Settling In

The carriage jolted and came to a stop. Man Yi, who had stayed behind in the woods to deal with the bodies, appeared outside the carriage. She opened the door and said respectfully:

"Miss, we've arrived."

"Come on, Yuhao. The place I found for you and your mother is here."

With that, Xu Jiujiu lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out first. Huo Yuhao followed, carrying his mother on his back.

The moment he stepped down, he saw a beautiful, spacious courtyard.

Xu Jiujiu pushed open the gate. Inside stood several finely furnished rooms, along with a rock garden, a pond, a pavilion, and a flower garden.

Huo Yuhao stared at the courtyard, stunned. For years, he and his mother had been forced to live in a woodshed at the Duke's Estate, even though it had no shortage of courtyards like this one. None of them could ever have belonged to them.

Xu Jiujiu's voice reached him. "Yuhao, this courtyard is an unused property my family owns. No one's lived here in years, so you can stay for now. You and your mother both look injured. I'll send a physician to examine you shortly."

Huo Yuhao's eyes reddened, and his nose stung. Still carrying his mother, he stepped before Xu Jiujiu and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Sister Jiujiu. I'll never forget what you've done for us! If there's anything you need, just ask. As long as I can do it, I won't hesitate, even if it costs me my life."

Xu Jiujiu's eyes curved with a smile.

"Don't worry about that. Right now, we need to get you and your mother treated."

She helped Huo Yuhao settle Huo Yun'er onto a bed inside.

"I'll go find a physician for you now, Yuhao. I'll also have someone bring you food and everything you need."

With that, she took Man Yi and headed out of the courtyard.

After seeing them off, Huo Yuhao returned to Huo Yun'er's bedside.

Looking at his mother, bruised and battered by the guards, he sat down and clasped one of her hands in both of his. He waited anxiously for the physician.

"Mom, you have to get better. We've only just escaped the Duke's Estate. Our good days are only beginning."

Huo Yuhao waited like that for roughly the time it took two incense sticks to burn.

Creak.

The door opened.

Huo Yuhao turned and saw Xu Jiujiu enter with a woman who looked to be in her forties or fifties.

"Yuhao, let me introduce you. This is my family's physician, Ye Fei. You can call her Aunt Ye."

"Hello, Aunt Ye. Sorry for the trouble."

Her family's physician? Isn't that a court physician? Huo Yuhao wondered.

Ye Fei nodded to Huo Yuhao, then went to Huo Yun'er's bedside. She placed her fingers on Huo Yun'er's wrist and examined her condition.

A few minutes later, she withdrew her hand and turned to Xu Jiujiu. "Miss, her condition isn't too bad. But years of hard labor have left her terribly weak. Once her injuries heal, she'll likely need a long period of rest."

Xu Jiujiu nodded. Ye Fei then examined Huo Yuhao and gave her assessment.

"The boy's injuries look frightening, but they're mostly superficial. He is malnourished, though. He'll probably need to wait a while before he can obtain a Spirit Ring."

Ye Fei was curious about Huo Yuhao's condition. Ordinarily, a child who had been malnourished for years would not awaken much Soul Power. Yet this boy had Innate Full Soul Power, and his meridians were wider than most people's.

Curiosity aside, she was a physician. Treating the injured came first.

Green light flashed around Ye Fei, and a flower resembling a begonia appeared in her hand. Seven Spirit Rings rose from beneath her feet: two yellow, two purple, and three black.

One of Ye Fei's Spirit Rings lit up. The same green light appeared around Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er.

Huo Yuhao felt the pain that had plagued his entire body ease bit by bit until it vanished. He let out a soft sigh.

The effect on Huo Yun'er was even more visible. The wounds left by the Duke's Estate's guards slowly disappeared. Before long, apart from the blood staining her body, not a single wound remained.

After completing the treatment, Ye Fei turned and bowed slightly to Xu Jiujiu. "Miss, their external injuries are healed. Their internal injuries and malnutrition will still require time to recover. This lady, in particular, probably won't wake until tomorrow."

Xu Jiujiu nodded and waved for Ye Fei to leave.

"Understood. You may go."

Ye Fei bowed slightly and left the room.

Xu Jiujiu turned toward Huo Yuhao, about to say something, but saw the exhaustion in his eyes. She opened her mouth, then swallowed her words.

"Yuhao, get some rest today. You must be tired after going so long without sleep. I'll come see you tomorrow."

With that, she opened the door and stepped out.

Only Huo Yuhao and his mother remained in the room.

Once everyone else had left, Huo Yuhao brought a small stool to his mother's bedside and sat down.

Holding her hand, he rested his head beside her on the bed and fell asleep.

Outside the courtyard, Xu Jiujiu had barely stepped through the gate when Man Yi spoke in a somber voice.

"Your Highness, I don't understand. Why do you value that boy so highly? You'd only just met him, yet you had me kill people from the Duke's Estate. It's far too early to turn against them, even if the boy has Innate Full Soul Power."

Xu Jiujiu did not answer directly. Instead, she asked, "Grandma Man Yi, do you believe in intuition? My Martial Soul gave me this feeling. I have a sense that boy will surprise me."

Man Yi wanted to object, but she had watched Xu Jiujiu grow up. She trusted her character and knew she would not make such a claim lightly.

Besides, Xu Jiujiu was the imperial family's greatest talent in five hundred years. Her Star Crown Martial Soul had even reverted to an ancestral form, regaining some of the prophetic ability it had possessed in ancient times. She was the first in the imperial family to do so in four thousand years.

Legend held that in ancient times, when the Angel God still walked the earth, the Star Crown Family had served as the prophetic family of the Church of Light, the predecessor of the Martial Soul Hall. Back then, the Star Crown Martial Soul could commune with heaven and earth, helping its bearers seek fortune, avoid disaster, and glimpse the future.

But the Star Crown Martial Soul had since declined, and its prophetic power was far weaker than before. Even those who awakened the ability now could only catch passive glimpses of the future.

"Then did you see something, Your Highness?"

"No. But fate guided me to him."