Chapter 264 Huo Yuhao Realizes His True Feelings: He Also Likes Wang Qiu'er.
In the dark world, in the squares of major cities, Soul Masters watched the golden light explode in the sky, and their discussions continued for a long time.
"Sacrifice… I never expected Wang Qiu'er to be an Imperial Auspicious Beast." A Soul Master said in a low voice, his tone complicated.
"I used to think she was just Wang Dong'er's rival, always trying to steal Huo Yuhao from her. But now it seems she never succeeded. She just likes someone."
"Yes." The person next to me sighed.
"She was willing to risk her life for someone who didn't like her. You could call her a fool, but she was foolish in a way that made you feel sorry for her. You could also call her smart, but what she did wasn't smart at all."
"Do you remember?" a female Soul Master asked.
"When Wang Qiu'er was pursuing Huo Yuhao, many people criticized her, saying she was shameless and that she interfered in Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er's relationship. I also joined in the criticism at the time."
"But looking back now, what did she do wrong? She liked Huo Yuhao, but she never forced anything. When Huo Yuhao chose Wang Dong'er, she withdrew. When Huo Yuhao was in danger, she appeared. Was anything she did for herself?"
"That's right." Another Soul Master nodded. "What about Huo Yuhao? When Wang Dong'er died, he locked himself up. When Wang Qiu'er sacrificed herself, he knelt there and cried out a few times. And then? Then nothing happened. Wang Qiu'er did so much for him, what did he do in return? He never even said 'I like you'."
"That's the problem." An older Soul Master shook his head. "Huo Yuhao is indeed a man of deep affection. But his affection was never for Wang Qiu'er. In his heart, Wang Qiu'er was always second to Wang Dong'er. When Wang Dong'er was alive, Wang Qiu'er was a backup option. When Wang Dong'er died, Wang Qiu'er was still a backup option. In the end, he even gave his life, but he still didn't give her a proper title."
"It's a shame for Wang Qiu'er," someone said directly. "It's a shame for Wang Dong'er too. One committed suicide for him, and the other sacrificed herself for him. Both women were more tragic than the other. But Huo Yuhao is doing well, living and even gaining new power. What do you call this? This is called climbing over women's corpses."
The discussion in the square grew increasingly heated, but this time, no one defended Wang Qiu'er, and no one spoke up for Huo Yuhao.
They just felt it wasn't worth it.
I feel sorry for Wang Qiu'er, I feel sorry for Wang Dong'er.
Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian gazed at the sky and remained silent for a long time.
"The sacrifice is complete." Di Tian spoke slowly, his voice deep. "The power of the Imperial Beast now belongs to Huo Yuhao."
Brigitte stood to the side, her eyes reddening. She didn't speak, but just stared at the figure that had disappeared from the screen.
Xiong Jun snorted coldly: "That Huo Yuhao, he should be feeling good now, right? He got a free life and a free power. The fortune of our Star Dou Great Forest has just been given away like that."
"Enough." Di Tian interrupted Xiong Jun. "Things have come to this point, there's no use saying anything now. What we need to do now is to keep an eye on the people of this world and absolutely prevent history from repeating itself."
He turned his head and looked at Wang Qiu'er.
Wang Qiu'er, from the dark world, remained standing in the same spot, gazing up at the sky. Her face was expressionless, but there was an indescribable sadness in her golden eyes.
"Auspicious beast." Di Tian's voice was deep. "You saw it all. Your future self sacrificed herself for that human."
Wang Qiu'er did not respond.
"I hope you remember this," Di Tian continued, "your life doesn't belong to you alone. You are an Imperial Auspicious Beast, carrying the destiny of the Star Dou Great Forest. If you die, it will be a huge loss to our entire Soul Beast race."
Biji stepped forward and said softly, "Rui Shou, we don't object to who you like. But we don't want you to risk your life for someone who doesn't cherish you. Do you understand?"
Wang Qiu'er raised her head, glanced at Bi Ji, and then at the sky.
This time, she nodded slightly.
But she still didn't say anything.
[In the scene depicting the sky.]
After the golden light faded, the streets were a mess.
The four evil spirit masters were blasted away by the energy shockwave from the sacrifice, crashing to the ground and spitting blood.
"Damn it..." The leading evil spirit master struggled to his feet, his face extremely pale. "The energy from the sacrifice was too strong; my meridians were damaged."
"Boss, let's retreat." The evil spirit master beside him clutched his chest, his voice weak. "That Huo Yuhao has now obtained the power of the Emperor Beast; we can't defeat him."
The leading evil spirit master gritted his teeth, glanced at Huo Yuhao kneeling on the ground in the distance, then at his injured companion beside him, and finally snorted coldly: "Retreat."
The four evil spirit masters transformed into dark purple streaks of light and vanished into the night.
Huo Yuhao knelt on the street, head bowed, hands supporting him on the ground. His body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from anger and sorrow.
He felt a new power within his body, a power left to him by Wang Qiu'er. That power flowed through his meridians, merging with his soul force, causing his aura to gradually rise.
But he wasn't happy at all.
He would rather forgo this power than see Wang Qiu'er die.
"Wang Qiu'er..." Huo Yuhao said in a low, hoarse voice, "Why did you do this..."
No one answered him.
The night wind blew, stirring up dust from the ground. He was left alone on the street, surrounded by scattered pebbles and bloodstains.
Huo Yuhao slowly raised his head.
His eyes were red, and tears welled up in them, but didn't fall.
He stared at the spot where Wang Qiu'er had disappeared; there was nothing there anymore. No light, no afterimage, only empty air.
"You said you don't blame me," Huo Yuhao said softly, as if speaking to himself. "You said you don't need my response, nor do you need me to feel guilty."
"But have you ever considered that I might also have feelings?"
Huo Yuhao clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.
"I thought I didn't love you. I thought Dong'er was the only one in my heart."
"But when you stood before me, when you began the sacrifice, I panicked."
"I've never panicked like this before."
Huo Yuhao's voice trembled.
"I suddenly realized that I don't want you to die. I don't want you to leave."
"But there's nothing I can do."
"I was frozen in place, unable to move, unable to call out. I could only watch you disappear, watch you turn into those specks of light, and then enter my body."
Huo Yuhao lowered his head, looking at his hands.
The warmth of Wang Qiu'er's touch on his cheek still lingered on those hands. But now, that warmth had vanished, leaving only the cold air.
"Wang Qiu'er, I'm sorry." Huo Yuhao's voice grew softer and softer. "I didn't realize I loved you until you died."
"But you can't hear me anymore."
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes.
Tears finally slid down his cheeks, dripping onto the ground and seeping into the soil.
He just knelt there, motionless.
After a long while, Huo Yuhao slowly stood up.
His body was still swaying slightly, but he forced himself to steady himself. He glanced in the direction Wang Qiu'er had disappeared, took a deep breath, turned around, and walked towards Shrek Academy.
His figure appeared exceptionally lonely in the night.
The warmth of Wang Qiu'er's touch still lingered on his hands.
But the temperature was getting colder and colder.
(End of chapter)