Huo Yun'er's eyes lit up when she heard this. Having a Soul Master take Huo Yuhao as a disciple was a good thing. At least Yuhao would not have to suffer alongside her. Besides, a Soul Master who could enter the Duke's Mansion so silently had to be an expert.
Huo Yuhao was delighted as well. His talent was poor, and he could barely cultivate. Having a teacher to guide him would be good.
Seeing their expressions, Qian Chen knew that taking this child of destiny, Huo Yuhao, as his disciple today was all but assured. Huo Yun'er asked another question. "Lord Soul Master, may I ask what realm you are in?"
"Madam Huo, you needn't call me Lord Soul Master. Just call me Qian Chen. My Martial Soul is the Seven Kill Sword, and my Soul Power has now reached rank eighty-two," Qian Chen said.
The next instant, the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul manifested, and eight Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet: purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, and red. Their brilliant soul light illuminated the entire woodshed.
Qian Chen then asked, "Huo Yuhao, are you willing to take me as your master? You can cultivate under me from now on, and I'll take you both away from this White Tiger Duke's Mansion."
Huo Yuhao turned to look at his mother, Huo Yun'er. Huo Yun'er also wanted to agree to Qian Chen's offer, but she kept feeling that the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, would return very soon, and that she was the person Dai Hao loved most. He would also dote on her more than on the duchess.
The thought was powerful and absurd, yet it kept circling in her mind, becoming increasingly impossible to shake. Huo Yun'er shook her head, trying to clear her mind and abandon this unrealistic idea. She was only a maid.
In the end, however, this inexplicable thought defeated her reason. She turned to Huo Yuhao and said, "Yuhao, your father is the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao. He only went to the front lines to defend our home and country, and he'll be back soon. Mommy is the person he loves most. Once he returns, he'll definitely take good care of us and nurture you with care. If we leave the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, neither you nor I will know when we'll be able to see your father again."
Huo Yuhao found it strange too. His father had never appeared since he was born, so how could things be as his mother said? Yet seeing how firmly she spoke, he did not know whether to believe her.
Hearing Huo Yun'er's words, Qian Chen was instantly shocked. How was this possible?
Then Huo Yun'er turned to Qian Chen and said, "Thank you, Lord Soul Master, but I don't want you to take us away from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. I'll take good care of my son, so there's no need for you to trouble yourself over him."
Qian Chen was struck speechless, but he could not simply snatch Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er away. That would not make Huo Yuhao think he was acting for his sake. Instead, he would think Qian Chen was a bad person. No matter what methods Qian Chen used to make amends in the future, Huo Yuhao might turn straight to Tang San. That would be troublesome.
Qian Chen still wanted to urge Huo Yun'er to think it over carefully when he heard her say, "Lord Soul Master, please leave."
Seeing that Huo Yun'er had directly ordered him out, Qian Chen had no choice but to leave in frustration.
After leaving the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, Qian Chen was seething with pent-up anger. Angel Mountain Manor was not far from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, only a few dozen li away, so he decided to walk back. He could use the journey to carefully review just what had gone wrong.
"Hahaha, you're killing me, Qian Chen! A sixteen-year-old super Soul Douluo like you volunteered to take a piece of trash with only rank-one Innate Soul Power as a disciple, and you actually got rejected! This is definitely the biggest joke since the heavens and earth were split apart on the Douluo Continent!" Bibi Dong's voice rang with unrestrained laughter in Qian Chen's Sea of Consciousness.
"No need to trouble yourself, Lady Rakshasa God. Just stay right where you are," Qian Chen retorted irritably.
"You really don't need my help? I might just know what's going on." Bibi Dong leisurely kept him in suspense.
Qian Chen stopped in his tracks and asked coldly, "Then please enlighten me, Lady Rakshasa God."
"Simple. A god's method: Consciousness Control," Bibi Dong said crisply.
"Be more specific."
"This is the simplest way for gods to control mortals, and it doesn't violate the Divine Realm's rules. They only need to implant a strand of consciousness in a mortal's mind, and it can silently influence that person's thoughts and choices. Take this woman Huo Yun'er, for example. A god must have implanted some consciousness in her for her to see the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, as her hope and make such a completely unreasonable decision," Bibi Dong explained patiently.
"Didn't you say you were killed by the Asura God, Tang San, not long after becoming a god? How do you know all this?"
"Because the moment you become a god, the laws of the Heavenly Dao, the rules of the Divine Realm, and the duties of your divine position are all engraved directly into your Sea of Consciousness. Naturally, you know these things."
Hearing Bibi Dong's explanation, Qian Chen immediately recalled how the Plane Consciousness had made him receive all the information from ten thousand years ago with just a ray of white light. It turned out to be the same principle.
Qian Chen could not help asking, "Then if a god controlled a few Limit Douluo on the Douluo Continent, couldn't they casually whip up towering waves that would destroy the world?"
"It doesn't work that way. The stronger someone is, the more stable their divine soul, and the harder Consciousness Control becomes and the more Divine Power it consumes. An ordinary woman like Huo Yun'er, who lacks even the strength to truss a chicken, is naturally easy for a god to control."
"Then how can this control be removed?" Qian Chen asked.
"Simple. Make her fully realize that this consciousness is wrong. Shatter her fantasy completely," Bibi Dong replied.
Qian Chen hesitated, but still offered a sincere, "Thanks."
With the knot in his heart untied, Qian Chen finally felt a little better. So it was not that he, a dignified rank-eighty-two Soul Douluo, lacked standing. A god was pulling tricks behind the scenes. It seemed Huo Yuhao would have to endure a while longer in the Duke's Mansion.
The next day, Yan Feng, the child with the Bone Dragon Martial Soul, was brought to Angel Hall in Angel Mountain Manor.
Yan Feng had a broad frame, but prolonged malnutrition had left him all skin and bones. His black hair was a tangled mess, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his looks were ordinary.
"You're Yan Feng?" Qian Chen asked.
"Yes, I'm Yan Feng." Faced with Qian Chen's question, he clenched his fists, summoned his courage, and answered loudly.
"My name is Qian Chen, and I'm the lord of Angel Mountain Manor. I heard you begged the manor's people to bring you here?"
"Yes. Please take me in, Manor Lord!" Yan Feng said urgently.
"Why?"
"Because our village is too poor. The villagers have no money to awaken their Martial Souls. Those noble lords don't care whether we live or die. I don't know why, either, but my Martial Soul awakened on its own when I was seven. Yet after it awakened, it always carried a frightening presence. Whether they were from our village or the neighboring villages, everyone treated me as a monster and hid whenever they saw me. I don't want to live like that anymore, isolated and discriminated against."
Yan Feng paused to catch his breath, then continued, "Later, people from your Angel Mountain Manor came to our village and helped everyone awaken their Martial Souls for free. Although my Martial Soul awakened on its own, I'm still grateful that you gave the villagers a chance. The uncle who came to the village back then tested the Soul Power of a village monster like me and said I was a genius. Unfortunately, my Martial Soul was abnormal, and he said he didn't have the authority to bring me back without permission. Now that I've finally been allowed to come to Angel Mountain Manor, I don't want to go back. Since I have Soul Power, I can help people awaken their Martial Souls. Please teach me how to help people awaken their Martial Souls. Let me become someone useful, so people won't despise me as a monster because of my Martial Soul anymore."