The young girl leading the way ran excitedly over to Huo Yuhao, her face filled with longing as she said,
"Little brother, are you selling this grilled fish? It smells so good! How did you make it so well?"
It wasn't that Huo Yuhao had never seen a beautiful girl before. In the Duke's Mansion, he had seen many pretty maidservants, but he had never interacted with one at such close quarters. Furthermore, none of the women in the Duke's Mansion could compare to the girl before him. She wasn't a flawless beauty, but she possessed a vibrant, lively temperament that seemed to glow.
Huo Yuhao's face flushed slightly as he said,
"I... I'll treat you to some."
The girl giggled.
"Little brother, you're actually shy! In that case, I won't stand on ceremony."
With that, she reached out, took the grilled fish from Huo Yuhao's hand, and began to eat it carefully.
The youth accompanying her looked at Huo Yuhao with a helpless expression, then turned to the girl and said,
"Xiao Ya, this little brother hasn't even eaten yet. How could you eat first?"
Xiao Ya glared and said crossly,
"What did you just call me?"
The youth immediately raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Alright, Teacher Xiao Ya, is that better?"
Xiao Ya shot him a glare and said,
"That's more like it. You must remember your place."
Although she wasn't very old, her fleeting glance carried an immense charm that left the youth momentarily dazed. Huo Yuhao, standing to the side, didn't dare to look. He took another fish and handed it to the youth, saying,
"Big brother, you should eat too."
The youth smiled and said,
"A gentleman does not take what another cherishes. Little brother, you haven't even eaten yet, so how could I? Did you catch these fish from down there?"
Huo Yuhao nodded and said,
"It's fine, I still have more to grill."
As he spoke, he handed the fish to the youth and placed two more onto the grill.
The youth smiled warmly and said,
"I'm Bei Bei, and she is Tang Ya. Little brother, what's your name?"
"I'm Huo Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao replied while continuing to grill the fish. Since setting out on his journey, he had met quite a few people along the way and had received plenty of help from them. That was why, when Tang Ya wanted to eat, he hadn't hesitated to offer her the fish. This was the first lesson he had learned: when traveling the world, the most important thing was to help one another.
Bei Bei's manner of eating was far more elegant than Tang Ya's; at the very least, his hands didn't end up covered in grease.
By the time Huo Yuhao finished grilling the second batch, Tang Ya was already looking on with eager anticipation. Under Bei Bei's helpless gaze, she reached out and took another one. This time, however, Bei Bei resolutely refused to eat, gesturing for Huo Yuhao to eat first. Since Huo Yuhao had been hungry for a while now, he also began to eat one.
Although the fish was only seasoned with salt and perilla leaves, the flavor was incredibly delicious. Even though there were over ten fish, the three of them devoured every single one.
"That was delicious! I've never eaten such tasty grilled fish in my life. Little brother Huo Yuhao, why don't you become my personal chef?"
Tang Ya lay back comfortably on the grass, stretching her slender waist with a look of pure bliss. She was completely unaware of the alluring curve she was displaying.
Seeing this, Bei Bei could only scratch his head in exasperation, utterly helpless.
"Do you even have the money, Teacher Xiao Ya?"
Bei Bei poured a bucket of cold water over her joyful mood.
"Uh... I will in the future."
Tang Ya sat up, looking slightly embarrassed. She shot Bei Bei a glare, clearly annoyed that he had ruined her fun.
Huo Yuhao stood up and said,
"Brother Bei, Sister Tang, I must be on my way."
Bei Bei said,
"Little Brother Huo, this place is desolate, and it's very close to the Star Dou Great Forest, where the Soul Beasts live. Where are you planning to go?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head, took his clothes down from the tree branch, carefully packed them into his bag, turned around to wave goodbye to the two of them, and walked away under their astonished gazes.
"He isn't planning to go to the Star Dou Great Forest, is he?"
Tang Ya said, watching Huo Yuhao's retreating figure.
Bei Bei shook his head and replied,
"It's hard to say. I can faintly sense that he has Soul Power, but it's very weak. And traveling alone like this is indeed a bit strange."
Tang Ya stuck out her tongue and said,
"He has Soul Power? Then how about we recruit him into the Tang Sect?"
Bei Bei said, exasperated,
"You don't want him to join the Tang Sect just because his roasted fish tastes good, do you?"
Her secret thoughts exposed, Tang Ya blushed and stuck her tongue out at Bei Bei.
Bei Bei said,
"This Brother Huo must have gone through some hardships. I can see that his eyes are much more mature than those of ordinary youths. I just don't know what his talent is like."
A look of joy appeared on Tang Ya's face as she asked,
"Does that mean you agree?"
Bei Bei gave a wry smile and said,
"My great Tang Sect Master, Miss Tang Ya, when you took me in as your disciple, you were the only one in the Tang Sect—a commander without an army. Your dream is to revitalize the Tang Sect, so of course we should recruit suitable candidates. This Brother Huo seems quite steady. If his talent is good, he would be an excellent choice. Judging by his clothes, his family background might not be very good. People like him are exactly the kind our Tang Sect can afford to recruit right now."
Tang Ya looked at Bei Bei with some curiosity and said,
"I didn't expect you to be so sly."
Bei Bei stood up, dusted off his clothes, and said,
"This is called being smart, or you could say I'm resourceful. Let's go. Since you ate so much of his roasted fish, whether we recruit him into the Tang Sect or not, we should protect him for a stretch of his journey and help him avoid the dangers of the Soul Beasts."
Tang Ya also stood up and giggled, saying,
"I'll admit you're smart this time, because you're thinking exactly what I'm thinking. Let me wash my hands, and then we'll go together."
Huo Yuhao naturally had no idea about the conversation between Tang Ya and Bei Bei. Originally, he had planned to roast some fish to take with him for later, but now he couldn't. He didn't want to reveal his identity as a Soul Master, which was why he hadn't taken any fish with him. His mother had taught him to only speak three parts of the truth to strangers and never reveal everything. Although he had a good impression of Bei Bei and Tang Ya, in the end, he still chose to leave after eating.
Although Huo Yuhao was young, his mind was sharp. He could tell that Tang Ya and Bei Bei were no ordinary people. Just as Bei Bei had said, this place was already very close to the Star Dou Great Forest, yet neither of them carried any luggage. Thus, he ultimately decided to part ways with this older brother and sister.
After a hearty meal, Huo Yuhao's fatigue had completely vanished. He pulled out his map and marked the location of the small stream, hoping he could find it again on his way back.
After walking for a while, a wooden post with a small sign caught Huo Yuhao's attention.
"Fifty meters ahead is the Star Dou Great Forest. Soul Beasts reside within, please exercise caution."
Sure enough, he had reached his destination. At this moment, aside from his excitement, Huo Yuhao also felt a tinge of nervousness. He touched the White Tiger Dagger on his back, suppressing the unease in his heart, and took resolute steps forward.
Becoming a Soul Master was his only path; this was the deep-seated obsession in his heart. He would never regret his decision.
The air gradually grew cooler, carrying with it a heavy, oppressive tension. The Great Star Dou Forest was like a Soul Beast with its mouth gaping wide, waiting for the youth to step inside. An opportunity, or... to be devoured.