Between a Breath, Heaven and Hell

[Douluo II Period]

When that gentle and serene figure appeared upon the Sky Screen.

Within the crowd at Shrek Academy, a voice suppressed with endless pain and longing trembled uncontrollably.

"Mo—ther—"

The voice was not loud, but like a pebble cast into a calm lake, it instantly sent ripples spreading through the surroundings.

"What?!"

"He—he called that maid—mother?"

"My god! Huo Yuhao—he—he is actually the son of Duke White Tiger, Dai Hao?!"

In an instant, everyone's gaze pierced toward the violently trembling youth like sharp swords!

Wang Dong's face was filled with unprecedented shock and bewilderment.

She whipped her head around to look at Huo Yuhao, only to see him already streaming with tears, his body shaking violently as he stared fixedly at the sky, as if trying to carve that figure into his very soul.

Xiao Xiao also covered her mouth with her small hands, her eyes filled with astonishment and heartache.

The maid on the Sky Screen—is Huo Yuhao's mother?

Then—wouldn't Duke White Tiger, Dai Hao, be—

A world-shattering realization exploded in everyone's minds!

No wonder!

No wonder Dai Huabin had targeted Huo Yuhao at every turn from the very beginning!

So, they were half-brothers!

The moment the truth came to light, as everyone looked back at the Sky Screen, their feelings had been completely turned upside down!

The Sky Screen ignored the commotion below, using its coldest lens to continue recounting the tragedy of that gentle woman.

[As Dai Hao's personal head maid, Huo Yun'er had harbored a trace of humble adoration for Dai Hao since she was young.]

It was inside an elegant study.

Huo Yun'er was standing on her tiptoes, carefully dusting the bookshelves.

Her gaze would always drift secretly toward the man sitting behind the desk, busy reviewing military affairs.

In those eyes, there was reverence, admiration, and an irrepressible, youthful love.

[And Dai Hao, this veteran of romance, easily sensed this pure emotion.]

Dai Hao set down the brush in his hand.

He looked up, his deep eyes seemingly capable of peering into the human heart.

["Yun'er, do you find these trivial tasks too tiring?"]

He spoke gently.

["Re—replying to Duke, this servant does not find it tiring."]

Huo Yun'er was so nervous she couldn't even speak coherently, her pretty face flushed bright red.

Dai Hao smiled slightly, a smile filled with the charm of a mature man, enough to make any young girl in love fall for him.

In the days that followed, he would intentionally or unintentionally show concern for Huo Yun'er.

A word of warmth, an accidental touch, a late-night conversation by candlelight.

How could the naive Huo Yun'er withstand such "gentle" offensives from a Duke with illustrious military achievements and immense power at court?

She quickly fell completely, believing herself to be the happiest woman in the world.

To Dai Hao, this was merely an appetizer after a meal, a diversion to relieve the stress of his busy military duties.

But Huo Yun'er always naively believed that the Duke held a special place in his heart for her.

On a night with a bright moon and sparse stars, she gave everything she had to the man she loved so deeply.

Afterward, Dai Hao casually unhooked a dagger from his waist and tossed it to her.

["Take it. From now on, you are mine."]

It was a dagger carved with a White Tiger totem, exquisite and sharp.

Huo Yun'er treated it like a precious treasure, clutching it tightly to her chest, her face glowing with a happy and shy blush.

[She believed this was their token of love.]

However, above on the Sky Screen, the cold narration ruthlessly punctured this layer of false romance.

[That was merely an item Dai Hao had grabbed at random.]

[Afterward, Dai Hao did not even remember that he had ever given this maid anything at all.]

These heart-piercing words caused the hearts of countless young girls to shatter into pieces instantly.

As for Huo Yuhao, he bit his lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood began to spread through his mouth.

He remembered how his mother, on her deathbed, had clutched that dagger tightly, telling him it was the only memento his father had left for them.

How ironic! How pathetic!

The images continued.

When the steward cautiously reported to Dai Hao that Huo Yun'er was pregnant.

Dai Hao, who was studying a military map, did not even lift his head; he merely furrowed his brows, appearing somewhat impatient.

Not long after, the steward reported to Dai Hao with a hurried expression.

["Duke, that maid—she—she is with child."]

Dai Hao was wiping his sword, and upon hearing this, his movements did not pause in the slightest.

He did not even turn around, simply instructing calmly:

["Let her give birth."]

["I want to see what kind of martial soul is born from the union of a commoner's bloodline and the bloodline of my Dai family."]

His tone was not that of a man discussing his own unborn flesh and blood, but rather like someone discussing an insignificant experiment in breeding livestock!

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao could no longer hold himself up; his legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees!

"Ah—!"

He let out a roar of suppressed agony, slamming his fists hard against the solid ground until they were dripping with blood!

So that was it!

So, his very birth had been nothing more than an experiment from the start!

An experiment used to satisfy Dai Hao's curiosity!

The images shifted to the day Huo Yuhao was born.

Ten months of pregnancy, followed by the labor.

When the frail infant was brought before Dai Hao, he merely glanced at him with indifference.

When he saw the infant's unique eyes, his brows furrowed.

["A mutation, then—"]

["Heh, as expected of a lowly bloodline, only capable of producing such a freakish mongrel."]

["This is nothing but a stain on the honor of my Dai family!"]

["Forget it, he is just a piece of trash."]

["Leave him to the Madam to deal with."]

A single cold sentence passed a death sentence upon mother and son.

From that moment on, they went from being a maid and a young master of the Duke White Tiger Mansion to prisoners in the woodshed, treated worse than the servants.

The images flashed by rapidly.

It was the darkest decade of Huo Yuhao's memories.

On cold winter nights, the blood his mother coughed up stained the freezing ground.

Moldy food, the disdainful gazes of the servants, and—the undisguised malice of the Duchess.

Yet his mother, that gentle woman, would always hold him close during his most desperate moments.

Using that White Tiger Dagger, which she kept polished to a shine, she would peel wild fruits she had scavenged from somewhere, telling him over and over again:

["Child, do not blame your father. He is a great hero of the empire, guarding the frontier and protecting us."]

["When the war ends, he will come back to see us—"]

But the images on the Sky Screen tore this pitiful fantasy to shreds.

[In fact, Dai Hao had returned to the Duke White Tiger Mansion several times during those ten years.]

In the images, Dai Hao's luxurious carriage passed by that dilapidated woodshed multiple times.

Inside the carriage, he drank and laughed with other noblewomen.

Outside the carriage, his own son was being beaten until his head bled by the servants' children over a cold steamed bun.

A mere stone's throw away, yet it was heaven and hell.