Humans are Forced into Being (Seeking Collection, Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Douling Empire, Lingdou City.

Lan Xuanyu looked at the magnificent mansion before him with a complex expression.

"The Xuanming Sect, one of the top sects in Lingdou City... Join as a servant for a few years, and they'll awaken my martial soul for free."

He, Lan Xuanyu, the dignified reincarnation of the Dragon God and Supreme God King, actually had to become a servant for a sect like this. It was simply a supreme humiliation!

But Lan Xuanyu was truly out of options. He had struggled to survive for over a year in Lingdou City by scavenging through trash, and he was already over six years old. If he dragged it out any longer, he would run out of time to cultivate.

Born in the slums with such a disastrous start, how could he possibly make money?

Although he lived in an era two0,000 years later where soul guidance technology was quite advanced, he himself didn't actually understand much about it.

The sub-profession he had mastered was forging, but at his current age, he simply lacked the strength to perform it.

If he wanted to make money, he needed to hammer and forge; if he wanted to hammer and forge, he first needed to awaken his martial soul to gain strength.

It was a dead loop.

So, he was truly out of options and had to resort to this desperate measure.

In this era, the Spirit Hall and the Spirit Pagoda no longer existed. Ancient rituals like martial soul awakening were controlled by the soul master aristocracy. And with such a massive cake, how could those soul master lords not take a bite?

Either pay to awaken—ten gold soul coins—or join a major power or family to work as free labor for a few years. Otherwise, you wouldn't awaken your martial soul and would remain an ordinary person for the rest of your life, with no way out.

It was merely the path I walked before. He believed that with his own wisdom and ability, he would definitely find a way to reach the peak!

Lan Xuanyu clenched his fists and walked into the gates of the Xuanming Sect without looking back.

Three days later, the northern suburbs of Xingluo City.

"This must be the place!"

Baili Du stood before a three-story duplex villa, clapping his hands in satisfaction. He beckoned for a particularly delicate-looking young boy and a gentle-looking beautiful woman to head inside.

This was their new home.

If one were to ask which cities had the best public security, it would be the capitals of the various nations and Shrek City.

In Tiandou City, one might encounter the remnants of the Tang Sect, and since that place was close to the Clear Sky Sect, there was no guarantee he wouldn't run into the backup plans of that grandson Tang San. He didn't want to expose himself to Tang San just yet. Shrek City was also off-limits for now; Tang San's mother was inside that Golden Tree. Ming Capital was even worse, and as for Lingdou City... it was better not to go and provoke the "Tang Saint Grandson" prematurely.

After all, he was still a very important chess piece.

As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest. No matter how clever the Duchess was, she would never imagine that Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er would be living right under her nose.

Not to mention that with him around, let alone the Duchess's spies, even Tang Hao and A Yin, who had already replaced the [Plane Master] and [Life Core], wouldn't be able to find them.

Baili Du smiled as he looked at them. "M... Madam Huo, and little Yuhao, this will be our new home from now on."

Huo Yun'er stepped forward, looking worried, and cautiously suggested, "Mr. Baili, perhaps we should go back? I believe Brother Hao will not abandon us..."

After hesitating for a moment, Huo Yun'er added, "If it doesn't work out, we can go back and apologize to the First Madam. We will accept whatever punishment she gives. We are a family; there is no need for things to end up like this..."

"..."

Baili Du's brow couldn't help but twitch, and a surge of anger began to spread from the bottom of his heart.

Endless concessions and compromises, the habitual prioritization of others' needs...

This was the "virtuous" quality that Huo Yun'er had taught Huo Yuhao during his childhood—a quality that was utterly useless in this world where the strong preyed on the weak.

It wasn't that Huo Yun'er had protected Huo Yuhao too well; it was that she hadn't protected him at all.

But looking at the mother's somewhat haggard yet bright face, he swallowed the retort he had been about to spit back.

As a mother, Huo Yun'er had already done everything that flesh and blood could do. As a son, he had no right to demand more from her.

"...Madam Huo," Baili Du suppressed his anger and smiled at her. "I ask you to use that brain of yours, which hasn't been completely occupied by love cells, to think: what kind of person gives a [dagger] as a token of affection? And if that Duke of the White Tiger truly cared for you, then how did Yuhao end up with a younger brother who is a year his junior out of thin air?"

Huo Yun'er froze, instinctively tightening her grip on little Huo Yuhao's hand, her body trembling slightly.

She wasn't unaware of these truths, but on this Douluo Continent, which was suspected to have been created by the God of Love, the power of love was still too overwhelming.

As the former [God King of Emotions], although he had lost his divine position, his perception of emotions was so strong that no one in the entire God Realm could compare. Baili Du immediately sensed that the emotion of [love] for Dai Hao in the mother's heart was beginning to wane.

A good opportunity!

"Or perhaps..." Baili Du struck while the iron was hot, slightly manipulating the power of emotion to influence Huo Yun'er's feelings for Dai Hao. He glanced at little Huo Yuhao, whose expression had also turned grim, and sneered, "Do you want to drag your only son to hell right now? Let me remind you: after that day, the servants who brought Dai Huabin back were already executed by that Duchess on the charge of failing to protect him."

"I don't need to tell you what the consequences for you will be, do I? If you want to go back and walk right into the trap now, I won't stop you." He then kicked the door open somewhat violently, stepped aside, and pointed outside. "Please, be my guest."

Baili Du's overly harsh reprimand made Huo Yun'er's eyes turn red. She looked at her son, who was filled with hope, in a daze.

Huo Yuhao just gripped Huo Yun'er's hand tightly. From his expression, it was clear that he agreed more with Baili Du's words.

As a mother, she could endure suffering for her son's future, and she wouldn't even mind dying, but she had to consider what would happen to her son after she was gone. Could he really face this cruel world?

That "husband" who said he would come back to take her to enjoy a good life after the war—why would he rather have another child than come back to see her? Why, even... even unwilling to give her a title?

On one side was reality and the child she had raised; on the other was a vague, ethereal promise and love. As a mother, this was not a difficult choice to make.

As it stood, letting little Huo Yuhao stay by this Baili Du's side was undoubtedly the best choice.

Without needing to think for long, Huo Yun'er squeezed little Huo Yuhao's hand and bowed deeply to Baili Du. "I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Baili." Then, she resolutely led little Huo Yuhao into the villa.

Once the mother and son had walked into their room, a look of relief washed over Baili Du's face. He lowered his head and covered his mouth, suppressing the urge to weep.

In the past, he could only watch helplessly as his mother's body withered away day by day, eventually passing on while still yearning for Dai Hao. After her death, she had been snatched away to the God Realm by Tang San, coerced and manipulated to serve as a vital link in the training of a dog.

Now, he had finally... finally changed all of this and brought his mother out of that prison!

He understood his mother far too well, which was why he had been forced to resort to such desperate measures.

People are always pushed to their limits. Although his methods were indeed less than honorable, he had no choice; he did not want to see his mother's past tragedy play out before his eyes once again, nor did he want her to become a bargaining chip in Tang San's hands to threaten Huo Yuhao, and he certainly did not want her to suffer through such undeserved hardships ever again.