"The Crafting Bureau..." Huo Yuhao repeated to himself. He couldn't shake the feeling that the name bore some inexplicable resemblance to the Tang Sect.
Tang Shan walked to the main entrance and placed the card bearing his identification information on the square device beside the door.
"Welcome, Tang Shan of the Crafting Bureau."
With a mechanical voice, the main entrance slowly opened. Tang Shan led the two children inside.
"The Crafting Bureau is the department in charge of machinery research and manufacturing under the Spirit Hall. Of course, besides civilian machinery, these devices also include... weapons."
As they made their way to their destination, Tang Shan began explaining the Crafting Bureau's duties. At the same time, he observed Huo Yuhao's reaction. Like every child who came here for the first time, he curiously examined every corner of the corridor.
A perfectly normal reaction, though he was a little quieter than most children.
He remembered... A few years ago, when Director Tang Ya had first brought Tang Ya here, she'd been a real handful. One moment she was demanding to see this, the next she wanted to go there. Tang Shan, who'd been in charge of looking after her, had suffered plenty.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao was also observing his surroundings. What caught his attention most were the devices hanging beside the doors. He remembered they were called... access controls.
In his previous life, a large portion of Soul Tools had been used to support combat. He had only seen civilian Soul Tools like these... in the Sun Moon Empire.
Every so often, they passed a few people in white coats. They looked to be around Tang Shan's age. But whenever they saw Tang Shan, they would pause for about half a second and nod to him.
"Looks like Uncle Tang Shan has quite a high position. He's probably a senior technician, too," Huo Yuhao thought. After all, Tang Ya was now the daughter of that Director. There was no way someone allowed to stay by her side was merely a nanny or a housekeeper.
Before long, they arrived at a wine-red wooden door.
Unlike the doors he'd glimpsed earlier, this one was remarkably ordinary. It was the only door Huo Yuhao had seen in the Crafting Bureau so far without an access control.
Knock, knock, knock—
Tang Shan knocked. A voice soon came from inside:
"Come in."
The voice was steady and resonant, and its owner sounded like he was in his thirties or forties. Judging by Tang Ya's age, that made sense.
Huo Yuhao took a few deep breaths. In his previous life, Tang Ya's parents had both died young, and Tang Ya had never mentioned them. In other words, Huo Yuhao had no information whatsoever about Tang Ya's father.
If he wanted to earn the man's favor... Huo Yuhao would have to rely on his own wits.
Tang Shan slowly pushed open the wooden door. A white-haired man leaning by the window came into view, gazing at something outside. In the glow of the setting sun, not a single wrinkle could be seen on his face. He didn't look like a man in his thirties or forties at all.
Hearing the door open, he slowly turned to look at Tang Shan and the two children beside him, Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Dad!" Tang Ya's loud shout broke the silence. She called out and ran straight toward the man, throwing herself into his arms.
"Did you follow them again halfway?"
"Yep!" Tang Ya answered without a hint of shame.
The man helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead, then continued:
"Forget it. I have some important business to attend to in a bit. Go with Uncle Shan to the storeroom and play for a while."
After speaking, he leaned over and whispered something in Tang Ya's ear. Her face instantly flushed red. Tang Shan immediately led Huo Yuhao forward and took Tang Ya from Tang You's arms.
"I'll take the young lady away for now, Director."
"Mm." Tang Shan led Tang Ya away, her face still bright red, and didn't forget to close the door behind them.
Now only the man and Huo Yuhao remained in the room.
"Sorry about that. My daughter made a fool of herself in front of you." The man smiled and looked up at Huo Yuhao standing before him.
"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Tang You, Director of the Spirit Hall's Crafting Bureau."
"Don't be nervous. Find a seat." Tang You pointed to the sofa beside him. Huo Yuhao bowed slightly and sat where Tang You had indicated.
"Um... hello. I'm Huo Yuhao."
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao and Tang You sized each other up.
There was no denying that Tang You's face and voice didn't match. Judging by his appearance alone, Huo Yuhao would never have guessed he was over twenty-five.
But more than his face, what really caught Huo Yuhao's attention were his legs. He'd sensed something was off earlier. Now he channeled Soul Power and used his Martial Soul, and only then did he see it: in the tiny gap beneath Tang You's trouser leg, what was hidden wasn't a human ankle, but a cold piece of metal.
Noticing Huo Yuhao's gaze, Tang You began to explain:
"I had a feud with someone years ago, and I lost both legs. Fortunately, the Pope spared me and let me stay in the Crafting Bureau with these iron legs, continuing to serve as Director."
"From the way you're looking at them... are you interested in them?" Tang You asked, propping his face up with one hand.
Huo Yuhao nodded but remained silent.
Tang You assumed Huo Yuhao was still a little nervous and didn't think much of it.
"I heard that during your Martial Soul Awakening ceremony, you used some... strange moves."
Huo Yuhao thought, Just as I expected. The other man had noticed him because of those three Tang Sect Secret Arts.
He lowered his head a little, planning to see what Tang You had in mind before deciding what to say.
"Do you remember what I just told you? I lost these legs because of a traitor who tried to steal the secret techniques of my Crafting Bureau and pass them on. In the end, he escaped the Bureau and is still a wanted criminal by the Spirit Hall to this day..."
Tang You spoke one word at a time. Huo Yuhao lowered his head further.
This is bad! It was the only thought in Huo Yuhao's mind. He could never have imagined that such a coincidence could exist.
Yet the next moment, Tang You's words calmed his pounding heart.
"But according to Zhang Peng's investigation... your mother was a servant in the White Tiger Duke Mansion of the Star Luo Empire. She had no connection to that traitor."
"Perhaps he scattered those secret techniques among the common folk, and you happened to learn them. Or perhaps there was some other reason... In any case, whatever the explanation, mastering all three secret techniques at the age of six is practically impossible."
Tang You tapped his fingers on the table, producing a steady series of knocks.
"In other words, at first I wanted to meet you because of the three secret techniques you used. But now I find you yourself even more interesting."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao first breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Tang You in disbelief.
He knew that, though it was hard to explain, he had already cleared this first hurdle.
"Exceptional learning ability, an Innate Full Soul Power Body Martial Soul... You're exactly the kind of talent our Crafting Bureau needs."
"Young Huo Yuhao, would you be interested in joining our Crafting Bureau?"
Before you continue