Gu Yuena stood outside the airport, glancing repeatedly in its direction. As soon as Huo Yuhao emerged, she stepped up to him, speaking softly.
"Yuhao, my teacher is in East Sea right now. I need to go back and see her. I've already mentioned it to Teacher Zhen Hua today, so I can't stay here to keep you company."
"I won't be staying here for long either," Huo Yuhao said, shaking his head with a smile. "Teacher Mu Ye spoke with me today during our training. The secondary awakening and the Body Sect's secret techniques will take some time to get the hang of, and they require a great deal of Precious Heavenly Treasures. I suggested drawing on some of the Spirit Pagoda's resources, and he agreed. He plans to head to East Sea City with me so he can guide me in person. We can just travel back together—and we'll have an extra bodyguard along the way."
There were no Soul Airplane flights to East Sea City anytime soon, so if they wanted to get there, they would have to take a Soul Train. Having a Four-Word Battle Armor Master with them was certainly reassuring.
After all, Soul Trains in this era were remarkably prone to disaster...
Then again, that usually only happened to trains little Wulin was riding—which was why he had earned the moniker of the "Soul Train Slayer." Surely the same wouldn't happen to them, right?
Gu Yuena's eyes lit up, followed by a knowing smile.
That Body Sect master had truly taken on a disciple only to forget about Teacher Zhen Hua.
Yet after laughing, she recalled her conversation with Leng Yaozhu the day before, and the smile slowly faded from the corners of her lips, replaced by an uneasy apprehension.
Once they went back... what was she supposed to do?
Noticing her expression, Huo Yuhao asked gently, "Na'er, what's wrong?"
Gu Yuena looked at him for a moment before saying hesitantly, "Yuhao, Teacher Leng... might want to ask you a few questions..."
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, then nodded thoughtfully. "I understand."
***
While Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena were preparing to return to East Sea City, Leng Yulai was carrying out a mission for the Enforcement Department, tracking down an Evil Soul Master hideout.
Because of how she had been treated lately, she was in a foul mood and eager to vent her frustrations on some Evil Soul Masters.
Yet... why was it always this caliber of trash?
Looking at the Evil Soul Master Soul Sage inside the hideout, Leng Yulai's gaze turned icy.
"Do you have any leads on other Evil Soul Masters? Where are they hiding?"
Where were the higher-ups of the Evil Soul Masters?
Send a high-ranking one so she could have a proper fight!
Seeing the black aura radiating from every inch of Leng Yulai's body, the Evil Soul Master was terrified out of his wits, wanting nothing more than to weep.
He was just a mere Soul Sage—what sin had he committed in his past life to end up facing a Super Douluo? Just because he was an Evil Soul Master?
Even so, this was absurdly excessive...
After a round of interrogation, Leng Yulai extracted an unexpected piece of information: this Evil Soul Master's mission was to keep watch on the Divine Craftsman.
The Evil Soul Masters had set their sights on the Divine Craftsman? With the Secret Department's efficiency, how had they failed to notice this Evil Soul Master?
As the thought crossed her mind, realization suddenly struck her.
She had probably, most likely, definitely... ruined a colleague's operation.
"*Sigh—*"
A long sigh resonated through the air.
A beautiful young woman who appeared eighteen or nineteen years old stepped out from the void. "I was planning to reel in a big catch, but now things are tricky."
"..." Leng Yulai looked away. "How was I supposed to know about your Secret Department's mission? Couldn't you have shared the intelligence beforehand? Didn't we coordinate well enough before?"
The Secret Department was the Federation's highest organ responsible for overseeing Soul Masters who possessed the aptitudes of Evil Soul Masters. Its members' primary duty was to protect key Federation figures and vital talents like Zhen Hua. Their strength was in no way inferior to the Enforcement Department, and they formed an essential pillar of the Federation's might.
Moreover, the establishment of the Secret Department had originated from concessions made by the Spirit Pagoda, which gave the Enforcement Department and the Secret Department a solid working relationship.
"Take that up with the department head," the young woman said. "Heaven knows where he ran off to right now. I'm just a temporary stand-in working stiff; I don't call the shots. Besides, who could have guessed a Super Douluo would bully a Soul Sage? I didn't even have time to stop you."
Hearing that, Leng Yulai turned back, eyeing the girl with a strange expression.
*Aren't you a Super Douluo too?*
The girl pursed her red lips. "Don't try changing the subject. The Evil Soul Master planning to strike at the Divine Craftsman is at least a Rank 95 Three-Word Battle Armor Master. That was a big fish. Now that he's slipped away, you have to compensate me for my loss."
"...Fine, spit it out. How do you want me to compensate you?" Leng Yulai curled her lip.
A glint of triumph flashed in the girl's eyes, and she smiled sweetly. "Take over my shift and swap duties with me sometime."
While the two were talking, the Evil Soul Master stared agape at the woman who had stepped out of the void.
What kind of twisted honor was it to attract the attention of two Super Douluos at once?
In his next life, he would never become an Evil Soul Master again!
***
Outside the Forging Master Association, Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao arrived to rendezvous with Mu Ye and bid Zhen Hua farewell along the way.
Faced with the fact that his newly accepted disciple was preparing to leave Heaven Dou City after only half a day of study, Zhen Hua actually breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Gu Yuena was brimming with drive and blessed with astonishing comprehension, but her self-created forging method was simply too novel. After teaching her for just a short while, he had already found the situation exceedingly tricky.
All he could offer Gu Yuena was his experience and theoretical knowledge; he couldn't demonstrate actual operations in person.
After all, it was impossible for him to use Heavenly Refinement to perform a Spirit Refined forging...
Having Gu Yuena leave for a while was for the best. At the very least, he wouldn't end up trapped in an awkward situation where he had taught everything he could and had nothing left to say. He still wanted to uphold his dignified image before his disciple.
"This contains my insights into forging techniques, along with my research on various alloys."
Zhen Hua produced a thick, heavy notebook. Just as Gu Yuena reached out to take it, he handed it straight into... Huo Yuhao's hands.
Gu Yuena: "???"
*Giving it to Yuhao is fine, but aren't I your disciple here?*
Huo Yuhao looked at Zhen Hua in surprise as well.
Zhen Hua merely glanced at Gu Yuena before sending a voice transmission: *"Yuhao, you want to research alloys, don't you? These materials will be useful to you. Na'er is a bit naive. Take good care of her in the future."*
Beside them, sensing the fluctuation of a voice transmission, Mu Ye easily guessed what Zhen Hua was saying. A trace of amusement danced in his eyes, and he chimed in with his own voice transmission:
*"That's right, Yuhao. Take good care of her."*
Huo Yuhao: "..."
He had felt it earlier—the "Teacher Da Ye" beside him possessed astonishing personal charm, and virtually everyone who met her went out of their way to look after her.
Luo Yanglu had been like that, as had the masters from the Mecha Master Association. Now, after spending only half a day with Gu Yuena, had these two fallen under her spell as well?
Or did their words carry an entirely different meaning?
Before Huo Yuhao could respond, Ice Empress's faint, wistful voice sounded from within the Sea of Spirit. *"Yuhao, you know what I want to say, don't you? Take good care of Xue'er."*
*"That's right,"* Tianmeng Iceworm chimed in from the side. *"You came out of the Extreme North—you can't forget your roots!"*
Electrolux chuckled as well. *"Yuhao, one must never fail an eternal soulmate."*
Yuhao's situation was vastly better than his had been back in the day; he had to seize the chance properly.
"..."
*Wait, something isn't right here. Are you guys trying to force a marriage on me?*
The corner of Huo Yuhao's eye twitched, but he answered in a warm, gentle voice, "Alright."
His reply resonated simultaneously both in the outside world and within the Sea of Spirit.
And upon hearing Huo Yuhao's reply, a gentle, melodious laugh that shouldn't have been present in the Sea of Spirit rang out softly: *"Yuhao, there is no need for this. Bing'er, all of you shouldn't tease him like that either, or I won't even know where to hide my face."*
Chapter 97