Rescued

After the young woman had the old woman drag the thin man out of the grove, she walked up to Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er and spoke gently.

"Don't be nervous, little brother. You're safe now."

Her gentle tone did nothing to lower Huo Yuhao's guard. The people before him had dealt with the thin man without batting an eye. They were clearly no ordinary people.

"Little brother, can you tell me why people from the Duke's Estate were hunting you?"

The young woman crouched in front of Huo Yuhao and asked softly.

Huo Yuhao weighed his options. If the two of them meant him harm, they would hardly be treating him like this. More importantly, when he circulated his Soul Power, pure white mist appeared above both their heads. For now, he lowered his guard.

"Because we offended an elder of the Duke's Estate and the Duchess. So they sent people to kill us."

The young woman's eyes brightened at his words. Then her gaze fell on the White Tiger Dagger in his hand.

She could clearly see the lifelike white tiger engraved on its blade. Not just any member of the White Tiger Family could possess that emblem. She began to suspect who Huo Yuhao was.

To confirm her suspicion, she asked,

"Little brother, what is your connection to the White Tiger Duke? If the Duke's Estate sent White Tiger Guards after you, you can't be just anyone."

Seeing that she had already guessed something, Huo Yuhao decided to tell her his whole story.

"I'm that man's illegitimate son..."

After hearing his story, the young woman looked at their threadbare clothes and thin bodies. Sympathy filled her eyes, along with a flicker of delight too subtle to notice.

I've struck gold. My Martial Soul's feeling was right. He hates the White Tiger Duke, and he's the duke's illegitimate son. Now my imperial brother has leverage against Dai Hao.

Though she thought this, her expression remained sympathetic.

"Little brother, my name is Xu Jiujiu. You can call me Sister Jiujiu. My family is fairly well-off. If you don't mind, I can find a place for you and your mother to stay in Star Luo City."

Huo Yuhao hesitated. He had only just met Xu Jiujiu. But he looked at his mother, unconscious again in his arms. And after Xu Jiujiu heard his story, the mist above her head had shifted from indifferent white to a pale pink that showed some fondness. In the end, he accepted her offer.

"Sorry for the trouble, Sister Jiujiu."

Xu Jiujiu's smile deepened when he agreed.

"Then come with me."

With that, she turned and walked out of the grove.

Huo Yuhao carried his mother on his back and followed Xu Jiujiu.

In Sea God Hall, in the Divine Realm.

A blue-clad figure was raging. It was none other than the Sea God, Tang San.

"Damn it! Why can't I observe the child of destiny anymore? And why has his fate begun to stray from its ordained course? Who did this?"

Roaring, Tang San swept everything off the table and onto the floor. His eyes were bloodshot, and he breathed hard, plainly furious beyond measure. Only Sea God Hall's soundproofing array kept his shouts from reaching outside.

"Whoever you are, you've earned yourself a death sentence!"

Deep in the Earth's Core beneath Douluo Continent.

A gentle voice drifted through the darkness.

"My child, I hope you can escape your old fate this time. I've staked everything on you."

When they emerged from the grove, the old woman who had gone ahead was standing by the roadside. The thin man she had taken with her was nowhere to be seen. He had probably been disposed of.

Seeing them come out, the old woman raised a hand. A carriage not far away headed toward them.

Only when it pulled up did Huo Yuhao get a clear look at it. Two tall, horned horses drew a carriage several meters long. Lavish decorations covered it from end to end, making its owner's status obvious.

Huo Yuhao thought back. He had seen a carriage of this caliber once, when the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, had set out on a campaign. It had belonged to the Duke of Nether, who had come to see him off.

Servants at the estate had said a carriage like that cost tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins to build. Even the horses pulling it were prized steeds with dragon blood. Only a handful of people in the entire empire could own one. Coupled with Xu Jiujiu's surname, that gave Huo Yuhao an idea of who she was.

Worry rose in him again. He had heard that the current emperor of the Star Luo Empire called Dai Hao his brother. If someone discovered him here, wouldn't he have walked straight into a trap?

But he remembered how decisively the old woman accompanying Xu Jiujiu had dealt with that member of the White Tiger Family. He also remembered the pale pink mist above Xu Jiujiu's head. Huo Yuhao chose to trust her.

Xu Jiujiu took Huo Yuhao by the hand and led him into the carriage. Before boarding, she turned to Man Yi. "Granny Man Yi, sorry for the trouble, but could you take care of the body in the grove too?"

"Of course, miss."

Inside the carriage, Huo Yuhao looked around carefully. The interior was every bit as lavish as the exterior. The seats were covered in luxurious fur from some animal he did not recognize. A lamp hung from the ceiling, lit without oil or candles, and countless ornaments adorned the walls.

An awkward silence settled over the passengers as the carriage traveled on. Xu Jiujiu finally broke it. "Little brother, I still don't know your name. Will you tell me?"

"My name is Huo Yuhao."

Xu Jiujiu considered his answer. Huo? This little fellow must hate the White Tiger Family so much that he even changed his surname. Her smile grew a little warmer.

"Then, if you don't mind, I'll call you Little Brother Yuhao!"

"Oh, and Little Brother Yuhao, I heard today was the day children at the Duke's Estate awakened their Martial Souls. What did you awaken? Was it the White Tiger Martial Soul?"

"Of course not. The White Tiger Martial Soul? I don't want it!"

The mention of the White Tiger Martial Soul filled him with anger. When he was little, his mother had always told him it was one of the greatest Martial Souls in the world, one that had produced countless great figures throughout history. He had once longed to awaken it, and earlier today, he had been bitterly disappointed when he did not.

But when he thought of how Dai Hao had neglected him and his mother throughout his childhood, of Dai Huabin's endless bullying, and of the elders at the Duke's Estate blindly taking Dai Huabin's side, all he felt for the White Tiger Martial Soul now was disgust. He was glad he had not awakened it.

Xu Jiujiu was surprised, but on second thought, his reaction made sense. The more Huo Yuhao hated the Duke's Estate, the better it was for her and her imperial brother.

She asked, "Then what is your Martial Soul, Little Brother Yuhao? And how much Soul Power do you have?"

"It's an eye Martial Soul. I call it Spirit Eyes. I have Innate Full Soul Power."

At the words "Innate Full Soul Power," Xu Jiujiu's violet eyes flashed.

My Martial Soul's premonition was right. Now we have leverage against those stubborn old men and the old imperial loyalists.