Master!"
Tears kept falling from Huo Yutong's eyes. Her voice was very soft, and her tears soaked her collar. She clenched her little hands into fists, resolving that she would become stronger.
Huo Yutong stepped back a few paces and bowed to Huo Yun'er, then turned toward the large tree behind her.
"Master, let's go!"
"All right!"
Huo Tian activated Martial Soul Possession. A pair of Vermilion Bird Fire Wings spread behind him, and waves of Evil Fire presence radiated from his entire body. Looking at Huo Tian's Martial Soul, Huo Yutong felt that it seemed so powerful.
Huo Tian scooped Huo Yutong into his arms in a bridal carry. This was the only position that made flying convenient for him.
"Ah!"
Huo Yutong's whole body left the ground, her center of gravity dropping. Her head pressed tightly against Huo Tian's strong chest, and a blush appeared on her fair little face.
"Hold on tight!"
At Huo Tian's reminder, Huo Yutong crossed her hands and gripped his neck tightly. With his Soul Power bolstering him, Huo Tian shot into the sky, disappearing into the air like a fiery red meteor.
"Boss, one room!"
Huo Tian came to the inn's front desk and tossed down a few Gold Soul Coins. The receptionist immediately registered him and took out the key to room 302.
Huo Tian picked up the key and led Huo Yutong up the stairs by her little hand. Huo Yutong looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, uneasy and apprehensive.
The two arrived at room 302. Huo Tian opened the door. The furnishings inside were very simple: just two beds, a table, and a chair...
"Little Yutong! Keep this storage ring safe. The clothes, Gold Soul Coins... everything you need is inside!"
"Go and take a bath first! Once you're done, I'll examine your meridians and bone structure..."
Huo Tian took a silver ring from behind his back and pressed it into Huo Yutong's palm. Huo Yutong was overwhelmed by the favor. This was far too precious, but in the end she accepted it and put it on her finger.
"All right... Master, I'll go take a bath!"
Huo Yutong jogged to the bathroom door, stole a glance at Huo Tian, then went inside. The sound of water came from the bathroom.
[Ding! Beginner mission completed!] [Distributing system rewards...] [Mission rewards distributed: Five-Hundred-Thousand-Year Fire Sparrow Torso Bone, Vermilion Bird Domain!]
Huo Tian sat cross-legged on the bed. The system space suddenly opened on its own, making him start, and a Fire Sparrow Torso Bone appeared in his hand.
The Soul Bone was fiery red throughout and gave off a dazzling light. The moment it appeared, the temperature of the entire room soared, as though he were inside a furnace.
Huo Tian smiled in satisfaction. He was more than pleased with this reward. He now possessed three Soul Bones over a hundred thousand years old.
If the old monsters on the continent learned of this, they would certainly be stunned. They would surely hunt Huo Tian down-who would not covet a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone?
While Huo Tian was lost in thought, a fiery red vermilion bird divine mark suddenly appeared between his brows. The system notified him that the Vermilion Bird Domain had arrived, and an invisible force pulled him into meditation.
When Huo Tian regained awareness, he was in an unfamiliar place. He stood up and looked around.
Huo Tian was beneath a volcano, with magma everywhere underfoot. The magma here seemed capable of burning everything in the world to ashes.
Huo Tian activated Martial Soul Possession and flew above it. Looking down at the endless expanse of volcanic rock beneath his feet, he was utterly bewildered. He pinched his cheek. This was not a dream.
"System, system, where the hell did you go?"
Huo Tian hovered in midair and shouted at the sky several times, but no one answered. He continued flying. Just then, the vermilion bird divine mark between his brows began flashing repeatedly, as though guiding him toward the center of the volcano.
With his Soul Power bolstering him, Huo Tian soon arrived above the volcano. The heat rising from it felt very familiar. Without hesitation, he immediately plunged into the magma.
The magma did not harm Huo Tian. Instead, it soothed him like a mother, and before long, he had plunged deep into it.
The space here suddenly opened up. Several towering fire trees grew there, and not far from them lay a skeleton.
Huo Tian landed on a level surface. The flowers, grass, and trees here all contained the fire element. Following the guidance, he made his way toward the skeleton.
The skeleton was roughly a hundred meters long. If its two pairs of wings were spread, its total length could reach two hundred meters. Words were carved into its skull.
"If a descendant of the Vermilion Bird comes here, perhaps I am already dead!"
"I have left you a gift. I hope it can help you!"
"Our entire Vermilion Bird Clan suffered grievous casualties. I hope our descendants will not seek revenge!"
Huo Tian stroked the white bones and read the three lines carved into them. Only then did he realize that these bones were the remains of a Vermilion Bird.
"Then that means I'm a descendant of the Vermilion Bird Clan!"
Huo Tian was startled. If he were not, he would not have come here. He walked deeper into the enormous skeleton.