33: Chapter 33 Huo Yuhao, you're mine! Huo Yuhao: It's a tangled mess, impossible to unravel!

"This is the place."

"Mm."

Standing before the gate of that familiar yet strange small courtyard, Huo Yuhao's heart calmed down as never before.

Beside him, Gu Yuena maintained her usual cold and detached demeanor.

[Finally back! Home is best!]

[Hmph, what's so good about a place for mortals.]

[Ice Empress, you're showing your ignorance! This is called warmth! Do you understand? It's that kind of... Oh, never mind, I can't explain it to you!]

In his mind, the daily bickering between Tianmeng Iceworm and the Ice Empress played out once again.

Huo Yuhao ignored them. He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and gently knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Who is it? Coming, coming!"

A gentle and familiar female voice came from inside the courtyard.

Huo Yuhao's nose instantly stung.

"Creak."

The gate was pulled open from the inside. Huo Yuner, wearing an apron with flour still on her hands, poked her head out.

"May I ask who you are looking for..."

Her words came to an abrupt halt the moment she saw who was standing outside.

Time seemed to have been pressed on pause at this very moment.

Huo Yuner's eyes widened little by little. In those gentle eyes, there was first confusion, then disbelief, and finally, it was overwhelmed by uncontrollable ecstasy.

Her lips trembled, but she couldn't say a single word.

"Mother."

Huo Yuhao looked at her and called out softly.

"...Yuhao!"

She threw away the hand towel she was holding, lunged forward, and pulled Huo Yuhao into a tight, tight embrace, as if she wanted to knead him into her very bones and blood.

"My son... You're back! You're finally back!"

Warm tears instantly soaked the front of Huo Yuhao's shirt.

Huo Yuhao hugged his mother back, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder, feeling that familiar and warm scent.

All the exhaustion and tension in his heart dissipated at this moment.

"Mother, I'm back."

"It's good that you're back... It's good that you're back..."

Huo Yuner choked up, repeating this sentence over and over again.

After a good while, the mother and son's emotions calmed down slightly.

Only then did Huo Yuner notice that behind Huo Yuhao stood a stunningly beautiful silver-haired woman.

She was slightly taken aback, and then a flash of pleasant surprise appeared in her eyes; she had clearly recognized the other person.

"Nana is here too?"

She hurriedly wiped her tears, released her son, walked a few steps to Gu Yuena, and affectionately held her hand. "How did you two come back together? The journey must have been tiring, right?"

"Mother, this trip to the Extreme North was thanks to Nana's help," Huo Yuhao explained from the side.

Gu Yuena nodded slightly at Huo Yuner, a hint of faint softness appearing on her cold, clear face: "Auntie, are you doing well?"

"Good! I'm doing just fine!" Huo Yuner hurriedly greeted them enthusiastically. "Come in! Come inside and sit! It's windy outside!"

She held Huo Yuhao with one hand and Gu Yuena with the other, unable to stop the smile on her face.

Welcoming them into the house, Huo Yuner poured two cups of hot tea, then sat beside Huo Yuhao, holding his hand and looking him up and down carefully.

"You've gotten thinner... and darker... Have you been suffering out there?" She touched her son's cheek with heartache.

"No, Mother." Huo Yuhao shook his head with a smile. "I'm doing great, and I've even grown quite a bit taller."

"You were gone for so long this time, where did you actually go? You didn't even tell Mother beforehand. Mother was so worried every day that I couldn't sleep." Huo Yuner chided him.

"I went to the Extreme North." Huo Yuhao decided to give a simple explanation, "To obtain a spirit ring for my second Spirit."

"The Extreme North?!" Huo Yuner exclaimed. "That place is so dangerous! You child, how could you be so bold!"

"It's fine, Mother." Huo Yuhao reassured her, "I didn't go alone; Gu Yuena accompanied me, and I even subdued a very powerful Spirit Beast to serve as my spirit ring."

He didn't go into too much detail. Things about the Ice Empress, the Snow Empress, and the Child of the Plane were too incredible, and he didn't want to make his mother worry.

Huo Yuner looked at her son's steady and determined eyes, then looked at Gu Yuena, who was quietly drinking tea nearby, and the heavy stone hanging in her heart finally fell.

With Nana there, she was indeed much more at ease.

"Good."

Huo Yuner stroked his head, her eyes so gentle they could drip water. "My son has grown up and has his own ideas. Mother trusts you, but in the future, no matter where you go or what you do, you must pay attention to safety, you know?"

"Mm, I know, Mother." Huo Yuhao nodded heavily.

"Oh, that's right," Huo Yuner seemed to recall something. "That child Qiuer, as well as Tang Ya and Nannan, they all come to visit me often. Especially Qiuer, she comes almost every day and helps you finish all the chores in the courtyard. She really is a good girl."

Huo Yuhao felt a warmth in his heart.

At dusk, having nothing to do, Huo Yuhao helped his mother chop some firewood in the courtyard.

He took off his outer coat, wearing only a thin inner garment, picked up the axe, and swung it, his movements crisp and neat.

"Crack!"

A hard wooden stump split open in response.

The aura of Ultimate Ice that naturally radiated from his body due to absorbing the Ice Empress's Spirit Bone created a peculiar sense of incongruity with the act of chopping wood.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open with a "creak."

"Auntie, I'm here!"

A crisp and heroic female voice called out.

Huo Yuhao's chopping motion paused, and he turned around to meet a pair of golden eyes as bright as stars.

Wang Qiuer walked in.

Today, she was wearing a capable, tight-fitting outfit that outlined her perfectly curvaceous figure to the fullest.

Her long golden hair was tied high into a ponytail, tracing a dashing arc in the air as she moved.

When she saw that familiar figure in the courtyard, her steps also stopped.

Their eyes met.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

The corners of Wang Qiuer's mouth slowly curled into a beautiful arc.

"Decided to come back, have you?"

Her voice carried a hint of teasing.

Huo Yuhao put down the axe, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled: "Mm, I'm back."

"Next week, the academy is organizing all new students to head to the Star Dou Great Forest for a three-day group training exercise. It counts as the first major activity after the start of the term." Wang Qiuer said as she walked toward him. "I came over to tell Auntie, and also to see if you, the busy man, had returned."

"Star Dou Great Forest?" Huo Yuhao nodded. "Alright, I will return to the academy on time."

Wang Qiuer walked up to him and stopped.

Her gaze swept up and down his body, and then her beautiful eyebrows raised slightly.

"You..."

Her nose sniffed lightly, as if discerning something.

"This chill on your body... is heavier than before."

Her golden eyes seemed to be able to see through everything.

"You... have become stronger again?"

Huo Yuhao knew that in front of Wang Qiuer, any concealment was meaningless.

He nodded frankly: "Mm, I went to the Extreme North and subdued a very powerful spirit ring."

"Oh?" Wang Qiuer stared at him for a moment, her gaze meaningful. Suddenly, she smiled.

That smile carried a hint of realization, a hint of mockery, and a hint of... pampering, as if looking at a disobedient yet promising younger brother of her own.

She walked around Huo Yuhao.

Finally, she stopped behind him, extended a finger, and poked him lightly on the back.

"Let me guess..."

Her voice was very low, carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Is it... that big, emerald-green scorpion with the foul and stubborn temper, who finally saw the light and was willing to go with you?"

Huo Yuhao's body stiffened abruptly!

He turned his head in astonishment, looking at Wang Qiuer's golden eyes filled with teasing amusement, and a deep sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

Sure enough... He knew it, nothing could be hidden from her!

Seeing Huo Yuhao's deflated expression, the smile on Wang Qiuer's face deepened.

She reached out, like a big sister, and ruffled his hair.

"Alright, don't look like the sky is falling; this is a good thing."

Dinner time.

The stone table in the Huo family courtyard was filled with a sumptuous feast.

Huo Yuner sat at the head of the table, her face glowing with a happy smile.

To her left was her precious son, Huo Yuhao.

Beside Huo Yuhao, on one side was the quiet, elegant, and naturally imposing Gu Yuena, and on the other was the heroic and imposing Wang Qiuer.

Across the table sat the lively and cheerful Tang Ya, and the gentle and quiet Jiang Nannan.

Beside Jiang Nannan sat her mother, Jiang Wanjun, who looked at the heartfelt smile on her daughter's face, her eyes filled with gratitude toward Huo Yuhao.

This small courtyard was bustling with an unprecedented liveliness.

"Come, come, come, don't be polite, eat more! Qiuer, here is the braised pork you like best!"

"Xiao Ya, this is the sweet and sour fish you love!"

"Nannan, and sister Wanjun, you two eat more too!"

"Nana, Auntie remembers you like light food, so I specially made this steamed lily bulb for you, try it."

Huo Yuner enthusiastically served everyone, busy and happy.

At the dining table, a peculiar scene formed. Wang Qiuer and Gu Yuena seemed to be engaged in a silent contest.

"Yuhao, eat this." Wang Qiuer picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in Huo Yuhao's bowl.

"He doesn't like eating anything too greasy." Gu Yuena said flatly, then picked up a chopstick of greens and also put it in Huo Yuhao's bowl. "Eat some vegetables."

"And you would know?" Wang Qiuer raised an eyebrow.

"I just know." Gu Yuena replied expressionlessly.

Huo Yuhao, caught in the middle, looked at the food piling higher and higher in his bowl, wanting to cry without tears.

Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan were on the side, watching this scene, wanting to laugh but not daring to, and could only desperately lower their heads to shovel down their rice.

Watching this scene full of youthful vitality, Huo Yuner's eyes gradually turned red.

She thought back to her time in the White Tiger Dukes Mansion, that dark, small room, the cold leftovers that were never enough to eat, and her son's thin, lonely back.

Then she looked at the present.

Her son was healthy, strong, and surrounded by so many excellent and kind girls.

In each of their eyes, there was care and concern for her son.

It's so good.

It's really so good...

She picked up the fruit wine in front of her and stood up.

Everyone's gaze focused on her.

"Auntie..." Tang Ya called out softly.

Huo Yuner sniffed her nose and revealed an incredibly gentle smile on her face.

"It's nothing, just... seeing you all here, Auntie is happy."

Her gaze slowly swept over everyone present.

"You are all good children, and in the future, you must all be well..."

Finally, her gaze fell on Huo Yuhao, her eyes filled with infinite love and reluctance to part.

"Yuhao, you must remember."

"No matter how far you go in the future, no matter how high you fly, no matter what kind of wind and rain you encounter on the road..."

"You must remember..."

"Home is always here, and Mother is always waiting for you to come back."

The entire courtyard fell silent instantly.

A warm current called "home" flowed slowly in everyone's heart.

Huo Yuhao looked at his mother's tear-filled eyes, and a huge sense of warmth surged in his heart.

He stood up, walked to his mother's side, and hugged her gently.

"Mother, I will remember."

His voice was incomparably firm.

After dinner, everyone dispersed.

Jiang Wanjun took Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya back to the small building next door.

Gu Yuena was enthusiastically kept in the guest room by Huo Yuner.

Huo Yuhao had just prepared to return to his room when his wrist was grabbed by Wang Qiuer.

"You, come with me for a moment."

Her tone was unquestionable.

Huo Yuhao, having no choice, followed her to a deserted corner of a small alley outside the courtyard.

The night was hazy, and the moonlight was like water.

"What's wrong, Qiuer?" Huo Yuhao asked.

Wang Qiuer did not answer.

She just looked at him quietly, those eyes that seemed to be burning with golden flames under the moonlight, not blinking once.

Suddenly, she reached out and pushed Huo Yuhao against the wall.

With a dull "thud" sound.

Before Huo Yuhao could react, Wang Qiuer had already leaned in.

One hand propped up beside his ear, the other hand domineeringly lifted his chin.

Then, she kissed him.

This kiss was completely different from the gentle kiss from the Snow Empress that carried the scent of snow lotuses.

It was full of aggression, possessiveness, and an overbearing nature that brooked no resistance.

Huo Yuhao's brain crashed once again.

After a long while, their lips parted.

Wang Qiuer looked at the youth before her, who was somewhat breathless from her kiss, his eyes hazy.

A triumphant smile curled the corners of her mouth.

She used her finger to gently stroke his lips, which were slightly swollen from her kiss, her voice carrying a hint of raspy magnetism.

"Hmph."

"That kiss from the Snow Empress can be considered a greeting gift."

"But, remember this, you are mine."

"As long as you keep getting stronger, become stronger than everyone else, and don't let me down, that's enough."

Having finished, she turned around dashingly and disappeared into the night without looking back.

Leaving Huo Yuhao alone, leaning against the cold wall, his heart still pounding "thump-thump."

The night was deep.

Huo Yuhao lay on the familiar bed in his room that smelled of sunshine, but he couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

In his hand, he tightly clutched the dragon scale Gu Yuena had given him.

The icy touch of the badge allowed his chaotic thoughts to calm down slightly.

[Oh my, I really couldn't tell!]

In the Spiritual Sea, the gloating voice of the Tianmeng Iceworm rang out again.

[Even the most arrogant Emperor Auspicious Beast of our Spirit Beast World is enamored with you! First declaring ownership, then an overbearing kiss! Yuhao, your romantic luck is too prosperous!]

[Hmph, vulgar.]

The Ice Empress evaluated coldly, but in that tone, there was a hint of... sourness that even she herself had not realized.

Huo Yuhao was speechless.

He felt that his emotional World had become a tangled mess, impossible to cut or sort out.

He simply closed his eyes, stopped thinking about these troublesome matters, and sank all his focus into meditation.

No matter what the road ahead held, becoming stronger was the only eternal truth.