"Sigh, all right then."
Xuan Zi sighed. There was nothing he could do. Since Mu En had spoken, what choice did he have?
At the thought of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion's fate and that Level 99 Limit Douluo with Ultimate Ice, the anger in Xuan Zi's heart subsided.
Mu En watched Xuan Zi grow and nodded. "Good. It seems you've finally thought it through."
"In that case, I can entrust you with the task of delivering the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife to Huo Yuhao without worry."
"Me?" Xuan Zi pointed at himself, dumbfounded. "Let's have someone else do it, Mu En."
He really didn't want to deal with the Body Sect.
Mu En said calmly, "Of all the candidates, I think you're the most suitable."
"I..."
Xuan Zi had barely uttered a word when he noticed Mu En's gaze.
With no other choice, he could only agree.
Star Luo Imperial Family, the White Tiger Duke's Mansion's temporary residence.
Since Du Busi had razed the White Tiger Duke's Mansion to the ground, some of its people had moved into nearby hotels, while direct family members such as the duchess had been taken in by the Star Luo Imperial Family.
After receiving news that the White Tiger Duke's Mansion had been destroyed, Dai Huabin and Dai Yueheng immediately took leave from the academy and rushed back overnight.
When Dai Huabin saw with his own eyes that the place where he had lived since childhood had been cleared away, leaving almost nothing behind, he clenched his fists, his eyes full of rage.
Dai Yueheng stood beside Dai Huabin, looking no better than his brother.
Ever since joining the Shrek Inspection Corps, he had spent less and less time at home.
He was either out on a mission or on his way to take one.
He had finally managed to come back on leave, only to be told that his home was gone?
The duchess came over to the two brothers and said nothing for a long time.
Since the White Tiger Duke's Mansion had been destroyed, she had aged considerably.
Her usually carefully groomed hair was somewhat disheveled, and two distinct dark shadows had appeared beneath her eyes.
Dai Huabin suppressed the rage and hatred in his heart and said, "Mother, don't worry. Big Brother and I will destroy the Body Sect!"
He had to bring forward his trip to the Far North to find the Ice and Snow Empresses!
That was what Dai Huabin thought.
"Dai Huabin is right. The Body Sect has gone far beyond lawlessness!" A hint of red appeared in Dai Yueheng's eyes.
An icy voice reached the ears of all three:
"I'm afraid you won't get the chance."
"Who's there?!"
Dai Huabin and Dai Yueheng spun around, but when they saw who it was, they froze.
There was no trace of a smile on Dai Hao's face as his gaze swept over Dai Huabin and the duchess.
Dai Yueheng frowned and asked in confusion, "Father, what do you mean by that?"
Dai Hao's gaze fell on Dai Huabin and the duchess as he said coldly, "Exactly what I said. The negotiations failed."
Dai Huabin and Dai Yueheng looked at Dai Hao in confusion.
They didn't understand why, when they were the ones who had suffered, their complaint had still failed.
When the duchess heard this, the emotions she had suppressed for so long spiraled completely out of control.
"Dai Hao, what do you mean?!! What do you mean, the negotiations failed?!"
The duchess rushed at Dai Hao, crying and shouting as she beat his chest with both hands.
Dai Hao, however, remained unmoved and could only let her hit him.
But his face darkened, and he said, "Enough!"
"I won't listen! I won't listen!"
The duchess simply wouldn't listen to Dai Hao.
Bang!
A dull sound came from the duchess's abdomen.
Dai Hao's fist had struck her in the abdomen. The duchess looked at him, her face deathly pale, then staggered back several steps before falling to the ground.
"Mother!" Dai Huabin and Dai Yueheng cried out in alarm at the same time.
They had never imagined that their father, who usually loved their mother so much, would strike her so ruthlessly.
At that moment, Dai Huabin felt an immense pressure.
The next second, the duchess's vision went black, and she lost consciousness.
"You're not my father! Who are you?!" Dai Huabin pointed at Dai Hao in anger.
Then his vision went black, and he fell straight to the ground, unconscious.
Dai Yueheng couldn't even make out how fast Dai Hao had moved.
Sure enough, was the gap between him and his father still that great?
A Soul Emperor and a Soul Douluo.
A gap of twenty levels.
Dai Hao hoisted Dai Huabin and the duchess onto his shoulders.
"Father." Seeing that Dai Hao was about to carry Dai Huabin and the duchess away, Dai Yueheng called out to him.
Dai Hao stopped, turned to look at Dai Yueheng, and asked, "What is it?"
Dai Yueheng was arguably his most sensible child, and the one who gave him the least to worry about.
Thus, he was not as impatient with Dai Yueheng as he was with Dai Huabin.
Dai Yueheng took a deep breath and asked, "Father, can you tell me why you did this today?"
"At least give me a reason I can accept."
"If Second Brother and Mother really did something wrong, I, Dai Yueheng, will never shield them."
Hearing this, Dai Hao smiled with relief.
At least there was still hope for their Dai Family.
Dai Hao recounted every detail of the dispute involving Huo Yuhao, Huo Yun'er, the duchess, and Dai Huabin.
Dai Yueheng couldn't believe that his father had actually had a relationship with Huo Yun'er!
His eyes widened as he absorbed the information Dai Hao had told him.
All of this had come far too suddenly for Dai Yueheng.
He couldn't digest the information in such a short time.
Dai Hao gave Dai Yueheng a long look and said, "So, do you still want to help them now?"
"If that's what happened, then let them be."
Dai Yueheng forced the words out one by one, his teeth clenched.
As soon as he said them, Dai Yueheng felt considerably lighter.
Dai Hao nodded in satisfaction. "Dai Yueheng, I hope you won't follow the same path as Dai Huabin and your mother."
"The Body Sect doesn't even fear Shrek. Why would it fear our little White Tiger Duke's Mansion?"
With that, Dai Hao carried the duchess and Dai Huabin away from the site of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, leaving Dai Yueheng alone in the wind, utterly disheveled.
After handing the unconscious Dai Huabin and duchess over to Xu Jiawei's care, Dai Hao went alone to the hills not far from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
He looked at the wooden tombstone before him, somewhat lost.
The words on it stung his eyes.
"Grave of my birth mother, Huo Yun'er"
In the lower right corner were the words "Her only son, Huo Yuhao."
He reached out a hand gently and said with deep affection, "Yun'er, I've wronged you!"
"Yun'er, I, Dai Hao, was wrong. I shouldn't have left you all alone in the cold White Tiger Duke's Mansion. I knew how deeply you loved me, yet I abandoned you there."
"I can't find our son, Huo Yuhao. He's the only thing you left me. Please, appear in his dreams and ask him to forgive me, his father!"
Dai Hao fell to his knees before Huo Yuhao's tombstone, muttering as though he had prepared his words in advance.