People Are Driven to This (Please Favorite and Keep Reading)

Dou Ling Empire, Lingdou City.

Lan Xuanyu gazed at the magnificent mansion before him, his expression complicated.

"The Xuanming Sect, one of the major sects in Lingdou City... If I join as a servant for a few years, they'll awaken my Martial Soul for free."

He, Lan Xuanyu, the reincarnation of the Dragon God and a dignified Supreme God King, had actually come to serve as a servant for a sect like this. What a disgrace!

But right now, Lan Xuanyu truly had no other choice. He had spent over a year scraping by in Lingdou City, picking through trash, and had barely managed to survive. He was already over six years old. If he delayed any longer, he'd have no time left to cultivate.

Born in a slum with a start this disastrous, how was he supposed to make money?

Although he lived in an era two thousand years in the future, one with highly advanced technology, he himself didn't know much about Soul Guidance Technology.

His secondary profession was forging, but at his age, he didn't have the strength to put it to use.

If he wanted to make money, he had to forge metal. If he wanted to forge metal, he first needed to awaken his Martial Soul and gain strength.

A dead end, plain and simple.

So he really had no choice. He could only resort to this.

The Spirit Hall and Spirit Pagoda no longer existed in this era. Ancient rituals like Martial Soul Awakening were controlled by the Soul Master aristocracy. And how could those noble Soul Masters possibly pass up a slice of such a massive pie?

Either pay ten Gold Soul Coins for an awakening, join a powerful family and work for free for a few years, or never awaken your Martial Soul and spend your whole life an ordinary person with no way forward.

I've walked this road before. He believed that with his own wit and abilities, he would find a way to reach the summit!

Lan Xuanyu clenched his fists and strode resolutely through the gates of the Xuanming Sect.

Three days later, in the northern suburbs of Xingluo City.

"This must be the place!"

Baili Du stood before a three-story duplex villa, clapped his hands in satisfaction, and beckoned a particularly delicate-looking child and a gentle, beautiful woman inside.

This was their new home.

If you asked which cities had the best security, the answer was the capitals of the various nations and Shrek City.

Tang Sect remnants might still be found in Heaven Dou City, and it was close to the Clear Sky Sect. They might run into one of Tang San's contingencies there, and he had no intention of revealing himself to Tang San yet. Shrek City was out of the question for now, too—Tang San's mother was inside the Golden Tree. Ming Capital was even worse. As for Lingdou City... best not to go and provoke Tang Shengsun prematurely.

After all, he was a very important chess piece.

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

What's more, with him here, not even the Duchess's spies could find them. Even Tang Hao and Ah Yin, who had now replaced the [Plane Master] and [Life Core], wouldn't be able to find them.

Baili Du smiled 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 wouldn't abandon us..."

After hesitating, Huo Yun'er added, "If we have to, we can go back and apologize to the First Madam. We'll accept whatever punishment she gives us. We're family; there's no need for things to come to this..."

"..."

Baili Du's brows twitched. A surge of anger rose from deep within him.

Endless concessions and compromises, always putting other people's needs first...

Those were the fine qualities Huo Yun'er had taught Huo Yuhao in his childhood—virtues utterly useless in this dog-eat-dog world...

It wasn't that Huo Yun'er had protected Huo Yuhao too well. She simply hadn't protected him at all.

But when he saw his mother's lovely face, worn with fatigue, he swallowed the retort he'd been about to fire back.

As a mother, Huo Yun'er had done everything flesh and blood could. As her son, he had no right to reproach her further.

"...Madam Huo," Baili Du said with a smile, forcing down his anger. "Please use the part of your brain that hasn't been completely taken over by your love cells and think about it. Who gives a dagger as a token of affection? And if the White Tiger Duke truly cared for you, how did Yuhao end up with a younger brother who was born a year after him?"

Huo Yun'er stared at him, stunned. Instinctively, she gripped little Huo Yuhao's hand, her body trembling slightly.

It wasn't that she didn't understand the reasoning. But on Douluo Continent, a world that seemed to have been created by the God of Love, the power of love was simply too strong.

Though he had lost his divine seat, as the former Emotion God King, his perception of emotions was unmatched throughout the Divine Realm. Baili Du immediately sensed his mother's emotion of [love] for Dai Hao beginning to fade.

A perfect opportunity!

"Or put it this way..." Baili Du struck while the iron was hot, subtly using his emotional power to influence Huo Yun'er's [love] for Dai Hao. Seeing little Huo Yuhao's expression darken as well, he sneered. "Do you want to drag your only son straight to hell? Let me remind you: after that day, the Duchess had the attendants who brought Dai Huabin back executed for failing to protect him."

"You don't need me to spell out what will happen to you, do you? If you want to go back and walk straight into the trap, I won't stop you." Then he kicked open the door rather forcefully, stepped aside, and pointed outside. "Be my guest."

Baili Du's overly harsh rebuke brought tears to Huo Yun'er's eyes. She stared, dazed, at her hopeful son.

Huo Yuhao simply clung tightly to her hand. His expression made it clear that he agreed more with Baili Du.

As a mother, she could endure any hardship for her son's future—even die for him. But she had to think about what would happen to him after she died. Could he really face this cruel world?

Why would the "husband" who had promised to come back for her and take her to a life of comfort after the war rather have another child than come back to see her even once? He had even... even refused to give her a title.

On one side were reality and the child she had borne and raised; on the other, a vague promise and love. For a mother, this wasn't a difficult choice.

For now, letting little Huo Yuhao stay by Baili Du's side was undoubtedly the best choice.

Without taking long to think it over, Huo Yun'er tightened her grip on little Huo Yuhao's hand and bowed deeply to Baili Du. "Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Baili." Then she led little Huo Yuhao resolutely into the villa.

After the mother and son went into their room, Baili Du's face softened with relief. He lowered his head, covered his mouth with his hand, and fought back the urge to cry.

Back then, all he could do was watch helplessly as his mother grew thinner by the day, then died suddenly while longing for Dai Hao. After her death, Tang San had seized her and taken her to the Divine Realm, where he had used threats and inducements to make her a key part of training a dog...

Now, at last... at last, he had changed everything and brought his mother out of that prison!

He understood his mother too well. That was why he'd had to resort to this.

People were driven to this. His methods weren't exactly admirable, but he had no choice. He didn't want his mother's tragedy to unfold before his eyes all over again. He didn't want her to become a bargaining chip Tang San could use against Huo Yuhao again, and he certainly didn't want her to endure hardships she never should have faced.