On the border of the Star Luo Empire, a few dozen li from the Star Dou Great Forest, stood a little village called Luoyun Village. It had only about two hundred residents, but with plenty of farmland around it and hardworking, honest villagers, it could be considered a prosperous, happy village. The only thing that saddened its chief, Old Zhang, was that hardly anyone in the village had the talent to become a soul master. Every year, he paid to invite an exalted Lord Soul Master to awaken the children's martial souls, yet none of them possessed soul power. The only child with soul power in all those years was not only an orphan, but also mute.
"Ah, damn these thieving heavens."
"Xingling, little Xingling, Grandpa's here to see you! I brought your favorite osmanthus cakes."
Carrying a packet of pastries, Old Zhang knocked on the dilapidated wooden door before him and called out loudly a few times. No one answered or came to open the door. Understanding dawned on him, and he nodded before heading toward the hill behind the village, his back stooped.
Sure enough, in front of a little mound, Old Zhang immediately spotted Huo Xingling, dressed in plain black clothes, with short black hair.
The "boy" seemed rather dazed, but her large eyes were clear and beautiful. Hearing someone call her, the "boy" instinctively turned around. When she saw it was Grandpa Village Chief, she ran over in delight to support him.
Old Zhang lovingly stroked the "boy's" soft, short hair and asked with a pang in his heart, "Missing your dad?"
Huo Xingling shook her head considerately, but the tears welling in her eyes betrayed her sorrow.
"Good child, don't cry. Grandpa bought you osmanthus cakes. Let's go home and eat them."
In the distance, a hidden figure watched the two leave, then slowly followed them. A sharp glint suddenly flashed through Huo Xingling's beautiful eyes, disappearing just as quickly as she resumed her innocent, kindhearted expression.
The Mingdou Mountains, the Star Luo Empire's garrison, the White Tiger Banner's command tent.
A figure was leafing through reports, deep in thought. He was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties, clad in golden armor. Without a helmet, his well-proportioned features were exposed, and twin pupils shone in each of his deep-set, azure eyes. His face looked slightly lean, but his whole person had a metallic quality to it-handsome and resolute, with an aura of iron and blood.
He was Dai Hao, the White Tiger Duke who guarded the Mingdou Mountains on the Star Luo Empire's western frontier.
Just then, the tent flap stirred slightly, and a middle-aged figure in armor appeared. Dropping to one knee, he said respectfully, "Your Grace, word has come from Luoyun Village. Six full years of surveillance have passed. Xu Zheng's daughter has an inferior martial soul, with only Level 1 innate soul power, and her aptitude for soul tools is unremarkable as well. Moreover, she is already ten and still cannot speak. Shall we withdraw the shadow?"
Dai Hao did not look up. His authority needed no anger to make itself felt. "Withdraw it. It was only for His Majesty's benefit anyway. Back then, when the palace coup occurred in the Sun Moon Empire, every royal relative close to the emperor's line was brutally murdered. Xu Zheng took his young daughter, Xu Xingling-oh, I had forgotten. Xu Zheng changed her name to Huo Xingling, taking her mother's surname, long ago.
"Father and daughter fled to the vicinity of the Mingdou Mountains, where we captured them. As a distinguished Level 9 Soul Engineer, he detonated his own cultivation for his daughter's sake, to shake off their pursuers. To secure a thread of hope for his daughter, who was only a few years old, and the right for her to live in the Star Luo Empire, he willingly let the imperial family squeeze every last bit of his soul tool technology out of him. In the end, he even clung stubbornly to his last breath and forced himself to live with his daughter for another year before dying in Luoyun Village. I am a father too, so I admire his determination to protect his child."
"Do you have any other instructions, Your Grace?" the guard asked.
"No. Do not disturb her peaceful life. Is living as an ordinary person not a kind of happiness too?"
Huo Yuhao traveled very slowly. The journey from Star Luo City to the Star Luo Empire's border should have taken fewer than ten days, but he spent three full months on it. During those three months, however, he crossed more than half the Star Luo Empire and experienced this world's exotic customs. Everything he saw and heard was something the "Huo Yuhao" shut inside a cage had never experienced before. This was a brand-new world. Of course, Huo Yuhao had not wasted those three months. He had healed his injuries, and even his frail body had grown much stronger over that time. Nor was he wandering aimlessly. His plan was to find a village near the Star Dou Great Forest and keep constant watch on developments there. After all, he was no longer the child of destiny, and the world no longer revolved around him, so he could no longer work out when the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm would appear.
Electrolux had appeared because he was drawn by the enormous energy released when the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sacrificed himself. For the sake of that excellent teacher and martial soul, Huo Yuhao could only wait patiently. Besides, he really wanted to see what the unfortunate soul who would bear all this in his place looked like. Would that person be like him too, with both parents dead, born into wealth but forced to conceal his identity, burdened with a blood feud yet too weak to act, and then controlled for his entire life by someone in the heavens?
If the new child of destiny truly inherited all his experiences, he would try to make it up to him-not out of some saintly compassion. It felt like someone who knew nothing had somehow confessed to your crime and gone to prison in your place, doomed to rot there for life, while you, the person actually involved, knew everything. Your consent had even brought about that outcome. So, as the one who had set it all in motion, he did feel a little guilty. Well, not much.
"Luoyun Village? That's an interesting name. Did an expert named Luoyun come from here, and they named the village after him?" After walking for several days, Huo Yuhao finally spotted a little village with cooking smoke curling into the air. Although he had not obtained a soul ring, his Spirit Eyes martial soul still gave him far better vision than an ordinary person. From a distance, he had already seen Luoyun Village's wooden sign.
Walking into the village, Huo Yuhao noticed that although the people on the streets wore plain clothes, their faces shone with heartfelt smiles. Clearly, the villagers here were wealthy, at least in spirit.
Huo Yuhao smiled in satisfaction. The hostility and negative emotions in his heart needed healing, and this place really was quite nice. It was also the little village closest to the Star Dou Great Forest. He had successfully found somewhere to live for nearly a year.
"Hello, sorry to bother you, but do you know where the village chief lives? I have something I'd like to discuss with him." Huo Yuhao looked at a youth selling wild greens by the roadside and asked politely.
The youth had short, jet-black hair. Though her little face was smeared with yellow mud, her eyes were lovely. If he had to describe her, well, pretty?
Luoyun Village truly was a place whose blessed land nurtured outstanding people. Even a random villager had such a lively spirit. Yet despite Huo Yuhao's repeated polite questions, the youth would not speak. Irritated, he asked, "Hello, are you mute?"
Only then did the youth raise her head, nod earnestly, and make a gesture in sign language.
It struck him like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. Huo Yuhao instantly felt like someone guilty of the most heinous crime. I really deserve to die! he cursed inwardly, then hurriedly apologized to the mute youth in black. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it."
The youth in black waved her hands repeatedly to show that she did not mind, but that only made Huo Yuhao feel worse.
"How about this? I'll buy all your wild greens. I'm planning to stay here for a while anyway, so stocking up on food would be great." As he spoke, Huo Yuhao picked through the greens, then simply packed up everything on the stall.
"I don't know sign language. Take what you need yourself." With that, Huo Yuhao drew a handful of soul coins from inside his clothes. There were Gold Soul Coins, Silver Soul Coins, and Copper Soul Coins among them, all earned over the past three months. It was not much money, but enough was enough.
Huo Xingling stared blankly at the boy before her, something new seeming to enter her gaze. Somewhat timidly, she reached out her small, fair hand and took one Copper Soul Coin from Huo Yuhao's palm, then looked at him gratefully.
The sun sank in the west, its lingering light spilling over them both.
At that moment, time seemed to have frozen.
That instant somehow seemed like eternity.
A new author with a new book-I hope everyone will give it plenty of support.
(End of chapter)
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