After passing the inspection of the guards at the city gate, the two entered the bustling city, where the streets were crowded and lively.
Compared to the silent Huo Yuhao, his mother, Huo Yun'er, was constantly observing everything around her with curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao's voice sounded in her ear.
"Mom."
Huo Yun'er looked down at him, "What's wrong?"
"I want to change my name to Huo Yuhao."
The abrupt statement stunned Huo Yun'er for a moment. Before she could respond, Huo Yuhao's voice rang out again.
"From now on, I am just your son, not the son of the White Tiger Duke. Those who bullied you in the Duke's Mansion will all pay the price."
Huo Yun'er felt a lump in her throat, and she instinctively tightened her grip on his hand.
In the past, she might have held onto a lingering hope to persuade Huo Yuhao, believing that this could give him a chance for a better future. But after everything they had been through, she could no longer voice any refusal.
"Yuhao, don't be impulsive."
Huo Yun'er took a deep breath. "Mom doesn't care if you can take revenge; as long as you can live a safe and peaceful life, that's enough."
"Don't worry, Mom." Huo Yuhao smiled slightly. "Your son is quite capable…"
At that moment, a commotion erupted a short distance ahead. The pedestrians in the street seemed to notice the disturbance and exchanged glances, with some even curiously moving closer.
They reached the outskirts of the crowd, and Huo Yuhao peered through the gaps. He saw a boy around his age standing at the entrance of a blacksmith shop, staring grimly at a few middle-aged men walking out from inside.
"You promised to pay me monthly wages, and I've worked a full month, yet you say you're going to deduct half?"
"Kid, do you understand the rules?"
The leading middle-aged man sneered, his expression dismissive.
"Go ask around, which apprentice in a blacksmith shop doesn't use their first month's wages to show respect to their master? Asking for half is already generous. If you want to work, do it; if not, get lost!"
As soon as the middle-aged man finished speaking, Huo Yuhao noticed a flash of barely concealed killing intent in the boy's eyes, causing him to frown. A thought suddenly arose in his mind but was quickly suppressed.
The boy clearly refused to back down. Feeling justified, his voice grew louder.
"Although I'm an apprentice, I work just as hard as everyone else. Give me that half of my wages!"
As more and more people gathered around, the middle-aged man seemed to get annoyed. "Want your wages? Fine! Return all the scrap materials you've secretly taken!"
He had long noticed that the new apprentice would sneak away some scrap materials to make things. Materials that could have been recycled were all secretly pocketed by this kid.
However, seeing that the boy's skills were decent, he had previously turned a blind eye. But since the boy was being so unreasonable now, there was no need to show him any more leniency.
Hearing the middle-aged man's words, the crowd quickly understood that this was just a case of dog-eat-dog. Strange looks were directed at the boy, making his already dark expression seem like it was about to drip with water.
The boy was, of course, Tang San in his reincarnation. To save money for his martial soul awakening and to buy medicinal herbs, he had to work at a different blacksmith shop. After all, the business at his family's shop was too poor. If his father found out he was making money from blacksmithing, he would likely have to hand over all the earnings.
As someone who valued filial piety, although it was right to buy his father a drink, gaining strength was essential for better fulfilling that duty. Thus, he chose to work outside secretly.
He never expected the owner of this blacksmith shop would bully him simply because of his young age.
All he had done was take some discarded scrap to forge hidden weapons. He had done this in his previous life, and he knew other apprentices were doing the same. Yet, the owner was singling him out for public criticism.
No wonder the life of blacksmiths was hard; if every blacksmith shop oppressed newcomers like this and demanded kickbacks, who would be willing to become a blacksmith in the future?
In his previous life, as the son of a divine craftsman and having close relations with the three divine craftsmen at that time, he certainly wouldn't tolerate anyone sullying the sacred profession of blacksmithing.
As he watched the shop owner, his fists tightened but then relaxed.
There was nothing he could do; he was still too weak right now. Although he could easily deal with a few blacksmiths using hidden weapons, this was the Heaven Dou City. If a fight broke out, the law enforcement team would not be easy to handle. Thus, he could only endure for the time being.
Endure!
The lessons he learned at Yuexuan resurfaced in this moment. Tang San understood that his path to becoming a law enforcer in the divine realm relied not only on strength but, more importantly, on assessing the situation!
Forcing down the killing intent in his heart, Tang San took a deep breath and calmly said, "I thought those scrap materials were discarded and useless. I didn't want to waste them, so I took some. But since you've said so, I won't ask for my half of the wages. I'll just use that to offset it."
Let you all live a little longer. Wait a bit longer...
From the way they acted, they probably made a lot of dirty money on a regular basis. In his previous life as a law enforcer in the divine realm, renowned for his integrity as the God of Shura, Tang San naturally had to act for the sake of justice.
If he coincidentally confiscated their ill-gotten gains, it could also be used to buy medicinal herbs for his martial soul awakening. That could be seen as a form of good deeds in return.
If it weren't for fearing that others might connect the matter to him, he would have prepared to take action tonight. But unfortunately, to clear his name, he had to continue lying low for a while longer until the heat of the matter passed.
After saying this, he didn't linger any longer and walked through the crowd, leaving directly under their gazes.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, quietly observing everything from the crowd, had a strange expression.
Why does this feel so familiar?
A sudden sense of familiarity surged in Huo Yuhao's heart, and he suddenly realized something.
Is it possible that Tang San also reincarnated like me?
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered, but he quickly fell into calmness. Although he wasn't sure if Tang San had also reincarnated, it was clear that his primary focus was on improving his own strength.
Even if Tang San had indeed reincarnated in the Douluo world, he was not worried at all. After all, if they truly started from the same starting line, he didn't believe Tang San would be stronger than him.
What he really needed to exert his efforts against was that figure in the sky.
Instead of the conflict breaking out as he had imagined, those who had planned to watch the show all dispersed with pitying expressions. Huo Yuhao then called out to the middle-aged man who was preparing to return to the blacksmith shop.
"Hello, I would like to order a roasting stove."
The middle-aged man paused, turning around to see Huo Yuhao. He was momentarily taken aback but, seeing Huo Yun'er beside him, didn't belittle Huo Yuhao for his young age.
"What kind of roasting stove do you want, little brother?"
(END CHAPTER)
Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, then reported the specifications and dimensions of the grill, as well as the matching iron racks, one by one. The middle-aged man listening was taken aback.
"That's about it, just make sure the quality is good."
After explaining his requirements, Huo Yuhao pulled out a gold soul coin from his pocket. "Is this enough?"
"More than enough. Actually, just a deposit would suffice. The grill you want isn't that difficult to make. You can pick it up tomorrow."
The middle-aged man's face lit up with joy as he quickly wrote out a receipt and handed it to Huo Yuhao before accepting the gold soul coin.
Standing nearby, Huo Yun'er had originally intended to negotiate the price, but seeing how generous Huo Yuhao was, she swallowed her words.
With the grill matter settled, the two began looking for a suitable place to live. After visiting several houses, each time hearing the high prices from the brokers, Huo Yun'er would gently tug on Huo Yuhao's hand, barely noticeable, but it made Huo Yuhao chuckle inwardly.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Huo Yun'er couldn't help but roll her eyes and said in a slightly exasperated tone, "Of course, I'm trying to stop you from wasting money. Those houses didn't seem that special, yet the rent is so expensive, and you still keep looking around."
"Hmm..."
Huo Yuhao thoughtfully pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Mom, you're right. Let's go look at villas instead!"
Huo Yun'er, who had just been feeling proud that her son was listening to reason, suddenly turned dark, giving Huo Yuhao a light smack on the head.
"You little rascal, are you trying to make me angry?"
Cough cough "Mom, don't worry, your son has money now."
Huo Yuhao hadn't told Huo Yun'er too much about the bracelet Zhu Lu had given him, only mentioning that someone had secretly handed it to him after his martial soul awakened, urging him to leave the Duke's Mansion as soon as possible.
Although Huo Yun'er was curious, she didn't think too deeply about it, assuming that some kind-hearted person, aware of Dai Hao's plans, had secretly helped them. She had even instructed Huo Yuhao to repay that person in the future.
"Even so, you can't just waste money! There are many things we'll need to spend on in the future. The place we live doesn't need to be extravagant."
"Mom, don't forget about the grilled fish I make. With that grill, we won't have to worry about money. Plus, where we live is essential. Cheap places often don't have good security. We have to think about safety too."
Upon hearing the word "safety," Huo Yun'er's mind instantly flashed back to the time when Huo Yuhao was nearly kidnapped at the Duke's Mansion. She couldn't refute any further and nodded helplessly.
Seeing his mother finally agree, Huo Yuhao's face lit up, and he immediately pulled her along to continue searching.
Of course, talk of villas was just that — talk. At the moment, Huo Yuhao couldn't afford one. Besides, it was just him and his mother; a large house would be difficult to maintain.
"This house is a duplex with two floors. There's also a small attic that can be used as a storage room. The first floor has a living room, kitchen, dining area, and two empty rooms that can serve as workspaces. There are also four bedrooms upstairs. It's perfect for hosting friends or relatives."
"Honestly, the location and layout of this house are excellent. The view from the windows is nice, too. The previous tenants just moved out, so it's available. The rent is 15 gold soul coins a year, with a two-year deposit. If you sign a long-term lease of more than five years, I can waive the deposit."
After hearing the landlord's introduction, Huo Yuhao glanced at Huo Yun'er, noticing her eyes brightening as she admired the room's decor. Nodding, he pulled out a bag of gold soul coins.
"We'll take this one. Six-year lease."
The landlord's eyes lit up — landlords always favored long-term tenants since it saved them the trouble of constantly finding new ones.
"If it's a long-term lease, I can lower the rent to 12 gold soul coins a year."
When Huo Yun'er signed the contract and received the keys, they finally had a new home in Heaven Dou City.
Although Huo Yun'er still felt a bit pained over the cost, the joy of moving into their new home washed much of that away. She hadn't expected that after escaping the Duke's Mansion, life would turn out far better than she had imagined, rather than the hardship she had anticipated.
She subconsciously glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was busy arranging their new home, and silently reflected on all he had done over the past month.
After placing the bedding, pots, and other household items they'd purchased, Huo Yuhao stood up and let out a long breath, feeling incredibly refreshed. Despite running around all day, he didn't feel tired at all.
Not only had he changed his own fate, but he was also altering the destinies of his mother and others he cared about, leading them toward a new future.
Maybe that was the true meaning of his rebirth.
"Yuhao."
His mother's gentle voice called, and Huo Yuhao instinctively turned around, seeing her sitting on the bed, her eyes filled with a complex emotion as she quietly watched him. His heart tightened.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
Huo Yun'er patted the spot next to her, motioning for him to sit down. "I just feel like it's been a while since we had a good talk. Let's chat."
Once Huo Yuhao sat down, Huo Yun'er gazed intently at his youthful and innocent face.
"Yuhao."
"Hm?"
Huo Yuhao responded reflexively, only to see Huo Yun'er gently raise her hand, softly brushing his eyebrows over and over. Gradually, Huo Yuhao began to relax in the quiet atmosphere, but her next words made his body tense up.
"You must have gone through a lot of hardship in the future, haven't you?"
Thunder roared, and sudden rain poured down with the night.
The moonlight was shattered by dark clouds, falling obliquely onto the floor of the room. Outside the window, the neon lights of the street became the melody of the night, and the sound of people outside, softened by the rain, brought a sense of calm.
But at this moment, Huo Yuhao's heart pounded, beating furiously.
"After all we've been through, even a mother as slow as me should be able to notice the changes in her son."
A gentle smile appeared on Huo Yun'er's face, her bright eyes reflecting his image.
"Though I don't know what you've experienced, I can tell — you're still my little Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao lowered his head, unable to hold back his tears any longer.
Memories of his mother's body growing frailer in his past life, bedridden until the end, surfaced in his mind. Now that he had regained what he had once lost, he trembled as he reached out, hugging Huo Yun'er tightly, crying uncontrollably.
"Mom, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Just like when he was a child, Huo Yun'er gently stroked his hair, her voice soft and comforting, as if telling a story.
"No matter how much I've suffered, it can't compare to the joy of having you by my side, Yuhao —"
Huo Yun'er paused, then smiled warmly.
"— thank you for becoming my child."
(Chapter End)
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