"Mama, Mama, I'm back!"
Huo Yuhao ran all the way to the woodshed behind the servant's living quarters. There was no bed in the room, only a few thin blankets spread on the ground. A woman lay there, her face pale, her brows tightly furrowed, and her exposed arms covered in bruises.
Seeing his mother in such a state, Huo Yuhao's tears streamed down uncontrollably. Just a few days prior, while helping his mother hang clothes, he had accidentally bumped into Dai Huabin and was then surrounded and beaten by Dai Huabin's guards.
Later, Huo Yun'er heard the commotion and came out to shield him in her arms. However, Huo Yun'er was just an ordinary person, and after a severe beating, she developed a high fever and became bedridden. In desperation, Huo Yuhao had no choice but to take out the only savings the mother and son had, hoping to get some Medicinal Pills from the pharmacy.
But the servants in the Duke's Mansion had all been instructed by the Duchess, so no one would help them.
Fortunately, fortunately…
Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao carefully opened his right hand. The Medicinal Pill still emitted a faint emerald green glow.
He rummaged around the room for a while, found a tattered water skin, filled it with clear water, and then put the Medicinal Pill inside.
The emerald green Medicinal Pill dissolved into the water, and after a moment, it transformed into streaks of flowing light, merging with the clear water. Huo Yuhao leaned slightly closer to the mouth of the water skin and could feel a cool Energy emanating from the water. It was as if a gentle breeze swept through his limbs and bones, and even the wounds on his body didn't hurt as much.
Huo Yuhao quickly helped his mother up and brought the water skin to her mouth, feeding her a few sips.
He remembered Wang Nan's words to him. After seeing about a quarter of the water in the water skin decrease, he put it away, then looked at his mother with anticipation.
After a while, Huo Yun'er first coughed twice, then slowly opened her eyes.
"Mama, how are you feeling?"
"Yuhao." Huo Yun'er raised her hand and stroked Huo Yuhao's hair.
"Mama, how about we go outside to get you treated?" Huo Yuhao looked at Huo Yun'er with wide eyes.
"Outside?" Huo Yun'er patted the back of Huo Yuhao's head with a hint of heartache. "How could anyone outside be willing to treat Mama?"
"I mean outside the Duke's Mansion. How about we leave the Duke's Mansion?"
"Leave?" Huo Yun'er looked out through the woodshed door, her thoughts drifting far away. "But if we leave, your father, he…"
"I don't have a father!" Huo Yuhao suddenly stood up, his face flushed. "That man is not my father at all. If it weren't for him, if it weren't for him…"
Huo Yuhao was somewhat exasperated and choked several times before he could utter a complete sentence. "If he truly cared about you, Mama, why hasn't he looked at us, mother and son, for so many years? He has absolute authority in this Duke's Mansion. If he had just spoken a word, we wouldn't have had to suffer so much injustice all these years. He doesn't have Mama in his heart, he doesn't have us, mother and son!"
Huo Yun'er looked at Huo Yuhao before her. His face was covered in tears, and the wound on his forehead had split open again, seeping traces of fresh blood. She struggled to pull Huo Yuhao into her embrace, gently patting his back. Tears streamed from Huo Yun'er's eyes, and the persistence she had held in her heart for so many years seemed to shatter then.
Huo Yuhao and his mother embraced and wept, yet subconsciously, the image of another person came to Huo Yuhao's mind.
…
"Achoo—"
Wang Nan had just entered Star Luo City when his nose tickled, and he sneezed loudly. It seemed he was about to go home, and his mother at home was already thinking of him.
However, from here, it wasn't far to his home. In a moment, Wang Nan had already entered his house and saw the familiar courtyard.
The courtyard was not large, and its decorations were very simple, unable to compare with Shrek Academy or the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. But every time he was away from home, he couldn't help but think of this simple courtyard, and every time he returned, a sense of peace would fill his heart.
"Dad, Mom, I'm back."
"Nan'er! It's good you're back. Let me take a good look." Wang Nan's mother heard the sound and walked out of the room, grasping his arms. Her first glance fell upon the clothes Wang Nan was wearing, which he had gotten from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. "Where did you buy these new clothes? They look so nice."
"A classmate gave them to me. How do they look? Do they fit me well?" Wang Nan didn't tell his mother the true origin of the clothes; he just turned around once for her to see more clearly.
His mother was just an ordinary person. Although his father was a Spirit King, she only had a superficial understanding of Spirit Master matters and had never encountered nobles like the White Tiger Duke. If she had heard about his experiences yesterday, she would likely be even more worried.
Therefore, he had concealed yesterday's events, and the blood-stained clothes had already been secretly disposed of.
"They fit…" Wang Nan's mother watched as Wang Nan turned around, revealing the embroidered tiger-shaped dark pattern on the back of the clothes. She paused slightly, then nodded. "They do fit well. This wouldn't be from a girl, would it?"
"No, it's a boy." Wang Nan paused, then explained, "I helped him with a small favor, and he gave me this."
"It doesn't look cheap." Wang Nan's mother touched it again, seemingly checking the fabric of the clothes.
"It's alright, I don't think it's as good as Shrek Academy's uniform." Wang Nan looked around but didn't see his father, Wang Xing. "Oh, where's my dad? Why haven't I seen him?"
"Alas, your dad took a commission to help someone hunt for a spirit ring." Wang Nan's mother's tone also held a hint of worry.
Attack system Spirit Masters like Wang Nan were fine, possessing the ability to acquire spirit rings on their own. But some support system or food system Spirit Masters lacked the ability to fight Spirit Beasts head-on. Therefore, without fixed teammates, they could only pay other Spirit Masters to help them hunt for spirit rings.
This wasn't the first time Wang Xing had taken on such a commission. The two suitable Spirit Beasts he had noticed for Wang Nan back then were encountered precisely while he was on such a commission.
"There are still people acquiring spirit rings at the end of the year, huh?"
"He left a few days ago; he should be back soon." Wang Nan's mother led Wang Nan into the house. "Never mind your dad for now. How long do you plan to stay this time? Is it like last year, where you go back to school when it's almost time for classes to start?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'm an Inner Courtyard Disciple now, so my time is more flexible than when I was in the Outer Courtyard."
"Then you should go back even sooner." Wang Nan's mother said sternly, "Although I'm not a Spirit Master, I know that a Spirit Master's cultivation is most important before the age of thirty. Since you have a better opportunity for cultivation, you must seize it well."
"I know."