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Chapter 10 – What a Strong Flavor!
After passing the gate inspection, the mother and son entered the bustling city. The streets were alive with the flow of people and carriages, the air thick with the sounds of hawkers and chatter.
Compared to the silent Huo Yuhao, his mother Huo Yun'er was the one constantly looking around, curiosity shining in her gentle eyes as she took in everything around her.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao's calm voice sounded beside her ear.
"Mom."
Huo Yun'er looked down at him in surprise. "What is it, Yuhao?"
"I want to change my name to Huo Yuhao."
The abrupt declaration made Huo Yun'er freeze in place. Before she could react, Huo Yuhao's voice came again, firmer and deeper than before.
"From today onward, I am only your son—not the son of the White Tiger Duke. Those people in the Duke's Mansion who humiliated and tormented you... I'll make sure every single one of them pays the price."
At his words, Huo Yun'er's nose tingled, and her eyes moistened. Her hand instinctively tightened around his.
If this had been before, she might have tried to dissuade him, clinging to that last shred of hope that his noble bloodline might give him a better life someday.
But after all that had happened, she could no longer bring herself to say those words.
"Yuhao... don't be impulsive."
Huo Yun'er drew in a deep breath and said softly, "Mom doesn't care whether you take revenge or not. As long as you can live a peaceful, safe life, that's all I ever wish for."
"Don't worry, Mom." A faint smile curved Huo Yuhao's lips. "Your son's not someone weak—he's very stro—"
Before he could finish, a commotion erupted some distance ahead. Pedestrians turned their heads, whispering and exchanging curious glances as more and more people gathered toward the noise.
The two walked closer and stopped at the outer edge of the crowd. Through a gap, Huo Yuhao could see a youth about his own age standing before the entrance of a blacksmith's forge. The boy's expression was dark and cold as he glared at several middle-aged men walking out of the shop.
"You promised wages would be paid monthly," the youth said, his tone sharp. "I've already worked a full month. Why are you suddenly saying you're cutting half my pay?"
"Kid, do you even understand the rules?"
The leading middle-aged man sneered, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.
"You go ask around. Which apprentice doesn't give their first month's wages as a token of respect to their master? I'm only taking half—already generous enough! Don't like it? Then get lost!"
The moment the words fell, Huo Yuhao noticed the faint flicker of killing intent flashing deep within the youth's eyes. His brows furrowed slightly, a strange thought rising in his mind—only for him to suppress it a moment later.
The youth clearly refused to back down. Knowing he was in the right, his voice grew louder, filled with indignation.
"I may be just an apprentice, but I've done as much work as anyone else here! Give me my full wages!"
As more onlookers gathered, the middle-aged man's patience snapped. "Want your pay? Fine! Return all those scraps of metal you've been sneaking away first!"
He'd long noticed that this new apprentice often pocketed bits of leftover material—metal that could've been reforged and reused—using them to craft something on his own. He'd turned a blind eye before because the boy's skills weren't bad.
But since the brat didn't know how to show respect, there was no need to save face any longer.
The surrounding crowd murmured in understanding. So it was just another squabble between a stingy master and a defiant apprentice. Their gazes turned strange, falling on the youth, whose expression had already turned as black as ink.
That youth, naturally, was Tang San after his rebirth.
To save enough money for his upcoming Spirit Awakening and to purchase medicinal herbs, he had secretly come to another forge to work. After all, his father's own smithy barely had business, and if Tang Ba knew his son could earn money from smithing, the money would likely all be spent on liquor.
As a son who held filial piety above all else, Tang San had no complaints about buying wine for his father—but strength came first. Only by becoming stronger could he truly fulfill his filial duty.
Thus, he'd chosen to earn secretly, forging by day to fund his cultivation path.
He hadn't expected the shop owner to target him, thinking him easy to bully because of his age.
All he'd done was collect some discarded scraps to forge hidden weapons—nothing of value. In his previous life, he'd done the same, and besides, he wasn't the only one taking those scraps. Yet, the owner ignored everyone else and singled him out before a crowd.
No wonder smithing had declined so badly in this era. If every forge oppressed its apprentices like this, demanding bribes and withholding pay, who would still want to be a blacksmith in the future?
In his past life, Tang San had been the son of a Divine Blacksmith. How could he tolerate someone desecrating such a sacred profession?
His fists clenched tight—but soon loosened again.
No. He was still too weak. Though his hidden weapons could easily take down these few smiths, this was Heaven Dou City—a place under strict enforcement. If he made a move now, the City Guard would be upon him in moments. He could only endure.
Endure!
The lessons he'd learned in the Moon Pavilion during his previous life resurfaced once more. Tang San's rise to become an Enforcer of the Divine Realm had never relied solely on power—it was because he could read the times, weigh the situation, and act when the moment was right.
Suppressing the killing intent in his heart, Tang San exhaled slowly and said with composure,"I thought those scraps were abandoned, useless materials. I took them only to avoid waste. But since you insist otherwise... I'll forfeit half the wages as compensation."
His tone was calm, yet an icy glint flickered in his eyes.
I'll let you live a little longer. Just for now.
Judging by their practiced trickery, this wasn't the first time they'd cheated apprentices. In his previous life, as the Asura God, known throughout the Divine Realm for his unbending justice, Tang San would naturally not allow such filth to exist unchecked.
When the time came, he'd make them pay back every coin of ill-gotten wealth—and perhaps those funds could even go toward buying herbs for his Spirit Awakening. A perfect balance between justice and gain.
If not for the need to conceal his identity, he'd already have struck tonight. But to avoid suspicion, he'd have to wait. Let the matter cool first.
Finishing his words, he turned and left through the crowd, his small figure soon vanishing into the busy street.
The onlookers sighed and began to disperse, disappointed there was no fight to see.
Among them, Huo Yuhao stood silent, a strange look flickering across his face.
Why… does this feel so familiar?
An odd sense of déjà vu washed over him, and suddenly, a thought struck him like lightning.
Could Tang San… have been reborn too?
Huo Yuhao's gaze flickered, but he quickly regained his composure. Whether Tang San had also returned from the past or not, it didn't matter for now. The most important thing was to grow stronger.
Even if Tang San truly had been reborn in the same era, Huo Yuhao felt no fear.
After all, if they started from the same line... he didn't believe Tang San would surpass him again.
The one he truly had to prepare himself for... was the being in the heavens above—
Before his thoughts could deepen, the crowd dispersed completely. Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er turned to leave, but he suddenly stopped and called out to one of the middle-aged blacksmiths who had been walking back toward the forge.
"Excuse me," Huo Yuhao said politely, "I'd like to order a custom furnace."
The man froze mid-step, turning back with a hint of surprise. Seeing the poised, calm boy beside the beautiful woman, he didn't dare look down on him because of his age.
"Oh? What kind of furnace would you like, young man?"
(End of Chapter)