Slaughter

The secluded path through the woods wound its way forward, twisting and turning.

Huo Yuhao emerged from the dense forest to the side, stepping onto the path and heading forward.

This trail was quite hidden, yet it happened to be the only way the steward and his guards could take when leaving the woodshed.

He kept his head lowered, carrying several fresh fish strung together by vines in his hand.

His footsteps were hurried, perfectly mimicking a cowering demeanor.

The steward, who had just finished berating Huo Yun'er and was walking along the path, caught sight of Huo Yuhao's figure from afar.

A glint of delight flashed in his triangular eyes, especially when he saw the fish in Huo Yuhao's hand.

"This servant-born brat actually managed to catch fish again! It seems the brothers will have an extra dish tonight."

The steward grinned, his voice laced with mockery and smugness.

He was accustomed to bullying others by abusing his power, and this sort of thing had long since become second nature to him.

Before Huo Yuhao could even get close, the steward strode forward to meet him.

The guards following behind him were equally unfazed, their faces wearing smiles as they prepared to watch a show.

In their eyes, this was nothing more than another routine act of oppression.

Huo Yuhao was merely a lowly servant-born brat; what kind of trouble could he possibly stir up?

Although Huo Yuhao had already turned ten this year, boys tended to develop later, and after years of being underfed and poorly clothed, his frame was exceptionally thin and small.

Compared to the fat steward, he was a full head shorter.

The steward walked up to Huo Yuhao, looking down at him from a superior height and completely blocking his path forward.

Huo Yuhao seemed startled, his body trembling slightly.

Seeing this, the steward felt even more smug.

"You servant-born brat!" the steward barked, his tone harsh and severe. "You don't do your work properly all day, yet you have the mind to go fishing? You've truly grown rebellious!"

As he scolded him, he reached out to snatch the fish from Huo Yuhao's hand.

The movement was crude and arrogant, just as it had been countless times before.

The steward grabbed the vines tied to the fish and tugged hard, intending to rip them away.

But this time, the vines did not budge.

Huo Yuhao's hand gripped the vines tightly, showing no intention of letting go.

The steward was stunned, and before he could lash out again, a cold glint flashed before his eyes.

It was so fast that it was almost impossible to react.

Immediately after, a thin red line appeared on the steward's neck.

Bright red beads of blood slowly seeped from the wound, growing larger and more numerous.

A stinging sensation radiated from his throat; he instinctively reached up to cover his neck, his fingers instantly stained red with blood.

The steward's eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to say something, but he could only emit a wheezing, "Heh, heh," sound.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not understand how this servant-born brat, who had always been submissive, could suddenly become so ruthless.

Was he not afraid of the Duchess's punishment?

These thoughts flashed through the steward's mind, but he would never have the chance to ponder them again.

The steward's body slumped softly to the ground.

All of this happened in an instant.

Having slit the steward's throat with a single strike, Huo Yuhao didn't even blink.

He didn't even look at the steward lying on the ground; instead, while the guards were still in shock, he lunged forward.

He slammed the fish he was holding into the faces of the guards.

After all, he couldn't very well carry a few fish home after this.

The guards were still immersed in their shock, never expecting Huo Yuhao to launch a sudden attack.

One of the guards, unable to dodge in time, was hit squarely by the fish.

He let out a scream and retreated, clutching his face.

Huo Yuhao immediately pressed the attack, kicking the guard in the chest.

A crisp sound of bone cracking echoed through the air.

The guard let out a muffled groan, spat out a mouthful of blood, and was sent flying backward.

He crashed heavily to the ground, wailing in agony as he clutched his chest.

The remaining three guards were all shaken to their cores.

They could never have imagined that Huo Yuhao, who was usually bullied by everyone, would possess such combat skills.

And they were all strong, sturdy guards.

In terms of physique, Huo Yuhao's thigh was likely not even as thick as their arms.

Yet, this scrawny child had managed to snap the guard's ribs with a single kick!

Wasn't that maid-born brat's Spirit Eye a useless Martial Soul?

How could he possess such immense strength?

If they had observed closely at that moment, they would have noticed that Huo Yuhao's blue eyes had quietly turned gold.

His pupils had also transformed into thin slits, resembling dragon eyes.

The screams of their companion finally jolted the remaining three guards back to reality from their shock.

They hastily activated their Martial Souls, and soul rings emerged beneath their feet.

Two of them each had two white soul rings at their feet.

As they unleashed their Martial Soul Possession, their figures grew taller, and thick black and brown fur sprouted across their bodies—clearly some form of beast Martial Soul.

The third man had one white and one yellow soul ring at his feet.

With a flash of light, a long spear appeared in his hand; the shaft was pitch-black and dull, but the tip glinted with a chilling, cold light.

After completing their Martial Soul Possession, their courage seemed to bolster, and their faces twisted into ferocious expressions.

The Duchess had long been looking for an excuse to completely eradicate Huo Yun'er and her son.

Now that this maid-born brat dared to resist, wasn't this playing right into her hands?

As long as they captured this brat and reported it to the Duchess, they would surely receive a generous reward.

Thinking of this, the smiles on their faces grew even more sinister.

However, before reaching the level of a Soul Elder, a soul master's physical constitution is not significantly stronger than that of an ordinary person.

The White Tiger Dagger in Huo Yuhao's hand was, moreover, a Level 5 Soul Tool, incredibly sharp.

Furthermore, the Golden Dragon King Divine Core within his mind was currently pumping a boundless supply of Bloodline Power into him.

The guard wielding the long spear launched the first attack.

He let out a low roar, his soul rings glowing faintly, and he hurled the spear like lightning, aiming straight for Huo Yuhao.

Clearly, he intended to pin Huo Yuhao to the spot in one strike.

Golden light flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and in an instant, the entire trajectory of the flying spear was captured within his vision.

He shifted his body slightly to the side, reached out his left hand, and firmly gripped the shaft of the spear.

The rotation of the spear came to an abrupt halt in his hand.

He weighed it lightly, seemingly finding the spear a bit too light.

With a flick of his arm, the spear flew back along its original path at an even greater speed.

It was so fast that the guard with the black-furred beast Martial Soul had no time to react.

With a "squelch," the spear pierced through his chest.

Blood splattered, staining the ground red.

The spear-wielding guard had never anticipated such a turn of events.

Before he could even manage to manifest another spear, Huo Yuhao had already lunged toward the brown-furred beast Martial Soul guard.

The brown-furred guard couldn't dodge in time and was hit head-on by Huo Yuhao, his body reeling backward.

A cold glint flashed as the White Tiger Dagger pierced his chest as if it were cutting through tofu.

Huo Yuhao gave his wrist a light twist and a pull, and blood gushed out.

"Ah!"

The brown-furred beast Martial Soul guard let out a shrill, miserable scream.

Huo Yuhao, pinning him down, frowned at the sound of the scream and slammed a fist into the guard's face.

With a "crack," the nasal bone shattered instantly.

The guard's head slumped powerlessly, and he stopped moving.

The last spear-wielding guard, witnessing this bloody scene, turned deathly pale, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

He had been scared out of his wits, forgetting even the thought of running away.

He opened his mouth, wanting to beg for mercy, but could not make a single sound.

A flash of white light streaked by, and the sharp White Tiger Dagger plunged straight into the center of his brow.

He could only collapse powerlessly to the ground, falling silent forever.

Huo Yuhao walked forward and pulled the White Tiger Dagger from the guard's forehead.

Beads of blood slid off the blade.

He then walked over to the side of the guard who had been kicked away at the very beginning.

The guard lay on the ground, his eyes filled with desperate pleading.

Huo Yuhao felt not a shred of pity; with a swift stroke of his blade, he ended the man's life.

He checked the bodies once more, delivering a few extra stabs to each to ensure they were truly dead.

Only then did he take the nearly ten Gold Soul Coin he had scavenged from the steward and the guards, placing them into a small storage ring he had found on the steward.

He glanced at himself, noting that his clothes were not heavily stained with blood.

He proceeded to smear some blood from the corpses onto his own clothes and face.

Fortunately, this was the outskirts of the White Tiger Duke Mansion, a place rarely frequented by anyone other than him and his mother.

This meant the skirmish that had just taken place had not drawn any attention.

Still, he had to take his mother and leave the White Tiger Duke Mansion as soon as possible, or trouble would arise sooner or later.

With this thought in mind, Huo Yuhao picked up the fish scattered on the ground, intending to clean them elsewhere.

The skills he had learned during the Ultimate Soldier Project in his past life were being put to good use at this very moment.

He began to camouflage the scene, erasing the traces of the battle as much as possible to buy more time for himself and his mother to escape.