Chapter 230: Wang Qiu'er's Regret, Tang San is Baffled
Huo Yuhao fell into a dead silence.
Liu Yuan's words drove themselves into his chest like jagged iron thorns, lodging so deep they were impossible to pry loose. He did not want to admit the transmigrator was right, yet the evidence suffocated any denial. Wang Qiu'er was a Spirit Beast. Specifically, the Imperial Auspicious Beast of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The truth flashed before his eyes—he had witnessed her true form himself. That shimmering coat of golden fur, that singular, vertical eye... it was no illusion. Memories of the past few months bled through his mind. Every inconsistency, every time her background seemed shrouded in impenetrable fog, it all made brutal sense now. His hands clenched into tight fists, knuckles popping white, before slowly loosening, only to clench again.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, the usually carefree voice of the Tianmeng Iceworm echoed with a heavy, unmatched gravity. "Yuhao, he is right. You have to put distance between yourself and her. She is the Imperial Auspicious Beast, the absolute treasure of the Star Dou Great Forest. Di Tian guards her with his life. If you remain close to her and even a single hair on her head is harmed, the Beast God will bypass everyone else and hunt you down to settle the score."
The Ice Empress chimed in, her tone carrying a glacial edge that froze the very air in his mind. "Tianmeng speaks the truth. Yuhao, I know your heart is soft, but this is not the time for misplaced sentiment. An Imperial Auspicious Beast does not simply wander into the human world and attach herself to a human boy by sheer coincidence. She must have a motive."
Drawing a ragged breath, Yuhao forced his head up. His gaze locked onto Qiu'er.
She had already reverted to her human guise. With Du Busi having retracted a fraction of his crushing aura, she regained that familiar, aloof beauty. Yet, her complexion was ashen, drained of all color. A frantic, cornered panic flickered wildly in her eyes. Her lips parted, trembling slightly as she stared at Yuhao, desperately searching for words that refused to form.
Yuhao held her gaze. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating, before he finally broke it.
"You should leave."
His voice lacked volume, but the absolute clarity of his words cut through the clearing like a blade.
Qiu'er's entire frame went rigid. "Yuhao, I..." She choked on the syllables. What could she possibly say? Confess that she was indeed the Auspicious Beast, but swear she harbored no ill intent? Even to her own ears, the defense sounded absurdly hollow.
He shook his head, a bone-deep exhaustion weighing down his features. "I don't know why you chose to approach me. Maybe you have your reasons. Maybe you truly mean no harm. But... you cannot follow me anymore."
The rims of Qiu'er's eyes flushed a violent red. "I really didn't mean any harm," she whispered, her voice fracturing. "I just..."
She bit her tongue. She couldn't finish the sentence.
Because she did have a motive. She had fallen in love with him. But humans and beasts walked inherently divergent paths. How could he ever believe a predator's affection? She barely believed it herself. If she did, she wouldn't have needed to steal a human face just to stand by his side.
Biting down on her lower lip until it nearly bled, she forced back the moisture pooling in her eyes. Slowly, she turned her head, her gaze shifting away from Yuhao and locking onto Liu Yuan.
The young man stood casually behind Du Busi. His Double Pupils observed the unfolding drama with absolute, chilling tranquility. There was no arrogant smirk on his face, no sneer of mockery. Only a pragmatic, detached calm.
Yet, it was exactly this emotionless detachment that suffocated her with a deep sense of powerlessness. He was the architect of her ruin. If not for him, her disguise would have remained flawless. If not for him, she could have stayed by Yuhao's side. He had slaughtered the Void Beast, shattered her careful plans, and now, he was the wedge driving her away from the only person she cared about.
The panic and helplessness in Qiu'er's eyes evaporated, instantly replaced by a glacial, venomous hatred. She said nothing, but her golden eyes practically bled with killing intent. This was no fleeting spike of anger; it was a raw, undisguised, and absolute hostility aimed directly at his throat.
Liu Yuan felt the murderous pressure immediately. He didn't flinch. He didn't even shift his stance. He simply met her venomous glare head-on.
"Yuhao. Look at her eyes," Liu Yuan stated, his tone mild but carrying effortlessly through the tense air. "Is this what you consider 'no ill intent'? A Spirit Beast directing this level of naked hostility at a human... Tell me, why exactly is she staying by your side?"
Yuhao snapped his head back toward Qiu'er. He saw the killing intent in those eyes. True, the malice was aimed at Liu Yuan, not him, but the sheer savagery of it felt utterly alien. The Qiu'er he knew was distant and proud, yes, but she had never looked at another living being with the eyes of a starving predator ready to rip out their throat. His heart plummeted into his stomach.
Realizing her slip, Qiu'er hastily tried to smother her aura, her expression crumbling back into desperation. "It's not what it looks like, Yuhao, I just—"
"Enough."
A booming, gravelly voice shattered her sentence.
Du Busi took a single, heavy step forward. He raised his right hand, thick coils of emerald-green spirit power condensing violently within his palm. He didn't even bother launching an attack. He merely flexed his aura, directing the titanic pressure of a top-tier powerhouse squarely onto her shoulders.
"Noisy."
That single word carried the weight of a collapsing mountain. The sheer oppression slammed into Qiu'er, instantly choking off whatever defense she meant to offer. An invisible, crushing force bore down on her spine, forcing her knees to buckle. She ground her teeth together, fighting with every ounce of her monstrous physical strength just to remain standing, but the effort stripped her of the ability to draw breath for speech.
Dismissing her entirely, the Body Sect Master turned his imposing gaze toward Yuhao.
"What exactly did you come to the Sunset Forest for, boy?" Du Busi's tone lacked warmth, but it was devoid of malice—a casual interrogation from a senior to a junior.
Yuhao blinked, caught off guard by the abrupt shift in focus. He hesitated, weighing his options, before deciding honesty was the only viable path before such a monster. "I came seeking a specific medicinal herb. The Lovesick Heartbroken Grass. A friend of mine requires it for treatment."
Du Busi arched a thick eyebrow. He cast a sidelong glance at Liu Yuan. The young man gave a faint, knowing nod, signaling his awareness of the situation. Du Busi stroked his chin, mulling it over for a fraction of a second.
"Fine. You're coming with us."
Yuhao froze.
"We are also heading into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well," Du Busi added casually.
Yuhao opened his mouth to refuse, but the words died on his tongue. If he were entirely honest with himself, he had zero confidence in breaching the deadly perimeter of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well alone. Shadowing a supreme expert like Du Busi was objectively his best chance at survival. Yet, a stubborn knot of resistance lingered in his chest at the thought of aligning with the Body Sect.
Sensing his hesitation, Liu Yuan spoke up, his voice smooth and rational. "You may be from Shrek, but you are merely a student. There is no personal blood feud between us." He paused, his Double Pupils gleaming faintly. "... there is the matter of our shared connection with Elder Yi."
With a slight nod, Liu Yuan closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking inward. A second later, a wisp of gray light drifted from the center of his brow. The illumination was faint, yet it pulsed with an ancient, impossibly pure aura of death and light. Within that gray radiance, an ethereal, elderly figure slowly coalesced into existence.
Electrolux.
Draped in a simple gray robe, the old man's face bore the heavy marks of countless eras, yet his eyes shone with absolute, untainted clarity. He looked down at Yuhao, the corners of his mouth lifting into a warm, grandfatherly smile.
"Yuhao. It has been a long time."
A sudden, intense heat pricked at the corners of Yuhao's eyes. He hurried forward, dropping into a deep, perfectly rigid bow of utmost respect.
"Elder Yi," he greeted, his voice thick and raspy with emotion.
Electrolux simply nodded, offering silent comfort, before his form began to recede. Yuhao slowly straightened his spine. He took a moment to compose himself, burying his chaotic emotions, before turning his resolute gaze back to Du Busi and Liu Yuan.
"I will go with you."
Du Busi gave a curt nod of approval.
Off to the side, Long Aotian watched the exchange in silence. The Chief Disciple didn't harbor any particular fondness for the Shrek student, but he held no active malice toward him either. If the Sect Master and Liu Yuan deemed him useful, Aotian had no reason to object.
Liu Yuan withdrew his gaze entirely, treating Qiu'er as if she no longer existed. The group pivoted, making their descent toward the treacherous cliffside. Yuhao fell into step behind Liu Yuan. He managed three paces before his boots ground to a halt. He couldn't stop himself from glancing back.
Qiu'er remained rooted to the spot. Du Busi's lingering pressure kept her pinned, rendering her completely immobile. Yet, her golden eyes remained fiercely locked onto Yuhao. They swirled with an agonizing cocktail of indignation, bitter regret, and a deep, tragic sorrow that defied simple definition.
Yuhao stared at her. His lips parted, a final farewell resting on the tip of his tongue, but the words never came. He swallowed hard, turned his back on the Imperial Auspicious Beast, and quickened his pace to catch up with Liu Yuan.
Qiu'er stood frozen, watching the back of the boy she loved grow smaller and smaller, until the thick, swirling mists of the cliffside swallowed him whole. The oppressive pressure vanished, and without it holding her up, her legs gave out. She slid down, collapsing to her knees against the cold earth.
She had lost.
And the architect of her absolute ruin was Liu Yuan.
She hated him. She hated him for slaughtering the Void Beast. She hated him for stripping away her disguise. She hated him for tearing her away from Yuhao's side.
But what use was hatred? Against a monster with his intellect and power, she was utterly impotent. Qiu'er bowed her head, her golden hair falling like a curtain, as the tears she had fought so hard to hold back finally shattered against the dirt.
Far above, within the ethereal expanse of the God Realm.
Tang San sat upon his throne in the grand hall, the rippling surface of the Water Mirror suspended before him. He had watched the entire confrontation unfold by the cliff. His expression had shifted from divine calmness, to grim solemnity, and finally, to naked shock.
The exact moment Liu Yuan uttered the words 'Imperial Auspicious Beast,' Tang San's fingers dug violently into his armrest, cracking the divine stone.
"How..." the Sea God murmured, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "How did he see through it?"
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