After traveling for an entire day, Huo Yuhao and Zhongli Yu finally returned to the Star Luo Empire.
In this lifetime, Huo Yun'er's tomb had been relocated by Huo Yuhao to a hidden forest area—secluded enough that even if war were to break out in the future, it would be unlikely to be affected. After paying respects to his mother, Huo Yuhao instinctively started walking toward the old site of the Duke's Mansion.
Before they even got close, the sound of bustling activity reached their ears. Huo Yuhao's expression darkened instantly, and a faint, blood-tinged killing intent began to rise from his body.
Sure enough, once they reached the site, a scene of intense reconstruction unfolded before them. It was obvious that, to appease the White Tiger Duke, the Star Luo royal family had invested significant manpower and resources into rebuilding the mansion. With help from architecture-savvy soul masters, much of the rebuilding had already been completed in just a year.
Zhongli Yu was one of the few within the Holy Spirit Sect who knew Huo Yuhao's origins. Seeing the gloom on his face, a nameless fury also stirred within her.
"I'll tear it down myself!" she said, about to act.
But Huo Yuhao stopped her with a firm grip.
"If he can rebuild it once, he can do it again. Let it go."
"But…" Zhongli Yu wanted to argue further, but Huo Yuhao firmly shook his head. He had no interest in such meaningless actions. The White Tiger Duke, after all, was his biological father. From what was described in the original story, Dai Hao was indeed a heroic man—loyal to his country and people. But he also inherited the old Dai family tradition of womanizing and neglecting his wife and children—going so far as to allow his sons to turn against each other.
From a public standpoint, Dai Hao was a marshal who bled for the nation—a man worthy of respect. But from the perspective of his family, he was a complete failure: indulging in pleasures outside while neglecting his own son. Even setting aside the existence of Huo Yuhao (whom he likely didn't even know about), the way he treated Dai Luoli in the early parts of the story said enough.
Men like him were hard to judge. No one is a saint. Perspective is everything.
But to Huo Yuhao, he was just a stranger—not a father. Especially when, in his past life, he had two loving parents who cherished him.
So no matter what, Huo Yuhao would never acknowledge himself as the son of Duke Dai Hao.
"Let's go," he said, not sparing the rebuilding site a second glance. He turned and headed directly north. Zhongli Yu seemed like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just silently followed.
They stepped onto the official road. Huo Yuhao pulled out a simple map of the continent. Both the Duke's Mansion and Star Luo City were located in the central-northern region of the Star Luo Empire. According to the original story, Huo Yuhao had chosen to hunt for soul beasts in the Great Star Dou Forest, located in the northern reaches of the empire near the border with the Heaven Dou Empire. The forest, nearly the size of a whole province, was home to an immense variety of soul beasts—including many terrifyingly powerful ones.
The road was straight and well-paved. Huo Yuhao and Zhongli Yu sprinted swiftly along the roadside. After a year of physical tempering, Huo Yuhao's raw physical strength far exceeded that of most Soul Elders.
As they rushed forward, Huo Yuhao circulated his soul power and scanned the distant horizon with his spiritual-enhanced vision. Ever since his Spiritual Eyes had further awakened, his sight had far surpassed the limits of ordinary people. At close range, he could see the flow of soul power within an opponent's body. At long range, he could see distances many times farther than normal.
"We've been traveling for several hours. We should be getting close," he muttered while comparing his position on the map to the shadows cast by the surrounding trees.
Wiping sweat from his brow, Huo Yuhao and Zhongli Yu veered off the road into the woods. They found a shady spot and were just about to sit down and meditate to recover their strength when the sound of flowing water reached their ears—instantly stirring a mischievous spark in Huo Yuhao's mind.
Less than 200 meters away, he found a small stream about three meters wide. The water was crystal clear, bringing a refreshing chill to the air.
"Do you like fish?" he asked Zhongli Yu.
Huo Yuhao had always been skilled at grilling fish. Even though his soul had changed, the muscle memory in his body remained intact. Cooking, after all, isn't easily forgotten.
To his surprise, Zhongli Yu shook her head. After years spent in the stench-ridden Holy Spirit Sect, she had developed a preference for fruits and vegetables. Along the way, she had gathered quite a few wild fruits and herbs.
"Then no grilled fish today," Huo Yuhao said, shrugging. He didn't mind giving up the plan. After all, the Tang Sect duo, who would soon change Huo Yuhao's life in the original timeline, might be appearing soon. He had no desire to get too entangled with them.
"If you like it, just make it. Don't worry about me," Zhongli Yu said lazily, sitting on a tree stump and casually lifting a fruit toward her mouth—only to have Huo Yuhao stop her.
"I'll make you a fruit and veggie salad. You'll love it," he said with a fond smile. As she looked at him with lazy, half-lidded eyes, Huo Yuhao pulled out a small knife and started slicing skillfully.
Salad dressing was simple enough to make—egg yolk, fruit syrup, a bit of plant oil. He had bought these ingredients along the way. In this world, there was no such thing as cultivators who could go without food. Even Title Douluo needed sustenance outside of seclusion.
As she watched Huo Yuhao move back and forth preparing the meal, Zhongli Yu's gaze grew distant. She couldn't even remember what her parents looked like anymore—only fragments of memory remained, like her mother's busy figure in the kitchen when she was small.
Making the salad wasn't difficult. Huo Yuhao washed and shredded the wild greens, poured the dressing, carved a fork from a twig, and handed the plate to Zhongli Yu.
"Try it?" he said gently. In his past life, girls loved this kind of food, so he figured she might too.
"You feed me," Zhongli Yu said coquettishly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You…" Huo Yuhao laughed, helpless.
Her lips parted slightly, pink and alluring—hard to resist. The young man forced down his rising heat and gently fed her a bite.
Zhongli Yu chewed thoughtfully, and her eyes lit up in delight. Hugging Huo Yuhao's arm, she exclaimed, "More, more!"
"Can't you eat by yourself? I'm starving too," Huo Yuhao said as he fed her another bite, all while trying not to lose his composure. The longer he stayed near this temptress, the more afraid he became of losing control. He instinctively tried to sneak away.
"I'll feed you then…" Zhongli Yu reacted swiftly, grabbed Huo Yuhao's head, and pressed her lips onto his.
Huo Yuhao's eyes went wide in shock. Before he could react, Zhongli Yu had pushed him down onto the grass.
"You young people really go wild, huh?"
Bibi Dong's voice rang coldly in his mind.
I can't take this anymore, Huo Yuhao screamed internally. But if she feeds me, I'll just have to feed her back…
"Ah—!"
Just as the two were entangled on the ground, a sharp, high-pitched voice rang out.
They broke apart and looked toward the sound—only to see two people standing by the stream. The girl in front looked about fifteen or sixteen, her long black hair tied into a ponytail, dressed in a light blue training outfit that emphasized her youthful energy.
Almond-shaped eyes full of life, a sharp, delicate nose, and a near-perfect oval face now tinged with both embarrassment and indignation. She pointed at them with a trembling finger.
Behind her stood a boy of about the same age, tall and upright, with short dark-blue hair that shimmered like gemstones in the sun. Though still young, he had a calm and scholarly demeanor, his handsome face carrying a lazy but warm smile. His hands were clasped behind his back, eyes respectfully averted.
Oh hell no! Why is the timeline collapsing already?! It's them!
Huo Yuhao nearly exploded. He had tried to leave early, but Zhongli Yu delayed him—and now they'd still ended up running into these two.
"You… What are you doing?!" Tang Ya's voice trembled as if she'd witnessed something unspeakable. Her cheeks flushed red, incredibly cute despite her indignation.
Huo Yuhao had seen plenty of pretty girls—even in the Duke's Mansion, the maids were often quite beautiful. Zhongli Wu had even assigned him a pair of twins. But none of them could compare to the girl before him. She wasn't a flawless beauty, but she possessed a rare natural charm.
"Uh… this…" Huo Yuhao scratched his head, unsure how to explain.
From an outsider's view, it looked like a seductive woman was taking advantage of a naive young boy—and the boy seemed very willing. It was a… complicated image.
"小雅 (Xiao Ya), this is someone else's business. Let's just walk around," said Bei Bei, who had already walked up. He awkwardly raised his hands toward Huo Yuhao in a gesture of apology.
Tang Ya turned to glare. "What did you just call me?"
Bei Bei immediately raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay—Teacher Xiao Ya, alright? Let's go."
Zhongli Yu gave them a long look, then covered her lips and laughed charmingly. "Don't mind us. Actually, I'm his child bride. You could say… his future wife."
Child bride? Huo Yuhao nearly gave her a thumbs-up. Technically, Zhongli Yu was something like that—a fiancée raised by his side since youth.
Hearing the phrase "child bride," Bei Bei's face instantly darkened. Seemed it triggered some deep-rooted memory of his own.
"What's a… child bride?" Tang Ya asked, clearly confused.
[End of Chapter]
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