Standing before his mother’s grave, Huo Yuhao bowed his head once more and silently prayed.
Then he raised his head and looked toward the distant Duke’s Mansion again.
“Just wait, Mother.
And you too, Duke’s Mansion.
I’ll definitely come back.”
With that, Huo Yuhao left, his figure disappearing into the woods.
No one in the Duke’s Mansion knew where he had gone, nor did anyone care where he was headed.
…
Near Shrek City was a small city.
Though nowhere near as prosperous as Shrek City itself, its streets were lined with shops and filled with a lively atmosphere.
Every now and then, lavishly dressed young nobles could be seen strolling along the streets, looking around and pointing things out while several bowing and scraping servants followed behind them.
At the moment, Huo Yuhao wore a wide-brimmed vagabond’s conical hat.
A black half-face veil was fastened to the inside of the hat and hung down to his neck.
He wore a short, light purple kimono with a wavy hem, giving him the air of a solitary wanderer drifting from place to place.
It had been over a month since Huo Yuhao left the Duke’s Mansion.
During that time, he had traveled around the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.
Relying on his “Spirit Eyes,” the “Eye of the Azure Ruins,” and the White Tiger Dagger tucked at his waist, he could safely avoid even Soul Beasts and Soul Masters stronger than himself.
After the “Spirit Eyes” awakened, Huo Yuhao’s vision and perception had improved dramatically.
With the added help of the “Eye of the Azure Ruins,” he could restore his stamina even as he expended it.
The recovery wasn’t much, but it was enough for his current needs.
As for the “Eye of Annihilation,” Huo Yuhao had barely used it a few times so far.
Its offensive power was formidable, but there was nothing he could do about its drawbacks.
The moment he activated it, he was liable to become completely exhausted, practically immobilizing himself in the process.
Sigh.
When would he finally be able to raise his Soul Power by a huge amount?
His main reason for coming to this city was to look for opportunities to earn more money.
A wanderer always needed some cash in his pocket.
Otherwise, dressed like this, he might even have shopkeepers wondering whether he could actually afford to pay.
While wandering around, Huo Yuhao had originally only wanted to learn how to read, but by chance, he had gotten his hands on several martial arts novels.
Huo Yuhao had never received much of a proper education to begin with, and under the influence of those novels, his worldview had gradually gone further and further astray.
That was why, during his journey, he had deliberately changed into his current outfit to make himself seem even more mysterious and unfathomable.
As for food…
Although he could grill fish himself, he still wanted to buy something different from time to time.
Then there were the Cultivation resources he would need later…
“If I’d known, I would’ve stolen a few things from the Duke’s Mansion before leaving.
I could’ve called it robbing the rich to help the poor.”
…
Huo Yuhao had never had much money to begin with.
After looking around, he eventually rented a tiny shop beside an alley and opened a medical clinic.
Its name was “Cure-All.”
Despite the grand name, Huo Yuhao’s medical knowledge was actually rather limited.
Most of it came from studying medical texts as he went.
Whenever he had to treat a more serious condition, Huo Yuhao would claim that the secret techniques passed down by his master could not be shown to outsiders.
He would first anesthetize the patient until they lost consciousness before beginning the treatment.
They were called “secret techniques,” but in reality, he was simply treating them with the “Eye of the Azure Ruins.” Even then, he could only use it once every several days.
Still, it allowed him to earn money while practicing his abilities.
His fees were also quite low, earning him unanimous praise from the nearby residents.
It truly was killing three birds with one stone.
…
“Doctor, doctor!
My husband was accidentally bitten on the calf by a venomous snake today.
What should we do?
I heard people who get bitten by this kind of snake have to get their leg amputated!”
“We’re just ordinary people running a small business.
How could something like this happen to us?!”
As she spoke, the middle-aged woman in front of him dropped to her knees and began to sob.
Huo Yuhao looked at the middle-aged man lying on the stretcher.
His face had already turned purple.
The man was clearly in agony, but he was so weak that he could barely make a sound, managing only faint, continuous groans.
“There’s no need for amputation.
Hurry and carry him inside.
If you’re any slower, it’ll really be too late.”
“Really?!
Xiao Tian, hurry over here and help me carry your father inside!”
The woman immediately pulled herself together and shouted for her son nearby.
“Okay, okay!”
Xiao Tian, who had been crouching on the ground with his head lowered, doing who knew what, instantly sprang to his feet when he heard her.
…
A while later, a somewhat drained Huo Yuhao walked out of the back room and looked at the anxious mother and son.
“He’s fine now.
You two can go in.”
“Really?!
That’s wonderful!
You truly brought him back from the brink, Doctor Huo!”
“Not at all, not at all.”
…
“Doctor, lately my lower back has been sore, my whole body aches, and I’ve been getting dizzy with blurred vision.
I also feel like I don’t have the strength I used to.
Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
Huo Yuhao checked the man’s pulse.
He vaguely remembered this condition being described in the medical texts as…
“You have kidney deficiency.”
“Nonsense!
You quack!
I’ll smash this clinic to pieces!”
“I can treat it.”
“Master Healer, please accept my deepest respect!”
At the entrance to the clinic, Huo Yuhao handed the man several doses of medicine he had prepared.
“Three doses a day.
One in the morning, one at noon, and one at night.”
“No problem, no problem!”
Just then, a group of people entered Huo Yuhao’s field of vision.
They wore cloaks bearing the image of a giant turtle.
Its head resembled a dragon without quite being one, while a vicious serpent coiled around its shell.
“The Mysterious Underworld Sect.”
“The Mysterious Underworld Sect?”
“That’s right.
The sect stationed around here.
For some reason, a group of their people have been coming and going constantly lately.
Seems like they have something important going on.”
“I see…”
“Well, enough about that, Divine Healer.
I need to head home and try out this medicine first.”
With that, the man skipped away from the clinic.
The Mysterious Underworld Sect had originally come to this place for certain reasons.
Because of their formidable strength, however, they had gradually become the most influential force in the entire city.
From collecting rent from shops to charging fees for children to undergo Martial Soul Awakening, everything was handled by people under their command.
For families without money, even awakening a Martial Soul had become a luxury.
He had heard that ten thousand years ago, the Martial Soul Hall even sent people door to door to help children awaken their Martial Souls.
Had this era really progressed at all?
Huo Yuhao did not dwell on it.
He merely sighed inwardly.
Given his current situation, improving his own strength was what mattered most.
Without strength, everything else was just empty talk.
…
Chen Wen was feeling extremely troubled.
Second Young Master Xu Sanshi’s birthday was fast approaching.
As Xu Sanshi’s personal attendant, Chen Wen naturally knew about the secret matter within the Mysterious Underworld Sect that no one dared speak of openly.
After all, something like Martial Soul Evolution could hardly be brought out into the open.
Among the younger generation, Xu Sanshi was the one most likely to awaken the Xuanwu Martial Soul, and he was also the leading candidate to become the next Clan Leader.
Finding a suitable girl for him was no simple matter.
She had to be a virgin, a Soul Master, and no older than Xu Sanshi.
On top of that, she had to be intelligent and graceful as well as exceptionally beautiful…
More importantly, she had to be completely willing.
It was an extremely difficult task, but if Chen Wen truly managed to find such an outstanding candidate, then with his relationship to Xu Sanshi, his status would soar and a life of wealth and prestige would be within reach.
As it happened, Chen Wen had recently heard something interesting.
There was a young girl from the commoner district named Jiang Nannan who possessed Innate Full Soul Power and had successfully gained admission to Shrek Academy.
Not only was she extraordinarily talented, but her beauty was one in a million.
Whenever she returned home, even the street vendors along the way could not help taking a second look.