Chapter 6: Flying Far Away (Part 3)
Huo Yuhao froze in place, feeling as if a century had passed, though it was likely only a few seconds. His heart hammered against his chest so loudly he feared those outside could hear it. Snapping back to his senses, he bent down as if burned, his fingers trembling as he picked up the heavy, slightly lumpy small cloth bag and the crumpled, frayed scrap of paper.
A crisp metallic clink came from inside the bag, striking his nerves with every movement. Panicking, he hurriedly stuffed the two mysterious items into the innermost layer of his clothes. The icy sensation sent a wave of goosebumps across his skin. These things were too conspicuous; they absolutely could not be seen by anyone.
Had the terrifying sounds of fighting and shouting outside stopped? But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, a more boisterous and chaotic din of voices and footsteps came surging toward him like a flood! The footsteps were heavy and urgent, sounding like quite a large group.
Oh no! It must be the guards of the Duke's Mansion drawn here by the commotion! Huo Yuhao's small face turned deathly pale instantly. If they discovered those three strange "things" had entered his home and even left something behind... What would happen to him and his mother? He didn't dare to imagine; the mere thought made his limbs go cold.
Anxious as an ant on a hot griddle, he spun around in place like a headless fly. His eyes darted frantically across the destitute, dilapidated room, finally landing on a pile of cold, black hearth ash in the corner. Ignoring the filth, he steeled his heart, rushed over, and grabbed several handfuls of the cold black ash, smearing it haphazardly over his face, neck, and his already faded, tattered clothes. Soon, he was covered in soot, leaving only a pair of wide, terrified eyes visible. Feeling it wasn't enough, he vigorously ruffled his hair until it looked like a messy bird's nest.
It still didn't feel quite right... With a ruthless glint in his eyes, he slammed his arm against the rough, uneven earthen wall and scraped it hard!
"Hiss—" A searing pain shot through him instantly as his flesh was torn by the rough surface. Tiny beads of blood immediately seeped out, mixing with the black ash to create a filthy, pitiful, and very convincing sight. Still fearing it wasn't realistic enough, he steeled himself and deliberately threw himself onto the ground, landing hard and coating himself in dust, looking even more wretched.
He had just scrambled up from the floor, trying his best to look like someone who had been scared witless and tripped several times, when the tattered, barely windproof door of their home was kicked open with a violent "bang" from the outside! The door slammed against the wall with a pained groan, wobbling as if it were about to fall apart.
Several men wearing the uniforms of the Duke's Mansion guards burst in, looking like fierce demons. Their sharp gazes scanned the impoverished, one-room shack like searchlights. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a cold, hard face and eyes carrying Evil Qi. The spirit power fluctuations emanating from him made Huo Yuhao feel very uncomfortable. One white and one yellow spirit ring pulsed beneath his feet, marking him as someone not to be trifled with. The man's gaze swept the room and immediately locked onto Huo Yuhao, who was huddled in the corner, filthy, arm bleeding, shivering violently as he tried to shrink into a ball.
Almost simultaneously, from behind the thin, patched curtain of the inner room came Huo Yun'er's weak and panicked voice; she was clearly terrified by the commotion outside: "Yuhao... What's happening out there? What's going on? Are you alright?"
Huo Yuhao's heart was in his throat. Before he could think of how to answer, the lead guard spoke up harshly, his voice cold and sharp with an unmistakable tone of interrogation: "Kid! Did you see anything strange run past just now?" His eyes were fixed on Huo Yuhao like hooks, not letting even the slightest expression escape him.
Huo Yuhao flinched violently, his words failing him as he stammered with a sob in his voice: "...There... there were monsters... a huge crab... and a flying... shadow... it went 'whoosh' past... I... I'm scared..." As he spoke, he tried to shrink back further as if to bury himself in the wall, making himself look even more pathetic. Tears welled up in his eyes, half from genuine fear and half from the pain in his arm.
The leader frowned, looking him up and down with extreme disdain. This child's spirit power was so weak it was almost imperceptible; he was dressed in rags, covered in soot and blood, looking pitifully injured and utterly terrified—a clear picture of a spineless coward. He cast a disgusted glance around the dirt-poor room, which held nothing but a broken bed and table, and his slight suspicion vanished completely. Those three eerie and troublesome water-attribute Spirit Beasts were quite powerful; even Young Master Huabin had suffered a bit at their hands. How could they have anything to do with a little waste like this living in the servants' quarters who didn't even have spirit power?
He figured those three beasts must have sensed their large party approaching and realized something was wrong. In their panicked retreat, they likely just happened to pass by the door of this shack, scaring the brat half to death.
"Which way did they go?" the leader demanded impatiently, his tone foul. He felt that staying in this hovel for even another second was a waste of time; it would be better spent chasing those peculiar Spirit Beasts.
Huo Yuhao seemed completely dazed with fear. His eyes were vacant as he pointed haphazardly in two directions—one toward the depths of a dark alley to the south and another toward a pile of junk to the west. His voice trembled incoherently: "Seemed... seemed to be that way... the dark one... or maybe that way... where the barrels are... too fast... didn't... didn't see clearly... ugh..." As he spoke, he actually managed to squeeze out two tears. They mixed with the soot on his face, leaving two comical streaks and making him look even more pitiful and useless.
The leader curled his lip in disgust, completely losing his patience. "A total waste!" he cursed under his breath. Then he abruptly waved his hand and ordered his subordinates: "Split into two teams! One to the south! One to the west! Search thoroughly! I want those three beasts found even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!"
"Yes, sir!" the guards responded in unison. They immediately rushed out in different directions, their heavy footsteps quickly fading into the distance, leaving the courtyard in a mess.
The leader gave one last knife-like look at Huo Yuhao, who was still shivering and sobbing in the corner, then glanced at the motionless curtain of the inner room (not even considering going inside to check). He let out a contemptuous snort and, without another word, turned and strode away. From beginning to end, not a single person cared about the bleeding wound on Huo Yuhao's arm, not even with an insincere greeting.
Only when the suffocating sound of footsteps had completely vanished into the distance did Huo Yuhao seem to lose all his strength. He slowly stopped his intentional trembling. He cautiously crawled to the door, poked half his head out, and nervously looked and listened. Only after confirming that no one was truly left did he let out a long, quiet breath that had been trapped in his chest. It was then he realized his back was already drenched in cold sweat, soaking his clothes.
In the inner room, Huo Yun'er struggled to get out of bed, her voice filled with tears and immense worry: "Yuhao... my child... are you okay? Where are you hurt? Let Mother see..."
"Mom, I'm fine, really. It's just a scrape, nothing serious." Huo Yuhao hurried over, lifted the curtain, and gently held down his anxious mother. Looking at her pale, haggard face filled with worry, he hesitated for a moment before biting his lip and pulling out the small cloth bag stained with soot and sweat, along with the crumpled piece of paper.
Under his mother's confused gaze, his hands trembled as he opened the mouth of the small cloth bag. Suddenly, a glint of gold and silver light spilled out. Though it wasn't much, it was exceptionally dazzling in the dim, dilapidated room. Huo Yun'er gasped sharply. Instinctively lowering her voice, she grabbed his wrist, her own voice trembling: "This... this... so much money? Where did it come from? Yuhao! You... you didn't do anything foolish, did you?"
Huo Yuhao's heart began to pound wildly again. He shook his head and unfolded the letter. The handwriting on the paper was crooked, like a child's, but the meaning was clear: "Righting an injustice. A little traveling money. Run south. Find a small town to settle. Don't come back."
The mother and son looked at each other by the faint light coming through the broken window, their faces filled with shock, suspicion, and disbelief. Who? Who would give them money? And leave such a letter? Telling them to run? What was going on?"
Huo Yuhao looked at his mother's deathly pale face, her eyes sunken from long-term overwork and illness. He remembered the years of humiliation, cold shoulders, hunger, and cold they had endured in this frigid mansion. He remembered the misery of his mother being bedridden with no one to care for her. He thought of those three strange yet seemingly non-malicious "monsters," and the fierce, demonic attitude of the Duke's Mansion guards who treated them like ants... Various emotions churned and collided in his small chest. His heart beat faster and faster until a mad yet incredibly powerful thought took root and could no longer be suppressed.
"Mom..." He heard his own voice, terribly dry yet carrying a firmness that surprised even himself. "Let's go! Let's leave this place! Leave the White Tiger Duke's Mansion! Let's never come back!"
He held up the money bag, his voice trembling with excitement: "This money... Though I don't know who gave it, it's definitely enough for us to find a small place where no one knows us. We can rent a small house, get you proper medical care, and start our lives over! Your illness needs rest, good food, and peace of mind! Here... we will never have a good life here! Never!"
Hearing her son's words, Huo Yun'er's eyes dimmed instantly, filled with complex emotions. She instinctively shook her head, her voice weak but carrying the weight of a long-held obsession: "No... Yuhao, we can't leave... Let's wait a bit longer... endure a bit more... your father... he might..."
"He won't come back!" For the first time, Huo Yuhao interrupted his mother almost crudely. His eyes turned red instantly as the long-accumulated grievances and anger broke through the dam of reason. "If he really cared about us, how could he ignore us for all these years? How could he let you get this sick without even hiring a decent doctor? How could he let us live in this shack, worse than the servants, suffering from cold and hunger? Mom! Wake up! He forgot about us long ago! I'm begging you! Just this once, let's live for ourselves, okay?!"
Huo Yun'er was stunned by her son's unprecedentedly intense reaction. She looked at his flushed, excited face, the glaring bloodstains mixed with soot on his arm, and heard the near-collapsing plea in his voice. Recalling the terrifying commotion outside and the guards' cold interrogation... the unrealistic hope that had sustained her for so many years finally shattered completely. She fell silent, and tears like broken strings of pearls surged out silently, sliding down her thin cheeks and dripping onto the patched quilt.
A deathly silence fell over the dilapidated shack, broken only by the mother and son's suppressed breathing and Huo Yun'er's silent weeping.
After a long, long time, Huo Yun'er nodded extremely slowly and heavily, as if she had exhausted all her strength. Her voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible, yet it carried a sense of desperate liberation.
"...Okay. Mother will listen to you. We'll... go. Leave this... place of sorrow."