**Chapter 46: Give This Letter to the Hall Master First (2600 words)**
When Jiang Nannan's eyes, like a pool of clear water with a bit of indescribable tenderness, stared at Huo Yuhao's much better-looking face, Huo Yuhao was also amazed at the change in Jiang Nannan's temperament.
In the beginning, she had taken her mother to the city for medical treatment, and she had been exhausted and dusty all the way.
Perhaps due to the influence of dust, her hair did not look bright blonde, but rather a slightly darker orange, and the dress she wore was also stained with dirt.
But now Jiang Nannan was wearing a light purple dress; her face was flawless, her appearance natural, and her long golden wavy hair was topped with rabbit ears.
Her gentle and elegant temperament had added a few different charms. After seeing the beauty of the most stunning girl in the outer courtyard, Huo Yuhao felt a little embarrassed to keep staring at her and looked away.
"Uh, Sister Nannan, I turned white after absorbing a soul ring."
Jiang Nannan nodded. Seeing Huo Yuhao looking up at her for a while and then looking away, she thought that Xiao Yuhao was shy and couldn't help but smile.
She noticed the beautiful girl Dugu Luo with a pair of green eyes next to her, who walked slowly to Huo Yuhao's side. Her white and slender legs slightly bent under her skirt as she gently nudged Huo Yuhao's shoulder with her own.
"Yuhao, you've been gone for less than a month, and you've brought back a beautiful girl. Why don't you introduce her to me?" Jiang Nannan said gently.
Although Huo Yuhao had become taller after absorbing the Snow Empress's soul, girls generally developed their bodies much earlier than boys. Jiang Nannan, who was tall, needed to bend down slightly to touch Huo Yuhao's shoulders.
Listening to Jiang Nannan's slightly teasing words, Huo Yuhao blinked and began his introduction.
"Sister Nannan, her name is Dugu Luo. We are friends who fight evil soul masters and explore the land of opportunity together... We share both hardships and wealth."
"Evil soul master?!"
Jiang Nannan's face changed slightly, and her eyes displayed anxious concern as she placed her hand on Huo Yuhao's wrist to check.
Having taken care of her mother for many years, she had mastered the basics of pulse diagnosis. By injecting a little soul power to assist in the check, she could roughly ascertain the other party's physical condition.
"Don't worry, Sister Nannan, I'm fine. That evil soul master was not particularly skilled at beating me."
After all, the strongest soul king specialized in defeating the team led by Xuanzi.
Huo Yuhao smiled and explained what had happened: "I wasn't hurt. The evil soul master didn't even lay a finger on me."
Jiang Nannan, after taking his pulse and noting that Huo Yuhao's physical condition was normal, breathed a sigh of relief.
Dugu Luo beside him blinked her green eyes, feeling like she had heard the name Jiang Nannan somewhere before.
She could see that Jiang Nannan and Huo Yuhao seemed to have a special relationship. The Jiang Nannan she had seen at the city gate—hands clasped in front of her abdomen, eyebrows and eyes cold while looking around—had instantly transformed into joy and tenderness upon seeing Huo Yuhao.
Jiang Nannan patted her somewhat large collar, and the tension on her face gradually faded.
"It's good that you're okay, Yuhao. Let's go home; it is just in time to see how your sister rents the house."
"Okay."
As they walked through the city gate, Xuan Ziwen handed Huo Yuhao one of the two letters of recommendation he had written before, explaining how long he would be staying in Heaven Dou City to pay respects to his ancestors, and then they said goodbye to each other.
Xuan Ziwen waved to Huo Yuhao and said, "Yuhao, when you have made up your mind, you can come to the place I told you to find me."
"I know, Mr. Xuan." Huo Yuhao responded and put away the recommendation letter.
Jiang Nannan asked curiously, "What does that teacher want to see you for?"
Huo Yuhao smiled and replied, "Nothing; he just thinks I might be a talented individual and hopes I can go to their school to study."
"That's good too. Yuhao, your talent is not bad. At first, I thought you were going to apply for the Royal Academy of the Heavenly Soul Empire."
Jiang Nannan did not mention Shrek Academy because Huo Yuhao had previously told her that he had sold grilled fish in Shrek City. He also knew several Shrek Academy students, but he had not applied to Shrek Academy.
This left only two possibilities: either he had no recommendation letter at the city lord level, or he felt that Shrek Academy was not suitable for him.
She was more inclined to the latter, believing that Huo Yuhao was talented enough and that if he knew some senior students, they could introduce him to the teachers of the academy.
The only possibility was that Huo Yuhao felt his spirit eye martial soul was undervalued at Shrek Academy.
Of course, Jiang Nannan supported Huo Yuhao's idea and would not deliberately persuade him to enter Shrek Academy.
"Yuhao, which academy is that teacher Xuan from?"
"Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy."
"Ah?"
Jiang Nannan was stunned. This revelation surprised her. "Are you interested in soul guidance devices?"
"It's okay. The main reason is that my spirit eye martial soul is indeed more advantageous in that academy."
Huo Yuhao reflected on the situation. It was Xuan Zi who had met him first this time, but compared to Xuan Ziwen, his attitude towards him was completely different.
"When I went out this time, I also met Master Xuan from Shrek Academy, who led the team to help the disciples hunt for soul rings. Sister Nannan, do you know Master Xuan?"
Jiang Nannan's eyes showed a look of realization: "When I went to Shrek Academy to ask for leave a few days ago, Master Xuan was giving a safety speech before leaving."
"My best friend is missing the third soul ring, and she is also on the team. I hope the seniors can successfully hunt for soul rings and return to school safely."
A few people chatted while walking. During this time, Jiang Nannan exchanged a few words with Dugu Luo, only to find out that the other party had also been sought after by the people of the Xuanming Sect.
After finding some common ground, the two chatted for a long time, ultimately ending with their shared luck in meeting Yuhao.
Jiang Nannan looked at Dugu Luo and began to calculate carefully again. She smiled and offered, "Since you need some time to regulate the accumulated toxins in your body, why don't you live with us first? I will pay 70% of the rent, and you will pay 30%. How does that sound?"
"Sister Nannan, you still have to take care of Auntie. Will I cause trouble for you?"
Through their previous conversation, Dugu Luo, who was two months younger than Jiang Nannan, began to call her Sister Nannan as Huo Yuhao did.
Dugu Luo was a little moved. Before this, she had no place to stay when alone. Now, living with new friends felt quite happy.
Jiang Nannan shook her head: "It's okay. My mother is mainly recuperating now. She can walk alone like a normal person. It's not inconvenient for you to live here."
"Yeah, thank you, Sister Nannan, for taking me in." Dugu Luo nodded happily in response.
Her impression of Sister Nannan, who looked cold and ladylike, instantly improved a lot, and she felt that the future was bright and beautiful.
She was also extremely grateful to Huo Yuhao, promising herself that she would allow him to access the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well first when she entered the Academy.
"Yuhao, when you met Master Xuan and those seniors, didn't Master Xuan invite you to join Shrek Academy?"
If possible, Jiang Nannan hoped that everyone would be in the same school in the future so that they could see each other every day and not worry about each other's safety.
During this time, while Huo Yuhao was away, she always thought of that face—youthful, yet serious and stern when dealing with her mother. It was a very contrasting expression.
Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment. "Master Xuan mentioned that my soul skills had little attack power... It seems he did not recognize my talent."
Jiang Nannan fell silent as well. After a while, she looked at Huo Yuhao and asked softly: "Yuhao, are you planning to go to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy in the future?"
"I'm considering it too."
"Can you stay a few more days before leaving?"
"If Sister Dugu also moves in, I won't lack a place to stay, right?"
"Don't worry, Yuhao; there are plenty of rooms."
Jiang Nannan did not skimp on the gold soul coins this time. Compared to the money spent on treating her mother's illness, renting a house was not expensive. After all, it was just a place to rest and was not linked to the practice of soul masters.
...
Crack—
"Mom, I'm back; Yuhao is back too."
Rustling sounds followed, presumably from someone putting on a coat and shoes. Then, a door in the room opened, revealing a beautiful woman with almond eyes, a graceful figure, and a mature appearance and demeanor. She slowly walked out.
When she saw Huo Yuhao's face, she was stunned for a moment. Even with her mature mindset, she couldn't help but show some surprise. How could Yuhao look as beautiful as a girl when he went out?
But considering that Nannan and Yuhao were both soul masters, she did not delve further into it.
Jiang Nannan's mother could see that although Yuhao's features were familiar and kind, his new appearance surprised her, so she expressed great concern: "It's good to be back. It's good to be back..."
Huo Yuhao hurriedly walked to Jiang Nannan's mother and helped her sit on the sofa. "Auntie, how have you been feeling recently?"
"Child, thanks to you."
Jiang Nannan's mother gently held Huo Yuhao's hands with both of hers. "It's much better now, and Nannan takes care of me every day. I can even go to the park alone now."
Huo Yuhao inquired about any possible abnormal conditions, and when she said there were none, he felt relieved.
Dugu Luo also greeted Jiang Nannan's mother, "Hello, Auntie. My name is Dugu Luo, and I'm a friend of Sister Nannan."
Jiang Nannan explained Dugu Luo's situation to her mother.
Jiang Nannan's mother didn't mind and encouraged Nannan to get along well with others, stating that it would be best if they could help each other out, especially since Dugu Luo was also a poor girl.
Dugu Luo felt relieved at Jiang Nannan's mother's consideration and no longer worried about being a burden.
Afterward, Jiang Nannan took Huo Yuhao to inspect the house. "Yuhao, this is a large apartment with five bedrooms and one living room."
"This is the living room. If you want to make pills, you can do it here, just control the temperature and don't burn anything."
Jiang Nannan guided Huo Yuhao around the living room, then through the kitchen and the bedrooms. There are three bedrooms on the left side of the house, and Jiang Nannan's bedroom is in the middle.
"I sleep in this bedroom, and sometimes I share it with my mother. Yuhao, you can live in the bedroom next to mine."
Then Jiang Nannan turned to Dugu Luo: "You can choose any of the two bedrooms across the hall."
Dugu Luo nodded and had no objections to the allocation of the bedrooms.
"Oh, right." Jiang Nannan suddenly remembered something, looked at Huo Yuhao, playfully tucked some hair behind her ear, and smiled softly.
"Yuhao, do you have any meat dishes you particularly like? I've eaten your grilled fish before. Sister will make soup for you tonight and let you taste my cooking skills."
Huo Yuhao replied that he was not picky about food and could eat any meat dishes that everyone enjoyed.
Then Jiang Nannan took out a variety of meats that she and her mother usually ate and walked into the kitchen. Soon, the sounds of "crackling" from cutting vegetables and the clanging of spatulas began to fill the air.
"Sister Nannan, I'll help you." Seeing this, Dugu Luo naturally would not sit idly by and wait for food. After calling out, she swiftly entered the kitchen.
...
In a room in Heaven Dou City, Xuan Ziwen took out a letter of recommendation and looked at a man in black standing before him.
The man was the owner of a chamber of commerce that was based in Mingdu but had branches in various cities. This chamber of commerce maintained a close cooperative relationship with Illustrious Virtue Hall.
If the soul guidance devices produced by Illustrious Virtue Hall did not meet their satisfaction, they would sell them to this chamber of commerce.
Of course, the soul guidance devices sold to the chamber of commerce were primarily below level six. Anything above level six, even failed products made by soul guidance devices at Illustrious Virtue Hall, were not permitted to flow into foreign markets.
This man was also a soul mentor trained by the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, but he had not passed the Illustrious Virtue Hall assessment.
Xuan Ziwen placed the letter of recommendation on the table and pushed it toward the man.
"Your caravan is returning to Mingdu today to purchase a batch of goods at Illustrious Virtue Hall. Take this letter to the person I designated, and he will inform Master Kong to pay special attention to this student when he has the time."
Sun and Moon-level caravans do not use carriages in the traditional sense to transport goods.
Even if there are more than ten senior soul mentors, they can use storage soul guidance devices with sufficient space and directly employ flying soul guidance devices. It won't take long to make the trip back and forth.
The man was a bit flattered. He had long heard of Xuan Ziwen's name as a prominent figure in Illustrious Virtue Hall.
He solemnly put away the letter: "Don't worry. Even if the whole caravan is lost today, the letter will not be lost."
Xuan Ziwen nodded. He was not worried about the other party peeking because the content of the letter was not an important secret.
It was simply a recommendation for a student to attend the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. If you had to say what was most valuable, it was likely Xuan Ziwen's handwriting.
As the man walked out of the room, he was about to return to his caravan when Xu Sheng quietly appeared from the side, blocking his way.
"Anything else you need me to do?" the man asked.
Xu Sheng approached him and instructed, "When you go to Illustrious Virtue Hall to purchase soul guidance devices this time, show the recommendation letter from Xuan Ziwen to the hall master first."
The man contemplated for a moment. It was time to repay the hall master for his guidance. Since Xu Sheng mentioned it, he naturally had no reason to refuse, and he nodded slowly.
Xu Sheng smiled in satisfaction and patted his shoulder: "You, young man, have good insight; you are a talent."
(End of this chapter)