At the mention of Dai Hao, the team voice chat grew even livelier. After all, as the protagonist's father, Dai Hao had already been thoroughly dug into by the all-powerful netizens.
Wang Zhongwang: "I remember the White Tiger Dagger, the love token Dai Hao gave Huo Yuhao's mother, Huo Yun'er, was another one of the author's dirty jokes."
Agile Dog in the Mountains: "Exactly, just like Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi."
I Am an Angel: "What's the dirty joke with the White Tiger Dagger?"
Primordial One: "You, an armchair dirty-joke expert, don't get it? Now that's surprising."
I Am an Angel: "Don't change the subject! Tell me, what's the dirty joke?"
Wang Zhongwang: "That's not really something we can say, is it? It'll get censored even if we do."
Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior: "All I can say is, without hair on your lips, you can't get the job done reliably. Figure out the rest yourself."
Agile Dog in the Mountains: "Awesome! You've won me over, newbie. I can't even look your mouth in the face anymore."
I Am an Angel: "Holy shit! Is that what it means? He's really something. Now it's a little hard to watch Huo Yuhao taking out his mother's keepsake and thinking of her as he looks at it."
Qian Xixi: "Ahem, we've wandered way too far off topic. Watch out, or you'll get muted. I've also heard another interpretation: the White Tiger Dagger wasn't a love token Dai Hao gave Huo Yun at all, but something for him to kill himself with."
Wang Zhongwang: "I've heard that one too, but it probably doesn't hold water. If Dai Hao really wanted Huo Yun'er dead, she couldn't have gotten out of it just by pretending not to understand."
Agile Dog in the Mountains: "I don't think it was for him to kill himself with, or a love token. It was just payment for s-."
Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior: "Anyway, Dai Hao definitely has some feelings for Huo Yuhao. The proof is standing right there on the stage."
That was right. Huo Yuhao was that proof. If Dai Hao had felt even the slightest shred of affection for Huo Yun'er, it would never have come to this: she had borne him a son, and he did not even know.
In the arena, Huo Yuhao deliberately struck up a conversation with Ten-Year Veteran to buy time.
"You say you're a hidden branch of the Tang Sect, and that you possess a great deal of information from ancient times. How can you guarantee that the information you have is true?"
Ten-Year Veteran: "I don't need to verify it. Our attitude is, believe it or don't. Besides, Huo Yuhao, aren't you underestimating our intelligence-gathering capabilities?"
Ten-Year Veteran: "I know what you're trying to do, too. You're just trying to stall, aren't you? Then I'll stall with you, and we can talk about you while we're at it."
At those words, Huo Yuhao's heart gave a jolt.
Ten-Year Veteran: "Hey, you sitting up there, White Tiger Duke Dai Hao. Do you know him?"
The soldiers under Dai Hao's command were all displeased by Ten-Year Veteran's attitude.
Dai Hao, however, remained composed. He glanced up at the Star Luo Emperor, Xu Jiawei, who nodded to indicate that he could answer.
"Young fellow, I do not know this contestant from Shrek Academy."
Ten-Year Veteran: "You don't know him, but do you know Huo Yun'er?"
Dai Hao put on a thoughtful expression. His look made it quite clear: he knew there was such a person in his household, but could not recall her right away.
Huo Yuhao's expression had already turned extremely ugly, while those from Shrek Academy were utterly baffled.
"Elder Xuan, could Huo Yuhao have some connection to the Star Luo Empire's White Tiger Duke?"
"I don't know. I always thought he was an orphan. Dai Yueheng, do you know anything?"
Dai Yueheng shook his head. "I don't know either. All I know is that he had a clash with my younger brother, Dai Huabin, at the academy."
"Could he be your dad's illegitimate son? Taking his mother's surname?"
Ma Xiaotao said it outright. How could Zhou Yi and Xuan Zi not have guessed? They simply did not want to say it.
At last, Dai Hao remembered.
"Huo Yun'er. She should be a maid in my household. Why would you know about matters in my household?"
Ten-Year Veteran: "Never mind how I know. You don't even know that Huo Yun'er bore you a son. It's hard not to question your competence."
Ten-Year Veteran glanced at the Star Luo Emperor, Xu Jiawei, again.
Ten-Year Veteran: "You, the emperor, had better keep an extra eye out, lest this White Tiger Duke lead an entire army into a ditch."
"That's enough!"
Huo Yuhao roared in a hoarse voice.
Ten-Year Veteran: "What are you getting worked up for? He's the one losing face, not you. You can still pour out your grievances and accuse this irresponsible father of yours."
The corners of the Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei's mouth twitched fiercely, and the look he gave White Tiger Duke Dai Hao was rather speechless.
Go ahead and sow your wild oats. How many noblemen on the Douluo Continent didn't?
But for a duke to not even know he had another illegitimate son was rather too much of a laughingstock.
The small reveals the great. If you couldn't even control your own household, how could anyone trust you to command an army?
"My dear subject, what do you think?"
"Your Majesty, I will investigate this matter thoroughly afterward. But now is not the time to discuss it."
"Mm."
The Star Luo Emperor immediately gave the referee a look, and the referee caught his meaning at once.
"Begin the match. Neither side is to deliberately stall for time, or both will be disqualified."
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Huo Yuhao decisively used his soul skill: Simulation.
Immediately afterward, under the astonished gazes of all the spectators, red Soul Rings lit up beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, one after another.
"A h-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, and more than one! How is that possible?"
"His first Soul Ring is already a hundred-thousand-year one. How did he do it? Is he a monster?"
"No wonder they saved him for last. He must be Shrek Academy's most deeply hidden trump card."
On the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's side, team captain Ma Rulong looked at Xiao Hongchen.
"What do you think is going on?"
"They probably aren't real."
"But that imposing presence doesn't feel fake."
"Perhaps that's what makes this fellow special."
"To put it plainly, isn't he just good at deceiving people? But a fake is a fake in the end. Haven't you noticed that the guy opposite him hasn't been affected at all?"
Meng Hongchen's attention was on Ten-Year Veteran, whose expression was indeed utterly unruffled.
In fact, he was chatting in the team voice channel at that very moment.
Ten-Year Veteran: "It really is this move. Guess how many red Soul Rings it'll show, five or six?"
Wang Zhongwang: "Six, probably. In the original plot, he showed six red Soul Rings to scare people."
I Am an Angel: "Don't give him a chance to show off. Rush up and interrupt him."
Spirit Hall Forever: "Support! We absolutely can't let the protagonist taste even a little sweetness."
Agile Dog in the Mountains: "Speaking of which, Huo Yuhao had it pretty rough as the protagonist in the original plot. Tang San practically tormented him like a dog."
Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior: "He had it coming. Who told him to let Tang San's dog leash get fastened around his neck? (The dog leash is Tang Wutong.)"
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