Spirit Transmission Pagoda, Laboratory.
Huo Yuhao fiddled with the Dark Blue Silver King in his hand while listening to Ning Tian's report from the side.
"...Her emotions were exceptionally stirred at the time. Although she tried to stay in control, she kept pressing for information regarding the creator of that defensive soul tool—your information, Teacher.
"Of course, I didn't reveal anything and chose to refuse. However, Miss Wang Dong'er directly revealed her identity as the Young Mistress of the Clear Sky Sect...
"I truly wasn't sure how to handle this, so I could only come to find you."
Ning Tian spoke with clear logic.
It wasn't that she didn't know how to handle social pressure; it was more that the person the Clear Sky Sect heiress was looking for wasn't her.
Those First-Class defensive soul tools were things Huo Yuhao had casually pulled from his storage soul tool to "sponsor" her when she was explaining her plans to him.
Since the person Wang Dong'er sought was her teacher, it was better to inform him rather than handle it privately.
"Is that so..."
Huo Yuhao murmured in a low voice. This was an unexpected turn of events he hadn't anticipated.
How could he not know Wang Dong'er's situation?
In his previous life, Tang San had split his daughter's soul in two. He used divine power to forcibly fill the void in one half, then shoved that barely-restored soul back into his daughter's body, sealed her memories, and sent her to the lower realm. She grew up to be the Dong'er he knew.
As for the other half of the soul, it was likely merged into Qiu'er's soul during the Fate Pull between him and Qiu'er.
In the end, after both Qiu'er and Dong'er died for him, Tang San fused their souls to create that Tang Wutong—who wore the face of his loved ones but felt like a stranger!
His emotions fluctuated slightly. Huo Yuhao lowered his eyes, appearing lost in thought.
Perhaps due to his rebirth and the Barrier of Fate, he hadn't found that half-soul within Qiu'er in this life.
However, this morning, Huo Yuhao had seen it with absolute clarity: Wang Dong'er's soul was missing half its essence, yet it was being forcibly locked in place by Sea God power and a wisp of Divine Consciousness to prevent it from dissipating!
Tang San was utterly ignorant of the way of the soul! He had no idea what it meant to tear a soul apart so recklessly!
Yet, despite Tang San being a brainless fool, Huo Yuhao had to be grateful for one thing: this brainless man did indeed possess formidable strength.
Using Sea God power to patch the missing soul and leaving a wisp of God King level Divine Consciousness allowed him to monitor the soul at all times and prevent collapse.
Furthermore, because of that Divine Consciousness, Tang San could control Wang Dong'er at any moment. By the time the souls of Dong'er and Qiu'er were merged later, that piece of Divine Consciousness would become a "mental stamp," completely impossible to remove...
Sea God power was naturally no issue for Huo Yuhao, who held the Sea God Divine Position. Even that wisp of Divine Consciousness could be handled if he called upon Elder Yi and the others.
But what happens after that? A soul with only half its essence would naturally dissipate. If he wanted to save Dong'er, he first had to find a way to repair her soul.
But...
"For now, tell her I am not in Shrek City. But if she has any requests, relay them to me."
Huo Yuhao's expression didn't change much as he set the Dark Blue Silver King aside.
"Understood, Teacher."
Ning Tian nodded and slowly withdrew.
...
"You are not yourself."
That evening, on the bed, the Ice Emperor leaned into Huo Yuhao's embrace and calmly stated her judgment.
"I'm not myself?" Huo Yuhao, who was currently nourishing the Ice Emperor's body, was stunned.
"Mm. Your emotions are off... very off."
Hesitation, doubt, guilt...
It was exactly the same as the night Huo Yuhao had confessed everything to her.
"Did you see the person you like?"
The Ice Emperor didn't use any subtlety; she asked the question directly.
"I..." Huo Yuhao instinctively wanted to hide it, but he saw that the girl's golden eyes were full of earnestness.
His emotions stirred.
He suddenly realized that since their relationship had grown closer, he would unconsciously relax around the Ice Emperor. His emotional fluctuations became obvious, making it impossible to escape her eyes.
"Yes... I saw her." Huo Yuhao chose not to hide it anymore.
"Then, do you still like her?" Her hand unconsciously tightened. At this moment, the coldness and pride on the Ice Emperor's face were replaced by a heavy stillness.
"I do," Huo Yuhao gave his answer.
I do.
The Ice Emperor's breath hitched. She felt as if a massive stone had suddenly been pressed against her chest, making it hard to breathe.
I do.
She repeated those words in her heart. She felt a flicker of jealousy, but that jealousy was quickly replaced by a sense of loss.
He likes her. Then what about herself?
After a silence, the Ice Emperor suddenly asked:
"To be able to see the person you like again... shouldn't you be happy? Why are you so hesitant and guilty?"
Her tone remained calm, as if she were truly guiding Huo Yuhao from the perspective of a bystander.
"I..."
Huo Yuhao remained silent, unsure how to answer.
Part of it was that he didn't know how to face Dong'er. Although she lacked the memories of their previous life, he possessed them. He didn't know what stance to take.
Almost everyone around him had noticed something was wrong. Even Qiu'er seemed to have sensed something; he had been avoiding her recently.
The other part was that he hadn't found the method to heal her soul.
If he met Dong'er recklessly, and the Sea God Divine Position or the aura of the Sea God Trident on him was sensed by Tang San's Divine Consciousness within her soul, Huo Yuhao wasn't sure what would happen.
He didn't want to gamble on that uncertainty.
Finally, it was because of the women currently by his side.
He was clearly more greedy in this life. There were too many people he wanted to hold onto. This caused him to feel a natural sense of guilt—not just toward Dong'er, but toward them as well.
Huo Yuhao knew that his current confusion and hesitation were the trials given to him by the Seed of Emotion.
His special God Trial had arrived silently once again, deepening his emotions and immersing him bit by bit.
"Is it because you have other people you like that you feel guilty? Is that why you're afraid to face her?"
The Ice Emperor shifted her position in Huo Yuhao's arms. She looked up, her golden eyes fixed on his with a haunting depth that made him feel strangely guilty.
"Yes..."
Huo Yuhao answered.
The Ice Emperor took a deep breath, then suddenly exerted force, pushing the caught-off-guard Huo Yuhao completely down.
One hand pressed against Huo Yuhao's shoulder, her golden eyes met his gaze without a hint of fear.
"Then, do you like me?"
Her words carried an undisguised seriousness and resolve.
She was the Ice Emperor. Hundreds of thousands of years had forged her pride; being direct was her true nature.
Specifically, Huo Yuhao's unhesitating "I do" regarding the other girl had deeply provoked her.
She... didn't want to wait anymore.