Yin Hao's Origins

Yin Hao's Origins

It was still the same carriage they had arrived in, but this time, Xiao Wu was with them. Old Jack sat at the front driving, while Tang San, Yin Hao, and Xiao Wu sat in the back.

After more than a year of "sleeping together" and being fed Top Grade Crystal Carrots, Xiao Wu had become very dependent on Yin Hao. Whenever Yin Hao was absent, she immediately turned back into the fearless Xiao Wu-jie.

But the moment Yin Hao appeared, she became a cute little rabbit who could act spoiled and play adorable, wagging her tail as she waited for him to feed her. After all, what rabbit could resist the allure of a Top Grade Crystal Carrot? More importantly, the person feeding her was so handsome...

Of the three sitting in the back of the carriage, Tang San was cultivating tirelessly. For some reason, his cultivation speed was getting slower and slower. Left with no choice, Tang San could only spend more time cultivating than he had in the original story. Even so, his Soul Power was still lower than in the original story.

In the original story, Tang San had been close to Rank 17. But in this life, he was only close to Rank 15 at Rank 14, two ranks behind his original self. So whenever Tang San had free time, he cultivated. He did not even go to the blacksmith shop anymore.

Xiao Wu sat in the back of the carriage, munching on a Top Grade Crystal Carrot while chatting with Old Jack, who was driving. It was clear that Old Jack liked Xiao Wu quite a bit.

Yin Hao smiled as he watched Old Jack's cheerful face. Across both his past and present lives, this was the only elder who had made him feel cared for. Only in front of him could Yin Hao completely let down his guard.

The carriage was not moving quickly, but Notting City was not far from Holy Soul Village. In less than half a day, the group of four had reached the entrance of Holy Soul Village.

Tang San jumped straight down from the carriage and said,

"Grandpa Jack, I'll head home to see my dad first. Don't worry about me. I can walk back by myself."

Old Jack looked at Tang San below the carriage as though he wanted to say something, but after thinking it over, he swallowed his words. Then he drove the carriage toward his own home.

After returning home, Old Jack first unhitched the carriage from the horse. Once he had fed the horse some fodder, he turned to Yin Hao and said,

"Xiao Hao, keep Xiao Wu company for a while. Grandpa will go make dinner. You must be hungry after riding in the carriage for so long."

"Mm, okay."

Old Jack then turned and went into the kitchen to cook, while Yin Hao took Xiao Wu around the Holy Soul Village where he had lived for six years.

"Hao Ge, why is your village so..."

Holding a Top Grade Crystal Carrot, Xiao Wu hesitated before speaking, but stopped halfway through.

Yin Hao picked up where she left off.

"A little rundown, right?"

Xiao Wu nodded.

"Run-down is fine. You know, the village chief of this rundown little village took in a child with no blood relation to him and raised him to this age."

Xiao Wu froze for a moment. On the way here, she had kept hearing Yin Hao call Old Jack Grandpa. She had instinctively assumed that Old Jack was Yin Hao's biological grandfather. She had not expected that he was not.

"Grandpa Jack isn't your... biological grandfather?"

Yin Hao smiled and shook his head.

"I heard Grandpa Jack say that six years ago, several peerless experts came near Holy Soul Village and fought. The aftershocks of their battle were incredibly powerful, far beyond what ordinary people could withstand.

"But for some reason, I survived. Yet I was the only one who did. I had no idea where my parents were. On an empty patch of grass, there was only a baby still wrapped in swaddling clothes. That was when Grandpa Jack took me in."

"I see..."

Xiao Wu spoke regretfully, seemingly saddened by Yin Hao's fate. Her two fluffy rabbit ears drooped as well.

Although Old Jack had only said that several peerless experts had come nearby, as a transmigrator who had read the original story, Yin Hao knew that it had probably been the battle between Tang Hao, Qian Xunji, and the others.

Although Tang Hao had been acting in self-defense at the time, the murder of one's parents was an irreconcilable hatred that had to be avenged. He was simply not strong enough yet.

Seeing Xiao Wu's expression, Yin Hao smiled lightly.

"But isn't it pretty good now? With Grandpa Jack and you, I can be considered to have family too..."

Xiao Wu froze at his words, then murmured so quietly that only she could hear,

"Family... do I... count too?"

Just then, a voice interrupted Xiao Wu's wandering thoughts.

"Xiao Hao, Xiao Wu, dinner's ready!"

Old Jack stood at the doorway, calling the two over with a kind smile.

Yin Hao looked at Xiao Wu beside him and said,

"Let's go, Xiao Wu."

Xiao Wu nodded, quickened her pace to catch up with Yin Hao, then used her jade-white little hand to grasp his. Together, they walked toward Old Jack.

Yin Hao paused slightly, then took Xiao Wu's hand in his own, and the two walked hand in hand.

Old Jack's smile brightened even further at the sight. Although Yin Hao was only seven years old, he seemed to already see a great-grandson waving at him.

When they sat down at the table, several of Yin Hao's favorite dishes had been laid out, along with carrots Old Jack had specially prepared for Xiao Wu. There were seven or eight dishes in all, large and small. It was quite a lavish meal.

As Old Jack served food to Yin Hao and Xiao Wu, he chatted about things like, "When I was your age, I was already engaged," and, "The eldest son of Da Zhuang's family in the neighboring village is only thirteen, but his own son can already talk." Yin Hao found it incredibly awkward to listen to, but Xiao Wu seemed very interested. She even asked Old Jack a few questions from time to time, making him even happier.

As they were nearly finished eating, Old Jack wiped his mouth and looked at Yin Hao and Xiao Wu.

"Xiao Hao, keep Xiao Wu company while she eats. Grandpa will go tidy up a room for her and lay out some bedding so she doesn't catch cold..."

At those words, Xiao Wu, who had been eating with her head lowered, raised her head. A few grains of rice clung to the corner of her mouth as she asked in confusion,

"Why tidy up a room? Can't I just sleep with Hao Ge? That's how we sleep at school too..."

That single sentence made Yin Hao freeze halfway through picking up food. He stared at Xiao Wu in shock, then closed his eyes in frustration.

Damn it, after this whole year, I've completely led Xiao Wu astray...

When he turned to look at Old Jack, sure enough, the smile on the old man's face could no longer be contained. Looking at Yin Hao, then at the still-confused Xiao Wu, Old Jack felt that it was time to start thinking of a name for his great-grandson.

Blind Liu from the back village is good at naming people. Tomorrow, I'll take him two fish and ask for his advice...