In the quiet woods, moonlight filtered through the trees, scattering mottled patches across the ground.
At that moment, undercurrents surged ceaselessly beneath the tranquil Sea God Lake, and waves slapped against the steps, one after another.
Huo Yuhao walked along the path toward his dormitory.
He was covered in wounds, the entire right side of his face swollen high. The blood at the corner of his mouth had yet to be wiped clean, and his clothes were thoroughly stained red.
These wounds should be enough. I need to control the flow of my Soul Power so they don't heal instantly. That would make the wounds look unnatural.
Huo Yuhao felt relaxed and cheerful, as though he had not just taken a beating.
Downstairs at the dormitory, Mu En, who had been there, had vanished, and there was no telling where he had gone.
Huo Yuhao looked up at his dorm room, his eyes shifting slightly, and stretched.
He pushed open the door to find a woman sitting quietly on his bed.
Her black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and her cool eyes made others afraid to meet her gaze. The moment she saw Huo Yuhao, a sweet smile appeared on her lips.
Her chest rose in exaggerated peaks, its graceful contours flowing down to a slender waist before flaring sharply at her hips.
Her straight, rounded thighs were pressed together, her hands resting elegantly between them. The purple gemstone on her finger still glittered, obscuring the crucial spot and making the sight all the more alluring.
Below her long, fair legs, her smooth toes were exposed to the air. Her delicate feet were perfectly proportioned, especially captivating beneath the moonlight.
Huo Yuhao showed no reaction and sat down beside her.
"Lord Shadow, you should have changed first. If this keeps up, Shrek Academy will throw you out."
Zhang Lexuan took a hamburger from her storage ring and handed it to Huo Yuhao.
"Indeed. This suits the identity of an inconspicuous bastard from the Duke's Mansion quite well."
Huo Yuhao unwrapped the hamburger in his hand and finished it in a few bites, then crumpled the wrapper into a ball and tossed it toward the trash can.
The wrapper spun around the rim of the trash can a few times before wobbling to the floor.
Without complaint, Zhang Lexuan stepped barefoot onto the floor, picked up the wrapper, and threw it inside.
"Although I don't know why you're doing this, it's about time. I've arranged everything."
Zhang Lexuan walked in front of Huo Yuhao, hooked her slender fingers around his shirt buttons, and slowly undid his collar.
"It's arranged? Sorrow, I didn't expect you all to move so quickly," Huo Yuhao said mildly, letting Zhang Lexuan do as she pleased.
Zhang Lexuan undid two of his buttons and tucked her loose hair behind her ear. Bracing one knee against the edge of the bed and holding his shoulders, she spread her legs and slowly sat down.
"Shrek Academy has been deeply poisoned by the divine light. The academy's higher-ups can no longer be trusted."
"Has the Golden Ancient Tree been completely taken over?"
Zhang Lexuan looped her arms around Huo Yuhao's neck, a delicate fragrance filling his nose. Their noses touched, her fragrant lips within inches of his. She grasped the collar of his outer garment and slowly lifted it, and Huo Yuhao cooperated, letting her take it off.
"Yes. Without a doubt, it has already twisted the senior leadership's thinking through the ancient tree. Its aim is to control Shrek Academy, and through that, control the entire continent." Zhang Lexuan set Huo Yuhao's discarded outer garment aside.
"If it's allowed to continue, the entire continent will ultimately be nothing more than the Divine Realm's puppet."
Zhang Lexuan smoothed Huo Yuhao's disheveled hair, slowly resting her forehead against his. Their breaths mingled, and the temperature in the room gradually rose.
"I understand."
Huo Yuhao answered and lay back on the bed.
Zhang Lexuan followed him down, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. With a slight stir of her Soul Power, the swelling on his right cheek subsided a little.
"I know you have your own considerations, and I know you bear a heavy burden. But we haven't spent all these years doing nothing, either."
"So please, sometimes, let yourself rely on us too."
Zhang Lexuan propped herself up with her hands, took a fresh shirt from her storage ring, and placed it beside Huo Yuhao.
She climbed off Huo Yuhao and slowly crouched by his feet, carefully removing his shoes and placing them neatly at the foot of the bed.
Once everything was done, Zhang Lexuan slowly stood.
Beneath the moonlight, black liquid surged under her long black hair, turning into threads that clung to her body and formed a black bodysuit covering her completely. A few golden patterns adorned the black, making her look even more valiant.
"Lord Shadow, we've already made contact with Joy. We'll teach her everything about the Garden. We're always behind you. We'll help you hold up that heavy burden."
Zhang Lexuan pushed open the door, her graceful shadow stretching from the doorway into the room. She took a long look at Huo Yuhao lying on the bed, her eyes filled with tenderness.
Whoosh!
Zhang Lexuan vanished in an instant, leaving Huo Yuhao alone in Room 201.
"Yuhao! Yuhao!"
Wang Dong pushed open the door, panting, and called out after swallowing.
Huo Yuhao sat on the bed with a white cloth, slowly wiping the soul tool sword in his hand. Wherever the cloth passed, a cold gleam followed, flowing continuously over the blade.
"I'm fine. See? I'm perfectly all right."
Huo Yuhao continued wiping the sword in his hand without any expression, as though nothing that night had happened.
"Do you have any idea how badly you scared us? The teacher in the Soul Fighting Zone said they couldn't find you. I guessed you'd come back to the dorm."
Wang Dong searched Huo Yuhao's face, desperate to find some unusual emotion, but her efforts were ultimately in vain.
He sighed helplessly and sat down across from Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao had long since changed into a clean shirt. Aside from the bruises mottling his face, nothing else showed.
"Right, Xiao Xiao is still downstairs. If you're okay, I'll tell her to head back first," Wang Dong said.
"Little Potato? All right. Sorry for the trouble."
Wang Dong went to the window and waved to Xiao Xiao downstairs, signaling that Huo Yuhao was fine.
Xiao Xiao watched from downstairs for a long while. Only after Wang Dong signaled with her eyes did she leave, looking back three times with every step.
Just then, Huo Yuhao finished wiping his sword and slowly slid it back into its sheath.
"Yuhao, why didn't you fight back?!"
Seeing Huo Yuhao being so cowardly, Wang Dong felt a surge of anger.
"There's no need to fight back. Being a useless Aji is pretty good. At least Mom is very happy. That's enough." Huo Yuhao found a comfortable position and lay down.
Hearing his words, Wang Dong suddenly grabbed Huo Yuhao by the collar with her right hand and hauled him upright, pointing at the sword beside him.
"You have a Martial Soul, and even failing that, you have this sword! Just because you're a bastard, do you think you're inferior to someone like Dai Huabin?!"
Huo Yuhao remained silent.
"Why? Why won't you fight back? Doesn't it hurt...?"
As Wang Dong spoke, tears could not help streaming down her face.
Everything he had seen today made him imagine that Huo Yuhao might also have spent his childhood being bullied by Dai Huabin. The only reason he did not resist was that he had grown used to it.
His heart ached. That boy who had called out that he would treat the girls to hamburgers actually carried so many burdens.
He was clearly badly injured, yet he acted as though nothing had happened. How many beatings must he have endured to develop a disposition like this!
"Yuhao, I won't let you get hurt again."
A trace of resolve flashed through Wang Dong's eyes, and she secretly swore never to let anything like this happen again.
"All right, all right, I get it. Go to sleep."
Huo Yuhao waved a hand, not knowing what had gotten into that little girl Wang Dong, then rolled over and closed his eyes.
Was my acting really that bad?
Huo Yuhao began to question his life a little.