Dawn had barely broken when the entire White Tiger Duke's Manor erupted into chaos.
"Where is he?!"
Zhu Ruyi stood in Huo Yuhao's room, staring at the dummy that had been blown to pieces. Her face was so grim it looked ready to drip with water.
"Madam, we found traces in the underground passage." A guard knelt to report. "That boy must have escaped through the secret passage in the northwest corner."
"Dispatch the elite guards at once!" Zhu Ruyi ordered coldly. "Expand the search radius to five miles. I want him alive if he's breathing, and dead if he's not!"
"Yes!"
Huo Yuhao was crouching behind a large tree, using his Spirit Eye Martial Soul to watch the activity in the distance.
[Thought Palace, analyze the pursuers' search pattern.]
The pure white palace unfolded in an instant, and the pursuers' routes were marked with red dots of light.
[Standard military encirclement tactics detected:]
[Three people per team, advancing in a fan-shaped formation.]
[Three hundred meters between teams, ensuring there are no blind spots.]
[First sweep estimated to be completed within six hours.]
"Holy crap, this is even bigger than I imagined." Huo Yuhao clicked his tongue inwardly. "Looks like Zhu Ruyi's really panicking."
He was about to find another hiding place when he suddenly noticed something that made his scalp tingle.
The leader of one of the pursuing teams was giving off the powerful aura of a three-ring Soul Elder!
"Wait a minute!" Huo Yuhao sucked in a sharp breath. "They're sending a three-ring Soul Elder after an illegitimate son who ran away?"
[Thought Palace, reassess threat level.]
[Analysis result: Zhu Ruyi has suspected that information may have leaked.]
[Hypothesis: The other party suspects Huo Yuhao has crucial evidence.]
[Recommendation: Relocate immediately and avoid direct confrontation.]
Huo Yuhao was just about to slip away when he heard rustling footsteps behind him.
"Damn it!"
He hurriedly dropped low, but it was already too late.
"There!"
Three guards closed in from different directions. At their head was the three-ring Soul Elder.
"Huo Yuhao, come quietly with us and save yourself a beating," the Soul Elder said coldly.
Huo Yuhao slowly stood up and raised both hands, taking the pose of someone surrendering.
"Fine, I surrender."
"Good. You know what's best for you." The Soul Elder nodded in satisfaction. "Madam wants you alive."
Just as the guards let their guard down, Huo Yuhao quietly reached for the explosive ball in his clothes.
"But I have a question." He pretended to be curious. "Why is Zhu Ruyi in such a hurry to catch me?"
"You little bastard, how dare you call Madam by her name?" one guard snapped.
"Wait." The Soul Elder narrowed his eyes. "Did you set up the explosive trap in your room?"
"Ahem, you could say that." Huo Yuhao scratched his head awkwardly.
"A child of eleven can make an explosive Soul Tool?" The Soul Elder's voice took on a dangerous edge. "Tell me, who's behind you?"
"No one. It's just me."
"Enough nonsense!" the Soul Elder roared. "Take him down!"
Just then, Huo Yuhao suddenly grinned.
"See you later!"
"Boom!"
A tremendous explosion rang through the valley, and thick smoke swallowed everyone in an instant.
Huo Yuhao took the opportunity to activate his concealment cloak and disappear into the smoke.
"Cough, cough! The kid got away!"
"Find him! He can't have gone far!"
Huo Yuhao quietly circled behind a boulder, his Spirit Eye Martial Soul fully activated. His vision pierced through the surroundings, letting him see the three guards' positions and movements clearly.
[Thought Palace, devise a counterattack plan.]
[Use the terrain advantage to defeat them one by one.]
He pulled out his second explosive ball and aimed it at a loose boulder beneath the guard on the left.
"Boom!"
The boulder came crashing down. The guard couldn't dodge in time and was left seeing stars.
"Over there!"
The other two charged over, but Huo Yuhao had already moved to another position.
"Come on! Catch me if you can!" He deliberately showed his head, then vanished again in a flash.
The three-ring Soul Elder was so angry his teeth ached. "You slippery little brat!"
Huo Yuhao circled behind them and stuffed his last explosive ball into a crack in the rock.
"Boom!"
After the third explosion, the entire valley trembled. When the dust settled, two of the three guards had lost their ability to fight.
Only the three-ring Soul Elder remained standing, but he was covered in dust and looked utterly wretched.
"Just who are you, kid?" he panted.
Huo Yuhao was about to answer when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Young master, stop."
An old man with grizzled hair and beard emerged from the woods.
"Uncle Li?!" Huo Yuhao's eyes widened in surprise.
He was the old steward of the Duke's Mansion, one of the few people who had treated Huo Yuhao decently since he was little.
"Steward Li, what are you doing here?" The Soul Elder was surprised, too.
"Guard Wang, how about pretending you didn't see any of this?" Steward Li walked between them, his tone calm.
"Steward Li, have you gone mad?" Guard Wang stared at him in disbelief. "This is Madam's order!"
"I know." Steward Li nodded. "But some things matter more than orders."
He turned to Huo Yuhao. "Young master, I know all about what happened to your mother."
Huo Yuhao's heart jolted. "Uncle Li, you..."
"I always thought something was wrong back then." Steward Li sighed. "How could a maid have given birth to a child as clever as you?"
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"What good would it have done?" Steward Li smiled bitterly. "In this manor, the truth can sometimes be more dangerous than a lie."
Guard Wang grew anxious. "Steward Li, what are you talking about?"
"You don't need to know." Steward Li looked at Guard Wang. "Go back and tell Madam we didn't find him."
"But..." Guard Wang hesitated.
"Think about it. Even if you caught him, what then?" Steward Li continued to persuade him. "He's only eleven. How much trouble could a child like him cause?"
Guard Wang looked at the explosion marks scattered across the mountain, then at Huo Yuhao. At last, he clenched his jaw. "Fine. Let's pretend we never ran into each other."
He called to his two injured subordinates. "Come on, we'll search in another direction."
Only after they had gone far away did Steward Li say to Huo Yuhao, "Young master, you can't stay here any longer."
"Why not?"
"Madam found something in your room." Steward Li's expression was grave. "She's now searching through everything your mother left behind."
Huo Yuhao's heart sank. "What did she find?"
"I'm not sure exactly, but her face looked terrible." Steward Li shook his head. "This search is only the beginning. She'll send more people after you."
"Then what should I do?"
"Leave the Star Luo Empire." Steward Li spoke firmly. "The farther away, the better."
Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment, then bowed deeply to the old steward. "Uncle Li, thank you."
"Don't thank me." Steward Li waved a hand. "Your mother was kind to me when she was alive. I'm only repaying that debt."
He took a small bundle from inside his clothes. "There's some dried food and travel money in here. Take it."
"Uncle Li..."
"Go quickly, before the sky is fully light." Steward Li urged him. "Remember, head east and never look back."
Huo Yuhao took the bundle, gave the old steward a long look, then turned and ran deep into the mountains.
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