As he left, Cao Yu did not forget to use that Black Pallbearers Experience Card.
The moment the card appeared, it swiftly flew into the distance.
In the blink of an eye, it vanished.
Cao Yu paid it no mind, however, and continued toward Shrek.
Along the way, they would also have to pass through the Star Dou Great Forest.
Inside the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
A peculiar burst of cheerful music mixed with electronic beats suddenly rang out.
Black men wearing black suits, white shirts, and pointed top hats suddenly appeared before the duchess.
The music was being played by the band among their ranks.
Before the duchess could figure out what was happening,
the heavy lid of the reddish-black coffin abruptly opened, and an immense force sucked her inside.
Duang!
The coffin lid slammed shut.
At their leader's direction, the black men swiftly sprang into action, waving white towels in their hands and striking all manner of poses.
With a sudden heave, they hoisted the coffin onto their shoulders.
"Help! Help me!"
The duchess lay inside the coffin, her face filled with terror. The servants outside were also too stunned to recover their senses and had no time to save her.
Once the music played, her parents had raised her in vain; once the black men smiled, life or death was anyone's guess.
At first, you knew not why the black men smiled; when next you heard them, you lay inside the coffin. On the road to the Yellow Springs, the body wasted away; on the Homeward-Gazing Terrace, one recalled the mortal world.
Trapped inside the coffin, the duchess pounded its lid in grief and fury.
Bang, bang~ bang!
But no matter how much strength she used, she could not budge the lid in the slightest.
The six black men solemnly carried the coffin on their shoulders, walking toward the center of Star Luo City to the cheerful music.
"Save the duchess!" The experts within the Duke's Mansion poured out in full force, including two Soul Douluos and four Soul Saints, with the rest at various levels around Soul King.
Boom!
Ferocious attacks slammed into the black pallbearers. After the storm passed, their suits remained as pristine as ever, without a single wound to be seen.
The outside interference did not interrupt their rhythm. Smiling festively, they swung their arms nimbly, now left, now right, now forward, now backward, sometimes crawling like turtles, sometimes frolicking like children.
At last, the black men arrived at the waste disposal area in the center of Star Luo City.
Thud!
They plunged down together with the coffin, sending yellow droplets splashing high around them.
The nearby passersby instinctively pinched their noses and darted aside.
After two days of tireless dredging, the filth in the area was finally cleared away.
By then, the six black men had long since vanished, leaving only a bloated figure lying in the middle.
"Heavens! The duchess is dead!"
"What a sin!"
An expert from the Duke's Mansion asked, "How do we explain this to the duke?"
"Tell him the truth!"
"Just say she ate... drank... shit until she burst, and the culprits vanished."
In a clear stream, a boy stood in the water with his trouser legs rolled up, holding a wooden fork.
Suddenly, the wooden fork flashed like lightning and plunged into the water.
Pfft!
The wooden fork speared a sizable snakehead fish.
Quite a few already lay on the bank, and Cao Yu helped clean them nearby.
A campfire had also been built, its roaring flames reflected on the water in an even more vivid red.
"Yuhao, that's enough. Come up and grill them."
"Okay, Brother Yu. I'll be right there."
Tossing the wooden fork aside, Huo Yuhao walked out of the water.
He lowered his trouser legs, washed his hands, and deftly picked up the skewered fish to grill them.
When it came to grilling fish, Cao Yu really was no match for him.
After all, the boy had learned his mother's true skills, and the Storage Soul Tool came in very handy every time he grilled fish.
Salt, MSG, chili powder, cumin, spices-all of it was stuffed into the Soul Tool.
Huo Yuhao had one too, bought with the money he had earned.
If he had not been heading to Shrek, he would have been reluctant to leave the river snail rice noodle shop.
He brushed oil over the fish, then added salt, MSG, cumin, and the rest in turn...
Sizzle~ sizzle!
Before long, the snakehead fish's skin split open from the heat, and the flesh inside turned golden as a rich fish fragrance burst forth from it.
It made their mouths water.
After waiting only a moment, Cao Yu could hold back no longer. He picked up a skewer and took great mouthfuls.
Cao Yu praised him through a mouthful of food. "This tastes absolutely incredible! Yuhao, it'd be such a shame to let your skills go unrecognized!"
"I'm thinking about opening a grilled fish shop for you, right near Shrek Academy. That way, it'd be convenient for me to eat there too. What do you think?"
Huo Yuhao agreed. "Sure, but what about the river snail rice noodles?"
"Also, would Shrek Academy be willing to sell us those places?"
Cao Yu was unconcerned. "That's simple. Isn't money all we need? I'll have the Cao Clan send some people over to oversee things."
"Then we can put together a special deal and sell your grilled fish together with the river snail rice noodles."
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up. "You always have so many ideas, Brother Yu!"
As though he had not heard those words, Cao Yu stared straight at the fire before him.
The bewitching flames twisted in their dance, leaving him lost in a daze.
The atmosphere suddenly fell quiet, and there was no telling what he was thinking.
Huo Yuhao asked curiously, "Brother Yu, what are you thinking about? You're so absorbed."
Putting on a profound air, Cao Yu said, "I miss my old blue ox."
"I wonder if it can still sleep without me there, or if it's still eating well."
Meanwhile, far away in the mountains, beneath the setting sun in the west,
an old blue ox was running through the fields with a cow.
They seemed to have had a wonderful time that day.
Then the old blue ox raised both front legs high and leaned against the other cow.
"Moo-!!!"
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on triggering the main quests!] [Main quest one: Find the Hundred Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, and fuse with him.] [Main quest two: Fuse with the otherworldly mage, Electrolux.] [Friendly reminder: Releasing the Mental Attribute of your primary Martial Soul will bring an unexpected reward!]
Finally, a quest!
Cao Yu instantly grew excited and immediately found an excuse to leave.
Huo Yuhao did not ask much. After all, everyone had urgent bodily needs. Presumably, Brother Yu could not hold it in anymore.
Hehe!
He passed through the bushes.
After walking for several dozen minutes, he arrived at a clearing surrounded by trees that were not particularly tall, with plenty of light.
This was already the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
To guard against any mishaps, Cao Yu had also brought a Shadow Clone along, just in case.
"Right here!"
The system's directions stopped here as well.
"Sage's Sanctuary!"
This was an item Cao Yu had purchased from the system shop.
This armor could resurrect its wearer twice without any conditions.
Once those resurrections were used up, the armor would become worthless junk.
From what Cao Yu knew of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, he had once said that he had caused a Titled Douluo to burst.
Cao Yu was also afraid he would not have Huo Yuhao's luck, which was why he had prepared this divine item to save his life.
Although he had used the protagonist halo, there was never anything wrong with being a little careful.
He dispatched a Wind Baboon.
Then he put on the armor and released his Gold Soul Coin Martial Soul, activating its accompanying Mental Attribute as well.
Before long,
the earth began to tremble, cracks appeared across the ground, and the temperature plummeted.
He's coming, he's coming!
He's riding in on auspicious clouds!
Cao Yu revealed a relieved smile. Suddenly, without any warning, a voice rang out in his mind.
"I've finally met a human with a Mental Attribute! Too bad I can't cry, or tears would be streaming down my face!"
(End of chapter)