The woman Huo Yuhao was looking at right now had a tall and well-proportioned figure, a sleek, fitted outfit outlining her long, powerful curves.
What was most striking about her was her long, golden-red hair, which shimmered with a burning radiance under the soft lights of the reception room, as if every strand were burning on its own.
Her face was stunningly beautiful but not delicate; with sword-like brows, a high nose bridge, and a sharp jawline, she exuded a heroic spirit. This person was naturally the transformed Spirit Beast, Jin Li.
Huo Yuhao truly had not expected that she would follow He Caitou to Star Luo City this time.
Jin Li stood up from her chair, her long golden-red hair tracing a dazzling arc in the air with her movement.
She crossed her arms over her chest, lifted her chin slightly, and let out a soft harrumph from her nose: "What? Are you not welcoming me?"
Huo Yuhao's gaze flickered slightly, and several thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
He was silent for a moment, then turned to look at He Caitou and Xi Xi beside him, saying in a calm tone: "Senior Brother, Senior Sister, I need to have a word with Jin Li alone."
Regarding the matters between Huo Yuhao and Jin Li, there had been quite a few rumors back at Shrek Academy.
It seemed that Jin Li had always been pursuing Huo Yuhao, but later it was rumored that Huo Yuhao was together with Wang Dong, who had turned into a girl.
Now, the fire of gossip in He Caitou and Xi Xi's hearts was ignited almost simultaneously, but both were tactful people, and neither let that curiosity show on their faces.
After all, Huo Yuhao's status now was vastly different from before; he was no longer just an ordinary Genius Student at Shrek Academy, but the Hall Master of the Spirit Transmitting Hall, their future "Boss".
Therefore, He Caitou and Xi Xi exchanged a knowing glance, said nothing, and turned to walk out of the reception room one after the other.
The room was now left with only Huo Yuhao and Jin Li, and only silence remained.
The afternoon sunlight spilled in obliquely through the gap in the half-drawn curtains, casting several long, thin golden shadows on the floor, while tiny dust motes floated and danced slowly in the shafts of light.
What surged in Huo Yuhao's mind at this moment were the words Leng Yaozhu had said to him earlier.
Blindly avoiding things might not necessarily allow one to escape the "shackles" of fate.
If one wanted to change Jin Li's predetermined fate, running away might just be the most passive and negative approach.
In this current era, constrained by the limitations of Soul Engineering technology, the conditions for long-term storage of Spirit Souls did not exist.
Therefore, to gain a firm foothold at the inception of the Spirit Pagoda, the cooperation and support of the Spirit Beast side were indeed necessary.
And Jin Li was clearly an excellent Breakthrough point.
Her original form was the Emperor Auspicious Beast, holding a revered status within the Spirit Beast Clan, and she had intricate connections with the Beast God Di Tian.
As long as he could contact Di Tian through Jin Li, and then have Di Tian nod in recognition of the Spirit Pagoda's significance, the resistance from the Spirit Beast side to the Spirit Pagoda would be greatly reduced, perhaps even turning that resistance into assistance.
Seeing Huo Yuhao remaining silent, Jin Li finally couldn't hold back.
Her sword-like brows suddenly arched, a hint of obvious annoyance and grievance rising in her golden-red eyes, and she let out a heavy harrumph from her nose: "Why aren't you saying anything? If you don't want me here, just say so; I'll leave right now!"
Huo Yuhao saw that Jin Li seemed genuinely angry and sighed softly: "I never said I wouldn't let you stay here."
Upon hearing this, the expression on Jin Li's face changed instantly.
From a cold, furrowed glare to a bright and picturesque smile, the transition took only a split second.
She flashed from a few steps away to stand before Huo Yuhao, tilted her head slightly, her golden-red eyes sparkling, the corners of her mouth lifting into an attractive arc, her voice full of irrepressible joy: "So that means you agree to let me stay here?"
Huo Yuhao looked at the undisguised joy on her stunning face so close to his, and finally nodded: "Agreed."
Receiving that affirmative answer from Huo Yuhao, she almost leaped up from the ground, shouting excitedly: "Great! You aren't staying at the Academy, so there's no point in me being there either."
Before her excitement had faded, she seemed to suddenly recall something important, leaned forward slightly, and asked earnestly: "Then what kind of work are you planning to arrange for me?"
Clearly, before setting off for Star Luo City, Jin Li had done sufficient "investigation".
She hadn't just run over on a whim; she had beforehand gathered a good understanding of the situation at the Spirit Transmitting Hall.
After transforming into human form and entering human society, Jin Li was full of curiosity and a desire to explore everything.
She had long since grown tired of that small place at Shrek Academy, and felt it was even more insipid after Huo Yuhao left, which was why she had run all the way to Star Luo City to "apply for a job".
Of course, this was just the reason presented on the surface.
There was another reason that prompted her to travel such a long distance, and that was that Huo Yuhao himself held a certain indescribable attraction for her.
This attraction was not the hazy affection or heartbeat between a man and a woman; rather, in her eyes, Huo Yuhao was always shrouded in a layer of fate's halo that ordinary people could not see, which faintly echoed with the traces of fate's power on her own body.
It was precisely the existence of this power of fate that made Jin Li instinctively feel they were of the same kind.
Therefore, she always involuntarily wanted to get close to Huo Yuhao, even if she did nothing, just being by his side was enough.
When it came to work, Huo Yuhao actually began to ponder seriously.
Thinking it over, Huo Yuhao suddenly realized that since he had decided to let Jin Li stay, keeping her under his own nose was the most reassuring arrangement.
So he looked up, met Jin Li's golden eyes filled with expectation, and said: "You can just follow me for now, consider yourself my... Secretary."
Upon hearing she could follow Huo Yuhao, Jin Li's eyes brightened even more, and she nodded without hesitation.
But after nodding, a look of confusion appeared on her face, and she tilted her head to ask: "What is a Secretary?"
The word "Secretary" did not exist in this era; in history, it would only appear thousands of years later.
Huo Yuhao explained simply: "It means staying by my side, helping me handle some daily affairs; you do whatever I tell you to do, you can consider yourself my assistant."
Upon hearing this, Jin Li straightened her back, lifted her chin slightly, and with an expression as serious as a general who had just received a military order, she said word by word: "Rest assured, I will do this job well."
...
In the past few days, the Soul Engineers of the Spirit Transmitting Hall had discovered something novel.
By the side of their ridiculously young Hall Master, Huo Yuhao, there appeared, from some unknown day, a figure so beautiful that one couldn't tear their eyes away.
That stunningly beautiful girl, with her tall figure and long, golden-red hair as dazzling as a raging flame, followed Huo Yuhao around almost every step of the way from morning till night.
The two were of similar age, and with them being almost inseparable, many people throughout the Spirit Transmitting Hall began to discuss it privately, with the most popular theory being that this beautiful girl would be their Hall Master's wife.
Just as Princess Xu Jiujiu stepped into the main gate of the Spirit Transmitting Hall, these whispers drifting into her ears made her frown involuntarily.
Today, she was wearing a simple and elegant moon-white long dress, her golden hair tied up with a jade hairpin; she seemed to lack a bit of the graceful luxury of her usual status as a Princess, possessing instead a bit more of a refined, otherworldly casualness.
She did not linger downstairs, just pursed her lips slightly, and stepped onto the wooden staircase.
She went straight up to the third floor, turned left at the stairs, walked along the corridor paved with plain-colored carpet to the end, and finally stopped in front of a closed door.
A new wooden nameplate was affixed to the door, with three characters written in neat regular script—Hall Master's Office.
Princess Xu Jiujiu raised her hand to knock, but before her knuckles touched the door panel, Huo Yuhao's clear voice came from inside: "Big Sister Jiujiu, please come in."
Princess Xu Jiujiu was slightly taken aback, then a knowing smile bloomed on her lips, and she thought to herself, truly worthy of being a Mental-type Spirit Master.
She pushed the door open and walked into the room with graceful steps.
She had been to this office of Huo Yuhao's several times before, so it was not unfamiliar.
The room was not large, and the furnishings were so simple they bordered on plain; a row of bookshelves filled with books and blueprints stood against the wall, and by the window was a large mahogany desk, on which, besides brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, there was a constantly lit Soul Engineering desk lamp.
However, this time, her gaze only swept over Huo Yuhao, and then naturally fell upon the figure sitting on the sofa against the wall.
With just a single glance, a flash of undisguised amazement could not help but cross Princess Xu Jiujiu's eyes.
She was herself a beauty of peerless charm, having seen countless stunning beauties carefully selected for the Star Luo Palace from childhood to adulthood, so her standards were certainly high.
Yet, looking at this woman sitting on the sofa, she was still attracted by that unique temperament, so distinct from ordinary beauties.
Jin Li was currently curled up in the sofa, one leg crossed casually, the other hanging down and swinging gently, her posture lazy and at ease, like a cat curled up in its own territory.
She held a cup of colorful iced fruit juice in her hands, a layer of fine water droplets condensed on the walls of the cup, a long, thin straw held between her lips, her cheeks slightly puffed out, as she sipped the drink in the cup intermittently.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, she looked up, her large golden eyes gazing toward the doorway over the rim of the cup, her clear gaze falling directly on Princess Xu Jiujiu, with a touch of curiosity in her eyes.
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.