In Nuoding City, on the grounds of Nuoding Academy, stood a very old building.
It was the residence of Nuoding Academy's dean.
The dean owned a house in Nuoding City, so this place had remained unoccupied. Recently, however, lights had begun shining inside.
Clearly, someone had moved in.
He was a middle-aged man, neatly dressed, with a scholarly air that marked him as an academic at a glance.
Occasionally, students from Nuoding Academy came over to see what important figure had taken up residence there, but as time passed, fewer and fewer bothered.
They soon discovered who lived there: Yu Xiaogang, the Grandmaster of the soul master world.
His name rang like thunder throughout the soul master world. Even students like them had heard of him, though more often than not, what they heard was unflattering.
Once they learned that Yu Xiaogang lived there, hardly anyone came to disturb him, leaving him in peace.
He and the dean in Nuoding City were old acquaintances. During the dean's travels through the soul master world, the Golden Iron Triangle had saved his life. Thus, when he learned that Yu Xiaogang wanted to stay there for a while, he did not refuse. Instead, he gladly agreed.
Yu Xiaogang had no particular requirements for his lodgings. He had spent all these years wandering the Douluo Continent in a muddled daze, struggling to get through each day.
Whenever he reached a new place, he would stay for a while. A few days, a few months, or perhaps a few years?
He could not say. It all depended on his mood!
Life here felt quite comfortable, so he figured he would probably stay a little longer.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The sound of knocking came from outside the window.
But it was the middle of the night!
Yu Xiaogang put down the book in his hand. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly rose and opened the door.
Outside stood a boy of eleven or twelve, handsome and possessed of an extraordinary bearing. At a glance, he was clearly a scion of some great family in a large city, not someone a poor backwater like this could have raised.
"Who are you?"
Yu Xiaogang looked at the boy and slowly spoke.
He was certain he did not know the boy before him. Even his own family could not have nurtured a prodigy with such a bearing.
He could not imagine what connection there might be between them, or why the boy had come looking for him. He was genuinely curious!
"Excuse me, are you Yu Xiaogang?"
Huo Yuhao asked politely. He wanted to confirm that the man before him really was Yu Xiaogang. After all, killing the wrong person would be awkward.
"I am. Who are you?"
Yu Xiaogang answered Huo Yuhao's question, then repeated his own, hoping for a response.
"My name is Qian Renhan. Bibi Dong is my mother!"
Huo Yuhao spoke calmly, but upon hearing his words, Yu Xiaogang's body suddenly began to tremble!
His eyes widened as he stared at Huo Yuhao in shock. Amid his astonishment, a wistful look also crossed his face.
He had never imagined that the child of someone he had once known would already be this grown. Time truly flew.
"Please, come in!"
After calming himself a little, Yu Xiaogang finally realized that leaving Huo Yuhao standing in the doorway was rather improper, and ushered him inside.
Once inside, Huo Yuhao began wandering around the room. Yu Xiaogang lived a refined life, with books as his constant companions. Bookshelves lined all four walls.
Huo Yuhao casually pulled a book from a shelf, glanced through a few pages, and put it back. He said nothing, simply looking around in silence.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang's voice slowly sounded. His body was still trembling, and his words came out shakily. "Dong'er-oh, no, your mother. Is she doing well?"
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's question, Huo Yuhao turned toward him and answered in a clear voice, "She holds the exalted position of Pope, beneath one and above ten thousand. There's nothing for her to be unhappy about."
At Huo Yuhao's words, a forlorn look appeared on Yu Xiaogang's face, along with other, hard-to-name emotions. He seemed happy for her, but more than anything, he was nostalgic.
"That's good. That's good. In the end, she still fulfilled her dream..."
With that, he turned his gaze back to Huo Yuhao and asked in confusion, "So, what exactly have you come to see me for?"
His expression placid, Huo Yuhao slowly spoke words that chilled Yu Xiaogang to the bone. "I've come to kill you."
"What?"
Yu Xiaogang looked at him in startled disbelief, then said coldly, "Young man, that isn't funny. Even jokes should have their limits. Have you come to seek justice for your mother?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head repeatedly!
"No, not for my mother, but for myself. I've come to kill you."
"For no reason?"
"Yes. For no reason."
After repeatedly confirming Huo Yuhao's intentions, Yu Xiaogang suddenly laughed. For some reason, he felt neither fear nor dread. Instead, he found it rather amusing.
If Huo Yuhao had drawn a knife and attacked the moment the door opened, he might already have summoned his martial soul and fled for his life. But Huo Yuhao had chosen to talk to him instead, and he very much wanted to continue their conversation.
"May I ask why you want to kill me?"
Yu Xiaogang continued asking, but from beginning to end, Huo Yuhao offered only one explanation.
"There is no reason. If I had to give one, it's a mission I must complete. Besides you, there are two more people I need to kill."
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang gave a self-mocking smile.
"Do you know how I feel right now? The child of someone I once knew suddenly finds me and says he wants to kill me, without any reason. I truly can't put this feeling into words."
Huo Yuhao continued looking at him calmly. "I know it's presumptuous to say this, so I can tell you the truth about something, so you won't die in such despair."
Huo Yuhao pulled over a stool and sat facing Yu Xiaogang, then slowly began to speak. "I know what has been tormenting you all this time, but the truth of what happened back then wasn't what you saw."
"My father used despicable means to take possession of my mother. He threatened you on one side and my mother on the other, forcing her to tell you she was breaking up with you."
"My mother never betrayed you, nor did she ever look down on you. It was your identities and allegiances, compounded by my father's interference, that tore you apart."
"All of that is in the past now. My father is dead, and Bibi Dong has avenged herself. She has also gained everything she wanted. But neither of you can ever return to how things once were."
Watching Yu Xiaogang tremble with shock at his words, Huo Yuhao continued mercilessly, "Your entire life has been a failure. Your martial soul awakening was a failure, your life was a failure, your romance was a failure, and your second romance was another failure. Your research was a failure too. Not a single person acknowledges you."
"Aren't you tired of living like this?"
Huo Yuhao pushed the still-warm cup of tea in his hand toward Yu Xiaogang. He had laced it with a deadly poison.
"Drink it, and all your suffering will end!"
"I look forward to your choice. If you choose to refuse, then tomorrow, I'll come and kill you with my own hands."
After saying this, Huo Yuhao slowly rose and walked out through the doorway.
The moonlight was lovely that night!
A gentle breeze drifted by!