Huo Yuhao absentmindedly touched the spot on his cheek where Meng Hongchen's soft lips had just kissed him. It still felt burning hot. He gazed at the beauty before him, a heartfelt, joyful smile spreading across his face.
"Since you're being this forward, Senior, then I won't be polite anymore."
With that, Huo Yuhao pressed a kiss on Meng Hongchen's forehead, pulled the slightly stunned but now smiling girl into his arms again, and hugged her tightly.
They didn't do anything else. They simply enjoyed the warmth of each other's presence. A long while later, they reluctantly let go, though Meng Hongchen's hands were still wrapped around Huo Yuhao's waist.
"Yuhao… are you sending your second body to the Holy Spirit Sect right now?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head.
"I'll wait a few more days. I need to make sure this second body is stable. And I should probably inform my teacher too."
Thinking about the smaller branches of the Holy Spirit Sect he had uncovered in Mingdu, Huo Yuhao's eyes turned cold.
"And those nests of evil soul masters in the city... I need to find a way to clean them out. My teacher might be able to assist."
Hearing this, Meng Hongchen's face twisted in disgust.
"I really don't understand what the imperial authorities are thinking, letting those disgusting people root themselves in the Sun Moon Empire. They must be crazy."
Indeed. Xu Tianran even later declared the Holy Spirit Sect the state religion. Although he eventually destroyed the sect and killed the two Ultimate Douluos, Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, he still allowed the sect to commit countless atrocities for years. No one knew how many innocent civilians had suffered, or how many souls of fallen soldiers had been harvested by the lurking evil soul masters.
"Alright, enough of that. Let's go for a walk around the academy, Senior."
"Mm!"
Meng Hongchen nodded enthusiastically.
The scenery within the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy was beautiful. From grand palace-like buildings to lush, royal garden-style landscaping, the academy covered an area as vast as the largest universities on Earth. Combined with nearly ten thousand years of history, it was a perfect place to stroll—except no outsiders were allowed entry. Only students and nobles had access.
But perhaps that was for the best. If the average Mingdu citizen had free access, it would likely disrupt the students' daily lives, just like what happened at some universities back on Earth.
Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen walked hand in hand, admiring the surroundings.
"Say, Senior, doesn't our academy have any statues of its founders or something?"
Meng Hongchen gave a mysterious smile and countered with a question of her own.
"Hehe, Yuhao, do you know why my grandfather is the head of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy?"
Huo Yuhao thought for a moment. He hadn't really looked into it. He tried guessing, but eventually shook his head.
"It's normal that you don't know. In fact, our Hongchen family is the founding family of the academy. On the surface, the headmaster is chosen based on merit, but whenever there isn't a suitable candidate, the family head of the Hongchen clan takes the position. My grandfather is one of those."
As she spoke, a trace of pride filled her tone. But then her voice turned faintly sorrowful.
"If my father hadn't… if nothing had happened to him, with his talent, he would be headmaster now."
Huo Yuhao gently patted her head, but in his heart, he scoffed. Sure, the prince who killed Meng Hongchen's father was dead—but the prince's son was still alive.
He hadn't realized the Hongchen family had such a long history. But it made sense. With the high-grade martial souls of both Meng and Xiao Hongchen, they had to come from an ancient lineage.
"So... since the Hongchen family founded the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, where does the 'Imperial' part come from?"
Meng Hongchen shook her head.
"Maybe... the Hongchen family was once part of the royal bloodline. Just my own guess. For some reason, there are no records of this in any public history books. Maybe the clan's ancestral records mention it."
They didn't dwell on the mystery any longer. The two of them continued chatting casually, side by side.
But behind them, a shadowy figure quietly emerged.
Wang Dong had only come out to enjoy a nice stroll on a beautiful weekend and maybe check out how the Sun Moon Academy differed from Shrek. But she hadn't expected to witness something surprising—her teacher, Huo Yuhao, was walking hand-in-hand with a silver-haired, beautiful girl.
'Oh, so Huo Yuhao already has a girlfriend?'
That was her first thought.
'Hmph. So what? What's it got to do with me?'
She initially planned to turn and leave, to avoid running into the couple—but her feet wouldn't move. Slowly, a strange mix of envy and... jealousy began to well up in her chest.
She felt bitter. She couldn't help but think that she was even prettier than that silver-haired girl next to Huo Yuhao. And before she knew it, she found herself becoming a secret stalker, trailing the pair from behind.
At that moment, in the academy's royal back garden, Wang Dong hid behind a bush, secretly peeking at the two as they held hands and chatted happily. Unconsciously, she clenched her fists.
'What am I even doing…? Why do I feel jealous?'
She and Huo Yuhao didn't have that close of a relationship. Wasn't it normal for him to date someone else?
Maybe she was just envious of people in relationships. After all, she was still single. But with her pride and status, there was no way she'd get jealous just because she was single, right?
Strangely, she suddenly felt like crying. She crouched down, hugged her knees, and stared at the ground.
It took a while before she could calm down. She sniffled and looked again at the couple walking farther and farther away.
She didn't say a word. Just quietly followed.
She didn't know why she was doing it, only that she had to keep watching them. What if they weren't dating? What if their relationship was something else entirely? What if… just what if...
(End of Chapter)
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