7: Chapter 7 "Oh dear~ yet another little girlfriend"

"What are you doing?"

A cold, clear voice sounded behind Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao didn't even turn his head, continuing to stare at a locust tree ten steps away.

With a flick of his finger, a small pebble flew out with a "whoosh," accurately striking a falling leaf.

"Practicing." He replied concisely.

A silver figure drifted over; Gu Yuena stood beside him, glanced at the unlucky locust tree, and then at the handful of pebbles in Huo Yuhao's hand.

"Boring." She gave a two-word evaluation. "At such a slow speed, it would be difficult to even hit a rabbit."

"It's not like I have any handy tools." Huo Yuhao spread his hands helplessly.

Ever since he met Xu Sanshi in the East Market last time, he realized that although he possessed Spiritual Sea at the God King level and the Snow Empress's origin, the combat power of this body was truly too weak.

In case he encountered someone unreasonable who would just resort to violence, he needed some means of self-preservation.

And what suited his current situation best was, without a doubt, Hidden Weapons.

"Tools?" Gu Yuena tilted her head, seemingly pondering the meaning of the word.

"It means weapons, things that can be used to attack." Huo Yuhao explained.

"You want weapons?"

Gu Yuena looked at him. "I can give them to you. What kind do you want? A sword that can split mountains? Or a spear that can freeze the ocean?"

Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. "...Thanks, but no thanks. I just want something small, easy to carry, and capable of injuring people by surprise."

In his mind, the name of a Sect involuntarily appeared: Tang Sect.

Speaking of Hidden Weapons, under the heavens, what other Sect could compare to the former Tang Sect?

Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, Bodhisattva's Tears—even after becoming a God King in his past life, those earth-shattering names remained fresh in his memory.

However, the Tang Sect had long since fallen.

Huo Yuhao suddenly froze.

He remembered.

He recalled a key event from his past life.

He remembered very clearly that at some point during his sixth year, the declining Tang Sect outside Heaven Dou City would face a catastrophic disaster.

The Iron Sword Sect, a second-rate Sect that coveted the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons techniques, would launch a fatal strike when the Tang Sect was at its weakest.

And that blue-haired girl, Tang Ya, who would bear a deep blood feud after the Sect's destruction, establish the new Tang Sect, and meet him at Shrek Academy...

At this moment, she should still just be a child of about eight years old.

Calculating the time... Huo Yuhao's heart sank abruptly.

It seemed to be within these two days!

"What's wrong with you?" Gu Yuena noticed the fluctuation in his emotions.

"Nothing." Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "I want to go out for a walk."

He had to go.

This had nothing to do with reviving the Tang Sect.

The rise and fall of the Sect established by Tang San had no direct connection to him, Huo Yuhao.

He had no obligation, nor the intention, to carry the banner of the Tang Sect.

There were only two reasons for him to act.

First, Tang Ya was an old acquaintance from his past life.

Although their friendship wasn't deep, during his most destitute time, it was Tang Ya and Bei Bei who brought him into Shrek, giving him his first place to stay.

This kindness, he could not ignore.

Second, the Tang Sect's Hundred Mysteries of Hidden Weapons.

If he could save the Tang Sect, perhaps he would have a chance to obtain this heritage.

This indeed had immeasurable value for cultivating the combat power of the Spirit Pagoda later on.

Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao hesitated no longer.

He said to Gu Yuena, "I'm going out to buy some things and will be back before dinner."

After speaking, he hurried out of the courtyard, heading alone in the direction of outside Heaven Dou City.

...

Outside Heaven Dou City, the Tang Sect's residence.

This place was once a prominent manor, but now, only broken walls and ruins remained, unable to hide its decay.

When Huo Yuhao arrived, the battle was already nearing its end.

The air was filled with a thick smell of blood and burning.

Flames soared into the sky within the manor, reflecting half the night sky into an ominous dark red.

Corpses were everywhere on the ground, some disciples wearing Tang Sect attire, others enemies in Iron Sword Sect clothing. They lay together, their blood pooling into streams, soaking the earth beneath their feet.

Huo Yuhao's heart sank bit by bit.

He had still arrived a step too late.

He held his breath, his figure moving like a specter, silently sneaking into the depths of the manor.

In the center of the training grounds, he witnessed the most tragic scene.

A middle-aged man lay in a pool of blood, struck by dozens of swords. He still clutched a broken crossbow in his hand, eyes wide open in death.

Beside him lay a middle-aged woman who had already lost her breath.

Those were Tang Ya's parents, the last Sect Master and Sect Master's wife of the Tang Sect.

Not far from them, a middle-aged man dressed in black, holding an iron sword, was grinning hideously.

He held a little girl by the neck with one hand, lifting her into the air.

The man's Soul Power fluctuated intensely; he was a Spirit King of over level fifty.

He was the Sect Master of the Iron Sword Sect.

The little girl in his hand wore cute twin tails and a blue dress stained with blood and dust.

Her small face was flushed red, covered in tear stains, but in those large eyes, flames of stubbornness and hatred burned.

She was the young Tang Ya.

"Little girl, I'll ask you one last time!"

The Iron Sword Sect Sect Master's voice was hoarse, filled with greed and impatience. "Speak! Where are your Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons secret techniques and blueprints hidden?"

Tang Ya was being choked, finding it hard to breathe, but she still used all her strength to squeeze a few words through her teeth.

"I... even if I die... I... I will not... tell you..."

"You're courting death!"

The Iron Sword Sect Sect Master was thoroughly enraged.

He raised his other hand, yellow Soul Power rapidly condensing in his palm, about to strike Tang Ya's head with a palm.

At this critical moment.

"Hum"

An invisible ripple struck the Iron Sword Sect Sect Master's head with pinpoint accuracy.

It was a pale blue shockwave composed of pure Mental Energy.

The Iron Sword Sect Sect Master only felt as if his head had been heavily struck by an invisible giant hammer; his vision went black, and his mind went blank.

The Soul Power condensed in his hand instantly dissipated, his hand choking Tang Ya subconsciously loosened, and he stumbled back several steps.

"Who?!"

Clutching his throbbing head, he let out a roar mixed with shock and rage.

A thin, small figure slowly walked out from the shadows at the edge of the training grounds.

The person who arrived was none other than Huo Yuhao.

His expression was calm, but his eyes were exceptionally cold.

The Iron Sword Sect Sect Master looked at this boy who had suddenly appeared and looked less than ten years old; he was stunned at first, then flew into a rage.

"You little bastard, you dare to ambush me!"

He roared, preparing to mobilize his Soul Power.

But Huo Yuhao did not give him any chance at all.

He did not waste a single word.

He directly mobilized his Mental Energy, which was as vast as the sea.

If the previous strike was just a warning, then this was the real death sentence.

The immense Mental Energy was instantly condensed and compressed by him, turning into thousands of invisible needles.

Like a violent storm, it poured into the Iron Sword Sect Sect Master's mind, covering the sky and earth.

A battle of Mental Energy was far more dangerous than a collision of Soul Power.

Although the Iron Sword Sect Sect Master was a Spirit King, his Mental Energy cultivation was as insignificant as a firefly before the moon compared to the reborn God King Huo Yuhao.

"Ah!!!"

He only had time to let out a shrill, inhuman scream before clutching his head with both hands and falling straight to the ground.

His body twitched violently, and dark red blood flowed from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.

His Spiritual Sea had been completely destroyed by Huo Yuhao.

The surrounding Iron Sword Sect disciples who hadn't managed to escape were all terrified.

They looked in terror at the boy standing in the center of the field with a calm expression.

Their Sect Master, a powerful Spirit King, had actually fallen to the ground after being looked at by this child?

Huo Yuhao's gaze slowly swept over them.

An indescribable, terrifying pressure instantly descended upon everyone's heart.

That was an absolute suppression from the level of life.

In the eyes of these Iron Sword Sect disciples, the boy before them was no longer a child.

He seemed to have transformed into an ancient beast that could devour the sun and moon.

That cold gaze seemed able to see through their souls, ready to tear them to shreds at any moment.

"Thump!"

It was unknown who was the first to be unable to withstand this fear; they dropped the iron sword in their hand and knelt to the ground.

Immediately after, it was the second, the third...

They dropped their weapons, scrambling away, crying and wailing as they fled, wishing only that their parents had given them two more legs.

In the blink of an eye, the noisy battlefield was left with deathly silence.

Tang Ya sat on the ground, staring blankly at the corpses all over the floor, and then blankly at the boy who had saved her life like a god descending from heaven.

Huo Yuhao walked up to her and reached out his hand.

"Are you okay?"

His voice broke the deathly silence, allowing Tang Ya's soul to return to her body.

Tang Ya slowly raised her head, looking at him with teary eyes.

Against the firelight, she couldn't see his face clearly, only feeling that the boy seemed to have a warm, sun-like aura that dispelled the cold and fear in her heart.

It made her want to get close, to rely on him.

She trembled and grasped his hand.

Although that hand wasn't big, it was very warm and powerful.

Huo Yuhao pulled her up from the ground.

The moment she stood steady, Tang Ya could no longer control her emotions; she threw herself into Huo Yuhao's arms and began to wail.

"Wuwuwu... they are all dead... my father... my mother... they are all dead..."

She turned all her fear, sadness, and despair into wails, venting them out.

Huo Yuhao's body stiffened for a moment, but he did not push her away.

He just reached out and gently patted her trembling back, not saying a word of comfort, just letting her cry quietly.

He knew that at this moment, any words were pale.

...

When Huo Yuhao brought Tang Ya back to the small villa, it was already completely dark.

"Yuhao, you're finally ba... ah!"

Huo Yuner heard the door open and came out to greet him. When she saw a little girl covered in blood and looking devastated following her son, she was first startled.

Huo Yuhao briefly explained what had happened at the Tang Sect.

After listening, Huo Yuner's eyes instantly turned red.

She looked at Tang Ya's thin figure and empty eyes, her heart aching as if pricked by needles.

"Oh my, my poor child!"

She hurried forward, heartache in her eyes as she took Tang Ya's hand, and without explanation, led her to the bathroom. "Quick, take a hot bath first and change into clean clothes."

Half an hour later, Tang Ya changed into a set of clean, somewhat oversized clothes—they were Huo Yuhao's pajamas.

She sat on the living room sofa, holding a cup of hot tea in her hands, but her eyes were still dull and unfocused.

Huo Yuner brought her a bowl of freshly cooked hot porridge from the kitchen.

"Child, don't be afraid, it's all over. Eat something first to warm yourself up."

Tang Ya mechanically took the bowl. The scalding porridge made her hand tremble, and tears fell uncontrollably again.

But this time, she bit her lip hard, swallowing her sobs.

Huo Yuhao sat down beside her.

"From now on... you will live here." He said.

Tang Ya's body trembled slightly. She raised her eyes to look at Huo Yuhao. "I... what can I do? I cannot live here for free."

Huo Yuhao looked at her stubborn eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "I plan to establish an organization in the future; I've already thought of the name, called the 'Spirit Pagoda'. I will need a lot of help then. If you are willing, you can learn from me first and help me in the future."

Spirit Pagoda?

What is that?

Tang Ya didn't understand, but in Huo Yuhao's eyes, she saw a light she had never seen before—that was confidence, certainty, and control over the future.

She looked at the gentle smile on Huo Yuhao's face, and he asked, "You don't want to help me?"

That smile seemed to have magic, making Tang Ya instantly stunned.

She felt her heartbeat skip a beat, and her cheeks felt inexplicably hot.

"Okay!" She said almost instinctively, nodding forcefully. "I will! I am willing to do anything!"

The look in her eyes as she watched Huo Yuhao held gratitude, worship, and a budding emotion she herself couldn't quite explain.

At that moment, a cold, clear voice came from the stairs on the second floor.

"You picked up a human cub?"

Gu Yuena was wearing pajamas, arms crossed, looking down at the three people in the living room. Her gaze lingered on Tang Ya for a moment.

"Human cubs really are everywhere."

Huo Yuhao's expression instantly became somewhat awkward. "...Uh, Gu Yuena, let me introduce you. This is Tang Ya, she... she is a friend of mine."

"Oh?"

Gu Yuena raised an eyebrow and slowly walked down the stairs. "You sure have a lot of 'friends'."

Her tone was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger, but Huo Yuhao somehow read a subtle displeasure in those purple eyes.

Huo Yuner was on the side, taking it all in.

She picked up her teacup, took a light sip, and a meaningful smile identical to the one from a few days ago appeared on her face.

"Oh my, look, my little Yuhao has brought back another little girlfriend~"

Huo Yuhao felt his head throbbing.

"Mom! It's not what you think!"

Hearing this, Tang Ya's face, which had just regained a bit of color, turned red again in a "whoosh." She subconsciously lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone.