Chapter 454.1. Awakening, Realising

Cool sensations suddenly coursed over his body amidst all that pain, and these sensations gradually extinguished the flames of agony within him. That refreshing feeling was exceptionally comfortable, and Huo Yuhao’s nerves gradually relaxed in his deep slumber. In his dream, Dong’er had returned to his side and was leaning down next to him. He could smell her faint fragrance as he was holding her petite hand, and he could feel his heart calming down completely. All the torturous pain and agony that he had sustained in the past were nothing with Dong’er around, and everything was no longer painful as long as she was back. At least, there was a crisp sweetness after the bitterness.

The first ray of sunlight seeped into the tent in the next morning and shone right on Tang Wutong’s face. She wanted to raise her hand subconsciously to shade herself from the sunlight, but she realized that her hand felt a little heavy.

Tang Wutong opened her eyes. Her large and pinkish-blue eyes were still a little blurry and sleepy, and the first thing she saw was a pale but slightly rosy cheek.

The blurriness in her eyes immediately vanished as her big beautiful eyes widened in an instant. Everything went blank in her mind.

I… where am I? Why is there someone sleeping next to me? She nearly kicked out, but she had a deep impression of this side profile that she was staring at, and she understood that this person couldn’t be harmed.

Tang Wutong forced herself to calm down and composed herself before she took a serious look at this person. It’s… it’s him? Huo Yuhao?

Tang Wutong’s memory from the previous night finally returned. She thought to herself, to her apparent surprise, I fell asleep next to him? And I slept here for the entire night? Even though this fellow is still unconscious, but… but I slept with him for the entire night.

Tang Wutong glanced down at her hand. She was astonished as she discovered that all of the fingers on her right hand were tightly interlocked with Huo Yuhao’s right hand, as if that was how it was supposed to be.

That can’t be… What are you doing, Tang Wutong?

Tang Wutong sat up, embarrassed, as she swiftly pulled her hand back. She blushed from the embarrassment – He’s still unconscious, and it’s evident that he wasn’t the one who reached over to grab me. Does this mean that not only did I sleep next to him, but I also decided to hold his hand? That… that is just unbelievable.

Tang Wutong placed her hands against her cheeks, which were burning up. She didn’t dare to look at Huo Yuhao. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard outside the tent.

Tang Wutong bounced to her feet as if she had been shocked. She stood beside the bed as she circulated her soul power so that she could calm herself down.

The curtain was lifted as Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan walked in from outside. They looked at Tang Wutong, who was standing beside the bed, and Jiang Nannan couldn’t help but laugh at her as she said, “Wutong, even if you’re taking care of Huo Yuhao, you don’t have to keep standing up! How is he? Has anything changed?”

Tang Wutong’s back was facing them as she nodded and said, “He’s doing well. Everything’s normal.”

Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan came beside the bed. Xu Sanshi glanced at Tang Wutong, and caught her embarrassed and blushed expression. From his perspective, she was clearly still feeling embarrassed about cleaning up Huo Yuhao during the previous night. He couldn’t help but laugh inside, but he didn’t expose her.

“Eh, Yuhao’s complexion seems a lot better than before. Look, there’s traces of rosiness on his face,” Jiang Nannan said elatedly.

Wasn’t that right? Xu Sanshi looked down, and could tell that Huo Yuhao’s face was much rosier than the past few days, while his breathing was evidently a lot thicker and more stable.

“Wutong, you take the best care of him! Seems like he’ll recover very quickly,” Xu Sanshi praised her.

“Yes, I hope he will recover as soon as possible.” Tang Wutong answered subconsciously.

Jiang Nannan said, “Wutong, you must be tired after taking care of him for the entire night. You should go back and rest. Sanshi and I will take turns to look after him today, in the day.”

“Oh, okay,” Tang Wutong nodded in their direction before she hurriedly stepped out. She raced into her own tent after exiting Huo Yuhao’s tent.

Jiang Nannan glanced at the tent’s curtain, which was still swaying a little. She muttered confusedly, “Eh, why does she seem like she’s escaping from something?”

Xu Sanshi chuckled and said, “Who knows? In the end, Yuhao is in such bad shape, and he can’t do anything bad to her even if he wanted to. Nothing could have happened.”

Jiang Nannan blushed as she glared at him and said, “Only you would think about doing bad things every day.”

Xu Sanshi grabbed her around her slim waist and said, “Did you not say last night that ‘bad things’ actually feel quite good?”

“Psh! You’re such an asshole. How can you say such things? If you keep going, stay away from me next time.” Jiang Nannan retorted angrily as she blushed even more.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop. I’ll stop talking.” Xu Sanshi apologized again and again.

His eyes suddenly widened as he spoke. That was because he suddenly noticed that the corner of Huo Yuhao’s mouth actually curved upward a little, as if he was… smiling?

Huo Yuhao recovered very quickly indeed, and he finally awakened from his deep slumber that same afternoon. Even though his body was still very weak, his mind was clear and awake, and that undoubtedly meant he was starting towards a path to speedy recovery.

Xu Sanshi was taking care of Huo Yuhao in the afternoon. He had just fed Huo Yuhao some water before he lowered his voice and said menacingly, “You little rascal – did you hear something you were not supposed to hear this morning?”

Huo Yuhao couldn’t help laugh as he said, “No! I didn’t hear anything at all.”

“Really?” Xu Sanshi stared at him suspiciously, “But why did I feel like you were smiling this morning?”

Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes and said, “Third senior brother, you must have a guilty conscience. What have you done this time?”

“Psh, psh. I am righteous and honest. Why would I have a guilty conscience? Right, Yuhao, let’s not talk about that. Our mission can be considered successfully completed – we have helped the Star Luo Empire regain the Ming Dou Mountain Range, which they can use to directly threaten the Sun Moon Empire’s own territory. We have fulfilled our strategic aim. Should we go back once you’ve recovered?”

Huo Yuhao answered, “Yes, it’s about time to go back. We don’t yet know what the situation is like with the Heavenly Soul Empire. If the Heavenly Soul Empire is completely conquered, the Sun Moon Empire will directly threaten the academy. We should return to the academy as quickly as possible once I’m a little better.”

Xu Sanshi said, “Alright then, doesn’t seem like we have another choice. Right, the Star Luo Empire has ordered us to be rewarded for our merit in battle, and many rewards have been bestowed upon us. We have accepted all the monetary rewards, but we declined offers of noble titles. Your title is a hereditary Marquis – what do you plan to do with that?”

Huo Yuhao sighed and said, “Forget about the rest. This title of hereditary Marquis is useful to me, so I want that. How is the situation on the frontlines?”

Xu Sanshi said, “The Star Luo Empire’s garrisoned in the Ming Dou Mountain Range after taking it back. They have sent several dozen small teams of soul masters to wreak havoc in the Sun Moon Empire. This is meant to attract the Sun Moon Empire’s attention, but we have no idea what this measure will achieve. We no longer participated in their military operations after that day.”

Huo Yuhao said, “That’s alright. I trust that the White Tiger Duke won’t make the same mistake with his eye for war strategies. The Star Luo Empire’s elites are all here, and the Sun Moon Empire has to put in a lot of effort even if they deploy their large armies to attack the Ming Dou Mountain Range to retake it. Furthermore, their main forces are all concentrated in the Heavenly Soul Empire.”

Xu Sanshi laughed bitterly. “I think the Star Luo Empire won’t be that much of a threat to the Sun Moon Empire. The Death God Douluo is too terrifying – with her around, it will be very difficult to deal real damage to the Sun Moon Empire.”

A lamenting and frustrated look appeared in Huo Yuhao’s eyes. How could he not be aware of what Xu Sanshi had just told him? The Death God Douluo, Ye Xishui, was an Ultimate Douluo, and she possessed the powerful Bloody Demonpuppet as her martial soul. She was his teacher’s old lover, and this senior was simply too powerful.

Huo Yuhao could still remember that his teacher once said it was difficult for evil soul masters to become Titled Douluo, but if one such evil soul master eventually did become a Titled Douluo, then there would be a calamity.

The Holy Ghost Church had been hiding away for so many years, and their strength had finally matured. They possessed evil soul masters who were also Titled Douluo, and they even had an evil soul master who was an Ultimate Douluo. She possessed the Death God Pagoda, which had probably become a Class 10 soul tool. Ye Xishui was almost invincible in the human world, and she was directly involved in this war. The Beast God Di Tian had scared her away this time – but what about the next time?

A single individual’s strength might not be able to change the outcome of a war, but a person with terrifying power such as hers was sufficient to turn the tides of battle!

Furthermore, the Holy Ghost Church still had the Darkness Holy Dragon, Long Xiaoyao, who was yet another Ultimate Douluo. The only two remaining Ultimate Douluo in the world were both aiding the Sun Moon Empire. This was terribly disadvantageous for the Douluo continent’s three native empires.

The balance of this war had completely swung in favor of the Sun Moon Empire. The Star Luo Empire had regained the Ming Dou Mountain Range, but what about the future? What would the future bring? The Sun Moon Empire’s main forces were concentrated in the Heavenly Soul Empire, but the Death God Douluo was anchoring things down in the Sun Moon Empire, and it was hard to say how many of the Star Luo Empire’s soldiers and soul masters would be annihilated.

What was even more frightening was the fact that Ye Xishui was an evil soul master, and everyone could tell from the mental state that she had displayed the other day that her mind wasn’t stable at all. Such a person wouldn’t care about the deaths of normal citizens, and there was nothing at all that could threaten her.

My strength is far from enough! If I can also become a Titled Douluo, and perhaps even a Transcendent Douluo, I might have a chance to stop her. But becoming a Titled Douluo is so difficult.

Huo Yuhao said nothing, and Xu Sanshi said, “I have already sent the news back, and I have reported the Death God Douluo, Ye Xishui’s existence to the various elders of the Sea God’s Pavilion. I think it won’t be long before the academy might throw themselves into the war after all – otherwise, the Sun Moon Empire will be unstoppable.”