Douluo Dalu 2: Reincarnated as the Auspicious Beast

Huo Yuqing curiously looked at the boy standing in the small river.

She had been on the road for six days. she tried her best to avoided crowded places, constantly alternating between traveling and cultivating. When she wasn't moving forward, she meditated. She followed the main road, quenched her thirst by finding mountain springs in the forest, and staved off hunger by munching on the dry rations she had brought along.

After a bumpy journey, she finally arrived near the Star Dou Forest.

As long as she could acquire a ten-year spirit ring, she would become a Spirit Master!

Thinking of this filled the girl with excitement and motivation.

When she heard the sound of water, she was in urgent need of a water source to refill her almost empty water pouch. If she could catch some fish, that would also improve her meals.

What she didn't expect was that someone was already by the river.

The red-haired boy standing there looked to be about her age. Although his features were quite delicate and gentle, he had a pair of dazzling golden eyes. When he raised his head and glanced over, there was a faint, aloof, non-human aura in his gaze.

Despite this, Huo Yuqing didn't feel afraid; instead, she felt a strange sense of closeness. There was something about this red-haired boy that seemed to draw her in, as if something invisible was subtly attracting her.

This made her inwardly more cautious.

Upon closer inspection, the boy's clothing looked quite luxurious. Moreover, he carried no visible luggage or belongings, which likely meant he had one of those legendary storage soul tools. He was probably from a wealthy or noble family.

But what was a rich young master doing alone near the Star Dou Forest?

Huo Yuqing was well aware of the dangers of the Star Dou Forest. According to the guards of the White Duke's Mansion, the Star Dou Forest was the most terrifying forbidden zone for humans.

One of the guards often bragged about accompanying the White Tiger Duke on a quest for his seventh spirit ring in the Star Dou Forest, where they encountered a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast and barely made it out alive.

Because the Star Dou Forest was so perilous, the imperial family had funded the establishment of a large hunting forest near Star luo City, where spirit beasts were raised.

Anyone who paid enough gold soul coins could enter the hunting forest to find a suitable spirit ring.

Though the spirit beasts in the imperial hunting forest generally had various congenital deficiencies, the spirit abilities they granted were the same. Most wealthy children hunted their first and second spirit rings there—it was far safer than venturing into the dangerous Star Dou Forest.

Huo Yuqing's two half-brothers had also obtained their first and second spirit rings in the Star luo hunting forest.

However, the fee for entering the hunting forest was exorbitant. Even if Huo Yuqing sold herself, she wouldn't have enough money to afford it.

This red-haired boy should have been able to afford the cost of hunting, so why was he alone in the Star Dou Forest?

At that moment, she smelled the faint aroma of burning meat, prompting her to speak up and break the awkward silence between them.

Wang Rui quickly jumped out of the river, rushing to save his roasted rabbit.

He crushed the hard, charred outer shell of the rabbit. Fortunately, the meat inside hadn't completely carbonized and still seemed edible...

"Uh… you're not seriously planning to eat that, are you?" Huo Yuqing couldn't help but speak up. The uniformly charred exterior was almost impressive. "I heard that burnt food is poisonous, so you'd better not eat it."

"Wait, do you… not know how to roast meat?" The girl hesitated before asking again. Seeing how clumsy the red-haired boy was with the charred food, she figured he didn't have much experience cooking. "How about I help you? I'm actually pretty good at roasting meat."

Even she was surprised by her sudden and somewhat impolite offer.

Hearing her suggestion, Wang Rui immediately lifted his head, his eyes lighting up as he stared at her.

The legendary Xiao Huo Barbecue, popular throughout Douluo for ten thousand years, had just delivered itself to his doorstep?

Huo Gua used golden-quality grilled fish to attract Tang Ya and Bei Bei. Now, I'll use my failed cooking to attract Huo Gua. This makes perfect sense!

[T/N: gua (挂), which literally means "to hang" or "to be stuck, In slang term a noob]

"Great, thank you!" Wang Rui promptly handed over the rabbit he had prepared. "Eat as much as you want. I'll go catch some more."

"Hmm… I think I can eat five fish," Huo Yuqing said with a grin as she accepted the rabbit without hesitation.

For some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to be wary of this red-haired boy in front of her.

"Um, my name's Huo Yuhao. What's yours?" Huo Yuqing gave the name she used when disguising herself as a boy.

"Wang Rui—Rui, as in 'auspicious.'"

"By the way, is this rabbit meat? Did you add any salt?" Before placing the rabbit over the fire, Huo Yuqing asked.

"Uh… no."

Apparently, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion completely forgot about adding salt.

Don't ask. If you do, the answer is that cats shouldn't eat too much salt.

Three-Eyed Golden Lion, desperately trying to save face.jpg

This guy really seemed like a pampered young master who had never set foot in a kitchen. Amused, Huo Yuqing took out her own salt and sprinkled it over the meat, stuffing a few perilla leaves into the rabbit's belly as well.

After roasting for a while, she noticed something odd. "Is your fire… hotter than usual?"

The meat was cooking too fast!

"I'm a fire-attribute Spirit Master. I lit this fire directly with my soul power, so it might be… slightly hotter than normal," Wang Rui admitted, a little embarrassed.

Who in their right mind would use Ultimate Fire for roasting meat?

"Can you lower the temperature a bit? If it's too hot, the meat will burn easily," Huo Yuqing asked anxiously, golden light flashing in her deep blue eyes. She had already activated her martial spirit to better control the fire.

"Sure, right away." Wang Rui quickly reduced the flame's temperature.

The rich aroma of roasted meat began to fill the air. The rabbit was plump, and as its fat dripped onto the fire, it made a crackling sound. Combined with the unique fragrance of the perilla leaves, the enticing scent was more alluring than any temptress.

"Yuhao, how much longer until it's done?"

When it comes to grilling meat, it's incomplete without someone eagerly waiting and constantly asking how much longer it will take.

"Yuhao?"

Still unfamiliar with her alias, Huo Yuqing finally responded, "Just a little longer. It'll be ready soon."

Suddenly, Wang Rui looked up and stared at the forest behind them.

"What's wrong?" Huo Yuqing asked, startled.

"Someone's coming," he said calmly.

Hidden beneath his headband, the Eye of Destiny quietly opened. Two people with slightly weaker fates than Huo Yuqing were approaching.

Tch, this clearly isn't the spot where Huo Gua grilled fish in the original story, so why are Bei Bei and Tang Ya still showing up like persistent ghosts?

"Wow, something smells amazing!" Sure enough, it wasn't long before Tang Ya's exclamation reached them.

The girl walked out of the forest briskly, followed by a blue-haired youth.

However, with the Eye of Destiny, Wang Rui could see an ethereal crack stretching across the sky, from which a blue-gold thread extended, connecting to Tang Ya's back.

It was the karmic bond between the current Tang Sect leader and the first generation Tang Sect leader.

Wang Rui shook his head, amused by his own overthinking. In the original story, while Tang San did make arrangements behind the scenes, it was clear he didn't have such abilities… otherwise, he might as well take the throne of the God of Destiny himself.

Still, Tang Ya did seem like a puppet on strings, and that had always been her fate.

Cluelessly trying to avenge her parents, she was eventually controlled by her martial spirit's nature and forced to kill indiscriminately. After being captured by the Holy Spirit Cult, she became the Blue Silver Saintess and was manipulated into slaughtering countless people.

Her entire life, she had been like a puppet pulled by invisible strings.

Quite pitiful.

But that didn't stop Wang Rui from wanting to steal away the hope of the Tang Sect's revival.

"Hey, kiddo, is your roast for sale?" By now, Tang Ya had squatted next to Huo Yuqing, her eyes glued to the roasting rabbit as if she were about to drool.

Huo Yuqing looked at Wang Rui for help. If it were just her own food, she wouldn't mind giving it away. But since Wang Rui had provided the ingredients and they were sharing the meal, she felt it wouldn't be right to decide on her own.

"Not for sale," Wang Rui said lazily. "But you can prepare your own ingredients and ask him to cook them for you. The processing fee is two copper coins per portion—just pay him directly."

Free grilled fish? Not anymore!

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Omake

Mini Theater

Years later, Wang Rui asked Huo Yuqing why she had taken a liking to him back then.

Huo Yuqing: "You looked so dumb trying to roast meat that I felt a bit sorry for you. I figured if no one helped you, you might accidentally poison yourself…"

Wang Rui: "???"

(End of Chapter)