Douluo Continent: I, Huo Yuhao, am the Master of Spirit

Chapter 7 Xiao Xiao
Huo Yuhao said to the little girl in front of him with a slightly apologetic tone:

"Kid, your stealth skills are quite good; I didn't even notice you."

The little girl with black hair and green eyes seemed to be intimidated by the cold gaze of Huo Yuhao, who played Shimura Danzo. Her body stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered and puffed out her cheeks like balloons.

"You adults are really annoying."

The petite girl tossed her head away, no longer looking at Huo Yuhao, and thought to herself:

"Their height has already reached its limit, but I can still grow taller."

"When I'm taller than them in the future, I'll definitely look down on them with my eyes!"

The black-haired girl, whose mindset had been transformed through the "Ah Q spirit of self-deception," turned to look at Huo Yuhao again, hands on her hips, and said:

"My name is Xiao Xiao. May I ask who you are?"

Upon hearing her name, Huo Yuhao's expression changed slightly. He never expected to meet her here. According to the plot, they should have met at Shrek Academy.

Huo Yuhao, who no longer intends to join Shrek Academy, originally thought that they would never have any contact in this life.

Even if they did meet, it would be at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament, but he would be watching Xiao Xiao and the others compete from the audience.

Huo Yuhao had no intention of participating in such a competition. Being coveted by a bunch of people just for a few pieces of some unknown soul bone was not in line with his way of life.

Participating in such a nonsensical competition is an insult to his extraordinary wisdom.

Huo Yuhao concealed the strange glint in his eyes, and then said:

"I am Shimura Danzo."

Xiao Xiao tilted her head in slight confusion, a hint of curiosity flashing in her clear green eyes.

"Shimura Danzo? What a strange name."

Seemingly realizing that her words were a bit inappropriate, Xiao Xiao quickly waved her hand and said:

"That's not what I meant. I just think your name is... very... very unique!"

Huo Yuhao found it somewhat amusing to see Xiao Xiao's incoherent speech.

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"By the way, what is your relationship with Chairman Xiao?"

Seeing that Huo Yuhao didn't seem to care, Xiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, then straightened her expression and said:
"He is my brother."

"Brother?" A knowing glint flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

Xiao Xiao turned her head to look at Xiao Dingyuan, a look of disappointment flashing in her eyes, her tone tinged with sorrow.

"My brother is very capable, but he has changed in recent years."

Xiao Xiao clearly didn't want to dwell on this topic any longer, and her tone became energetic again as she changed the subject, asking:

"Uncle Danzo, could you tell me how you got the scar on your chin? Of course, if this question is a bit presumptuous, then please don't ask."

Seeing Xiao Xiao's "I'm very curious" expression, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and said:
"Alright, that brings us to a story about the unspeakable tears of Konoha."

"I have a close friend named Hiruzen Sarutobi, and we live in a village called Konoha."

“We often cultivate together, but I am better than him in every aspect…”

I recounted the somewhat wild history of Konoha Village to Xiao Xiao, and seeing her admiring look, I felt a sense of satisfaction.

Huo Yuhao thought he could try writing novels in the future; who knows, he might be able to make some money.

"Uncle Danzo, I need to pack my luggage now. Let's chat again next time." Xiao Xiao suddenly realized that it was getting late and almost forgot that she hadn't packed her luggage yet. She left immediately after saying this to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao watched Xiao Xiao run into a house in the distance and shook his head. Just as he was about to turn around and ask Lang Shan about the mission plan, he suddenly noticed Xiao Dingyuan walking up to him with a smile. Huo Yuhao nodded slightly to him, and Xiao Dingyuan returned the greeting before gazing at the energetic Xiao Xiao in the distance. Even though he tried his best to hide it, Huo Yuhao still caught a hint of envy in his eyes.

"Lord Danzo, thank you for taking care of Xiao Xiao just now."

"This child, because of his good talent, has been kept at home to cultivate. Now that he has finally come out, he is very curious about everything in the world."

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "It's no trouble. It's a good thing that children are curious about the world. Soul Masters can't do without exploring the mysteries of the world."

"This young lady's future is truly limitless!"

After he finished speaking, Huo Yuhao secretly used his mental power to carefully observe the changes in his expression.

Surprisingly, he did not show the slightest bit of jealousy or resentment; on the contrary, he was pleased.

"Then I'll take your kind words."

“Xiao Xiao is different from me. My martial soul has undergone a malignant mutation and my talent is extremely poor. I am still only a Great Soul Master. She is regarded as the future hope of the family.”

"But as her older brother, I would rather she live happily in the present than face an uncertain future."

Huo Yuhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that there wouldn't be any melodramatic sibling rivalry.

However, he was a little puzzled as to why Xiao Dingyuan would tell such obviously private things to a complete stranger he had only met once.

As the president of a chamber of commerce, Xiao Dingyuan was very perceptive. After noticing Huo Yuhao's doubts, he explained:

"Although Xiao Xiao is young, she is very sensitive to the malice of others thanks to her martial soul talent."

"Although you don't look very friendly, you are willing to patiently tell a child stories from the past."

"And the most important thing is that I trust the intuition I've honed over the years by traveling all over the country."

"Therefore, I believe you can be trusted."

"I've said all this in the hope that you'll take good care of Xiao Xiao during this time. I can increase your reward to fifty gold soul coins."

Huo Yuhao nodded without hesitation, agreeing to his request. After all, it wasn't anything particularly troublesome; it was just a small matter.

Besides, why not take advantage of free gold soul coins? Fifty gold soul coins! How many grilled fish would he need to sell to earn that much?

"Employer Xiao, Brother Danzo, you can come over now. We're about to set off."

After Langshan finished handling the division of labor within the mercenary group, he shouted to Huo Yuhao and Xiao Dingyuan in a rough voice from a distance.

"Lord Danzo, let's prepare to depart."

After hearing Langshan's urging, Xiao Dingyuan exchanged a glance with Huo Yuhao, and the two returned to the escort team together.

Led by Lang Shan and Xiao Dingyuan, a caravan of one hundred people officially assembled on the official road of the Xingluo Empire outside the East Gate.

The Blood Wolf Mercenary Group served as the outer guards on both sides, while twenty first-ring Soul Masters were arranged to guard the central convoy. The core of the convoy contained several carriages of precious medicinal herbs and rare metals.

Langshan, as the Soul Venerable with the highest cultivation level, was at the forefront of the convoy, responsible for early warning and deterrence.

Huo Yuhao was personally assigned by Xiao Dingyuan to protect Xiao Xiao and other important members of the Chamber of Commerce in the core area of ​​the caravan.

Their planned route was to enter the territory of the Heavenly Soul Empire from Beiming City of the Star Luo Empire, and then circle around the Heavenly Dou Plain to reach Xuanfeng City directly.

They would never stray from the official roads of the Star Luo Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire along the way.

Every empire's official roads are regularly patrolled by powerful figures, so high-age soul beasts are rarely seen around the roads.

Moreover, as a matter of national prestige, it's unlikely that any high-level Soul Master would openly cause trouble on the official road.

After all, the three great empires now have titled Douluo serving them, which helps maintain the empires' prestige and prevents just anyone from coming to trample on them.

(End of this chapter)