Investment?
"Not bad. A Six-Ring Soul Emperor fighting a Three-Ring Soul Elder, and one who just broke through at that. With a thirty-seven-level gap in Soul Power, I don't really need to worry about you."
"I've already secretly marked him. I shouldn't need to repeat how to find him—go quickly and return quickly, don't let him run too far."
"And don't just focus on your mission. Weren't you successful at the last Sea God's Island Blind Date Corner? Instead of missions, I'd much rather you give me a grandson soon. The family line still needs to be passed down."
"I understand. As soon as this mission is over and I return, I'll get married."
"Mm, as long as you understand."
……
After Beibei and Tang Ya confirmed that Xiao Qiang's treatment of Huo Yuhao was standard battlefield medic procedure, the two ultimately said nothing more.
One was bound to die, while the other at least wouldn't die for now. Unless someone was being utterly unreasonable, anyone with sense would understand which choice was correct.
As a righteous protagonist according to setting, being extreme at times was fine, but being completely devoid of reason was something Beibei at least would not do.
Therefore, after confirming that Huo Yuhao was fine and had already chosen to join the Tang Sect, Xiao Qiang chose to leave without the slightest hesitation. He didn't want any further entanglements with Huo Yuhao in the short term.
Just how powerful the fortune of a Son of Fortune like Huo Yuhao could be, Xiao Qiang did not know. To prevent Tianmeng from suddenly wanting to become Huo Yuhao's Intelligent Soul Ring before obtaining his second Martial Soul and binding the Ice Empress, Xiao Qiang wanted to avoid too much interaction with Huo Yuhao.
"Huh? We're just leaving like this?" Tianmeng Ice Worm asked in a half-asleep daze.
"Is something wrong, Brother Tianmeng?"
"It's nothing much. I just feel that the guy earlier—who almost got blown to pieces by your flying Soul Tool because of a misunderstanding—is rather pitiful. Leaving just like that makes me feel a bit guilty. Shouldn't we give him some compensation?"
Tianmeng's words made Xiao Qiang's heart skip a beat, while simultaneously making him glad he had chosen to leave quickly. The fortune of a Son of Fortune truly was terrifyingly formidable.
It was a good thing Xiao Qiang ran early. If he had run any later and accidentally bumped heads with Huo Yuhao, Xiao Qiang suspected that the Soul of Elex could have casually dragged Tianmeng straight into Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea.
"Brother Tianmeng, compensation won't be necessary. Ever since my Sharingan evolved from one tomoe to two tomoes, I can see certain things much more clearly."
"Take right now, for instance: I can foresee that the Martial Soul you're preparing for me in the future should be scorpion-shaped, and it seems to be a green Martial Soul, am I right?"
"Eh? You... how did you know?" Tianmeng sat up in surprise within Xiao Qiang's Spiritual Sea.
"Brother Tianmeng, I told you, my Martial Soul occasionally lets me catch a glimpse of things that are profound, elusive, and intangible. Up until now, although it hasn't given me any ability to avert disaster, its ability to guide me toward fortune is the real deal."
"It was this Martial Soul that gave me a faint, destined hunch to come to the Star Dou Great Forest when I reached level 30 and meet you."
"Facts have proven that this hunch was indeed correct. As long as the two of us join forces, plus a second Martial Soul, a Limit Douluo-level cultivation and a lifespan of over a millennium are our baseline."
"A lifespan of over a millennium?" Tianmeng clearly heard the keyword that Xiao Qiang had deliberately emphasized.
"That's right. Just now, I could sense that there is an object capable of causing my vitality to surge explosively. Once I obtain that, I can rely on the vitality within it to achieve a millennium-level lifespan."
What Xiao Qiang was referring to was the Gold of Life. In the original work, Huo Yuhao had little time to develop the powerful vitality contained within the Gold of Life or fully convert that vitality to his own use.
However, relying on the boundless vitality within it to grant oneself a much longer lifespan was theoretically possible—though in practice, it required a certain method. Unlike Huo Yuhao, however, Xiao Qiang was not particularly short on time.
"Where is that thing? When can we get it?"
"It should be a bit far from us, but I can sense it. It's a matter of a year or two at most. Rest easy, it won't be too long."
Tianmeng was excited. If what Xiao Qiang said was true, it meant that he and the Ice Empress would have at least a millennium's worth of time together.
Considering that Xiao Qiang had deliberately come looking for him specifically, the credibility of Xiao Qiang's words was extremely high.
"Since you say so, Brother can rest easy. As expected of the person Brother chose! But what does this have to do with that Huo Yuhao?"
"Because just now, after my Sharingan evolved and reached the two-tomoe stage, I could sense that most people who treat Huo Yuhao well do not meet a good end."
"Eh? Really?"
"Brother Tianmeng, I have no reason to lie to you. This is all something my eyes can truly see and confirm."
Xiao Qiang explained to Tianmeng, and he was indeed not lying. As the protagonist of the Tang family's continent, Huo Yuhao shared a similar pattern to Tang San.
Ning Fengzhi, the master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan who invested in Tang San, was reduced to a second-rate faction by the era of Douluo II, and by Douluo III couldn't even be considered a second-rate faction.
As for that Tower King Ye Zhi, she didn't even pursue Long Yue, the leading figure of the second-rate factions; the person she ended up with couldn't even rank in the top three among the younger generation of the Star Luo Empire.
Conversely, look at Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire: top-tier Soul Bones were sent over, yet they would still swindle you out of money whenever possible and withhold good items if they could.
By Douluo III, Xu Jiawei's direct lineage seemed to have fallen into decline. Xu Xiaoyan's side likely stemmed from a Martial Soul mutation, yet she could only maintain a degree of influence within East Sea City, which already spoke volumes.
Mu En taught him Ruling the World and gave him a Dragon Pearl—he could be considered someone in Shrek who genuinely gave Huo Yuhao benefits. Yet not only did Mu En's soul scatter into nothingness, but his great-grandson Beibei ultimately only obtained a thirty-thousand-year-old Heavenly Dragon Horse to serve as his seventh, eighth, and even ninth Soul Ring.
People called this a bloodline awakening as if he had received a great benefit, but could that benefit offset the quality issue of his Soul Rings? Could it compare to the benefits the Dragon Pearl brought him?
Mu En and Elex were practically the Dugu Bo of Douluo II: once they had eaten every benefit down to the bone, if you descendants wanted any substantial, genuine goods, you could only keep dreaming.
Taking and eating everything alike, their whole gimmick was stripping things clean to the bone—your possessions would henceforth become mine.
The only reason Huo Yuhao's situation seemed somewhat favorable was simply because the faction he joined was the Tang Sect and Shrek, belonging to the God-King Tang San.
As forces designated by Tang San himself, loyal dogs of Tang San, facing Shrek and Tang Sect, Huo Yuhao—being merely a protagonist written by someone else—was destined to be a loyal dog to the Tang Sect and Shrek.
Ma Xiaotao had almost killed him twice in the early stages, though she also saved him once later on. Even in a two-to-one situation, it at most amounted to a grudge that could be set aside; yet because Ma Xiaotao needed his Ultimate Ice, Huo Yuhao accepted Ma Xiaotao as an older sister without the slightest bit of resentment.
Later on, he even awakened her original consciousness so she wouldn't be controlled by Evil Spirit Masters, and forged a soul-binding ribbon to provide her with Ultimate Fire.
The core principle was that whether kindness existed or not didn't matter; who said one couldn't repay kindness that wasn't even there? Could Huo Yuhao's protagonist halo possibly compare to Tang San's?
"In that case, let's just ignore him then. Brother certainly doesn't want to meet a bad end."
"Brother Tianmeng, I'm glad you understand."
Xiao Qiang nodded, then once again picked up speed as he left the Star Dou Great Forest, preparing to carry out his next phase of the plan.