My Name From Now On... Huo Yuhao!

The words "three years ago" instantly brought that day's scene back to Huo Yun'er's mind.

Three years ago, when White Tiger Duke Dai Hao returned to the mansion, she had gathered all the courage in her life and wanted to take her son to meet his father.

Instead, they had been publicly stopped by Duchess Zhu Yunqing's Maid and threatened into leaving.

That helplessness, that despair, that heart-piercing pain of being unable even to protect her own child instantly engulfed her again!

Her pupils suddenly contracted, her face turned deathly pale, and her body even began trembling uncontrollably.

It also made Huo Yun'er realize that although life in the White Tiger Duke Mansion appeared stable, they could very well lose their lives at any moment.

As a mother, she could endure any hardship herself, but she could never allow her son to be placed in danger!

Her concern for her son's safety instantly overwhelmed her fear of the unknown outside world.

Huo Yun'er was just about to nod in agreement when a tall figure that had lingered in her heart for years suddenly surfaced, making her hesitate for a moment.

She looked into her son's clear, determined eyes. Her gaze flickered, her lips trembled, and she softly uttered a few words.

"But Yuhao... your father..."

The words had barely left her mouth, not even fully spoken, when Dai Yuhao interrupted her.

"Mom!"

Dai Yuhao's voice suddenly rose, carrying an emotion that had been suppressed for far too long and was nearly erupting.

"In these three years, he came back several times too!"

Dai Yuhao's voice trembled slightly with agitation, every word seeming to be squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"Which time did he... even come to look at us?! Did he ever ask whether we were doing well?!"

He took a deep breath, as if he wanted to pour out all the grievance, confusion, and resentment that had built up in his heart over the years.

"In his heart, there's no place for us, mother and son. There never was!"

"Mom, wake up!"

"He doesn't care whether you're tired, whether I have enough to eat or clothes to wear, or what kind of life we live here!"

"He probably doesn't even remember us, mother and son!"

Dai Yuhao's voice grew louder and louder until he was nearly shouting.

"He isn't worthy of being a husband! And even less worthy of being a father!"

Dai Yuhao's final words were like a heavy hammer smashing fiercely into Huo Yun'er's heart, completely shattering her last trace of illusion.

How could Huo Yun'er not know this cruel truth?

On countless late nights, she had wept alone, recalling that brief and hazy warmth from the past and comparing it to the long, hopeless coldness of reality. Her heart had long since turned icy.

It was only that humble love, that illusory longing for a complete family, and that obsession with wanting her son to gain his father's acknowledgment that made her choose to deceive herself time and time again.

But now, her son had pierced through that thin layer of pretense so bluntly that all excuses and illusions turned to dust in an instant.

The naked truth lay before her, leaving her nowhere to hide.

A deep sorrow, like floodwaters bursting through a dam, instantly swallowed Huo Yun'er.

Her body swayed as though all strength had left her. Tears rolled down in large drops like beads from a broken string, streaking across her pale, thin cheeks and falling onto her worn clothes.

She covered her mouth, but could not suppress the broken sobs escaping from it.

Seeing his mother so heartbroken, the anger and agitation in Dai Yuhao's heart quickly subsided, replaced by deep heartache.

He stepped forward and reached out his little hand, gently wiping the tears from his mother's face.

"Mom, don't cry."

His voice softened again, carrying a steadiness beyond his years. "He isn't worth it."

"From now on, having me is enough."

"Starting today, I won't be surnamed Dai anymore."

"My name from now on... is Huo Yuhao!"

After Huo Yuhao failed to awaken a martial soul, apart from that one time Dai Huabin had come with his lackeys, Duchess Zhu Yunqing seemed to have stopped paying attention to the mother and son.

The next day, the sky was only beginning to brighten, and the morning mist had yet to fully disperse.

Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao had already packed their few belongings into two small bundles.

Without alerting anyone, they quietly slipped out through a small gate on the north side of the Duke Mansion that was almost never guarded.

Outside the gate lay an empty alleyway, and farther off were streets gradually coming to life.

The slightly cool morning breeze brushed against their faces, carrying the scent of freedom.

Huo Yun'er turned back for one final look at the towering, sprawling mansion walls behind her, a place that had never given her even the slightest warmth. A complicated emotion flashed through her eyes.

There was relief, there was sorrow, but more than anything, there was the lightness of breaking free from shackles.

She tightened her grip on her son's hand, turned around, and no longer looked back.

"Let's go, Yuhao."

"Okay, Mom."

The mother and son first went to Star Luo City. Using the little savings Huo Yun'er had scrimped and saved over the years, she rented the most ordinary carriage from a Carriage Company and headed east.

After a day of travel, they finally arrived at a small city in the eastern Star Luo Empire called Xilai City.

Xilai City was not large. Its streets were narrow, its houses low and old, its pedestrians plainly dressed, and life moved noticeably slower than in those major cities.

But the air here carried a sense of peace, making it just right for Huo Yuhao and his mother as they prepared to begin a new life.

After paying the carriage fare, Huo Yun'er had almost nothing left of her savings.

Without hesitation, she took out the White Tiger Token, the token of love Dai Hao had given her many years ago, and pawned it for one thousand Gold Soul Coins.

For an ordinary commoner family, this was already no small sum. It was enough for them to live steadily in Xilai City for quite some time.

With money, things became much easier.

They quickly rented a two-room house with a Small Courtyard in a relatively quiet alley in the western part of the city.

Though the house was old, it was clean and tidy. Huo Yun'er carefully cleaned it inside and out, then bought a few necessary household items. A "home" that belonged to them finally began to take shape.

Once everything was settled, Huo Yun'er wanted to find work outside to help support the household.

But this time, the moment she brought it up, Huo Yuhao firmly stopped her.

They had escaped the Duke Mansion for his mother's health as well. How could he possibly let her go out and work now?

Huo Yun'er still wanted to insist, so Huo Yuhao could only reveal that he was a Soul Master and tell her that Soul Masters could earn money easily.

Seeing Huo Yuhao acting like a little adult, Huo Yun'er finally agreed.

However, although Huo Yuhao was already a genuine Soul Master, possessed a thousand-year first soul ring, and had spiritual power far beyond that of his peers, the reality before him was that he was only Six Years Old.

At his age and with his size, finding work based on his identity as a Soul Master would not be easy.

Even for the most ordinary guard work, no one would hire a kid. Even if he were stronger, they still would not choose him.

But since Huo Yuhao had dared to take his mother and decisively flee the Duke Mansion, he had naturally prepared himself mentally for this. He had also done some research and made plans in advance.

After wandering around Xilai City for half a day and asking around a little, Huo Yuhao locked onto his target: a Blacksmith Shop.

That's right, the job Huo Yuhao was looking for was blacksmithing!

In stories passed down across the continent, Ten Thousand Years Ago, the Sea God Tang San had worked in a Blacksmith Shop when he was young.

More importantly, in the Spirit Pagoda ten thousand years later, Huo Yuhao had chosen Forgemaster as his Sub-profession!

Although he had not officially begun learning yet, blacksmithing ten thousand years later still counted as work related to his profession.

Before long, on a relatively bustling street in the western part of the city, he found a Blacksmith Shop that appeared moderately sized and did decent business.

The shop had a semi-open layout. The Furnace Fire burned brightly, reddening a patch of space near the entrance as the rhythmic clang of hammering drifted out.

A somewhat weathered wooden sign hung outside the shop, simply bearing the words: Wu's Blacksmith Shop.

Huo Yuhao stopped several paces outside the shop. Rather than entering rashly, he first stood quietly and observed.

Inside, two strong men, bare-chested except for heavy leather work trousers and aprons, were working in a sweat.

Their muscles bulged, and their skin had been roasted bronze by the furnace fire over the years, gleaming with oil.

One used tongs to place a red-hot Iron Billet onto an anvil, while the other swung a heavy hammer, striking the Iron Billet again and again. Sparks flew as dull, rhythmic clang! clang! sounds rang out.

Sweat ran down their sturdy backs and dripped onto the scorching ground, producing faint sizzling sounds.

Perhaps he had stood there too long, or perhaps a kid lingering outside a Blacksmith Shop and staring inside was simply too conspicuous.

During a pause between hammer strikes, the strong man wielding the hammer wiped his face with the towel draped around his neck and caught sight of Huo Yuhao from the corner of his eye.

He stopped moving, planted the hammer on the ground, and took a breath.

Then he turned, fixed his gaze on Huo Yuhao, and asked in a gruff voice, "Hey, kid over there! You've been standing here watching for quite a while. Did an adult from your family send you to have something made?"