Dai Huabin was overjoyed to receive the duchess's approval. After years of her instilling hatred in him, his heart was filled with hostility toward Huo Yun'er and her son. Today, he would deal with the mother and son right here.
Dai Huabin rushed up to Huo Yuhao. Although they were the same age, their living conditions were worlds apart, leaving Dai Huabin a full half-head taller than Huo Yuhao. Without a word, he kicked Huo Yuhao in the stomach, sending him flying two meters away, then rained punches and kicks on him, beating him savagely while cursing nonstop. "You bastard of a lowly maid! You've tainted the White Tiger Duke's bloodline!"
Huo Yuhao fell to the ground, his stomach aching. All he could do now was cover his head with both hands and curl up to endure the blows. His practiced movements after being struck made it clear this was not the first time he had suffered a vicious beating. Seeing this, Huo Yun'er immediately threw herself over her son and held him tight, shielding him from Dai Huabin's punches and kicks with her own body.
Dai Huabin was delighted to see Huo Yun'er come forward to take a beating herself. Perfect-he would beat this lowly maid and her son together. As he struck them, he cursed, "Huo Yun'er, you lowly maid! You actually gave birth to such trash! Not only have you tainted my father's bloodline, you've utterly disgraced our White Tiger Duke's Mansion!"
With the damning accusation of "tainting the duke's bloodline" pinned on them, the bystanders found it difficult to speak up for them. They could only watch helplessly as Dai Huabin beat the ill-fated mother and son.
Watching from the shadows, Qian Chen was dumbfounded. This was the child of destiny? Wasn't he far too unlucky?
Through the Plane Consciousness, Qian Chen had once witnessed everything from ten thousand years ago. Tang San of ten thousand years ago had also counted as a child of destiny: innate full Soul Power, twin Martial Souls, a Titled Douluo father, and a Blue Silver Emperor mother. Though his life had been hard, that had amounted to nothing more than a few years of insufficient food and clothing before his Martial Soul Awakening.
But looking at Huo Yuhao before him, his opening situation was already a matter of life and death! If no one intervened, sooner or later his half-brother would beat him to death.
"Is this child with the eye Martial Soul the one you came to find?" Bibi Dong's voice rang out in Qian Chen's Sea of Consciousness.
"That's right," Qian Chen answered truthfully.
Hearing Qian Chen's indifferent tone, Bibi Dong could not help recalling the day of her own Martial Soul Awakening ten thousand years ago. Without her twin Martial Souls, her fate would certainly have been utterly miserable. Her beauty would not have been an advantage but would instead have brought disaster upon her, perhaps even reducing her to someone else's plaything.
"Then aren't you going to give him a hand?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Not now," Qian Chen refused bluntly.
"That cold blood of yours truly runs through the Angel Clan's veins," Bibi Dong said flatly in his Sea of Consciousness.
Qian Chen scoffed. "Heh, has the great Rakshasa God actually found her compassion today? Forget it. I can't be bothered to argue with you."
The next moment, Qian Chen flicked two fingers, sending a strand of Soul Power precisely into Dai Huabin's thigh. Excruciating pain instantly shot through Dai Huabin's leg, and his muscles and bones abruptly tensed with inhuman force. He screamed and fell heavily to the ground.
Everyone immediately gathered around him. Greatly alarmed, the duchess hurriedly picked up her son to examine him. Seeing the muscles throughout his leg clenched tight, she relaxed. It was merely a leg cramp. With her cultivation as a Soul Saint, she lifted her son effortlessly, then turned and headed back to her quarters.
Before leaving, she glared viciously at Huo Yun'er and her son and ordered harshly, "Huo Yuhao, born to Huo Yun'er, failed to awaken the White Tiger Martial Soul and has tainted the duke's bloodline. They are no longer allowed to live in their old quarters. Move them to the woodshed! Cut off all provisions from the Duke's Mansion. Unless they work themselves to the bone, they won't get so much as a meal!"
With that, she strode away with Dai Huabin. The people around them exchanged glances, leaving only Huo Yun'er lying on the ground with Huo Yuhao in her arms. Once the duchess was gone, the strength she had mustered as a mother gradually faded, and tears slid down her cheeks. Holding her son tight, she whispered, "Yuhao, don't be afraid. Mommy's here."
When Huo Yun'er stumbled back to their quarters with Huo Yuhao, she discovered that their belongings had already been thrown out and scattered across the ground. A heavy iron padlock now hung on the door of the room where they had lived.
Just then, one of the duchess's maids came out and declared haughtily, "Huo Yun'er, Her Ladyship said that you gave birth to that trash Huo Yuhao and tainted His Grace's bloodline. From now on, you'll live in the woodshed. Get over there now!" With that, she strode away.
By the time Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao had moved their belongings into the woodshed, night had fallen. Neither mother nor son had eaten all day. Curled up beside the pile of firewood, Huo Yuhao looked at Huo Yun'er and said quietly, "Mommy, I'm so hungry."
Huo Yun'er had no food on her either. The duchess had cut off all their provisions. If they wanted food, they would have to wait until tomorrow and work in exchange for it. She comforted him gently, "Mommy will go to work tomorrow. I'll definitely bring something tasty back for Yuhao in the afternoon."
With tears in his eyes, Huo Yuhao nodded.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Both Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao jumped. Had the duchess come to make trouble for them again?
There was no hiding from it. Huo Yun'er could only open the door, revealing a blond boy standing outside the woodshed.
"Who are you?"
"I'm a Soul Master. It's not very convenient to talk in the doorway. Madam Huo, may I come in so we can discuss things in detail?" The visitor was none other than Qian Chen, who had come today to find the child of destiny.
Huo Yun'er hesitated, unsure whether she should let him in.
Qian Chen spoke directly. "Madam Huo, I've been observing you and your child all day. If I wanted to force my way in, you couldn't stop me. If you called for help, the people of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion wouldn't help you. Instead, they'd throw stones while you were down and use it as a pretext to make life even worse for you and your son, or even make you disappear without a sound. Why not let me in and hear what I have to say?"
Huo Yun'er considered for a moment, then finally stepped aside. "Please come in."
Qian Chen entered the woodshed and immediately saw Huo Yuhao curled into a ball from hunger.
"What's wrong?" Qian Chen asked.
"Big brother, I'm so hungry," Huo Yuhao answered quietly.
"All right." As he spoke, Qian Chen took the emergency food and water he carried from his Storage Soul Tool and placed them on the table. Huo Yuhao looked at Qian Chen, then at Huo Yun'er, but did not move.
Seeing this, Qian Chen said, "Madam Huo, you should have something too. It looks like you haven't eaten today either."
Only then did the mother and son sit down to eat. Although it was merely the emergency dry rations Qian Chen had brought for his journey, Huo Yuhao ate with particular relish. In all his life, he had never eaten anything so delicious.
Once they had finished eating, Huo Yun'er looked warily at Qian Chen. "Thank you for helping us, Lord Soul Master. Whatever business you have, you may speak plainly now. But let me make this clear first: if you have any outrageous demands, my son and I would rather die than comply."
The moment Huo Yun'er finished speaking, before Qian Chen could reply, Bibi Dong burst into laughter in his Sea of Consciousness. "Hahaha! Qian Chen, you're too funny! You've actually been mistaken for a lecher!"
"Be quiet," Qian Chen said coldly. "You're hardly any better."
In the outside world, Qian Chen hurriedly explained, "Madam Huo, you've misunderstood. I bear absolutely no ill intent toward you or your son. I was passing by the White Tiger Duke's Mansion today and saw that a Martial Soul Awakening was being held inside, so I stopped to take a look. I happened to see your child awaken his Body Martial Soul-his eyes. I see great promise in this child and would like to take him as my disciple."