FE—Chapter 110: Beat Tang San Until He Is Willing
On the streets of Mingdu, Huo Yuhao and his friends strolled around, discussing the matter of opening a barbecue restaurant. Xiao Hongchen pointed to a place marked with a red cross on the map.
"Yuhao, this place is under the control of law enforcement officers in Mingdu City. There are no issues with public security; it's not a black market where people kill and rob. On the surface, it's a legitimate market."
Xiao Hongchen introduced Huo Yuhao to several sensitive areas he had learned about from his grandfather. Most people were unaware of the deeper situations in these places.
Huo Yuhao was also familiar with the general situation from the original work.
No matter how powerful the evil soul masters were in the Sun-Moon Empire, even if their top combat power could be called the underground emperor, they still existed in the shadows.
It was similar to the ongoing and covert struggles between the underworld and the mundane world of a country.
However, should the situation escalate into a conflict between nations, the underworld forces might propose to halt domestic struggles, promising to assist with external conflicts, and demanding sufficient compensation upon success.
The true emperor ruling under the sun in the Sun-Moon Empire would undoubtedly seize this opportunity to manipulate the ruler of the dark forces to act under the empire's commands.
This was evident in the original work when Ye Yulin reacted upon seeing Ye Guyi's Holy Angel Martial Soul at the Green Hotel Soul Engineer Competition held by the underground forces.
At that time, Ye Yulin was not only amazed but also expressed a complicated emotion regarding Ye Guyi—how could this foolish girl showcase her sacred attributes before evil soul masters before fully maturing?
He felt an infinite melancholy in his heart; if he had discovered Ye Guyi's sacred attributes earlier, how advantageous it would have been to use her as a trump card against the Holy Spirit Church in the future!
"Hi, Rachel, Yuhao! You're finally back!"
While Huo Yuhao was deep in thought, he heard a clear female voice calling and raised his eyes.
He saw a graceful figure in white with blonde hair not far away on the street. She waved happily at him and trotted over.
It was Ye Guyi. As usual, she was preparing to visit the library in Mingdu to read more comics about the Angel God. She had already finished reading the comic "The Story of Angel God Chasing Tang San," which Huo Yuhao had given her earlier.
Upon seeing Qian Renxue's angel god character and her role as a god finally being destroyed, she felt genuinely saddened.
As Ye Guyi was about to go to the library today, she spotted Huo Yuhao and Di Rachel returning and was overjoyed: "Rachel, long time no see! Hug me."
After hugging Di Rachel, she turned to Huo Yuhao with a smile and said, "Yuhao, long time no see! Sorry, I didn't pick you up."
Huo Yuhao waved his hand and smiled warmly, "It doesn't matter. It's not a problem whether you were able to come or not. I was just thinking about finding you."
Meng Hongchen watched Ye Guyi's every move and couldn't help but curl her lips. Why was it another golden-haired person?
However, she could see that Ye Guyi and Huo Yuhao were just good friends, so she didn't pay much attention to it.
Huo Yuhao introduced the Hongchen siblings: "This is Ye Guyi, a friend that Rachel and I knew beforehand."
Xiao Hongchen nodded and chuckled, "Hello, Miss Ye. My name is Xiao Hongchen. This is my sister, Meng Hongchen. The three of us, along with Yuhao, will consider each other family from now on since we are all from Illustrious Virtue Hall."
"Brother, that's well said."
Meng Hongchen was quite pleased with Xiao Hongchen's phrasing. She calmly glanced at Di Rachel and said, either intentionally or unintentionally, "Grandpa has already determined that Yuhao and I are boyfriend and girlfriend. I hope that those who come to Mingdu can recognize their place."
Ye Guyi was slightly stunned, feeling overwhelmed by the information, but it seemed directed more toward Rachel than her.
She didn't pursue it and, unsure of how Di Rachel had offended Meng Hongchen, responded politely: "Hello, Miss Meng. Please take care of me in Mingdu in the future."
Meng Hongchen gently played with a small strand of silver-white hair, replying happily, "It's a small matter. You are much more pleasing to the eye than this girl with a spear."
"Hehe." Di Rachel snorted lightly, unfazed by Meng Hongchen's teasing.
Ye Guyi smiled and didn't respond to Meng Hongchen. She pulled out "The Story of Angel God Chasing Tang San" from her storage soul guidance device and handed it to Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao, here, I'm returning this. I've finished reading it."
Huo Yuhao smiled, "Keep it as a souvenir."
"Okay." Ye Guyi nodded eagerly. She had found some books about angel gods in the library, but none were as good as the one Huo Yuhao had given her.
Especially the character portrayal of Qian Renxue; Ye Guyi found her holy and beautiful.
However, the part of the story where the angel god was severely injured left her puzzled.
Ye Guyi's eyes reflected some doubt: "Yuhao, are hidden weapons really that powerful?"
Huo Yuhao was slightly taken aback, then slowly shook his head: "I'm not entirely sure either. Perhaps hidden weapons become very powerful under the blessing of Buddha's light… Hey, Sister Gu Yi, why are you asking this?"
He could vaguely guess that Ye Guyi's question stemmed from the plot in the comics where Qian Renxue was defeated, but he needed to ensure she understood the situation with hidden weapons more clearly.
Ye Guyi turned to a page in the comic showing the angel god chasing Tang San. In it, Qian Renxue, who had become an angel god, was being pierced through the heart by a drop of Guanyin's tears from Tang San, causing her to vomit blood.
She couldn't understand why a first-level god would suffer such harm from a Titled Douluo.
Ye Guyi pointed to the image of Qian Renxue vomiting blood and said incredulously, "Is the hidden weapon, Guanyin's Tears, really that powerful? Just one drop can allow a Titled Douluo to harm a god?"
Huo Yuhao contemplated for a moment and replied objectively: "If we don't consider the aspect of forcibly enhancing the hidden weapon, the fact that Guanyin's tears severely injured the Angel God was influenced by several factors."
"Qian Renxue was very confident in defense of her angelic body and didn't regard ordinary weapons seriously. She was unguarded and allowed her opponent to exploit."
"Moreover, Tang San had already completed part of his Divine Test at that time and took advantage of Qian Renxue's underestimation to severely wound her with the powerful Guanyin's Tears."
Huo Yuhao provided Ye Guyi with a brief analysis of the battle situation, explaining that at that time, more than half of the hidden weapons were ineffective, which was why soul guidance devices had risen so swiftly.
Ye Guyi felt disheartened by Qian Renxue's defeat and sighed, "Alas, becoming a god in her twenties—what a talent! But it's a pity she was so foolish."
Huo Yuhao smiled but said nothing. Just like Di Rachel and the Silver Dragon King, after encountering stories related to themselves, they felt the characters in those stories were unwise and believed they certainly could have done better.
Xiao Hongchen pointed at another area on the map and remarked thoughtfully, "Yuhao, while this place appears to be an official market, there are many evil soul masters here, and rumors abound."
"How do you plan to sneak in and open a barbecue restaurant without being discovered?"
Xiao Hongchen asked Huo Yuhao how he intended to avoid being detected.
Huo Yuhao replied that it wasn't convenient for him to demonstrate his skills in public, so they decided to return to Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Ye Guyi's eyes lit up, and she appeared excited: "Yuhao, opening a shop in a gathering of evil soul masters sounds very interesting!"
Huo Yuhao explained his concept to her: "It's about opening a barbecue restaurant while gathering information concerning the evil soul masters."
Ye Guyi's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm: "That's awesome, Yuhao! You need a boss lady... er, I mean I can help you look after the store."
Meng Hongchen shot her a glare: "You don't even know how to grill fish. How can you help?"
Di Rachel rarely sided with Meng Hongchen. "Yes, Gu Yi, I've thought about it thoroughly..."
"Your angel Martial Soul is too dangerous in a place full of evil soul masters. Let me help Yuhao."
…
At Shrek Academy, by the entrance of the external school.
"Xiao Xiao, I'm ready to leave. Have you informed your family?"
With Shrek Academy officially on break, Wang Dong was in high spirits. Her short pink-blue hair fluttered slightly in the wind, and she looked ahead with determination.
Xiao Xiao blinked her eyes, quietly watching Wang Dong's handsome face with soft features, her cheeks flushing as she whispered, "Yes, I wrote a letter to my family yesterday. They should be here soon."
Wang Dong felt a little uncomfortable inside. Xiao Xiao's gaze gave her goosebumps.
As she hesitated about whether to take Xiao Xiao with her, she began thinking about changing into feminine attire and going to Mingdu to indulge herself in food and fun, enjoying her time in her true female appearance.
However, Xiao Xiao's companionship throughout the semester made it difficult for Wang Dong to refuse her, so she ultimately agreed.
Sigh... Wang Dong silently lamented. She had dressed as a boy at Shrek Academy. Now that she was on vacation and preparing to have fun, it seemed she must dress as a boy again.
Whenever she thought of this, she couldn't understand what her eldest and second uncles were thinking in the first place. Why had they insisted she dress up as a boy and attend Shrek Academy?
They had claimed that all she needed to do was complete her mission at Shrek Academy, and she would be much closer to finding her biological parents.
Had she not disguised herself as a boy, Xiao Xiao would have never developed such inappropriate feelings for her.
As for her relationship with Xiao Xiao when she was a girl, Wang Dong felt that even if Xiao Xiao could not develop romantic feelings for a girl, they both possessed twin martial souls; naturally, they would bond as teammates in the same class.
Perhaps they'd be placed in the same dormitory, and at the very least, they could cultivate a strong friendship.
Wang Dong pondered this and determined when to explain the situation to Xiao Xiao clearly; otherwise, it might be too late to clarify everything that had transpired. It would be beneficial for both herself and Xiao Xiao to set things straight.
"Xiao Xiao, I wrote to my eldest and second uncles yesterday, informing them that I wanted to go out and have some fun. They're sending someone to pick me up from the Academy today."
Not long after, a middle-aged man and an elderly man arrived at the entrance of Shrek Academy, coming into view of Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
Both donned simple gray robes. The elderly man had a panpipe insignia printed on his chest, while the middle-aged man had a three-trip logo displayed on his lapel.
The middle-aged man smiled kindly at Xiao Xiao, saying, "Haha, Xiao Xiao, I'm here to pick you up."
Xiao Xiao turned to Wang Dong and said, "My uncle is here. I'll tell him about our plans, so he won't worry."
Wang Dong nodded and smiled: "Sure, go ahead."
Immediately, Xiao Xiao hurried over in excitement to discuss something with the middle-aged man.
Wang Dong caught key phrases from Xiao Xiao's conversation—how she was doing well in the Academy, how wonderful Wang Dong was, and how Huo Yuhao and his grilled fish were also great. She planned to go out and enjoy some fun during the holiday.
A few minutes later, a brown-black carriage stopped on the street not far from Wang Dong.
The curtain of the carriage parted, and a middle-aged man with short, steel-like brown hair popped his head out, a bright smile across his face. "Haha, Dong'er, over here!"
When Wang Dong saw the short-haired man, her pink-blue eyes lit up with joy. She hurried over, exclaiming happily, "Second Uncle, why are you so low-key? You came here in a carriage?"
Initially, she expected that her second uncle would appear by flying directly overhead, creating an impressive entrance, and then gracefully landing.
She hadn't anticipated he would be behaving like an ordinary person this time, devoid of any signs of being a top-notch expert.
The short-haired man laughed, saying, "Before I left, my elder brother specifically instructed me not to draw too much attention after arriving and to avoid letting outsiders sense my presence."
"No, I received your letter yesterday, Dong'er, saying you wanted to go out and play during the holidays. I arrived in Shrek City this morning and rented a carriage."
Wang Dong smiled, "Second Uncle, I know you care for me the most."
Xiao Xiao was still engaged in conversation with her family, yet it didn't seem to be going well. Wang Dong overheard her uncle say resolutely, "Xiao Xiao, I can agree to other things, but this one is absolutely out of the question. You and your classmates have too low cultivation levels. You haven't even reached the level of a three-ring soul master. It's far too dangerous for you to go out and play."
Xiao Xiao turned her head, her cheeks puffed up in frustration, her expression full of bitterness.
The middle-aged man patted Xiao Xiao on the shoulder, speaking earnestly, "You are the most talented one in our family. If anything goes wrong, how can I face your father again?"
Xiao Xiao's face turned mournful at this, a hint of tears welling in her eyes as she gazed eagerly at her uncle.
The middle-aged man sighed, stroking Xiao Xiao's head, and smiled helplessly yet kindly: "Xiao'er, I can only agree to let you go if your uncle accompanies you."
Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up slightly, but she held back her excitement. She pouted and replied, "Alright, but uncle, don't ask me about my classmates."
Although Xiao Xiao felt a bit restrained with her parents around, it was certainly a relief to be going out.
Wang Dong called to Xiao Xiao: "Xiao Xiao, come get in the carriage."
"Hmm..." Xiao Xiao happily climbed into the carriage, sitting alongside Wang Dong.
The short-haired man inspected the map, his eyes landing on the mark denoting the Sun-Moon Empire, and his brows slightly knitted together.
"Dong'er, this location and that person might not be pleased with your presence there."
Wang Dong replied indignantly, "Second Uncle, you're very powerful; if he doesn't want me there, just help me beat him up until he agrees!"
(End of this chapter)