This little fellow wasnât picky with his food. He was eating very happily, and naturally stopped crying because he had something to eat. But his large black eyes were staring at Huo Yuhao from the beginning to the end.
Reality proved that this one-year-old child wasnât just able to eat food for grown men; he could even walk. Even though he didnât walk very stably, the little child who should be Xu Yunhan began to walk by himself when Huo Yuhao let him go. Furthermore, he wasnât uncomfortable with strangers, and he stopped crying once he was full. He was all smiles, and the way he smiled made all the Titled Douluo react with kind and amiable expressions. What a cute little baby!
The little child returned in front of Huo Yuhao after circling around, and seemed to stare at him very seriously before he exclaimed babyishly, âDaddy!â
Huo Yuhao almost jumped to his feet in surprise.
This child wasnât the only person to call him âdaddyâ. The Snow Lady had called him that before. But Huo Yuhao realized to his surprise that he was only awkward and embarrassed when the Snow Lady called him that, but when this little fellow called him that, he felt shaken.
There seemed to be some kind of formless fate in the nether that tied them together when the little boy uttered that word.
Huo Yuhao possessed the Eye of Destiny, and he was extremely sensitive to it. He seemed to feel like his destiny was connected to this little fellow when the child called to him.
He made his decision in that moment.
Huo Yuhao took the baby back into his arms as he said teasingly, âWhatâs your name?â
âYunhan.â The baby replied very cleanly. Huo Yuhao realized from interacting with the baby that Xu Yunhan was already very good with words, even if he could only say a few. The baby had to be very familiar with those words, otherwise he wouldnât be able to speak them.
Huo Yuhao subconsciously kissed the baby on his tender little cheeks. Xu Yunhanâs chubby cheeks were soft and bouncy, and his smooth and tender skin was just like his motherâs.
âHehehe!â The little child seemed to feel ticklish as he withdrew his neck and laughed.
Huo Yuhao laughed as well. This kid was just too cute.
Tang Wutong came over and began to tease little Yunhan with Huo Yuhao. She giggled and said, âSeems like youâre quite good with kids. Did you teach yourself?â
Huo Yuhao chuckled. âYou might as well say that Iâm naturally talented. I will be an excellent father when we have kids in the future.â
Tang Wutong blushed, but she didnât avoid his gentle gaze. Her eyes were brimming with happiness.
A smiling face suddenly cut in between them in this moment, and two large eyes stared at Tang Wutong seriously. âDaddy, mine.â
Tang Wutong couldnât help but laugh. âYour daddy isnât here, heâsâ¦â She suddenly paused when she said those words, and dejection appeared in her eyes as she glanced at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhaoâs smile disappeared at the same time, and he gently caressed Xu Yunhanâs head.
Some more time passed as the little fellow fell asleep because he was full and tired from playing, and everyone took off once more. The Titled Douluo didnât say anything, but anybody would realize upon closer inspection that the atmosphere between everyone was conspicuously more tense.
They were flying far too quickly, and the Sun Moon Empireâs territory was so wide. Those who were pursuing them couldnât catch up because there was no way they could lock onto their positions.
Huo Yuhao relied on his formidable Spiritual Detection as he successfully took everyone across the borderâs defenses once more. They returned to the Ming Dou Mountain Range and directly descended towards the mountain rangeâs main peak.
The Titled Douluoâs expressions were a lot more relaxed when they returned. They were finally back, and even though their mission wasnât perfect, they had accomplished at least half of it.
They had heavily injured the Sun Moon Empireâs Emperor, Xu Tianran, and managed to capture the Sun Moon Empireâs crown prince, Xu Yunhan. But at the same time, the Body Douluo remained in the Sun Moon Empire forever, and would never return.
The White Tiger Duke welcomed them personally. He stared at everyoneâs solemn expressions, and his eyes dimmed when he didnât see Du Busi.
The White Tiger Duke turned to Huo Yuhao when they arrived inside the commanderâs tent. âTell me what happened, Yuhao.â
Huo Yuhao nodded. He was still carrying Xu Yunhan in his arms, and the little fellow was sleeping very soundly. He immediately recounted everything that he had seen on this mission in detail, except he didnât tell the White Tiger Duke about the Body Douluo handing him the Secrets of the Body.
The White Tiger Duke shut his eyes painfully after listening to his report. After a few moments, he said, âThe Body Douluo realized his wish. He had already told me that before everyone departed. He couldnât recover from his old injuries, and he wanted to give his full strength to assassinate Xu Tianran on this mission. Back then, I already felt like something was wrong. And it seems like he had planned this a long time agoâ¦â
Everyone lowered their heads gloomily, especially those formidable individuals from the Body Sect. The Body Douluoâs death undoubtedly meant the Body Sectâs fall from glory. In addition to the large masses of their elites who had perished in the war, the Body Sect probably wouldnât regain their strength even after a few hundred years.
The White Tiger Duke finally trained his eyes on Xu Yunhan, who was still in Huo Yuhaoâs arms. A complicated look appeared in his eyes. Capturing the crown prince wasnât his idea. He had been heroic and valiant his entire life, but now he was using a child to threaten the Sun Moon Empire. He wasnât willing at all, from the bottom of his heart.
But the Sun Moon Empire was far too powerful, and if they didnât have a plan to counter them, the White Tiger Duke wasnât confident at all of defending his empireâs territory when the Sun Moon Empireâs enormous empire descended upon them like a thunderstorm.
Huo Yuhao turned to the White Tiger Duke with a calm look on his face. âWhat shall we do with the child, Duke? What are you planning to do with him?â The word he used was âyouâ, not âusâ.
Hesitation appeared in the White Tiger Dukeâs eyes as he said subconsciously, âWhat suggestions do you have, Yuhao?â
Huo Yuhao said without hesitation, âWar is an affair for men. It has nothing to do with children. No matter who he is, heâs still a child. We are honorable men, so how can we use an infant to threaten our enemies? Thatâs not honorable at all. Furthermore, with the Sun Moon Empireâs Emperorâs personality, kidnapping the crown prince will lose its meaning, since he isnât dead. He can have one crown prince, so why canât he bear another?â
Huo Yuhaoâs words were very precise. If the Body Douluo, Du Busi had assassinated Xu Tianran successfully, then the Douluo Continentâs three native empires wouldnât have to do anything if they captured the crown prince. The Sun Moon Empire would naturally descend into chaos because everyone would be fighting for control of the throne.
The Sun Moon Empire wouldnât have a leader, while the ruler had no heir. Who wouldnât want to rule over such a powerful empire?
But Xu Tianran was still alive, so the Sun Moon Empire couldnât truly be that chaotic. Kidnapping the crown prince under such circumstances perhaps wouldnât have its desired effect, unless Xu Tianran placed a lot of importance on that son of his, and was willing to pay a tremendous price for him. Otherwise, if he really did abandon the crown prince, then everything that everyone did would become meaningless.â
âWhat youâre saying is that capturing the crown prince is useless?â The Heavenly Sun Douluoâs voice was suddenly a little higher than before. They went through so much to kidnap the crown prince, and even though Huo Yuhaoâs words sounded virtuous, he had still touched a nerve. That was especially so for the other Titled Douluo who were with the Heavenly Sun Douluo in capturing the crown prince. Everyone showed displeased expressions.
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, âI didnât mean to offend. But if I had known that our missionâs target was a child, nothing would have convinced me to participate.â
The Heavenly Sun Douluo stared at him coldly and said, âChild? This childâs father is the one who commanded the Sun Moon Empireâs army to sweep over the Heavenly Soul Empire, and if that didnât happen, why would the Body Douluo sacrifice himself? His sacrifice created the opportunity for us to kidnap the crown prince. Youâre so young, but your tongue is sharp, and yet you think you stand on the moral high ground. Do you think thatâs enough to save your country? So what if we do despicable things for our country?â
Huo Yuhao answered plainly, âThe reason why the Body Douluo chose to attack the sacrificial platform instead of personally kidnapping this child was probably because he felt it was beneath his dignity. Otherwise, on the day of the ceremony, all of the Sun Moon Empireâs high-level officials would be watching the sacrificial platform. Even without a diversion, what do you think the Body Douluoâs chances would have been if he had snuck into the royal palace to kidnap this child, with his strength? Arenât you guys aware?â
Everyoneâs faces changed once more as they heard his words. The Titled Douluoâs expressions became even blacker than before.
The Heavenly Sun Douluo turned to the White Tiger Duke and said, âDuke, Huo Yuhao did contribute a lot to this operation, and he was a great help to us. Now that the mission has been completed, he can return to Shrek Academy. We should be the ones discussing what comes next. Heâs a junior, and he doesnât have to continue participating.â
The White Tiger Duke nodded and turned to Huo Yuhao. âYuhao, the Heavenly Sun Douluo is right. You have already helped us a lot on this mission. You should go back and rest, and return to the academy as quickly as possible. Weâll deal with the rest.â
How could he not agree with what Huo Yuhao said deep in his heart? But their enemy was near, and he could only choose to protect Huo Yuhao as much as possible with so many Titled Douluo in front of them.
The White Tiger Duke walked in front of Huo Yuhao and took Xu Yunhan from him as he spoke.
Huo Yuhaoâs expression was a little blank. He fixed his eyes on the White Tiger Duke, and when the Duke took the baby, Huo Yuhao suddenly asked, âDuke, sir, if your son was the one who was kidnapped and your enemies wanted you to pay a price, would you do it?â
The White Tiger Duke was momentarily stunned. He suddenly felt that Huo Yuhaoâs gaze was a little blinding, but he still answered without hesitation, âIf my enemyâs price was personal, then I would give my own life to save my child. But if my enemyâs price was for me to betray my country, then I would avenge my son!â
Huo Yuhao suddenly laughed out loud and said, âGood, good, you will avenge your son. You live up to your name as a loyal and righteous Duke! Haha, hahahaha!â Huo Yuhao pulled Tang Wutong along as he laughed before he turned and left.