Dai Hao's return to the mansion was a rare and momentous event, especially this time, when he brought only two personal guards with him.
Almost immediately, it drew the attention of several neighboring nobles, and pair after pair of eyes fixed on the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
Dai Hao paid them no mind. He hurried back to the mansion and immediately asked the steward, "Where is that child with innate full soul power?"
When the steward led Dai Hao into his room and he saw Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao, he almost instantly put on an expression of tearful joy.
After a round of unbearably mawkish and utterly meaningless reminiscing, Dai Hao pulled Huo Yuhao in front of him and examined his face from every angle, as though handling a piece of delicate porcelain.
Though Huo Yuhao was sickened to his core, he had no choice but to keep smiling. He discreetly evaded Dai Hao's hand before saying to him,
"You're a busy man, General. A little matter like mine hardly warrants such meticulous attention."
At those words, Dai Hao's hand froze in midair.
Then he looked at Huo Yun'er and said, sounding rather crestfallen, "Yun'er, this..."
Huo Yun'er kept a placating smile on her face and wrapped her arms around Dai Hao's arm. "Perhaps he's a little shy around strangers... He's never been very affectionate, even as a little boy."
Dai Hao was about to nod, but Huo Yuhao seemed determined not to stop until his words shocked everyone speechless. "The duchess said my mother was lowborn filth. If my martial soul didn't have some connection to tigers, I wouldn't even deserve the Dai surname... No one in this mansion calls me Huo Yuhao with the Dai surname, either."
Dai Hao stiffened. The steward broke into a fit of coughing, nearly choking to death on Huo Yuhao's words.
The duchess, who was accompanying them, also looked distinctly displeased. In a dark voice, she said, "Child, don't spout nonsense. When did I ever say that? Do you have any proof?"
Huo Yuhao smiled, then said to the duchess, "The gaps between the general's visits are measured in years. He only returns once every year or two, so naturally, no one dares defy your wishes.
"If you say you never said it, then naturally, you never said it.
"But Heaven watches what people do, and justice lives in people's hearts. I dare swear that if you never said those things and I've slandered you, I'll never make another inch of progress for the rest of my life. Do you dare swear an oath, Duchess?"
At Huo Yuhao's words, Dai Hao's expression immediately grew more serious. He gave Huo Yuhao a solemn pat on the head and said,
"Little Yuhao, don't talk nonsense. Do you know how important your talent is?!"
Huo Yuhao simply stared at the duchess, completely ignoring Dai Hao's gesture, and stubbornly asked, "Why aren't you answering, Duchess?"
The duchess snorted coldly, then said to Dai Hao, "There was a fire at the princely residence yesterday. I was busy all night and am feeling a little unwell. I'll go back and rest."
Dai Hao nodded. The duchess shot Huo Yuhao a cold, cutting glare before sweeping out in a huff. Dai Hao had commanded troops for many years, after all. From their behavior, he had already pieced together part of the truth. He gave the steward a cold snort and said,
"Steward."
The steward shuddered. Dai Hao's voice grew colder as he looked at him sternly and said,
"I'll only ask you once. How exactly have Yun'er and her son been living all these years? Tell me the truth, without adding a single drop of oil or vinegar."
The steward coughed, then said to Dai Hao, "Well, what little Yuhao said is largely true... But the duchess treats the rest of us quite well. She isn't usually so harsh."
Dai Hao snorted coldly, then told the steward, "Don't call him little Yuhao. Use his full name."
The steward acknowledged the order, then stumbled over Huo Yuhao's name with the Dai surname.
The instant the name left the steward's mouth, Dai Hao slammed his hand onto the table and said to him,
"So you've learned to lie to me too!"
The steward's face turned ashen with fright as Dai Hao continued, "I may rarely return, but the White Tiger Duke's Mansion has no shortage of visitors coming and going. When you deal with them, there are bound to be times when you have to introduce the younger members of the household.
"On those occasions, you wouldn't use a nickname or leave out the surname.
"If you really called him by his Dai surname all the time, it wouldn't sound so awkward now!"
The steward shuddered, then his eyes shifted as he said to Dai Hao, "Master, the two of them were often ill and frail back then. They rarely received visitors, so we seldom introduced them."
Dai Hao looked Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er over. Seeing that they really were little more than skin and bones, he found no outlet for his anger and sat back down.
Huo Yuhao could not help sighing inwardly. In the end, the duchess was still the one who truly held power in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
If this weren't a world where immense power could reside in a single individual, Dai Hao himself might have been dragged off under guard now that the matter had come to light.
Dai Hao pondered for a moment, then instructed the personal guards beside him, "Bring some cultivation resources from the mansion."
The two guards acknowledged the order, then hurried toward the White Tiger Duke's Mansion's treasury.
Soon, the two guards returned with a storage ring, which they respectfully presented to Dai Hao.
Without even looking at it, Dai Hao handed the ring straight to Huo Yuhao, then said to him,
"Take it. This is what you deserve. Cultivate diligently. Also, you haven't obtained your first soul ring yet, have you? I'll take you to the place our Dai Family usually goes to obtain first soul rings."
Huo Yuhao nodded. He had intended to follow Dai Hao's plans for his first soul ring anyway. Qiongqi had no dragon bloodline to speak of; it was more like a tiger with wings.
Under these circumstances, there was absolutely no need to show off the scraps of layman's knowledge he had brought from his previous life.
To be fair, aside from not being particularly outstanding, the white tiger martial soul's system was quite balanced, and it suited Huo Yuhao's style.
Huo Yuhao had never liked those lopsided gods of war.
As he envisioned it, he wanted defense, enhancement, ranged attacks, close-combat finishing moves, mobility, and preferably some way to break free of control effects. Well-rounded development was the goal he had set for himself.
As for builds that poured everything into enhancement or some other single aspect, Huo Yuhao's assessment was that they would be left dumbstruck the moment they met someone who refused to fight them head-on. They wouldn't even be able to touch their opponent.
Any encounter with someone who could kite them would become a life-or-death struggle. In short, there was absolutely no need.
At least until he regained the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's approval and could unlock his second martial soul, Huo Yuhao had no intention of staking all his soul skills on a single trait.
If he could unlock his second martial soul, that would be a different story.
Dai Hao was decisive and swift in action. As soon as Huo Yuhao accepted the ring, he stood and ordered his personal guards,
"Prepare to depart. We're heading to the Star Dou Great Forest immediately."
Before you continue