Chapter 4 Huo Yuhao
Huo Yun'er thought that Dai Yuhao had not awakened the Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul, and finally could not bear the oppressive life in the Duke's mansion, so she wanted to escape from this place.
Although the mother and son were seriously ill and only six years old, it would be difficult for them to survive outside even if they left the Duke's mansion.
After all, at least here she could do some odd jobs to earn supplies. Outside the Duke's mansion, Huo Yun'er had only ever been a maid, only knowing how to serve others. But now, in her weakened state, who would hire her?
As for his son's claim that he wanted to treat his illness, that was utterly a pipe dream. How could he get treatment without money?
"Yuhao, after leaving the Duke's mansion, although you will no longer be bullied, life may become more difficult. You should be mentally prepared."
Before leaving, Huo Yun'er made sure to tell Dai Yuhao the consequences: once he left the Duke's mansion, it would be virtually impossible for him to come back.
Upon hearing his mother's words, Dai Yuhao immediately realized that his mother still considered him a child who needed her care. He knew that leaving the Duke's mansion and losing the support of some of the elderly people he had once been close to would make life very difficult.
"Mom, don't worry! Although I didn't awaken the Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul, the one I did awaken is even more amazing. It comes from another world and will help us. Look!"
To prove his words were credible, Dai Yuhao directly summoned his martial soul.
A flash of white light appeared, and an adorable kitten appeared beside Dai Yuhao. It clenched its furry right paw in a show of encouragement, as if to say, "Don't worry about me! Living in the wild is a feline's forte, meow!"
The Martial Soul spoke!
Huo Yun'er covered her mouth in surprise, truly shocked.
She only just learned that Dai Yuhao had awakened such a martial soul, and he even said it came from another world. Such a miraculous thing happening to her child!
Dai Yuhao pressed on, saying, "Mom, its name is Mountain Wind, and it will teach me to become strong. We've already made a promise to become the strongest team in Douluo Continent! So, Mom, you don't need to worry about the future. From now on, I'll take care of you!"
"Mmm! That's right, meow!"
Hearing Dai Yuhao's impassioned speech, Huo Yun'er's eyes filled with tears. "Good boy, Mom believes in you. Pack our things first, I'll be right back."
Leaving the Duke's mansion is not so simple. Even the lowest-ranking servants need to hand over their duties properly. If their employment contract has not been fulfilled, they need to pay money to make up for the remaining time before they are eligible to leave the Duke's mansion.
As for Huo Yun'er, who was once the personal maid of the White Tiger Duke, she belonged to the Duke's mansion for life and could never leave.
However, after giving birth to Dai Yuhao, the Duchess's disgust for her grew stronger. She must have been thinking about how she and Dai Yuhao would disappear from the Duke's mansion at all times, which would have made things much simpler.
Huo Yun'er turned her head and glanced at Dai Yuhao, who was carefully tidying up daily necessities in the woodshed. She then pushed open the door of the woodshed and walked out of the servants' courtyard.
As soon as she reached the door, two burly men blocked her way, coldly snorting, "You cannot leave here without Madam's orders!"
Huo Yun'er was not angry. She simply said softly, "Go and tell Madam that I, Huo Yun'er, have come to a decision. My son and I will leave the Duke's mansion today."
"this!"
The burly gatekeeper was stunned. He hadn't expected that Huo Yun'er, who had lived there for four years, would actually leave. They thought she would rather die in the Duke's mansion!
Such a major matter was beyond their control. The burly man on the right said directly, "Little Li, you stay here and keep an eye on them. I'll go and inform the Duchess right away!" After saying that, he hurriedly headed towards the location of the Duchess's back garden.
Huo Yun'er leaned against the wall by the door and let out a long sigh. The sun was a bit too bright today, and the shade made her feel a little better.
A short while later, Dai Yuhao packed up his things, carried a large bag on his back and a small bag in his hand, and came out of the woodshed. He immediately saw his mother resting at the gate of the yard.
"Mom, I'm all packed. Can we go now?" Dai Yuhao, carrying household supplies, came to Huo Yun'er's side.
"Wait a minute, it'll be ready soon."
Huo Yun'er gently wiped the sweat from Dai Yuhao's forehead with her sleeve. The more sensible Dai Yuhao was, the more Huo Yun'er felt sorry for him. Other six-year-old children should be playing carefree or have already embarked on the path of Soul Masters, but what kind of life was Dai Yuhao living?
Just then, a clear and melodious voice, like that of a nightingale, came from outside the courtyard, "Heh, you've finally figured it out? But it's not too late, it's good that you've figured it out."
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Dressed in finery and carrying a fresh floral fragrance with her every step, the Duchess arrived at the servants' courtyard, surrounded by a group of servants.
"Huo Yun'er, if you had left earlier, you wouldn't have contracted this serious illness."
Although the Duchess wore a smile, the coldness in her eyes was unmistakable; she genuinely loathed the woman in front of her who had once been the personal maid of the White Tiger Duke.
The two stood together. Although one was dressed in gorgeous clothes and the other in plain clothes, it was easy to see that Huo Yun'er's appearance was superior to that of the Duchess. Her pale complexion due to her weakness made her even more pitiful.
"I've caused you so much trouble over the years, Madam. I'll be leaving now."
Huo Yun'er said in a somewhat humble tone that the Duchess was powerful and she didn't have the courage to resist her, not even in a verbal exchange.
After all, if the Duchess becomes unhappy, only he and Dai Yuhao will suffer. They shouldn't repeat the same mistakes they've made before.
The Duchess glanced at Dai Yuhao standing next to Huo Yun'er. She had also been paying attention to Dai Yuhao's martial soul awakening today. If he really awakened the Evil Eye White Tiger martial soul, it would truly turn Huo Yun'er's family's fortunes around.
Fortunately, fate was on her side.
"You can leave, but Dai Yuhao is not allowed to leave. After all, he is the Duke's son. If he leaves, it will put me in a difficult position."
No matter what, Dai Yuhao is surnamed Dai, and is Dai Hao's biological son, with the blood of the White Tiger lineage flowing through his veins.
Previously, she could keep Huo Yun'er and her son confined to the servants' quarters under the pretext that Huo Yun'er was suffering from a serious illness and couldn't come out. If she really let them leave, she wouldn't know how to explain it to Dai Hao later.
"No! I want to leave with my mother."
Dai Yuhao immediately stepped forward and loudly expressed his true feelings.
Without my care, my mother would probably die in the wilderness soon after leaving the Duke's mansion. How could I let her leave the Duke's mansion alone, especially since it was my suggestion?
The Duchess said coldly, "As long as you retain the surname Dai, you can never leave the Duchess's mansion."
"Then I won't use the surname Dai! I'll take my mother's surname!"
Dai Yuhao's eyes were filled with anger, and he clenched his fists and loudly spoke the words in his heart.
"From today onwards, my name will be Huo Yuhao!"
[end of the chapter]