Huo Yuhao said to the little girl in front of him with a slight apology,
"Child, your concealment skills are quite good; I didn't even notice you."
The black-haired, green-eyed little girl seemed intimidated by Huo Yuhao's cold gaze as he impersonated Shimura Danzo. Her body stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered, her mouth puffing out like a balloon.
"You adults are so annoying."
The petite girl tossed her head away, no longer looking at Huo Yuhao. She thought to herself,
"Their height is already set, but I can still grow."
"When I'm taller than them, I'll definitely look down on them!"
Having changed her mindset through the "Ah Q" mentality, the black-haired little girl turned back to Huo Yuhao, hands on her hips, and said,
"My name is Xiao Xiao. May I ask who you are?"
Hearing her name, Huo Yuhao's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected to meet her here. According to the plot, they should have met at Shrek Academy.
Huo Yuhao, who didn't plan to join Shrek Academy, originally thought they would never have any contact in this life.
Even if they did meet, it would be at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament, but he would be watching Xiao Xiao and the others compete from the audience.
Huo Yuhao had no intention of participating in such a competition. Being coveted by a bunch of people just for a few worthless soul bones was not in line with his way of life.
Participating in such a pointless competition would be an insult to his extraordinary wisdom.
Huo Yuhao concealed the strange glint in his eyes and then said,
"My name is Shimura Danzo."
Xiao Xiao tilted her head slightly in confusion, a hint of curiosity flashing in her clear green eyes.
"Shimura Danzo? What a strange name."
Seemingly realizing that her words were a bit off, Xiao Xiao quickly waved her hand and said,
"That's not what I meant. I just think your name is very... very... very unique!"
Huo Yuhao found it a little amusing to see Xiao Xiao's incoherent manner.
"It's okay, I don't mind."
"By the way, what is your relationship with President Xiao?" Seeing that
Huo Yuhao didn't seem to care, Xiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and then straightened her expression and said,
"He is my brother."
"Brother?" A knowing look flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
Xiao Xiao turned to look at Xiao Dingyuan, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes, her tone tinged with sorrow.
"Brother is amazing, it's just that he's changed in recent years."
Xiao Xiao clearly didn't want to dwell on this topic any longer, her tone becoming energetic again as she changed the subject, asking,
"Uncle Danzo, could you tell me how you got that scar on your chin? Of course, if that's too presumptuous, then forget it."
Seeing Xiao Xiao's curious expression, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and said,
"Sure, that's a story about the unspeakable tears of Konoha."
"I have a close friend named Hiruzen Sarutobi, and we live in a village called Konoha."
"We often train together, but I'm stronger than him in every way..."
He roughly recounted the somewhat wild history of Konoha to Xiao Xiao, feeling a sense of satisfaction seeing her admiring look.
Huo Yuhao thought he could try writing novels in the future; maybe he could make some money.
"Uncle Danzo, I need to pack my luggage now. Let's chat again next time." Xiao Xiao suddenly realized it was getting late and almost forgot she hadn't packed her luggage yet. She left immediately after saying this to Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao watched Xiao Xiao run into a house in the distance and shook his head. Just as he was about to turn around and ask Langshan about the mission plan, he suddenly noticed Xiao Dingyuan walking up to him with a smile on his face.
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly to him, and Xiao Dingyuan returned the greeting before gazing at the vibrant Xiao Xiao in the distance. Even though he tried his best to conceal it, Huo Yuhao still caught a hint of envy in his eyes.
"Lord Danzo, thank you for taking care of Xiao Xiao earlier."
"This child, because of her talent, has been confined at home to cultivate. It's a rare treat for her to come out, and she's very curious about everything in the world."
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "No trouble at all. It's a good thing for a child to be curious about the world; exploring the mysteries of the world is an essential part of the path of a Soul Master." "
The young lady's future is definitely immeasurable!"
After saying this, Huo Yuhao secretly used his spiritual power to carefully observe the changes in his expression.
Unexpectedly, he didn't show the slightest jealousy or resentment; instead, he seemed pleased.
"Then I'll take your kind words."
"Xiao Xiao and I are different. My martial soul underwent a malignant mutation, resulting in extremely poor talent; I'm still only a Great Soul Master. She, on the other hand, is seen as the family's future hope."
"But as her older brother, rather than a vague future, I hope she can live happily in the present."
Huo Yuhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed there wouldn't be any melodramatic sibling rivalry.
However, he was a little puzzled as to why Xiao Dingyuan would tell such clearly private matters to a complete stranger he'd only met once.
As the president of a chamber of commerce, Xiao Dingyuan possessed keen perception. Noticing Huo Yuhao's doubts, he explained,
"Although Xiao Xiao is young, his martial soul talent makes him very sensitive to the malice of others."
"Although your appearance isn't particularly friendly, you're willing to patiently tell a child stories of the past."
"Most importantly, I trust the intuition I've honed through years of traveling."
"Therefore, I believe you can be trusted."
"All this is to ask that you take good care of Xiao Xiao during this time. I can increase your reward to fifty gold soul coins."
Huo Yuhao nodded without hesitation, agreeing to his request. After all, it wasn't a particularly troublesome matter; it was a simple matter.
Besides, free gold soul coins were free money—fifty gold soul coins! How many grilled fish would he need to sell to earn that?
"Employer Xiao, Brother Danzo, you can come over now; we're about to depart."
After handling the division of labor within the mercenary group, Wolf Mountain called out to Huo Yuhao and Xiao Dingyuan in a rough voice from afar.
"Lord Danzo, let's prepare to depart."
Upon hearing Langshan's urging, Xiao Dingyuan exchanged a glance with Huo Yuhao, and the two returned to the escort team.
Led by Langshan and Xiao Dingyuan, a hundred-person caravan officially assembled on the official road of the Star Luo Empire outside the East Gate.
Members of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group served as outer guards on both sides, while twenty first-ring Soul Masters guarded the central caravan. At the heart of the caravan were several carriages filled with precious medicinal herbs and rare metals.
Langshan, as the highest-ranking Soul Venerable, was at the forefront of the caravan, responsible for early warning and deterrence.
Huo Yuhao was appointed by Xiao Dingyuan to protect Xiao Xiao and other important members of the merchant guild in the core area of the caravan.
Their planned route was to enter the Heavenly Soul Empire from Beiming City of the Star Luo Empire, then circle the Heavenly Dou Plain directly to Xuanfeng City.
They would not deviate from the official roads of the Star Luo Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire along the way.
Each empire's official roads were regularly patrolled by powerful figures, so high-age Soul Beasts were unlikely to appear around the roads.
Furthermore, as a matter of national prestige, it's unlikely that any high-level Soul Master would openly cause trouble on the official road.
After all, the three great empires currently have Title Douluos pledging their allegiance, which helps maintain the empire's image and prevents just anyone from coming to trample on it.
(End of Chapter)