34: Chapter 34 I'm not alone... Sister Xiaotao, I'll heal you sooner in this life.

Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on the grass in the center of the courtyard, eyes closed, focusing on his breathing, striving to maintain a steady meditative state.

Three spirit rings hovered around him, flickering. Although not fully released, their steady and solid Soul Power fluctuations clearly indicated his cultivation at the Spirit Elder level.

First Spirit, Spiritual Eyes, two rings.

Second Spirit, Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, three rings.

This was his current strength.

On his shoulder, a palm-sized, crystal-clear white ice silkworm lay lazily.

Its two small antennae twitched; it was Tianmeng Iceworm in her mini form.

On his left wrist, a bright green band of light, like the finest jade bracelet, flowed slowly, emitting wisps of cold air; that was the Ice Empress, also in her manifested form.

[Hmph, Huo Yuhao, don't pay attention to this good-for-nothing who only thinks about food and gossip.]

[Hey, hey, hey! Ice Empress, how can you say that! What do you mean good-for-nothing! I am concerned about our Huo Yuhao's spiritual life!]

Tianmeng Iceworm twisted her body in protest, [Besides, isn't Wang Qiuer great! She is beautiful, has a great figure, and is strong!]

[The key is that she is devoted to Huo Yuhao! What do you call this? This is a match made in heaven!]

[Vulgar.] The Ice Empress's evaluation was always so concise.

[You are the vulgar one! You old ice cube who hasn't dated for tens of thousands of years!]

[Do you want to die?]

[I... I am just stating facts!]

Huo Yuhao sighed helplessly, trying to block out their bickering.

Ever since the Ice Empress joined this big family, his Spiritual Sea had not had a single day of peace.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps approached.

He didn't need to open his eyes to smell the familiar, fresh scent of vitality, like mint after rain mixed with newborn buds.

"Still cultivating?"

Gu Yuena's voice sounded beside him.

She handed him a cup of warm water at the perfect temperature.

Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and smiled at her: "Yeah, just stabilizing my Soul Power."

Gu Yuena didn't say anything more, just sat down beside him naturally.

Then, she leaned over slightly and pressed a kiss onto his cheek, which looked exceptionally fair and translucent from cultivation.

This kiss was different from Wang Qiuer's domineering and fiery kiss, and different from the Snow Empress's ethereal and cold kiss.

It carried a hint of coolness yet contained vigorous vitality, as if it were just an ordinary habit, a daily ritual.

Huo Yuhao's body, from its initial stiffness, had become somewhat... accustomed to it.

[Wow.] In the Spiritual Sea, Tianmeng Iceworm let out an exaggerated exclamation.

[Another one.] The Ice Empress's tone carried a trace of imperceptible... irritability.

"Yuhao!"

Just then, the window on the second floor was pushed open with a "whoosh," and Wang Qiuer's flamboyant and bright face poked out.

Her long golden hair fluttered gently in the evening breeze as she looked at the two in the courtyard, especially when she saw Gu Yuena's intimate action.

Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, but she immediately revealed a brilliant smile.

"We are leaving for the academy tomorrow, and I have already packed all your luggage for you! I guarantee you won't be missing anything!"

Her tone was full of the matter-of-fact confidence of "I have already handled everything for you."

Before Huo Yuhao could thank her, Tang Ya's crisp and lively voice came from the house.

"Benefactor! Benefactor! Come and take a look! Jiang Nannan made so much dry food, enough for us to eat for several days on the road! Come and see if it's enough!"

Before she finished speaking, Jiang Nannan walked out of the house carrying a huge food box.

Seeing Huo Yuhao in the courtyard, along with Gu Yuena beside him and Wang Qiuer poking her head out from upstairs, her beautiful face turned red with a "whoosh."

She lowered her head, walked to Huo Yuhao, handed him the food box, and her voice was as small as a mosquito's buzzing.

"This... eat it on the road..."

The food box was neatly packed with various portable jerky, pastries, and flatbreads, each piece made exquisitely and emitting an alluring aroma.

Huo Yuhao looked at the warm water in his hand, felt the lingering cool touch on his cheek, listened to the proud declaration from upstairs, and smelled the aroma wafting from the food box before him...

His heart felt as if it were being filled with something warm.

He thought of his past life.

Every time he set off, every time he traveled far, he was all alone.

He packed his own luggage.

He prepared his own dry food.

He walked the path ahead all by himself.

And now...

He looked at these lively and vivid girls surrounding him.

Gu Yuena, who liked to use kisses to declare ownership.

Wang Qiuer, who liked to use actions to take care of everything.

Jiang Nannan, who liked to express concern through food.

And that Tang Ya, who was noisy in the house and always full of energy.

This time, they were all here.

All by his side.

This feeling was so good.

"Thank you."

Huo Yuhao stood up and solemnly took the food box from Jiang Nannan's hand.

Then he looked up and gave a heartfelt, incomparably brilliant smile to Wang Qiuer upstairs and Gu Yuena beside him.

"Thank you all."

In the kitchen came a "sizzle" sound, the sound of dishes hitting the pan, accompanied by the laughter of Huo Yuner and Jiang Wanjun.

"Sister Wanjun, your knife skills are getting better and better."

"Sister Yuner, it's you; this seasoning skill, I could never learn it even if I learned for a lifetime."

"The children are working hard outside, so we can only make them a good meal at home, so they are full and don't miss home."

"Yes..."

Huo Yuhao's gaze passed through the porch and landed on the two busy backs in the kitchen.

His gaze finally settled on his mother.

There was a satisfied and happy smile on Huo Yuner's face, a radiance he had never seen in the White Tiger Dukes Mansion.

Huo Yuhao's eyes sank slightly at this moment.

In his past life.

His mother had suffered humiliation and torture in the dark backyard of the Dukes Mansion.

Finally, she died alone in illness and despair.

That was a wound in his heart that could never heal, the deepest nightmare when he dreamed back at midnight.

And in this life...

He looked at his mother's happy profile, his hand by his side clenching unconsciously.

Never again.

He was no longer that helpless child.

Shortly after leaving the White Tiger Dukes Mansion, he had used some power he learned from Electrolux that did not belong to this World and made some arrangements quietly.

He anonymously sent the account books of those shady businesses under Dai Hao's name to the Censorate of the Star Luo Empire.

He spread the evidence of Dai Huabin bullying others and taking lives outside to various mercenary guilds and intelligence organizations in Heaven Dou City.

He even used his Mental Energy to quietly "borrow" a sum of money from the treasury of the White Tiger Dukes Mansion that was enough for his mother and Aunt Jiang Wanjun to live without worry for the rest of their lives.

All of this was extremely secretive, leaving no trace.

The White Tiger Dukes Mansion must have been in a state of chaos by now, with internal and external troubles.

In this life, he wanted his mother to live happier and more securely than anyone else.

Whoever dared to destroy this stability was his enemy.

If gods block, kill gods; if Buddhas block, kill Buddhas.

Night had fallen.

After a sumptuous dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

Huo Yuhao, however, had no sleepiness.

He stood alone in the courtyard, feeling the coolness of the night wind.

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the endless night, directed towards the direction of the distant Shrek City.

In his Spiritual Sea, Electrolux's old and wise voice rang out.

[Kid, are you thinking about that girl with the Evil Fire Phoenix Spirit?]

[Yeah.] Huo Yuhao responded in his heart.

Ma Xiaotao.

The pride of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard, the personal disciple of Dean Yan Shaozhe.

A poor person tortured by the Evil Fire of the Ultimate Fire Spirit.

In his past life, he met her by Sea God Lake.

Because of his Ultimate Ice Spirit, he became her human "fire extinguisher," and the two forged a deep bond of sister and brother.

But later, because her Evil Fire erupted completely, she was taken away by the Holy Spirit Cult, fell into the evil path, and became the Saintess of the Holy Spirit Cult, her hands stained with blood.

Although he eventually cured her Evil Fire Phoenix, that painful and involuntary experience was forever engraved in the depths of her soul.

"Sister Xiaotao..."

Huo Yuhao whispered to himself.

In this life, I have returned.

I have the Ice Empress's Ultimate Ice Spirit, the Snow Empress's origin power, and Teacher Electrolux's purifying divine light.

I will not let you walk that painful evil path again.

Your Evil Fire, I will purify it completely in advance!

He clenched his fists, his eyes becoming incomparably firm.

This time returning to Shrek, in addition to normal study and cultivation, he had another goal that must be completed.

He wanted to find Ma Xiaotao and cure her before her Evil Fire went completely out of control.

Not for anything else, just for that straightforward senior sister who was as hot as a flame when he was at his weakest in his past life, and the care and friendship she once gave him without any mixed interests.