I, Huo Yuhao, Didn't Cheat!

Ye Cangwu slowly withdrew his hand and let out a soft sigh, his tone grave. "Madam, your pulse is weak and erratic, and your blood and qi are utterly depleted. You were likely malnourished while carrying your child, and childbirth then drained a great deal of your vitality. You haven't had a chance to recover properly in all these years; in fact, your body has only grown more depleted. Without treatment, I'm afraid you won't live much longer."

This sort of condition was fairly common in the Soul Master World. When an ordinary person gave birth to a child with a Martial Soul of tremendous potential, it was easy for them to suffer a loss of vitality.

Carrying a child like that consumed a vast amount of vitality. She must have taken some kind of medicinal herbs to replenish herself earlier; otherwise, the fetus in her womb would have drained her dry during the pregnancy.

Huo Yun'er stiffened all over, the color draining from her face in an instant.

No one could hear that their days were numbered and remain calm.

But after a brief moment of stunned silence, she slowly raised a hand and gently stroked Huo Yuhao's hair. Her eyes brimmed with love and acceptance. "As long as I can watch Hao'er grow up safe and sound, I'm already content."

"Don't rush to grieve just yet." Ye Cangwu interrupted her. "What I said applies only if you hadn't met me. Since I've examined you, I won't just stand by and do nothing."

If he couldn't even cure an ailment like this, how could he ever face the ancestors of the Ye Family again?

With that, he turned to Huo Yuhao and beckoned warmly. "Come here, child. Let me take a look at you, too."

Huo Yuhao's heart stirred, and he quickly stepped forward.

If this physician could treat his mother's condition, then the minor problem with his own body should be no trouble for him.

Ye Cangwu placed his fingertips on Huo Yuhao's thin, frail wrist. It took only a moment for his brows to knit tightly.

Malnutrition, several damaged meridians, and plenty of old injuries lingering beneath the skin. Clearly, the boy had been struck and bullied a great deal from a young age.

The meridians were the foundation through which Soul Power flowed. With damage this severe, even if he awakened a powerful Martial Soul in the future, his Soul Power would struggle to circulate smoothly. His cultivation speed would be greatly reduced, and his eventual achievements would likely be limited.

Ye Cangwu burned with anger. Who could be so cruel as to lay such a vicious hand on a helpless child?

Huo Yun'er's heart clenched at the sight. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Doctor, is Hao'er... is his condition serious?"

"Don't worry, madam. It can be treated." Ye Cangwu gave Huo Yun'er a reassuring smile, then turned to Huo Yuhao, his gaze gentle. "Wait here a little longer. Once I've finished seeing the last few villagers, I'll come home with you and help you recover."

They waited until the sun sank below the horizon.

After the last villager had left, Ye Cangwu packed up his medicine chest and followed Huo Yuhao and his mother to their home.

Inside the Huo Family's house, Ye Cangwu set down his medicine chest and slowly raised his right hand. A lovely pink begonia flower quietly blossomed in his palm.

Its petals, a mixture of white and pink, were exceptionally beautiful and graceful.

A begonia for a Martial Soul, and the surname Ye.

Nine-Heart Begonia?!

Remembering his identity as the Child of Luck of the Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao couldn't help wondering if the will of the plane had finally started working its magic.

As he pondered this, the first and third Soul Rings on Ye Cangwu's body lit up in succession. Petal-shaped radiance gently enveloped Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er.

A surging, gentle vitality seeped through their limbs like spring rain, repairing Huo Yuhao's damaged meridians and old injuries while restoring Huo Yun'er's vitality.

Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and felt the warmth within him. Suddenly, his heart stirred.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but nourished by that vitality, the red-and-black dragon eyes on the Bronze Gate in his sea of consciousness seemed to tremble faintly. It happened so quickly that he thought he must have imagined it.

"Your injuries have healed, but the Martial Soul can't resolve some of the other problems." Ye Cangwu considered this for a moment. "Your bodies will need long-term care. I'll stay here for a few more days and leave once you've both recovered."

Earlier that day, while Ye Cangwu was treating the villagers, the village chief had already told him he could stay at his home for the next couple of days.

The village chief's son had left for Suotuo City years ago and rarely returned. Since the chief now lived alone, there was plenty of room.

Early the next morning, Ye Cangwu arrived at the Huo Family's home with the medicinal herbs he had prepared the night before, taking them out of his Soul Tool.

"I'll prepare two tubs of medicinal bath first. You and your son can soak in them separately."

Two large pots were set up in the woodshed, and the rich scent of herbs filled the air.

Once the medicinal baths were ready, he poured the liquid into two large wooden tubs and told Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao to go into separate rooms and soak.

Huo Yuhao took off his clothes and climbed in. Warm medicinal liquid enveloped his body.

He was so comfortable that his eyes nearly drifted shut. Just as he was about to fall asleep, the unusual dragon eyes on the Bronze Gate in his mind suddenly blazed with dazzling golden light!

The light grew brighter and brighter, flowing slowly along the lines of the carvings like two golden streams. The entire Bronze Gate was wrapped in golden radiance, and the faint sound of an ancient dragon's roar echoed softly in Huo Yuhao's mind.

He jolted awake.

The golden light in the carved dragon eyes continued to gather and compress. At last, it broke free of the Bronze Gate and slowly detached from its surface.

The light coalesced into a drop of blood about the size of a thumb.

It was bright red, and it radiated a weighty pressure that seemed to lord over all ages and subdue the heavens.

The instant he felt that pressure, Huo Yuhao sensed his very soul trembling.

"This is..."

A vast torrent of ancient information suddenly surged into Huo Yuhao's mind.

Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood.

It was the life essence blood of the first dragon in the Prehistoric World, the progenitor of the Dragon Clan—the Ancestral Dragon!

The Ancestral Dragon had refined it before his death. For some unknown reason, it had fused with this mysterious Bronze Gate.

Through this drop of essence blood, Huo Yuhao could use the secret arts left behind by the Ancestral Dragon to continually transform his body.

If the laws of the world permitted it, he could even become a second Ancestral Dragon!

The medicinal bath Ye Cangwu had prepared could improve Huo Yuhao's body.

That had triggered the underlying mechanism of the Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood, causing it to react.

Now, with the medicinal bath's help, the Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood was dramatically transforming Huo Yuhao's body.

In the future, forget ordinary attacks—even a Super Divine Artifact wouldn't be able to pierce his skin!

What was that saying again?

I, Huo Yuhao, didn't cheat!