Most of the White Tiger Duke Mansion's elite forces had indeed been transferred away by Dai Hao to fight alongside him on the front lines. Some of the older retainers in the mansion, those with higher cultivation, had also been sent away by her because they were too loyal to Dai Hao.
Who would have thought that the White Tiger Duke Mansion would be infiltrated by Evil Soul Masters, while lacking experts capable of subduing them? With her current Soul Saint cultivation, she was already one of the strongest in the mansion!
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly, the man grabbed a young man, forcing the Duchess to stop. Her expression darkened and brightened by turns.
"I've already looked into it. This brat is the White Tiger Duke's son, and he's also your disciple. Even if you don't care whether your disciple lives or dies, you'd have a hard time explaining it to your husband if he died just like this. Heh heh!"
The man sneered as he held Yuhao.
"Put him down."
The Duchess spoke in a chilly voice. Seven Soul Rings shone around her, and a resplendent Star Crown appeared above her head.
"I'm not an idiot. If I let him go, why would you spare me? Let me leave the White Tiger Duke Mansion safely, and don't follow me. Once I'm sure I've reached somewhere safe, I'll let him come back to you."
The man chuckled and continued.
"Do you take me for a fool?"
Xu Feiyan's expression turned even colder. At that moment, her gaze flickered, as if she were calculating something.
Outside the Sky Screen, everyone watched the scene and began discussing it.
"Damn, isn't Yuhao as good as dead? That Duchess probably can't wait for something to happen to the brat, so he'll die right here."
"Wait, no. Don't forget, this guy's been hiding his strength the whole time! It's just that after this, he probably won't be able to hide it anymore."
"Evil Soul Masters really are sinister. Their tentacles are everywhere. What's the Shrek Inspection Team doing?"
"Hmph, the Shrek Inspection Team is probably busy making money, haha!"
What happened inside the Sky Screen, however, instantly caught everyone by surprise.
As the Soul Rings around the Duchess flickered, a ray of starlight shot out at astonishing speed, wrapped around Yuhao's waist, and pulled him away from the Evil Soul Master's grasp in an instant.
The Evil Soul Master seemed not to have expected the Duchess to be so bold as to rescue someone right in front of him.
"Bang!"
"Ugh!"
Just before the starlight chain pulled Yuhao over, a palm print formed from poisonous mist struck the Duchess in the chest. She gave a muffled groan, and purple-black blood immediately trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Hahahaha... How foolish!"
The Evil Soul Master burst into laughter, his body turning into a plume of poisonous smoke as he darted toward the mansion's exit. At that moment, Yuhao caught the weakened Xu Feiyan in his arms, his expression impossibly complicated.
"Y-Why did you save me? He's an Evil Soul Master!"
Yuhao's voice was hoarse as he spoke.
Given Xu Feiyan's strength, if she had completely disregarded Yuhao's life, she would still have had a chance to keep the Evil Soul Master there. At the very least, she wouldn't have been seriously injured by him.
But in order to save him, she had divided her attention and made a move, giving the other man an opening. After being struck by an Evil Soul Master's technique, she might already be doomed!
"Cough, cough..."
Purple-black blood flowed from the corner of Xu Feiyan's mouth. The light in her usually sharp, beautiful eyes seemed to be fading.
"I... I didn't want my husband to use this against me later. It's not that I care whether you live or die."
Xu Feiyan managed to force a familiar, cold smile in Yuhao's direction.
"I just... Cough, cough... I didn't expect I'd overestimated my own abilities. You—you disciples of mine, don't learn from me, your teacher..."
At that moment, Yuhao held the Duchess in his arms, his expression shifting again and again, as if he were locked in a fierce inner struggle. Countless memories and moments from the past flashed through his mind—happy, sorrowful, painful, unwilling...
The final scene that came to rest in his mind was the Duchess forcibly pulling him from the Evil Soul Master's grasp, only to be struck by the man's poisonous palm herself.
"Ah!"
The Yuhao in the scene roared and carried the Duchess into a secret chamber.
The next moment, the Duchess stared in utter shock as five full Soul Rings rose from beneath Yuhao's feet! A surge of extreme cold poured into her body, freezing and sealing all the poison that had spread through her in an instant!
"You... You..."
Endless shock, along with a chill, rose in Xu Feiyan's heart.
"You lied to me?"
Xu Feiyan stared intently at the young man's face. At that moment, she suddenly felt that his features looked so much like her husband's.
"That's right. I fooled you. 'Teacher,' you wouldn't teach me how to cultivate, but I had my own way. I'd planned to wait until I became a Titled Douluo before revealing my strength openly and honorably. What a pity..."
Yuhao sighed softly, his voice seemingly full of regret.
"Dai Yuhao, you came across an opportunity of your own and greatly increased your strength, yet you kept it to yourself, hiding it from your family and your teacher. Do you know what punishment you deserve for that?"
Xu Feiyan asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"I know. You'll probably discuss it with those people again, then come up with even harsher ways to deal with me and stop me from growing stronger. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll threaten me with my mother to make me submit."
Yuhao's gaze was deep as he looked into Xu Feiyan's eyes and asked.
For a moment, Xu Feiyan fell silent.
"What, do you regret saving me just now?"
Yuhao gave a sardonic laugh and asked.
"No, I don't regret it. If I hadn't saved you, you wouldn't really have died. Instead, you've saved me once now."
Xu Feiyan sighed softly.
"I only regret that you're the child of that woman and Dai Hao. Otherwise... things between us might not have turned out this way."
"Leave the Duke's Mansion. I'm asking you this time. I won't target that woman anymore. Consider it repayment for your kindness."
Xu Feiyan sighed softly as she spoke.
"You know my mother won't leave here. She's staying, and you say you won't target her again. Do you think I can trust you?"
After a moment of silence, Yuhao looked at the Duchess's face, which had regained some color, and asked.
"You can only trust me now, can't you? Still, I can promise you this: as long as that woman doesn't do anything else to displease me, I'll let her live out the rest of her life in peace."
Xu Feiyan only smiled faintly.
"Is that so? Then what if she does something else to make you unhappy? What if she finds a way to keep in contact with the old retainers in the Duke's Mansion who resent you, and keeps trying to pass information to Dai Hao?"
Yuhao sighed softly as well, then continued to ask.