Dai Yutong!

(P.S. This otherworldly demon who dropped in promises a steady 6,000 characters a day. If enough people read it, updates might jump to 8,000 or even 10,000 characters now and then!)

(The author promises an absolutely, sickeningly sweet pure-love story! Who wouldn't want to fall head over heels for little Huo?)

Ye Tianming stood before the gates of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and looked up at the two gilded characters on its plaque.

Then he lowered his gaze to his six-year-old hands and let out a long sigh.

Douluo Continent. The Star Luo Empire. The White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

Those names circled through his mind before settling into one inescapable fact.

He really had crossed over into the body of a six-year-old child—an orphan Duke Dai Hao had just brought back from the battlefield and taken in as his foster son.

"Tianming, we're here."

Dai Hao's voice came from behind him.

In the original story, this man spent years away at war and paid no attention to his illegitimate child. Now he looked down at Ye Tianming.

His gaze still held an edge honed on the battlefield, tempered by a trace of tenderness for an old acquaintance's orphan.

Ye Tianming drew his eyes away from the plaque and nodded.

"All right, Uncle Dai."

Ye Tianming said nothing more. He had been in this world for three months and had a fair idea of what this body held.

He had Innate Full Soul Power and the legendary Azure Dragon Martial Soul.

The Azure Dragon was no known top-tier Beast Martial Soul on Douluo Continent, but his Innate Full Soul Power spoke for itself.

On the day of his Martial Soul Awakening, the moment the Azure Dragon's phantom coiled into view, even the Soul Master overseeing the awakening changed expression.

That was when Dai Hao decided to take him in as his foster son.

An old acquaintance's orphan with Innate Full Soul Power and an unknown, top-tier Beast Martial Soul.

However he reckoned it, he could not lose.

Ye Tianming had no objection. He was only six now, and he needed a place in the world.

He needed an identity that would let him stand firm on Douluo Continent. Being the White Tiger Duke's foster son suited him perfectly.

The servants had received their orders long ago and guided Ye Tianming toward the Inner Court.

Footsteps had polished the bluestone path to a shine, and the flowers and greenery along either side caught Ye Tianming's eye.

Now and then, guards in Dai Family livery hurried past. Their gazes swept over Ye Tianming before darting away.

Ye Tianming took in his surroundings as he walked. He had read the original story; he knew what sort of place the White Tiger Duke's Mansion was.

Dai Hao was away for years at a time, leaving the Duchess in charge. The servants were quick to trim their sails to the wind.

As for Huo Yun'er and her son, they eked out a life in a Side Courtyard until Yun'er died of illness and Huo Yuhao ran away from home.

Then, on the brink of death in the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Yuhao fused with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and began his path of extraordinary advantages.

As the saying went, Huo Yuhao had claimed twelve shares of the world's fortune for himself, leaving everyone else owing him another two.

Huo Yuhao. The name turned over in Ye Tianming's mind.

From what he had learned over the past few months, Huo Yuhao should still be suffering in the Side Courtyard.

At five years old, he was probably as scrawny as a bean sprout.

Ye Tianming pressed his lips together. He was no saint, but he had crossed over into this world and entered the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

There were some things... he might as well do what he could.

The servant leading him stopped before a building and bowed.

"Young Master Ye, your rooms are inside. His Grace ordered us to attend to you as we would a son of the duchess."

Ye Tianming gave a quiet acknowledgment and stepped inside.

The courtyard was quite large, with three rooms in the main building and side rooms to the east and west. Two Osmanthus Trees even grew in the courtyard.

The servants were busy making the bed, fetching water, and setting out pastries.

Ye Tianming waved them away, then sat at the table and took a bite of an Osmanthus Cake.

Well, would you look at that. It's pretty good.

Ye Tianming had been used to all kinds of sweets in his modern life, so one Osmanthus Cake was nothing special. But in this world, even this was treatment reserved for a son of the duchess.

As he ate, Ye Tianming suddenly thought of the child in the Side Courtyard, who might not even have enough to fill his stomach. His appetite vanished.

He set down the cake, rose, and headed outside.

He did not ask a servant to accompany him. Alone, he followed the corridor deeper into the mansion.

He did not know the White Tiger Duke's Mansion well, but Side Courtyards were usually tucked into the farthest or least noticeable corners.

After about the time it took an incense stick to burn, Ye Tianming found a secluded courtyard in the mansion's northwest corner.

Its wall was lower than the others, and there was not even a servant on guard.

Just as Ye Tianming reached the courtyard gate, a burst of mocking laughter came from within.

"Bastard, hand over the money for your mother's medicine!"

"Yeah! What does a bastard like you need medicine for? That's just a waste of food!"

"What are you crying for? Crying won't help!"

Ye Tianming stopped at the gate. The insults from the courtyard stirred up memories he would rather have left buried.

He had been bullied in high school in his previous life, and he could not stand seeing it happen to someone else.

Ye Tianming hesitated no longer and pushed the gate open.

Three boys of seven or eight stood around a small, thin figure in the courtyard.

The child had her back to Ye Tianming. She wore an old, faded garment, and her shoulder-length hair was a tangled mess.

She clutched a small cloth bundle tightly to her chest and huddled in the corner.

One of the boys, a fat one, reached for the bundle in her arms.

The girl held on for dear life, but the fat boy shoved her to the ground. Her knee struck the bluestone, staining the green-tinged slab red.

"Stop!"

Ye Tianming did not raise his voice much, yet the courtyard fell silent at once.

All three boys turned. The fat boy in front looked Ye Tianming up and down.

Ye Tianming was dressed splendidly, but he was small. The fat boy grew bolder.

"Who are you?"

"Do you even know where you are? This is the duke's mansion's business, so mind your fucking business!"

Ye Tianming ignored the fat boy and went straight to the corner, where he crouched before the little girl.

She looked up. Her face was small and thin, cute despite the signs of poor nourishment.

A girl? Then Huo Yuhao isn't here. But those eyes... Ye Tianming took another look.

"Are you all right?"

Ye Tianming kept his voice as gentle as he could. He reached out slowly and helped the little girl up.

The girl instinctively tried to draw back, but Ye Tianming's hand was already supporting her arm.

Her arm was so thin he could feel the bone through her clothes. For some reason, an ache stirred in Ye Tianming's chest.

"I... I'm all right."

Her voice was tiny, no louder than the buzz of a mosquito.

"Um... thank you."