The drizzling rain had fallen all day. Only shallow little puddles remained across Sea God Lake, looking utterly desolate, its former grandeur long gone.
The enormous crater was like a bottomless pit, swallowing everything that fell from the sky.
Huo Yuhao looked at the vanished Sea God Lake with some regret. Had he known, he would have held back a little. Without Sea God Lake, it always felt as though something of its flavor was missing.
He took an enormous umbrella from his storage ring, forced it open, and planted it straight into the ground. With a stir of Soul Power in his hand, the water on the ground gradually disappeared.
Huo Yuhao then set out a table and chairs before taking out a Soul Tool barbecue grill.
The three sat down beside Sea God Lake.
Raindrops pattered against the umbrella and struck the stone paving with a crisp, pleasant sound. Rain was something that helped people sleep, and its dripping brought him incomparable peace. Huo Yuhao thoroughly enjoyed moments like this.
Wang Dong'er could not help complaining, "Yuhao, when will it be ready? I went all last night without eating just to wait for this meal!"
Xiao Xiao watched the ingredients in Huo Yuhao's hands, deftly took them over, and helped him thread them onto skewers.
"Yuhao, I'll help you skewer them." Xiao Xiao smiled sweetly.
Staying beside Huo Yuhao, helping him while they exchanged smiles-this was the life she wanted most.
"Wang Dong, if you're hungry, I still have some bread here. You can have that first."
Huo Yuhao took bread from his ring, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Wang Dong'er.
"No, I want to help too!"
Watching the two work together in perfect harmony, Wang Dong'er shouted and stood up, snatching a share of the work to make skewers alongside Xiao Xiao.
Huo Yuhao shook his head at the two secretly competing and stepped aside.
It was time to return to his old trade and show off his fish-grilling skills.
Huo Yuhao took out the fish he had frozen into blocks long ago and activated his Second Martial Soul. The ice immediately melted, leaving lively, fresh fish before him.
He drew the White Tiger Dagger from his waist. The two-foot shortsword shifted and transformed into a small knife.
Huo Yuhao had long since found someone to reforge this White Tiger Dagger. It had three forms in total: a small knife, a shortsword, and a longsword. It was extremely convenient, and he carried the weapon with him practically every day.
Scaling, removing the gills, slitting the bellies, and gutting them all flowed together in one smooth sequence. Finally, Huo Yuhao made a light cut a finger's width behind a fish's head, then another a finger or two ahead of its tail. He patted the fish with the back of the knife, gently pinched the incision, and slowly drew out a white thread.
This was a fishy-smelling tendon. Removing it would greatly reduce the fishy taste of the flesh.
He repeated the process, finishing the fish one by one and setting them aside.
Huo Yuhao prepared around a hundred fish, for no particular reason other than to have them ready for future needs.
After all, these fish had happened to be blasted out last night. He could hardly waste them.
Looking at the little mountain of fish beside him, Huo Yuhao carefully wiped the White Tiger Dagger with a white cloth, then sniffed it. Only after making sure there was no fishy stench did he put it away.
After threading the fish onto the prepared paper strips, Huo Yuhao increased his Soul Power output. The Soul Tool barbecue grill immediately heated up. As the fish met the flames, they gleamed with oil and sizzled!
A delicious aroma assailed their noses!
"Mmm! That smells amazing! Yuhao, how could you grill fish without calling me?"
Her two big eyes sparkling like stars, Tang Ya pulled Jiang Nannan along and hurried over. Her delicate face looked particularly lovely in the firelight.
She gazed longingly at the steaming grilled fish, pleading with Huo Yuhao through pitiful eyes.
"No! This grilled fish is mine!"
Wang Dong'er immediately blocked the grilled fish, her eyes brimming with wariness, looking exactly like a kitten guarding its food.
The color of their uniforms immediately told her that Tang Ya was their senior. She had to be wary of these two seniors who had suddenly appeared and knew Huo Yuhao. Xiao Xiao alone already had her drowning in jealousy.
What was she supposed to do if two more seniors joined in?
"Little brother, look how much Yuhao prepared. It'll be fine," Tang Ya coaxed.
Wang Dong'er remained adamant. "No! Yuhao grilled this for me. I can't give it to you!"
"I don't even know you. Why should I give you my grilled fish? Besides, Huo Yuhao grilled this especially for me." Wang Dong'er tilted her nose up, looking immensely pleased with herself.
Tang Ya pulled up a chair beside Huo Yuhao and boldly wrapped her arms around his waist, wheedling, "Little brother, with the relationship Yuhao and I have, can't I have a grilled fish first?"
"Y-you... you, you!"
Wang Dong'er was startled by her action and froze on the spot.
At the sight of the bold Tang Ya, Xiao Xiao's pretty face instantly flushed scarlet. Her hands stopped moving as she stared blankly at the pair, her entire brain losing the ability to think.
Jiang Nannan looked at the gluttonous Xiao Ya, then at Huo Yuhao, who was concentrating on grilling fish. That perfect profile was simply wonderful.
Lord Shadow was so handsome even when grilling fish. As expected of her favorite man. He was even more handsome when he gave her those priceless things one after another.
Jiang Nannan moved her little hand and pressed the recording Soul Tool in front of her, capturing Huo Yuhao's focused appearance as he grilled fish.
"All right, all right, Xiao Ya, stop teasing her. Wang Dong, sit down first. Xiao Xiao, Nannan, you too."
Huo Yuhao rubbed Tang Ya's head, loosened her hands, flipped the fish, and began making introductions.
"Wang Dong, my roommate. Little Potato Xiao Xiao, my current girlfriend. I'll be relying on her to keep me in the future."
"Wait, when did Xiao Xiao become your girlfriend?"
Wang Dong'er jumped up, staring at Huo Yuhao in disbelief.
She had been thinking that Huo Yuhao was the only person who knew she was a girl, and she herself had fallen for him.
With the thought that the pavilion nearest the water caught the moon first, she had already been getting closer and closer to Huo Yuhao.
She had never imagined that Xiao Xiao had long since stolen her base. No wonder Xiao Xiao was so intimate with Huo Yuhao.
Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan also looked at Huo Yuhao in surprise, but they quickly accepted it. With Lord Shadow being so powerful, having multiple partners was perfectly normal.
As long as they could always stay by Lord Shadow's side, nothing else mattered.
Still, since she was Lord Shadow's girlfriend, they naturally needed to assign some people to protect her.
After exchanging glances, Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan planned to begin making arrangements once they returned.
Xiao Xiao's entire face turned scarlet. She had not expected Huo Yuhao to openly announce their relationship either.
A boy taking the initiative to make things public earned a huge number of points!
She was delighted, but soon grew shy. All she could do was run to Huo Yuhao's side, clutch a corner of his sleeve, and hide herself.
"Little sister, you're so cute. My Yuhao really is lucky. Heehee."
Tang Ya generously pulled Xiao Xiao over. Looking at her delicate face and blinking big eyes, as adorable as a porcelain doll, she rubbed Xiao Xiao's head.
"Little sister Xiao Xiao, you're so cute! It's an enormous stroke of luck for Yuhao to be able to marry you."
Jiang Nannan also looked Xiao Xiao over. After taking her picture, she immediately extracted the photograph and handed it to Xiao Xiao with a smile.
Wang Dong'er was thoroughly furious. With a cold snort, she dragged her chair far away and sulked.
Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly and had no choice but to get up. Only after coaxing her every which way did he manage to bring her back.
"This is Tang Ya, our senior. I traveled with her in the Star Dou Great Forest, and that was how I came to Shrek Academy."
"And Jiang Nannan, the outer court's number one beauty. We met when we were little. Back then..."
Huo Yuhao talked for a long while before finally finishing the introductions.
Wang Dong'er gave Huo Yuhao a somewhat suspicious look, but ultimately believed him.
Suddenly, two lovely voices drifted over from afar.
"Yuhao, why didn't you call your big sister when you were grilling fish? If you don't come find me soon, my flames will go out."
"Yuhao, I only didn't call you because you looked too busy."
"How am I busy? Even when I'm busy, I'm nowhere near as busy as you, Lexuan!"
Wang Dong'er looked toward the voices, her eyes widening. Pointing at Huo Yuhao, she trembled all over with anger.
"Huo Yuhao, you've really done it now!"
She shouted, then ran off to the side to sulk again.
That young lady's temper truly was unmatched.
Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly. He tried to touch her several times, but she shook him off each time.
Sometimes, girls got angry for no reason.
He would wait for her to calm down a little before slowly coaxing her.
As long as you were sincere and coaxed her a little, a girl would forgive you.
Huo Yuhao walked back, took out two chairs for Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao, and began concentrating on grilling fish.
The spreading fragrance stimulated everyone's taste buds, making it impossible to resist. All they could see was that delicious-smelling grilled fish.
Wang Dong'er turned to glance over from time to time, her eyes conflicted yet delighted, shy yet stubborn.
Perhaps this day, too, was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Still, perhaps the most pitiful one was Lord Shadow.