Ye Cangwu stayed in Guyan Village for over half a month.
Every morning, he came to the wooden hut where Huo Yuhao and his mother lived, either taking Huo Yun'er's pulse and adjusting her prescription or preparing medicinal baths for the two of them.
Huo Yun'er had been in decent health to begin with. She had simply lost too much strength during her pregnancy. With the treatment of Ye Cangwu's Nine-Heart Begonia and the restorative herbs, half a month had been enough to transform her completely.
Away from the White Tiger Duke Mansion, and filled with hope for the future, Huo Yun'er had once again become the girl who had loved life so dearly.
Huo Yuhao's transformation was even more astonishing.
The Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood was already overwhelmingly potent, and Ye Cangwu's medicinal baths had accelerated its work in reshaping Huo Yuhao's body.
The bloodline within him had long since completed its complete transformation.
On the surface, he was still the same six-year-old boy, a little thin but with sharp, spirited features. Yet his physical strength could already rival that of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
To avoid drawing Ye Cangwu's attention, Huo Yuhao had not cultivated during this time.
But perhaps because of the essence blood, his Soul Power had actually reached level ten long ago.
All he needed was a Soul Ring to become a Spirit Master.
One morning, Ye Cangwu stood at the entrance to Guyan Village, bidding farewell to Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er, who had come to see him off, along with the other villagers.
Huo Yun'er bowed deeply to Ye Cangwu. "Doctor Ye, thank you for taking such good care of us all this time. We have no way to repay you for your great kindness."
She had seen everything these past days. Ye Cangwu was not only a highly skilled physician, he had treated them like family. He had refused to take a single coin and had even used precious medicinal herbs to help restore their health. She would never forget his kindness.
Ye Cangwu helped her up. "It was nothing. I travel around providing free medical care, so of course I do everything I can when I meet someone who needs help. You and your son are both in good health now, so it's time for me to continue my travels."
Watching Ye Cangwu's figure about to leave the village, Huo Yuhao suddenly hurried forward and called out, "Uncle Ye!"
Ye Cangwu stopped and turned to look at him. "Hao'er, is something the matter?"
Huo Yuhao ran up to him and looked up, his expression earnest. "Uncle Ye, if I really find an Immortal Herb someday, where should I go to find you?"
The others had no idea where to look for an Immortal Herb, but Huo Yuhao knew exactly where they could be found.
Since he was going to claim the opportunity at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, he could give the Aromatic Silk Beauty, which was of no use to him, to Ye Cangwu and help him out.
Ye Cangwu was taken aback, then laughed and ruffled Huo Yuhao's hair.
"If you really do find an Immortal Herb, go to the main city of the Heaven Dou Empire. Our Ye Family has a clinic there. Just give this to them when you arrive."
Ye Cangwu handed Huo Yuhao a small jade pendant.
The jade was warm and smooth to the touch. A blooming begonia was carved into the front, with the character "Ye" at its center.
The back had no other decorations, only a gilded character, "Cang," identifying the pendant's owner.
"You have a fine talent. Don't let your fixation on Immortal Herbs make you neglect your cultivation and waste it."
Huo Yuhao nodded. Ye Cangwu waved to Huo Yun'er in the distance, then turned and left.
When Huo Yuhao returned to the wooden hut, Huo Yun'er was busy sorting the dried goods the villagers had given them.
The villagers had offered them as thanks to Ye Cangwu, but no matter what, he wouldn't accept them.
Unable to refuse the villagers' heartfelt generosity, Ye Cangwu had accepted the goods, only to pass them on to Huo Yuhao and his mother.
Huo Yuhao walked over and called, "Mother."
Huo Yun'er stopped what she was doing and asked gently, "What is it, Hao'er?"
"My Soul Power has reached level ten, so I'm going to get my first Soul Ring."
Huo Yun'er was an ordinary person and knew little about a Spirit Master's Innate Soul Power or cultivation speed.
She also didn't know the dangers one faced when obtaining a Soul Ring.
Though she felt reluctant to let him go, she knew this was something he would inevitably have to experience.
She went to the wardrobe and opened it, then took a weapon from beneath the clothes.
It was a short blade in its sheath, about a foot and two inches long. The sheath was dark green and made of tough leather.
Looking at the token of love Dai Hao had given her, Huo Yun'er felt conflicted. In the end, she handed it to Huo Yuhao.
"Be careful when you're out on your own. This is the White Tiger Dagger. Back then, you..." She had wanted to mention Dai Hao, but remembering how much her son resented the duke, she swallowed the rest of her words. "Take it with you for protection."
What a ridiculous name for a dagger.
As for whether it was really a token of love...
Huo Yun'er had already left the world of Dou-II, and she would never see Dai Hao again in this lifetime. Whether it was or not didn't matter anymore.
Huo Yuhao took the dagger.
He had no use for it, but he really should take this troublesome thing away from Huo Yun'er.
He didn't want her to look at it and think of Dai Hao, then get lovesick and lose her head. That wouldn't be good.
The Love Continent was no joke.
Huo Yuhao simply nodded at Huo Yun'er's reminders without saying anything.
Anything he said now would sound like he was tempting fate, so it was better not to say too much.
"Do you want to take some provisions?"
Huo Yuhao quickly waved his hand. "No need. If I get hungry, I'll find something nearby. I won't let myself go hungry."
He had known how to cook in his previous life. He wasn't a top chef, but after watching so many cooking videos, he had gotten pretty good.
Now that his Martial Soul was the Spirit Eye, he had an even finer grasp of the heat and ingredients.
Grilled fish seemed to be an innate skill bound to Huo Yuhao's account. Whenever he grilled fish or meat, he could almost reach the level of a God of Cookery. It was as if he'd drugged the food, making people unable to stop eating.
When Ye Cangwu left, he had even taken more than a dozen of Huo Yuhao's grilled fish to eat on the road.
After saying goodbye to Huo Yun'er, Huo Yuhao hurried out of the village.
As soon as he reached the entrance, he ran into a neighbor carrying a hoe on his way to the fields. The man smiled and asked, "Little Hao, where are you off to?"
Huo Yuhao waved the jade pendant in his hand and called back to the neighbor, "Uncle Ye left something at my house. I'm going to return it to him!"
After walking some distance from the village and confirming there was no one around, Huo Yuhao stopped.
With a thought, a towering Bronze Gate suddenly appeared in the open space.
Without further hesitation, Huo Yuhao pushed the gate open and walked straight through. It slowly shut behind him, then dissolved into specks of light and vanished without a trace.
On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, in the world of Dou-II.
A faint light suddenly flared. The ancient Bronze Gate appeared and vanished in a flash, and a boy abruptly appeared in its place.
He had neat, short black hair and handsome features. It was Huo Yuhao, who had just crossed over.
That Bronze Gate could take him back and forth between Dou-I and Dou-II, and it could also let him choose the time and place of his return.
He had specifically set his return for five years after leaving the White Tiger Duke Mansion: the year he turned eleven, when the story began.
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