Chapter 471: Huo Yun'er's Tomb

Tang Wulin opened his eyes, and what came into view was the white roof of the snow house.

He lifted the shield on his Sea of Spirit and asked, "Youyou, how much time has passed?"

Youyou's resentful voice rang out.

"Almost two days, but judging by the fluctuations in your Sea of Spirit, you were probably asleep for the latter half."

Tang Wulin was somewhat surprised.

"You can even tell that?"

Youyou said unhappily:

"Nonsense, earlier your Sea of Spirit was all turbulent, then it calmed down—what else could it be but that you finished and went to sleep?"

"Er..."

Tang Wulin was at a loss for words; he embarrassingly coughed twice, then looked at Huo Yutong sleeping beside him.

At some point, she had already disengaged from the Ice Snow Girl Martial Soul, her arms tightly wrapped around his right arm, held against his body, her expression calm, exhaling evenly.

This scene was tranquil and beautiful; Tang Wulin couldn't bear to disturb it, quietly gazing at her lovely face.

After an unknown amount of time, Huo Yutong's eyelashes twitched once, then she slowly opened her eyes.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she met Tang Wulin's gaze, who had been watching her; she gave a sweet smile, closed her eyes, lifted her delicate face, and slightly parted her lips.

Tang Wulin understood her meaning, so he lowered his head and skillfully pressed forward.

"Mm… hm… ha…"

After a long while, the two separated; Huo Yutong was now fully awake, she stretched widely and rubbed her eyes.

"What time is it now?"

Tang Wulin stroked her head and gently said, "There's still one day left; we must return to the Academy."

Finding Xiaobai, Li Ya, and the Blue Silver Emperor took two days; absorbing the Shuangling Bian took two days; purging fire took another two days; now, until the formal outbreak of war, there is only a little over a day left.

"What, just one day?"

Huo Yutong immediately panicked and hurried to get up.

But the movement was too large, her body ached all over, and she couldn't help but frown.

Seeing this, Tang Wulin quickly steadied her body.

"Don't rush; after the battle we'll have plenty of time."

"Hmm."

Huo Yutong nodded, feeling a bit disappointed.

Seeing her like this made Tang Wulin feel a pang of heartache; he gently stroked her hair and asked, "Is there anywhere you'd like to go? Today I'll listen to whatever you say."

Upon hearing that, Huo Yutong's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Hmm."

Seeing her mood finally improve, Tang Wulin lightly smiled and nodded.

Huo Yutong pondered for a moment, as if she'd thought of a good idea; the corner of her mouth curled, and she said, "Then I do have a place I'd like to take you, though it's a bit far from here."

Tang Wulin chuckled and said:

"For us now, there's really nowhere that's truly far, right?"

At their speed, if they went all out, they could circle the continent in a day.

"Indeed." Huo Yutong also laughed.

The two quickly put on their clothes and flew out together from underground.

The weather in the far north was not bad at the moment, with no blizzard that often kicks up.

The two held hands and began flying southward.

Unexpectedly to Tang Wulin, the place Huo Yutong wanted to take him seemed to be in the Star Net Empire; not long after, they entered the empire's territory, flying swiftly through the suburbs.

As Tang Wulin said, with their current flight speed, there was basically nowhere that could be called distant; they soon reached the target city.

Tang Wulin was also quite familiar with this city; around eight years ago, he had spent an unforgettable period here.

This was precisely the capital of the Star Net Empire, Star Net City.

Upon seeing the target city, Tang Wulin's heart stirred, and he already had a vague suspicion.

As expected, Huo Yutong brought him to a small hill not far from the Duke's Mansion.

A tall tombstone appeared in his view, over two meters high, very wide, its surroundings finely finished with granite, and carved with some auspicious beasts.

Behind this tombstone lay a tomb similarly constructed of granite.

A flicker of doubt crossed Huo Yutong's eyes; she led Tang Wulin quickly to the grave, where a large inscription was carved—"Beloved Wife Huo Yun's Tomb"—and the signature read Dai Hao.

Yes, this is the tomb of Huo Yutong's mother, Huo Yun'er; back then she lacked the means to give her mother a grand funeral, so her grave had only a wooden tombstone she carved herself and a handful of yellow earth.

But now the tomb had been renovated, still in the same spot yet looking completely different.

Could this be… having been renovated by Dai Hao?

Scenes from childhood flashed in her mind, Huo Yutong's emotions suddenly surged; she fiercely knelt before Huo Yun'er's grave, tears pouring down.

"Mom, I'm back!"

Just after leaving the Duke's Mansion, she didn't dare return here, fearing that if she did, she would uncontrollably want to go find the Duchess to take revenge.

And although her strength later increased, the responsibilities on her shoulders also grew, making it hard to find time to come back.

Now, during the vacation she had set aside for herself and Tang Wulin, she could finally bring the person she wanted to entrust her life to, to find her mother.

Tang Wulin let out a light sigh, knelt beside Huo Yutong, and comforted her: "All right, don't cry so hard; your mother-in-law surely wouldn't want to see you so upset."

Having said that, he turned toward Huo Yun'er's tomb and bowed deeply.

"First meeting, my name is Tang Wulin; I am your daughter Huo Yutong's lover and soon-to-be husband. Rest assured, I will devote everything I have to caring for her, protecting her, and letting her find happiness—please entrust her to me with peace of mind."

He had never actually met Huo Yun'er face to face, but just by looking at Huo Yutong he could roughly guess what kind of woman lay beneath this tomb.

Regarding her infatuation with Dai Hao, Tang Wulin didn't want to comment too much; after all, Huo Yutong's infatuation was clearly inherited by her, and he himself was a direct beneficiary of Huo Yutong's infatuation, so any evaluation would carry a somewhat lofty tone.

He could only promise to her beneath the Nine Springs that he would absolutely not let the tragedy that befell her be repeated on Huo Yutong; he would spend the rest of his life loving her, letting her find happiness.

Huo Yutong looked at him with tear-filled eyes, then suddenly flung herself into his embrace, bursting into loud sobs.

Tang Wulin smiled and gently patted her back, soothing her emotions.

As Huo Yutong's sobs gradually weakened, Tang Wulin whispered in her ear:

"Come, Yutong, tell your mother-in-law about these years' experiences; I believe she surely also wants to know."

"Mm!"

Huo Yutong wiped away her tears, looked at Huo Yun'er's tomb, and began to recount her story, or rather, the story of her and Tang Wulin together.

Her expression while recounting these stories was extremely happy.

(End of chapter)