He first calmly put down the bundle of collected branches, then picked up the bedding on the ground. He reached out and gently brushed the bedding, which was stained with dirty footprints, and his hands quickly became soiled.
Huo Yun'er was foolish; she wasn't a very intelligent woman. After all, she had been with Dai Hao since childhood, and her world only revolved around him. But Huo Yun'er was indeed a virtuous mother, a gentle mother. She gave all her love to Huo Yuhao, until the end of her life.
Having lived two lives, Huo Yuhao didn't know what motherly love was, but after soul-transmigrating into the body of the original "Huo Yuhao," the fragments of memory deep within his mind allowed him to experience motherly love for the first time.
It was a very warm presence, and this bed was the last love Huo Yun'er left for Huo Yuhao. But today, it was dirtied, and it wasn't just the bedding that was dirty; it was also a mother's worry for her son.
Footsteps slowly approached, seemingly anxious because there was no response to his words. A hand quickly rested on Huo Yuhao's left shoulder, and then a face filled with impatience leaned in, "Are you deaf?"
"What is it?" Huo Yuhao stepped slightly to the right, not allowing the hand to remain on his shoulder.
Standing before him was a strong man, about one meter seventy tall, with an ordinary face. He wore the White Tiger Duke's Mansion's special servant uniform, without any soul power fluctuations; he was just an ordinary person.
The man didn't have a name of his own; he was simply called Chai San, a servant after he entered the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. He wasn't old, just a little over twenty. He worked in the firewood room.
Chai San was somewhat surprised that Huo Yuhao dared to evade him. A trace of anger immediately rose on his face. "Why didn't you do today's firewood room tasks? Now I got scolded by Manager Wang."
Huo Yuhao turned to look at him and casually said, "I see you're in good shape. You should be able to complete those tasks yourself. What, have you been practicing martial arts and ruined your body, becoming a cripple?"
Chai San's eyes widened at Huo Yuhao's words. He couldn't believe that the son of a submissive maid dared to defy him, even insult him.
"You, a lowly bastard son of a maid, dare to curse at me." Chai San glared, raising his foot to kick at Huo Yuhao.
Judging by his practiced movements, it seemed he had done this many times before.
A cold smile played on Chai San's face, as if he could already see himself kicking the other person to the ground with a heavy blow. Then he would step forward and give him a few more kicks, teaching him what it meant to know his place.
However… unlike previous times, Huo Yuhao had a faint blue light flash in his eyes. He saw Chai San's movements beforehand and thoroughly etched them in his mind. With remarkable skill, he dodged to the side the instant Chai San kicked. This left Chai San kicking at nothing.
Chai San kicked at the air, perhaps surprised by the unexpected outcome. He froze for a moment. But this dodge had thoroughly angered him. Although he wasn't a soul master, he had learned a few moves; a common skill for non-soul masters on the Douluo Continent.
The next moment, he turned around, his stance steady. Then, with a few small steps forward, his fist, like a flung stone, smashed towards Huo Yuhao, who had just dodged. This punch was powerful and swift.
Chai San didn't live a day-to-day life. He ate meat every day.
Even though Huo Yuhao had the help of his Spiritual Eyes, which allowed him to track Chai San's movements in the dim environment, his frail body hadn't become stronger just from eating fish for a couple of months.
His mind could keep up, but his body couldn't. He was exhausted after a full day of work. As for the sheathed short blade at his waist, he probably wouldn't even have time to draw it before he was finished.
The fist cut through the rain, and water splashed off of it. Huo Yuhao's breath hitched, and his pupils dilated. The fist grew larger in his vision.
If that punch landed, he would probably fall into a baby-like sleep immediately.
But at this most dangerous moment, seemingly sensing the approaching danger, Huo Yuhao's deep blue eyes suddenly changed. A radiant sun appeared, and a crack opened once more at his brow.
"Heavenly Eye?"
As Huo Yuhao's gaze intensified, a peculiar phenomenon occurred. Chai San's body seemed to become transparent, and his movements slowed dramatically. Everything around them appeared to enter a bullet-time effect. Huo Yuhao could distinctly see a faint, flickering flame within Chai San's abdomen.
The next moment, Huo Yuhao felt his body temperature instantly rise. A special power within his brow guided him. Soon, the Heavenly Eye erupted with a thin ray of golden light, which struck Chai San's body directly.
The golden light enveloped the flame within Chai San, and visibly, the flame shriveled and dimmed, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished.
Chai San, however, was struck as if by lightning. His eyes glazed over, and his robust vitality instantly waned, as if his life force had been stripped away.
Bang!
In an instant, Chai San's actions ceased. His fist, only about ten centimeters from Huo Yuhao, suddenly dropped. Then, Chai San fell backward, collapsing onto the ground.
Another strange event unfolded. Invisible strands of energy emerged from Chai San's body and receded into Huo Yuhao's. Huo Yuhao saw it all through the Heavenly Eye.
He stood his ground, the radiant sun gone from his eyes, the Heavenly Eye dissipated. Cold sweat spread over his body, mixing with the rain. His chest heaved as he stared intently at Chai San, who had returned to normal and lay motionless on the ground.
Swallowing hard, Huo Yuhao reached up and touched his brow, feeling an incredibly warm sensation.
Is this the effect of the Heavenly Eye? But why didn't I pass out after using that golden light? And what was that energy that entered my body?
Huo Yuhao was puzzled.
"Thump, thump, thump."
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao's expression changed. He looked towards the courtyard gate, where several hurried footsteps were approaching.
Huo Yuhao gripped the short blade at his waist. He glanced deeply at Chai San, but ultimately lowered his hand. He then planned to slip out the small gate before anyone arrived, escaping the White Tiger Duke's Mansion early.
But after taking a few steps, he stopped, as if he had thought of something. He looked towards the west side of the mansion. Then, he acted decisively, clutching the thin bedding at his waist and leaving through the small gate on the other side of his room.
Less than five seconds after he left, six people rushed in through the main gate. Their clothing was no different from Chai San's; they were clearly servants from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion's wood shed.
"Xiao San!"
The six people were immediately stunned by what they saw as they entered the courtyard.
They saw Chai San lying on the ground like a dead man. If it weren't for the rise and fall of his chest and abdomen, he might have been mistaken for dead.
The six people hurriedly went forward to check Chai San's body.
However, a baffling situation occurred. Chai San's body had no external injuries, not a single wound.
"This..." One of the servants looked at his companions in surprise.
Everyone looked at each other, all of them not understanding the situation.
But soon, one of the servants noticed the bundles of branches piled on the ground not far away. He immediately thought of something and quickly walked to the small gate on the side of the courtyard. He saw that it had already been opened, directly facing a straight tunnel. Suddenly, an expression of disbelief appeared on this servant's face. But soon, this disbelief turned into excitement.
He hurried back into the courtyard, shouting excitedly, "That little bastard hurt someone! He ran out the back!"
Hearing this, the other five people all looked up at once.
A servant who had gone to check the small gate said excitedly, "Carry Chai San. Let's go directly to Manager Wang."
"Aren't we sending Chai San to the infirmary?" One of the servants looked at the unconscious Chai San.
"Bring him to Manager Wang. He won't die so quickly."
Hearing this, the others no longer hesitated. Together, they lifted Chai San and left the dilapidated firewood room.
Please read and support! Please vote for recommendations!
(End of chapter)