Dai Hao's mouth twitched.
Could it really be that his wife had stirred up trouble again?
"Phew…"
Letting out a deep breath, Dai Hao finally unfolded the letter.
It was in his son's familiar handwriting, beginning with the usual greetings.
As he read further, however, his expression gradually turned strange.
Aside from pleasantries, the letter described an incident involving his two children—Dai Huabin and… Hm? Huo Yutong?
Dai Hao's brows furrowed tightly.
Since when did he have a daughter… and with the surname Huo, no less?
The last time he had returned to the Duke's Mansion was over ten years ago. He had no choice—being one of the Empire's true pillars was not an empty title, but one earned through real battle.
If he returned home, it would be nearly impossible for the Star Luo Empire to find anyone who would be able to replace him.
Thus, he had long felt guilty toward his main wife, who had endured years of loneliness. Because of that, he had left all affairs of the inner residence in her hands.
His memory of his main wife's appearance was slightly blurred, let alone those of his concubines.
But then, as he continued to read Dai Yueheng's explanation below…
Huo Yun'er…
Dai Hao suddenly understood. He vaguely remembered her—she had been his personal maidservant. At some point, she had borne him a daughter?
Forget it…
His frown deepened.
To privately change the family name…
If word spread, the Duke's Mansion would surely be mocked as failing in discipline.
But even so, that alone shouldn't have warranted Dai Yueheng's urgent letter.
So, he forced himself to keep reading.
And what he read next left him utterly dumbfounded.
His legitimate son, Dai Huabin, had threatened his daughter, Huo Yutong. He had said that since he couldn't suppress her within Shrek Academy, he planned to… have the main wife of the Duke's Mansion deal with Huo Yun'er instead?
Dai Hao's mouth opened slightly, his patience fraying.
That boy—bringing shame was one thing, but to lose face at Shrek Academy of all places?
If not for the thousands of li separating them, he would've wanted to drag his son back and beat him bloody.
Oh…
So his precious son had already been beaten up and was currently recuperating?
Reading further, Dai Hao's head swam in confusion.
This letter was strange from beginning to end.
Such a trivial matter, and yet his son was beaten into the hospital—and even required an Inner Court teacher for treatment? Was that really necessary?
But when he reached the latter half of the letter, Dai Hao suddenly froze.
The moment Neuvillette's name appeared, his eyelids twitched violently.
This Shrek Academy "monster," his eldest son's classmate…
He had a deep impression of him.
Just last year, in this very mountain range, as a member of the Imperial Inspection Corps leading Shrek's team, he had received intelligence of an evil soul master nest and joined the operation to annihilate it.
And at that time, he had truly realized what the word "monster" meant.
Faced with an evil soul master at the Title Douluo level, even he had been helpless, unable to prevail.
But that deep-blue figure had charged straight ahead.
Armed with nothing more than his Soul Emperor cultivation, he managed to drive the enemy back and severely wound the Holy Spirit Sect's Seventh Elder.
Later, from his eldest son's letters, he learned that within half a year of that battle, Neuvillette had already advanced to Soul Sage. Soon after, in the Great Star Dou Forest, he even fought a 100,000-year soul beast one-on-one—and won!
Toward this so-called Holy Son of the Sea God's Pavilion…
He repeatedly warned Dai Yueheng—no matter what, he must never become his enemy!
And now…
Dai Hao's tiger eyes widened.
According to his eldest son's words between the lines, this young man intended to stand up for his youngest daughter—and even bring Huo Yun'er into Shrek Academy?
"This…"
Dai Hao's face twisted with conflicting emotions.
Put bluntly, wasn't this a slap to his face?
The given reason is that the Duke's Mansion was unsafe.
If word spread, the Duke's Mansion would become the laughingstock of the imperial capital.
Yet, anger aside, he ground his teeth and kept reading to the end.
And then, his fury subsided.
For at the bottom of the letter, it said:
"Neuvillette has now broken through to Soul Douluo. His eighth soul ring is once again a 100,000-year soul ring. Compared to half a year ago, his strength has soared to another level…"
Dai Hao's mouth opened wide, the corner of his eye twitching madly.
His son's words felt more like a reminder directed at him—
Do not lose your temper. Do not refuse.
Because if Neuvillette wished, he could come here, grab him by the neck like a chicken, and drag him back to the Duke's Mansion.
His strength had already reached the level where he could disregard most rules…
"Damn it all!"
Slamming the letter down, Dai Hao fumed for a split second, then sighed helplessly.
From the sound of it, he had his eldest son to thank for keeping things from collapsing.
Otherwise…
He slowly recalled the youth's true identity—
The Holy Son of the Sea God's Pavilion.
Because of his absurdly powerful strength, people often forgot his even more terrifying background.
"Can't provoke him, can't provoke him!"
Cursing under his breath, Dai Hao picked up his brush and began writing a reply.
In the days that followed, the freshman assessment proceeded in full swing.
The three little ones bulldozed their way through, and after defeating the team of the Lan Susu sisters, they secured first place.
Just as in the original timeline, they successfully claimed the top spot.
They were rewarded with a soul bone gifted by Du Weilun.
This also marked the beginning of Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo's fierce competition over students—resources practically thrown around without restraint.
Following Neuvillette's advice, the young girl committed to dual cultivation in both departments. Unlike her previous life, where she balanced both evenly, this time she placed her main focus on the Soul Tool Department.
Time flew by, and the semester drew to a close.
Winter break arrived.
At last, the girl was reunited with the mother she had longed for day and night.
Throwing herself into Huo Yun'er's arms, she sobbed softly.
"This child… hasn't caused trouble for the Holy Son, has she?"
Huo Yun'er's gentle face gazed at the girl before quickly turning to Neuvillette with a cautious look.
"It's fine."
Neuvillette shook his head lightly, watching the tender reunion between mother and daughter.
Now that Huo Yun'er was also safe within Shrek Academy, he could finally relax— no longer a need to worry about Tang San scheming from the shadows.
The original plan for the winter break had been to visit the Extreme North.
But with the Ice Empress gone, that plan was set aside.
As for Wang Dong, he seemed to have had some conflict with the Clear Sky Sect.
A little dejected, he stayed behind in the villa, not returning to the sect to obtain his third soul ring as he had in the original timeline.
"You two catch up. I'll go check on Wang Dong."
Waving his hand, Neuvillette's figure disappeared from their sight.
(End of Chapter)