Nighttime Stroll

The starry sky was so beautiful. Huo Yuhao gazed at it through the window of the room Dugu Bo had arranged for him.

As he watched the stars, Huo Yuhao asked Elder Yi in the Sea of Consciousness, "Elder Yi, is that pillar of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow enough? I have more here."

"My Divine Soul has already been somewhat steadied with the help of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow. It's enough for me as I am now. I have some clues about your situation, but I still need to think through the specific method."

"Take your time, Elder Yi. There's no need to rush."

A breeze drifted in through the window. Unable to sleep, Huo Yuhao went for a stroll in the garden. Though it was already deep into the night and the bright moon hung high, he could still see faint light in some of the servants' dormitories. Their curtains were drawn, but the glow of lamplight showed through the gaps. When Huo Yuhao approached and peered through a gap in the window, he saw several maids mending things.

Watching the maids' hands move nonstop as they mended, Huo Yuhao couldn't help recalling the past.

This was a scene he knew well. Back when he was still in the Wood Shed, his mother would always mend clothes for him late at night after a full day's work. She always kept the lamp turned low, partly to save lamp oil and partly so she wouldn't disturb his sleep. She was always light on her feet, afraid of waking him. She had always thought he was asleep and didn't know, but whenever he saw the dark circles under her eyes in the morning, he knew everything. Even later, when he offered to help shoulder some of the work, she refused. His mother always thought the sounds she made while mending disturbed him, so after that, she would make doubly sure he was asleep before mending even more carefully. Back then, all he could do was pretend to fall asleep early every day, hoping his mother would finish sooner and get some rest.

Outside the window, Huo Yuhao stared at all this in a daze. Inside, a younger maid paused her work and yawned. Without thinking, she looked out the window to see what time it was. But beyond the gap in the curtains, she saw not only the bright moon hanging high, but also Huo Yuhao, lost in his memories.

When the maid saw Huo Yuhao, a chill ran down her back. If it had been another servant, they could have settled things with a little money. But Huo Yuhao was a guest who had come with Miss Dugu Yan. Anyone who came with the young lady had to be a noble. If a noble was displeased, she was as good as dead.

The other maids in the room noticed the younger maid staring blankly and followed her gaze out the window. The whole room fell silent.

"W-what should we do?" the younger maid asked, her voice close to tears.

"Go out and apologize. Where else can we go?" an older maid whispered.

The room remained silent. It seemed one could hear the lamp burning. Perhaps she was simply too frightened: the younger maid was the first to run out, trembling, and kneel before Huo Yuhao. As if she could feel the pain, she repeatedly knocked her forehead against the ground. Then, in a faint, trembling voice tinged with sobs, she begged Huo Yuhao for mercy and forgiveness.

Behind her, the other maids in the room repeated her actions, only their voices were so quiet it was as if they were afraid of disturbing someone. Huo Yuhao came back to himself and saw what was before him. It was as if he were seeing his mother that day, protecting him while Dai Huabin kicked her, and still kowtowing as she begged for forgiveness. Those sounds still crashed before Huo Yuhao like the trembling of the earth. He hurriedly helped the younger maid to her feet.

"Please don't do this. I won't hurt you," Huo Yuhao said, his voice trembling.

"Please, sir, don't report us. We'll never do it again," the younger maid pleaded in a trembling voice, close to tears. As she finished speaking, her knees buckled and she knelt again.

"I won't. I won't tell anyone. I swear on my Martial Soul that I won't say a word. Please don't do this." Huo Yuhao spoke quickly to the people before him and lifted her to her feet with both hands.

Only after hearing Huo Yuhao's words did the maids stop kowtowing, though they remained kneeling. One by one, they lowered their heads and quietly said to Huo Yuhao, "Thank you for your generosity, sir..."

Huo Yuhao felt as if their words were more like a torture directed at him. All he could do was help the maids to their feet one by one.

Seeing that Huo Yuhao wasn't going to pursue the matter, the maids began to make their way back cautiously.

But the first younger maid to come out had perhaps struck her head too hard while kowtowing, and she was also so frightened that blood was now running down her forehead and her legs were unsteady. Seeing this, Huo Yuhao wanted to treat her.

"Sir, there's no need. I can go back and wipe it off myself," the younger maid said, trembling slightly.

"You got these wounds on the ground. If they aren't treated in time, dirt in them could cause an infection. Besides, I've already sworn on my Martial Soul that I won't tell anyone." As he spoke, Huo Yuhao cut his finger and used his blood, which contained Gold of Life, to clean her wound.

Although the other maids had gone back inside, they watched anxiously from the windows. Huo Yuhao could only sigh helplessly and help the younger maid into the room. Seeing that the people inside were still somewhat tense, Huo Yuhao could only assure them again and again that he wouldn't tell anyone.

After Huo Yuhao had assured them repeatedly, the people in the room finally relaxed a little.

"It's so late. Why aren't you resting? Is it because the wages here aren't enough for you to live on?" Huo Yuhao asked.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense again, but the younger maid Huo Yuhao had just treated mustered her courage and said, "No, the work here is good, and the wages are paid on time. His Excellency Poison Douluo has never withheld our wages."

As soon as one person had said they had no complaints, someone else chimed in. "That's right. His Excellency Poison Douluo doesn't make us do anything strange, either."

"Strange things? Does that happen when you work at other Manors?" Huo Yuhao asked. Some of the older maids nodded. Seeing this, Huo Yuhao understood what they meant by "strange things" at other nobles' Manors.

"Then, if your wages aren't withheld, why are you working yourselves so hard?"

"Even though the wages here are enough for us to live on, our parents and children back home still need to eat. Taxes keep getting heavier, and even the wages of a husband and wife together can't cover the expenses. We have to do other work to make up the difference. It's all because we failed to awaken Soul Power." After one of the maids finished speaking, regret filled the room.

Huo Yuhao wanted to say something to comfort them, but before he could speak, an inexplicable sense of powerlessness caught in his throat.

That was right. What could he say? Once, he had regretted awakening Innate Soul Power of only rank one, resenting the heavens and complaining about their unfairness. But if the people in this room had even rank-one Innate Soul Power, they could completely change their lives and live differently. Compared with them, his former self seemed so laughable. Even if the Mystic Water Pill could raise one's Innate Soul Power, one had to have Innate Soul Power to begin with. What use would the Mystic Water Pill be to someone with no Innate Soul Power?

Huo Yuhao wanted to give them some money, but they refused. "Sir, we don't want your money. We only ask that you don't tell anyone." As they spoke, they began to kneel again. Seeing the fear in their eyes, Huo Yuhao knew they were afraid that if they accepted his money, he would report them. They were also afraid he might turn around and accuse them of stealing his money. To put them at ease, Huo Yuhao had no choice but to put the money away and help them up.

Under their frightened gazes, Huo Yuhao "fled back to his bedroom in a sorry state." The night was so quiet. Huo Yuhao never came out again, as though nothing had happened.