Chapter 2 Father and Son
The newcomer was towering, standing at least two meters tall. He wore short sleeves, revealing his powerfully muscular arms. A wide cloak hung down his back, the insignia of a general in the Star Luo army.
His chiseled, resolute face exuded an imposing, dignified aura, the subtle chilling presence of which made everyone who met his gaze instinctively assume this steely man was a seasoned soldier, a veteran of countless battles.
Yet, with each step he took closer, the chilling aura emanating from this imposing man gradually vanished, replaced by tenderness and affection in his eyes.
Braving the increasingly heavy rain, he reached the tombstone, knelt beside Huo Yuhao, and placed a bouquet of yellow and white chrysanthemums on the ground.
He was Huo Yuhao's biological father in this life, Duke White Tiger, Dai Hao.
Huo Yuhao didn't consider him his father, but instead asked indifferently, "Why is Duke Baihu here instead of commanding the battle at the front?"
Duke Baihu didn't get up, remaining in a crouching position, and replied, "There aren't as many battles this year. We've temporarily signed a ceasefire agreement. And..."
He looked affectionately at the tombstone before him, gently stroking the three characters "Huo Yun'er" on it, wiping away the raindrops.
"Today is Yun'er's seventh day after death, I had to come back to see her." Do they
also observe the seventh day after death in Douluo Continent?
Huo Yuhao didn't think much of it, only scoffing disdainfully.
"Tch, pretentious."
"Why didn't you do this earlier?"
Duke Baihu didn't refute; he knew he owed this mother and son too much.
If an outsider saw this scene, they would be utterly astonished.
Why could Duke Baihu tolerate the boy's disrespect?
In terms of status, he was second only to the Star Luo Empire's royal family.
In terms of power, he was the White Tiger Marshal, commanding the entire army.
In terms of strength, he was an eight-ring Soul Douluo, almost certain to inherit his ancestor's title as White Tiger Douluo.
It's important to know that in this world, strength is divided into ten levels based on soul power: Soul Warrior, Soul Master, Great Soul Master, Soul Venerable, Soul Sect Master, Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Saint, Soul Douluo, and Titled Douluo.
If an expert were present, it wouldn't be difficult to discern that this young man's soul power was barely level ten, he hadn't even obtained his first soul ring, and he wasn't even a formal Soul Master.
What right did this young man have to mock him?
Neither of them spoke, letting the rain pelt them.
After a long while, the White Tiger Duke spoke: "It's a bit unfair to Yun'er to be buried here."
This was just a remote hilly area next to the Duke's mansion.
Huo Yuhao shrugged and said, "There's nothing I can do about it. I'm afraid if I buried her in the ancestral land, your wife might not be able to take care of her properly."
Huo Yuhao emphasized the word "might not" in his voice.
Duke Baihu remained silent, seemingly acquiescing to Huo Yuhao's words.
Huo Yuhao gazed down the mountain at the Duke's mansion. The sprawling mansion remained brightly lit even on this rainy day.
The tombstone faced the mansion, fulfilling Huo Yun'er's last wish.
Huo Yuhao's right hand slid across his belt-shaped storage soul tool, revealing a short blade, over a foot long, sheathed, in his hand.
He skillfully wielded the blade, making it dance and twirl like a butterfly among flowers, a dazzling display. One couldn't help but exclaim that this young man was a master of the blade.
"This is…"
Duke Baihu paused, startled.
He was intimately familiar with the short blade in Huo Yuhao's hand.
It was a gift he had given to Huo Yun'er many years ago—the White Tiger Dagger.
This might be… one of the few things he had ever given Huo Yun'er.
Huo Yuhao's movements ceased; the White Tiger Dagger stopped spinning and was placed in a groove in the tombstone's design.
Huo Yuhao knew how much Huo Yun'er cherished the White Tiger Dagger, treating it like a priceless treasure, even holding it in her dying moments as if it were her lover's hand.
"Yuhao, accept it," the White Tiger Duke said, standing up. "This is a soul tool."
A soul tool?
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't even noticed? Had he regressed?
He was extremely skilled with knives, and this dagger felt better than ordinary ones from the start.
It was light and easy to handle; even without being sheathed, its sharpness was palpable.
As for soul tools, they were devices infused with soul power to perform various special functions. Huo Yuhao was familiar with them; the belt he was wearing was a storage soul tool.
Soul tools weren't particularly valuable; with his current status as a duke's illegitimate son, he could easily acquire some.
"Seeing it in the future will remind you of your mother," Dai Hao continued to persuade him.
Huo Yuhao remained silent, putting the White Tiger Dagger back into his belt.
Duke Baihu breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly feeling that the relationship between father and son had eased somewhat. He said, "Yuhao, change your surname..."
Huo Yuhao interrupted him, "I'm not surnamed Dai, I'm surnamed Huo!"
"My name is Huo Yuhao!"
Perhaps Duke Baihu had discussed this issue many times before, because Huo Yuhao knew what he was going to say as soon as he opened his mouth.
Whew—
the rain lessened, the wind picked up.
Duke Baihu slowly spoke, "Yuhao, you... still won't forgive me?"
Huo Yuhao coldly replied, "What do you owe me?"
He pointed to Huo Yun'er's tombstone and said, "You wronged her! Not me, I have no right to forgive you!"
Duke Baihu felt a lump in his throat, wanting to say something, but only endless sighs came out.
Huo Yuhao looked at the sighing Duke Baihu, his feelings complicated.
He didn't want to forgive this biological father, but he also didn't know what to say to him.
After all, this man had already tried his best to make amends. Because he felt guilty towards the mother and son, Duke Baihu had already provided them with abundant material comforts. Huo Yuhao even received a privilege unique to the entire Duke's mansion:
the right to disrespect Duke Baihu!
This allowed Huo Yuhao to speak sarcastically to Duke Baihu at will.
Even if Dai Huabin, his half-brother from the Duchess's father and of similar age, dared to speak to Duke Baihu like that, Huo Yuhao would have slapped him across the face long ago.
But Huo Yuhao only did this on a few occasions when no one else was around, because he deeply understood that he had to save face for Duke Baihu.
Duke Baihu tolerated his disrespect because he felt guilty and wanted to be true to himself.
Others didn't care about such things.
Huo Yuhao didn't know what attitude he should choose towards Duke Baihu. He had once thought he would hate him to the core, but when Duke Baihu lowered his stance in front of him, he felt his hatred wasn't so intense anymore. "Never mind
, let it be... "
Huo Yuhao stopped thinking about it. Recalling the smile on his mother's face before she passed away, he felt somewhat relieved. He would assume, for the time being, that his mother and Duke White Tiger had already reconciled.
"Yuhao, what do you plan to do in the future?" Just as Huo Yuhao was pondering, Duke White Tiger spoke again.
(End of Chapter)