"Hmm. So that's how it is, huh." Huo Yuhao muttered, looking away at the bound and unconscious Ye Guyi he turned towards Tang Ya. "We shouldn't worry, the girl had only lucked out on finding us. She initially wanted to just passed by this village, but then she heard of this place being haunted... and well, being a good samaritan as the heiress of the Angel Clan that she is, she wanted to help out the poor kids who bought the villa that was once inhabited by an ancient Evil Soul Master and had most likely cursed it."
"But instead of some ignorant rich kids who are constantly in fear, she instead found the two recent wanted people in the Heavenly Soul Empire." Tang Ya wryly smiled.
Huo Yuhao sighed, "I apologize. It seems like I was a bit too careless with our hideout. I thought leaving the rumors be would keep most people out, but it seems I underestimated the curiosity of others."
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes, he felt slightly ashamed of this situation. When he bought the villa for his organization, the Akatsuki, as their headquarters he had done his best to fortify it. He went as far as changing the landscape, as much as he could with high tier water jutsus, as he had barely started learning earth jutsus, and set up many traps that only he, Tang Ya and Xiao Dong knew the locations of.
The villa is located a couple miles away from the village, surrounded mostly with large weathered old trees and dead grasslands, a result of the miasma leaked from the trapped vengeful spirits over the years. Because of that, it caused some unnatural phenomena around the forest like ghostly apparitions, eerie whispers that can be heard in the wind, and a thick and heavy atmosphere that weighed down on anyone who ventured near. Also because of his hand, the forest had transformed into a swamp. It was the perfect disguise for a hideout, even an average Soul Douluo would have trouble finding their villa, or so he thought.
But somehow, Ye Guyi had managed to bypass all the traps and protective measures they had set up. Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a mix of frustration and admiration for her. It seemed that her intuition and innate abilities had guided her to them, even though she had no idea about their true identities.
'This girl has great potential, as expected of the Angel Clan's heiress...' He glanced at the unconscious Ye Guyi, bound in a chair, and his lips twitched. 'Or she's just really lucky.'
Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that she was the Angel Clan's heiress, a hermit family after the fall of their ancestors and a considerably powerful force for having traces of a God's bloodline, and that she was a great research material Huo Yuhao would've already either gotten rid of her or brainwashed her.
The ultimate attribute is certainly rare, a one in a million, but next to it are space, time, holy and evil attributes. Generally speaking, if someone with no affinity with the mentioned attribute, they wouldn't bother researching it as it would be a waste of time. This certainly applied to Huo Yuhao who had spiritual, ultimate ice, fire, water, wind, earth and lightning.
But that all changed when a certain elder woke up.
.....
As a day after that whole Vold fiasco a month ago, Electrolux had formally introduced himself and... it was short and straightforward.
"My name is Electrolux, a ghost of a distant world. Little Yuhao, I understand you don't want to hear this but I do hope that you'll be able to wash away your hatred. When your heart is free of hatred, and when you feel only joy and benevolence, I will truly become your third martial soul. Only then will you have the qualifications to inherit my art of necromancy." Electrolux let out a deep sigh, his voice sounded heavy with regret. "I have made many mistakes in my past, and I do not wish for you to repeat them."
"However, I am still someone who deeply knows how to repay someone. Although unintended, you still inevitably saved this old ghost's spiritual imprint and have helped me out on a whim of mine. I am thankful. So in compensation, I'll teach you a little bit of something called... Light magic."
So for some time, Electrolux would teach Huo Yuhao how to use Light magic, though it was all just theory for now. As despite 50-60% of the pure soul essence of Vold that Electrolux had absorbed, it only had enough to keep the old ghost stable and more awake for conversations. He didn't have enough energy to awaken the power of Light magic within Huo Yuhao.
....
It would've stayed that way until they find another pure soul essence or something with extremely rich life force, but with Ye Guyi in his hands...
Tang Ya shook her head, not noticing the wide grin on Huo Yuhao's face as she looked at Ye Guyi. "Don't blame yourself, Yuhao. Human curiosity is a powerful force. It's not surprising that someone managed to find our hideout, especially with the rumors of the villa being haunted. We just need to be more careful in the future."
Huo Yuhao nodded, his grin fading slightly. "You're right. We can't afford any more slip-ups." Letting out a sigh, he headed towards the door.
Tang Ya looked at him in confusion, "Yuhao? Where are you going?"
Huo Yuhao opened the door and said. "The village. I'll be back in a couple hours, tops if something happens."
He raised his hand over his head, not looking back. "Don't worry, you know strong I am."
Tang Ya opened her mouth to say something but decided against it. She trusted Huo Yuhao's abilities and knew that he would handle any situation that arose. Instead, she nodded and watched as he disappeared into the mist.
"Still, good luck." She muttered before looking back down at Ye Guyi, a serious frown on her face.
Tang Ya didn't like the girl, not just because she attacked them, but also because of the history between their organizations. Even though she's joined a different one, Tang Ya is still someone from Tang Sect, the organization behind the downfall of the Angel Clan's peak.
She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and caution towards Ye Guyi. However, she also knew that Huo Yuhao had a different perspective on things. He saw the potential in Ye Guyi and believed that she could be of use to them, both as a research subject and as an ally.
She hoped Ye Guyi mostly stays as a research subject, there was no way she'd trust her back to someone from the Angel Clan.
"Haa. I'm getting restless. Nope, nope. I should just get back to training. Revenge takes priority!" She shook her head and stood up, "Now, where's my trusty training rabbit buddy? Hm? Xiao Dong?"
Tang Ya blinked and looked around, lost.
"... Where's Xiao Dong?"
....
Getting to the village didn't took long; with a Soul Elder physique, the other benefits he got from having the Ice Empress as his second martial soul, the sealed Ice God bone in his left arm and ninja training, it only took Huo Yuhao a couple of minutes before he walked out of a dark alley.
"Tch. I should've waited a bit longer," Huo Yuhao muttered as he looked up at the setting sun. He could change the memories of the entire village population right now but he wasn't confident he could target every single one of them without making them braindead. Especially children, their mind was still developing so it'd be much harder to overwrite their memories. It was better to wait until it was nighttime.
Huo Yuhao let out a sigh. "Looks like I'll just have to kill some time in the village–" he paused, seeing a familiar rabbit sitting on the ground before him.
"Xiao Dong? What are you doing here bud?" Huo Yuhao went to a knee, petting the fluffy rabbit that was about the size of a beach ball.
...The rabbit should probably be put into a diet.
Xiao Dong's pink nose twitched.
"Ah, so you wanted to explore the village?"
It nodded its head.
"I understand. You've been cooped up in the house for too long," Huo Yuhao smiled and picked up the rabbit, cradling it in his arms. "Alright, let's go explore together."
With Xiao Dong nestled against his chest, Huo Yuhao walked through the village, taking in the sights and sounds. The streets were bustling with activity as vendors called out their wares and children ran past, playing games. It was a lively and vibrant atmosphere, contrasting with the eerie silence of the forest surrounding their hideout.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness. For most of his life, he'd been trapped in the White Tiger Mansion. His only source of light and warmth was his mother, but she was also trapped in that hell and had suffered the most compared to him.
He wondered, if his mother had just let go of her love for that... father of his, would they have lived a different life? Would they have been free, like the people in this village, enjoying the simple pleasures of everyday life?
As these thoughts weighed on his mind, Huo Yuhao's gaze fell upon a building before him that reeked of alcohol and debauchery. The sound of loud laughter and rowdy conversation spilled out onto the street, enticing him to step inside and forget his troubles for a while.
Curiosity piqued, Huo Yuhao pushed open the door and entered the dimly lit establishment. A wave of raucous energy hit him as he walked in, the smell of alcohol and smoke filling his nostrils. The room was filled with drunken patrons, their voices loud and boisterous.
Making his way through the crowd, Huo Yuhao found an empty seat at the bar and sat down, placing Xiao Dong on the counter. The bartender, a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard, glanced over at him.
"What'll it be, lad?" he asked, clearly used to serving all sorts of customers.
Huo Yuhao blinked, surprised that the bartender didn't ask him for his age or ask why he had rabbit with him. But then considering how children could be much stronger than the average adult if they were awaken powerful martial souls and could kill soul beasts.
Well, as Wang Dong once said to him, "If you're old enough to kill, you're old enough to drink." Of course, he haven't tasted a hint of alcohol himself and had only heard one of his uncles said such words. Thinking it sounded cool, he would start saying it as well.
Unbeknownst to him, his uncle received a one hell of a beating from his brother and sister.
Huo Yuhao shrugged and replied, "Just a glass of whatever you recommend."
The bartender nodded and went to grab a bottle from the shelf, pouring a dark amber liquid into a glass. He slid it over to Huo Yuhao, who took a sip and expectedly started coughing violently. The drink was strong, much stronger than he had anticipated.
Everyone in the room started laughing, some even started laughing hysterically when Huo Yuhao flipped them the bird.
The bartender chuckled, seemingly amused by Huo Yuhao's reaction. "That's some strong stuff, lad. Straight from the distillery in the mountains. Careful, it'll knock a first timer off your feet."
"Cough, cough. H-How'd you know... it was my first time drinking?" Huo Yuhao asked, a disgusted look on his face.
The bartender shrugged. "I've been serving drinks for a long time, kid. You get a feel for these things. Plus, you look young."
Huo Yuhao nodded, taking another cautious sip of the drink. He found that the more he drank, the smoother it became. The initial shock of the alcohol had subsided, and he could taste the warm and slightly fruity flavor of the drink.
"Woah, woah. Take it easy there kid," One of the patrons adviced, though he shouldn't be the one to say it with his own drunken state.
"Alcohol ain't going anywhere kid!"
"Drink something mild..."
"Yeah! Go back to drinking milk and wait until you're much older!"
Huo Yuhao snorted, feeling like he had something to prove. He downed the rest of the glass in one gulp, slamming it back down on the counter.
The bar erupted in applause and cheers. The bartender, once again amused by Huo Yuhao's antics, poured him another glass. "I like your spirit, kid. But take it easy, alright? We don't want you passing out on us."
Huo Yuhao grinned, taking the glass and downed it in one gulp before putting it down and yelled, "One more!"
The bar erupted once more in cheers and laughter and as Huo Yuhao took another sip, he thought,
What's the worse that could happen?
....
AN: Kids, don't drink under the legal limit of your country.
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