A Blatantly Direct Struggle

Huo Yuhao understood something about political struggles. Otherwise, he would not have let Dai Shiliu off so easily.

The reason he had let Dai Shiliu go so easily was precisely because Huo Yuhao knew that Dai Shiliu's opportunistic attempts to make things difficult for Huo Yun'er were, at their core, merely an expression of the will of the First Wife of the Dai Mansion.

The First Wife disliked Huo Yun'er, so the servants of the Dai Mansion would deliberately or unconsciously cater to her. As the Divine Child had put it, "What those above favor, those below will pursue with even greater fervor."

If he truly wanted to resolve this trouble, dealing with an evil servant like Dai Shiliu would be useless. The real solution was to find a way to deal with that First Wife. Yet precisely because of this, Huo Yuhao knew that he absolutely could not rush.

This was not that turbulent Warring States World of dreams (1467–1585, Japan's Warring States period). This was the Douluo Continent, and he was in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. The person he wanted to deal with was the White Tiger Duke's Mansion's First Wife, and his enemy was one of those standing at the very pinnacle of power in the Douluo World. Rashly trying to confront her would be like an ant trying to shake a great tree—laughably overestimating himself.

One had to know that in the world of dreams, Ashina Isshin, the Peerless Expert known as the Sword Saint, could at his peak only slash out a few flying blade strikes. Using the secret technique Dragon Flash, he had severed one of Asura's arms. Even so, his terrifying strength had kept the Shogunate Army, the strongest force among the sixty-six states of Japan's Warring States period, from daring to cross the line or step into Ashina Land for over twenty years.

Yet in the Douluo World, the flying blade strikes that only experts honored as Great Swordsmen could unleash were something any Soul Master with a particular Soul Skill could easily achieve.

Thus, after swiftly analyzing the current situation, Huo Yuhao quickly understood what he needed to do.

Build high walls, stockpile grain, delay claiming kingship. No, that was not right.

Huo Yuhao shook his head. The Divine Child told him too many classics every night, and he had mixed them up somewhat.

According to the Divine Child, the stages of hidden dragon, do not act; dragon appearing in the field; work diligently all day; perhaps leap from the abyss; and flying dragon in the heavens had to be followed in order. One had to pay attention to progression and transition, never become impetuous, and certainly not grow lawless after gaining a little ability. He had to always remember that there were always greater people beyond people, and higher heavens beyond the heavens.

Before long, the still-frightened Huo Yun'er returned to the Side Chamber courtyard. Unlike ordinary households, there were not all sorts of lamps lit for illumination—or rather, there simply were not that many lamps in the room to begin with. By the fading light of the sun, Huo Yun'er hurriedly sorted the ingredients from the oil-paper bag and placed them in the kitchen on the right side of the courtyard. Only then did she return to the room and light an oil lamp.

"Mom, you're back."

As though he had just awakened, Huo Yuhao lazily climbed out of bed. Huo Yun'er stepped forward and touched his head.

"You're awake, Yuhao. You slept so much during the day that you won't be able to sleep tonight. Go help me wash the vegetables."

Huo Yun'er did not tell Huo Yuhao about what had happened to her. Or rather, she had always been unwilling to tell him about such things, silently bearing them alone.

"Mom, once I awaken my Martial Soul, let's leave the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. I'll take you out to live a good life."

Huo Yuhao stopped at the doorway and quietly left those words behind.

Huo Yun'er froze. In the dim candlelight, she was momentarily entranced. The small figure before her had nothing but determination on his profile. She had once seen that same steadfast, confident, assured gaze on that man's face.

"Alright."

He dreamed nothing that night. Early the next morning, Huo Yuhao finished washing up and followed the other children to a Quiet Room within the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

Every year on this day, the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony was held here for the servants' children. Several children of the proper age were brought in by adults and lined up in the room one after another. Huo Yuhao stood alone at the very end of the line.

Logically speaking, even as a Bastard Son, Huo Yuhao should not have been holding his awakening ceremony alongside the servants' children. As someone carrying the bloodline of the White Tiger Duke's branch, someone should have been assigned to oversee his awakening no matter what. Yet in reality, aside from someone coming to the room where Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er lived three days before the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony to give them a reminder, Huo Yuhao received no special treatment whatsoever.

This left Huo Yuhao somewhat puzzled. What exactly was that First Wife thinking? Was she humiliating him by placing him among the servants' children to awaken his Martial Soul? But if word of this got out, it would harm the reputation of the entire White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

Such a ridiculous way of declaring her control over the Dai Mansion left Huo Yuhao utterly baffled. In that First Wife's eyes, he and his mother were no more than tiny ants. Was there really any need to go to such lengths to target them? Besides, no matter how he thought about it, such an openly blatant method of targeting them would greatly harm her if word spread and she gained a reputation for jealousy. Clearly, it was not a worthwhile bargain.

Huo Yuhao had heard the Divine Child speak of several classic cases of power struggles. Precisely because of that, when such a straightforward method of targeting fell upon him, Huo Yuhao could not help but grow suspicious. Could it be that power struggles in this world were all so... childish?

One had to know that the position of First Wife of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion might be nothing before the top experts of the Douluo Continent, but she was still among those who wielded the highest authority on the continent. Given the nobility of her status and the sheer number of matters she had to handle every day, it should have been quite terrifying. Yet the political wisdom displayed by this First Wife, as well as her habit of obsessively tormenting him and his mother, the other wives, and their Bastard Sons, could not be called nonexistent—only barely present.

Huo Yuhao knew that his family was not the only one being tormented. There was a boy named Dai Loli whose mother also seemed to be merely a Concubine, and he too was subjected to the First Wife's overt and covert harassment.

Shaking his head and no longer thinking about such matters, Huo Yuhao cast those chaotic thoughts aside. Considering these hateful disputes would bring him no benefit. What he needed to do now was use the power of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion to awaken his Martial Soul, then find a suitable opportunity to leave the White Tiger Duke's Mansion with his mother.

Unlike the world of dreams, where no matter how strong a person became, their strength was still limited, in this world an individual's power could truly become strong enough to ignore every threat in existence. So rather than engage in scheming and false civility within an environment that was extremely unfavorable to him, he would be better off stepping outside this circle entirely. Once he could shatter every shackle with a single kick, he would return here with unrivaled strength and sweep away all this resentment.