"Oh, if it isn't the third young master! Still carrying that battered sword of yours?"
Huo Yuhao and the two girls turned to look. A boy and a girl were standing behind them.
The girl had short black hair that brushed her shoulders and wore black leather trousers that showed off her curves, giving her a distinctive appeal.
The boy had long blond hair parted down the middle and falling loosely to either side, his expression icy. On closer inspection, his eyes were extremely unusual, with twin pupils within each blue eye. His build was also a size larger than others his age, making him look more explosive.
"Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu... what do you want with me?"
Huo Yuhao tightened one hand around the soul tool sword at his waist and spoke in a panic.
"We just happened to run into you, so we thought we'd greet you, third young master. I hear you found yourself a Soul Ring, and a Ten-Year Soul Ring at that. Your courage really is commendable!"
Zhu Lu covered her mouth as she laughed, a hint of mockery in the corners of her eyes.
Dai Huabin stared coldly at Huo Yuhao without saying anything.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
As Huo Yuhao spoke, his steps involuntarily quickened, as though he were desperate to escape.
"Stop! Did I give you permission to leave?"
Dai Huabin's eyes widened in a glare. Soul Power laced his voice, and his imposing presence erupted.
Wang Dong stepped straight in front of Huo Yuhao and spread her arms. Her eyes were wary, her Soul Power stirring, ready to release her Martial Soul at any moment.
"What do you want?"
Xiao Xiao put on a fierce expression, trying to look as ferocious as possible, seemingly hoping to scare the two away outright.
Dai Huabin stood with his arms folded, his eyes full of disdain. "This is a family matter of our Duke's Mansion. It's not your place to stand up for him."
"A family matter? The Duke's Mansion?"
Those words circled through Wang Dong's and Xiao Xiao's minds.
A possibility suddenly occurred to both of them.
Dai and Zhu! This Dai Huabin must be a descendant of the War God Dai Mubai!
"So what if you're a young master of the Duke's Mansion? What gives you the right to bully Yuhao?" Xiao Xiao mustered her courage and said.
Wang Dong did not back down in the slightest. "Exactly! What gives you the right? Huo Yuhao is my roommate. If you're looking for trouble, I'll gladly oblige!"
"It's all right. You two head back first. I can handle this myself."
Behind them, Huo Yuhao held his sword hilt, walked between the two girls, and stood in front of them, though his legs trembled slightly.
"I thought you were going to hide behind other people for the rest of your life." Dai Huabin snorted coldly.
"Third young master, wouldn't it have been better to do that from the start?"
Zhu Lu chuckled and leaned against Dai Huabin, the two of them looking very intimate.
Xiao Xiao grew a little angry and stepped in front of Huo Yuhao again. Yet there was no fear in her small frame. "Yuhao, why? We agreed I would protect you."
Not to be outdone, Wang Dong extended an arm to block Huo Yuhao's path, her tone firm. "Since you lost to me yesterday, you have to listen to me today."
"This is our Duke's Mansion's family business. It's not your place to interfere! Hurry up and get lost!"
Dai Huabin was growing annoyed as well, gritting his teeth and enunciating every word.
These two kept getting in his way. They really had no sense of when to back off.
The addition of a second madam and an illegitimate son to the Duke's Mansion had already made him furious, yet these two kept defending him.
"You two had better leave quickly. Huabin is already angry. Don't say I didn't warn you," Zhu Lu added.
"A family matter?"
The two spoke in unison.
What did he mean by a family matter? Hadn't these two come looking for trouble because they had a grudge against Huo Yuhao?
"That's why I told you to leave first. After all, this isn't exactly something to be proud of." Huo Yuhao urged the two to leave, his face full of panic.
"So, you're...?" Xiao Xiao asked, her eyes widening.
Wang Dong wanted to ask too, but Xiao Xiao had beaten her to it, so she could only wait for Huo Yuhao's answer.
"I'm the White Tiger Duke's third son."
"Huh?! Seriously?" Xiao Xiao looked incredulous.
Wang Dong hurriedly interrupted. "Wait, his surname is Dai, and yours is Huo, and you're telling me you two are brothers?!"
"Brothers? He's nothing but a bastard!" Dai Huabin spat through gritted teeth.
Dai Huabin was already deeply displeased that Wang Dong had considered them brothers. In fact, in his eyes, even being associated with Huo Yuhao was the shame of his life!
"To put it nicely, he's just an illegitimate son!" Dai Huabin added.
Zhu Lu walked up to the two girls and said indignantly, "Now you understand, don't you? If you understand, hurry up and leave. Don't ask to be snubbed!"
"Well..."
The two hesitated. Everything was clear now.
If what they said was true, then it really would be difficult for the two of them to interfere.
Neither of them had expected Huo Yuhao to be the duke's third son.
Huo Yuhao gathered his courage and broke the deadlock. "Dai Huabin, if you have something to say, let's go somewhere else to talk. Let them leave first."
Dai Huabin's sinister eyes flickered as he swept his gaze over the two nuisances. In the end, he nodded. "Fine. They can leave."
"All right, you two go first. I'll be back soon. I'll treat you to burgers later."
Huo Yuhao patted Xiao Xiao's head, then glanced at Wang Dong and lightly patted his shoulder. Only his constantly trembling legs betrayed him completely.
"Third young master, you should have done that from the start. After all, this isn't exactly something to be proud of." Zhu Lu smiled with a touch of arrogance.
Just as Huo Yuhao stepped forward to leave with the two, Wang Dong stepped out.
"No! Yuhao can't go with you!"
Having made up her mind, Wang Dong grabbed Huo Yuhao's hand and spoke with ringing conviction.
Xiao Xiao also ran straight in front of Huo Yuhao.
At that moment, her tiny frame shone with boundless radiance.
"Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, you little potato, it really is all right."
"Enough of this nonsense!"
Dai Huabin roared. Three Soul Rings, two yellow and one purple, appeared together as his body swelled. Countless black and white hairs sprouted over him, and his hands transformed into tiger claws as he reached straight for Huo Yuhao's collar.
His tiger claw tightened, and with a sudden movement, Dai Huabin easily lifted Huo Yuhao into the air.
Huo Yuhao kept one hand on his sword hilt while the other fiercely gripped Dai Huabin's tiger claw. He glanced sideways, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes before they quickly returned to calm. He relaxed his hand naturally, his eyes hidden beneath his fringe, and a faint smile quietly curled his lips.
Dai Huabin gave a heavy snort, clearly not taking Huo Yuhao seriously.
"Let Yuhao go!" Wang Dong shouted. Multicolored light shimmered behind her, and a pair of azure butterfly wings emerged.
Light rippled over the wings, azure and pale blue flashing in turn. Like a clear sky stretching ten thousand miles, their ethereal beauty made it impossible to look away.
The Light Goddess Butterfly!
The most beautiful butterfly Martial Soul on the continent!
With a thought from Xiao Xiao, three great cauldrons appeared out of thin air. Interwoven patterns covered each cauldron's surface, and countless obscure, incomprehensible characters were engraved upon them. They exuded a solemn, majestic presence that made souls tremble and inspired reverence.
The Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul!
"Get lost!"
Dai Huabin let out a tiger's roar. His terrifying might swept forth with a wave of air, forcing both girls' eyes shut.
"Come on! To the Soul Fighting Arena!"
Ignoring the two girls, Dai Huabin carried Huo Yuhao straight toward the Soul Fighting Zone.
Zhu Lu hurried after him, utterly disdainful of the two behind her.
By the time the two girls recovered, Huo Yuhao had already been taken away.
"Oh no! Yuhao's been taken away! Wang Dong, what do we do now...?"
Xiao Xiao was on the verge of tears from anxiety, tears glimmering in her large eyes. She felt deeply uneasy. Huo Yuhao had actually been taken away right in front of them.
Her pitiful appearance could not help but tug at one's heart.
Wang Dong was a little anxious too. Looking in the direction they had left, she tried her best to calm herself.
"The Soul Fighting Zone? Soul Fighting?" Wang Dong murmured.
"Come on. We'll find Teacher Zhou first, then go to the Soul Fighting Zone. Don't worry. At least here at Shrek Academy, they won't dare act recklessly. Yuhao's life won't be in danger."
Hearing Wang Dong's words, Xiao Xiao wiped away her tears and nodded vigorously.
The two ran briskly toward the office.