"Xiao Huo, I heard your grilled fish business is booming. Good job, kid!"
As soon as he stepped out of the snack street, Huo Yuhao saw Huang Yu. The moment Huang Yu spotted him, he approached with a smile. As the manager of the snack street, he understood well that envy was pointless. Huo had just given him a golden soul coin; making money was his skill.
If every popular stall started causing trouble, who would dare to set up shop here in the future?
As Huang Yu got closer, he noticed Huo Yuhao's face wasn't looking good, and his smile faded a bit.
"What's wrong? Is someone bullying you?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly. "No, Uncle Huang, it's just that a friend might be in some trouble, and I need to go check on them."
"Do you want me to bring some people to accompany you?"
"Thank you, Uncle Huang, but it's not a big deal. I can handle it myself."
Only then did Huang Yu nod in agreement.
"Alright, just be careful. If you run into something you can't handle, don't act recklessly. I know a few people here in Heaven Dou City."
As he spoke, he tugged at the corners of his mouth and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "I don't want the stall to be left empty after renting it out. I've heard many people talking about your grilled fish; it makes me want to try it myself."
"Sure, Uncle Huang, if you come to eat, I won't charge you."
"You little brat, do I still need you to treat me? I can afford a few fish myself. Enough chit-chat, hurry up and go."
After thanking him again, Huo Yuhao quickly disappeared from Huang Yu's sight. A subordinate hesitated for a moment before approaching.
"Brother Huang, why do you take care of that kid so much?"
Huang Yu didn't rush to answer. He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and placed it in his mouth. The subordinate quickly took out a match to light it for him.
"Puff—"
"I just think he looks too stressed and wanted to lend a hand."
As the smoke swirled around, Huang Yu's eyes held a complicated expression. "As someone with kids, I can't bear to see such a young child carrying so much pressure."
"But looking at him, he's much more impressive than I imagined…"
Boom!
The plaque inscribed with the words "Tang Sect" fell heavily from the tall gate, shattering into pieces.
In front of the gate, a tall middle-aged man looked at this scene and couldn't help but smirk. But in the next second, his expression turned fierce, and six soul rings appeared beneath his feet—one white, two yellow, and three purple.
The might of a Soul Emperor erupted without reservation at this moment. He glanced around, sweeping over the onlookers who had gathered to see the commotion. Anyone who made eye contact with the middle-aged man instinctively lowered their heads. Seeing this, he let out a haughty snort and bellowed.
"What's there to look at? Haven't you seen a demolition before!? Get out of here!"
With his shout, the crowd dispersed like birds and beasts, not daring to look back.
Before long, two young men arrived beside the middle-aged man, bowing respectfully.
"Master."
Seeing that the two young men returned empty-handed, the middle-aged man frowned.
"Did you find anything?"
A hint of panic flashed in the eyes of the two young men. One of them gulped and said tremulously, "Report to the Master, the Tang Sect's secret passages are too concealed; we couldn't find them."
"Useless!"
The middle-aged man scolded angrily, "You can't even catch a little girl? Heaven Dou City is this big; where can she run to? Expand the search range and continue looking!"
"Yes, yes!"
The two young men quickly nodded in agreement, turning to leave without looking back. Only when they couldn't see the Master's figure did they relax slightly. One of them couldn't help but sneer softly and mutter.
"Heaven Dou City is so big, so why doesn't he go look for her himself? If we search little by little, we won't find her even in three days. That girl has probably run away already."
"Enough complaining, let's just search. It's not just us two looking, and I remember that girl from the Tang Sect is quite pretty. If we do find her… Hehe."
Hearing his companion's laugh, the other young man's expression softened, a mysterious smile forming on his lips. The two instinctively quickened their pace.
Soon, they arrived at a small alley. After searching fruitlessly and about to leave, they turned around and found a slender figure standing quietly at the entrance of the alley.
The sunlight slanted down behind her, completely covering her face in shadow. A pair of azure eyes, filled with chilling coldness, fixedly stared at them.
Realizing something was off, the two exchanged glances, then drew their weapons, looking unfriendly at the boy.
"Kid, what do you want?"
"Aren't you the demolition crew?"
Looking at the long knives in their hands, Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Or is it reasonable for demolition crew members to carry swords around?"
"Forget it."
Before the two could reply, Huo Yuhao shook his head, changing the topic.
"Anyway, it won't hurt to ask you a few questions."
He took out a white tiger dagger from his storage space, the sharp blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
"If you're too harsh later, just bear with it!"
After a whole day, Tang Ya felt like she had lost her soul, huddled in the empty alley, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the dirt on the ground.
Even though her stomach had long been crying out in hunger, she remained oblivious.
Thanks to the secret passage set up in advance by the Tang Sect, she had successfully escaped from the Iron Blood Sect's ambush. However, her parents had stayed behind to protect her, leaving her forever.
She tightly gripped the storage ring in her hand, which contained the last legacy of the Tang Sect— a rare metal that was originally used to forge hidden weapons. Her parents had given it to her with smiles before going to sleep after hearing her words.
Everything happened so suddenly, like a nightmare, that her mind remained in chaos. After staying there for a day, she still couldn't figure out where to go next.
At that moment, a steady pair of footsteps approached from outside the alley. She didn't react at all until the footsteps suddenly stopped and then drew nearer, as if walking toward her. Tang Ya's heart stirred slightly.
Is it coming for me? Did the Iron Blood Sect find me?
Finally, the footsteps stopped in front of her, and a gentle voice sounded in her ear.
"If you don't eat, your body will collapse."
Tang Ya's body trembled, and as she raised her head, she saw two skewers of grilled fish being offered to her. Perhaps they were nearly cold, as the aroma was no longer as strong as yesterday, but it still caused her empty stomach to emit strange sounds.
"Eat, I promised to save some for you."
Without offering comfort or saying anything else, the boy simply pushed the grilled fish toward her. Tang Ya finally responded, dazedly taking the skewers of grilled fish and staring blankly at them.
Suddenly, it was as if a switch had been flipped. She opened her mouth and took a big bite of the grilled fish, tearing at it vigorously, chewing heartily.
As she chewed, her already swollen eyes filled with tears again. She raised her hand holding the fish, desperately trying to wipe her tears away, but she couldn't stop them at all.
The whole scene looked quite comical, but the boy in front didn't laugh. He slowly sat down beside her, gazing at the scenery outside the alley, remaining silent.
Realizing it was futile to wipe away her tears, Tang Ya gave up, suppressing her soft sobs like a little beast, swallowing the fish meat.
Until she devoured the two skewers of grilled fish completely, Tang Ya felt like she was alive again. She pursed her lips and looked at Huo Yuhao, her voice hoarse as she asked.
"How did you find me?"
Huo Yuhao replied softly, "I saved two skewers of grilled fish for you, but you didn't come. I didn't want to waste them, so I came over."
Tang Ya felt as if the words were stuck in her throat. After a long pause, she finally asked, "How did you find this place?"
The Iron Blood Sect was definitely searching for her. Even they couldn't find this place, yet this boy managed to do so.
"It's just luck. My luck has always been good. I just happened to stumble upon it."
"Liar."
Tang Ya let out a soft huff from her throat, mercilessly exposing Huo Yuhao's lie. "It's almost night."
If the other party had started searching for her when they saw she hadn't come at noon, it was obvious they had been searching all afternoon.
"Alright then."
Huo Yuhao shrugged helplessly. "I heard you were from the Tang Sect. I figured the Tang Sect must have an escape route, and it definitely wouldn't be near the Tang Sect. So, I started expanding my search radius, and you made it quite a challenge for me."
As for whether anyone would place the secret exit near the sect, Huo Yuhao only thought for a moment, then threw that idea away. After all, when a critical moment came, the first thought was to run.
Seeing Tang Ya still staring at him, Huo Yuhao knew he had to comfort her.
"Don't worry, they won't find you here. I'll stay by your side."
Tang Ya shook her head slowly, her voice trembling as she murmured, "I'm afraid…"
"Don't be afraid," Huo Yuhao quickly interrupted. "Didn't you just eat? You have strength now. If you have strength, you can face anything. As long as you have me here, you don't have to be afraid."
Tang Ya looked at him with wide eyes. For a moment, she couldn't figure out how to respond.
In the middle of her hesitation, Huo Yuhao spoke again, "I'll teach you how to cook grilled fish. Even if I can't be by your side forever, I hope you can have a skill to survive on your own."
"Cooking grilled fish?"
Tang Ya tilted her head slightly, seemingly pondering this thought.
"Don't think too much; just trust me. This skill can ensure you can eat whatever you want. If you're hungry, just use a fire to roast something. The skill comes in handy."
She finally laughed—a soft, weak smile, as if a flower blooming in the shadow of despair. She took a deep breath, nodded firmly, and said, "Okay, I'll learn!"
"Then let's collaborate."
(End of Chapter)