It was a cold, chilling night in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. Because of the ongoing grand funeral for the illustrious Dragon God Douluo, Mu En, which would last for a month, not many people, specifically those of high status, remained in this huge estate.
The White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, attended the funeral for three days before returning to his outpost at the Ming Dou Mountain in case the Sun Moon Empire takes advantage of the situation.
His eldest son, Dai Yueheng, after being expelled from Shrek Academy now joins his father in the military but is forced to stay as a low-ranking soldier and do manual labor for the next five years as punishment for shaming the family.
As for Zhu Mei Lan, she's returned to service and is stationed at the same base as her father. She didn't get a promotion yet, but she's now a peak Soul Emperor. Just a few steps away from becoming a Soul Sage.
Now, the only ones remaining in the estate were the Duchess and her people.
Bai Ya is an old woman and a rank 84 Soul Douluo expert. She's the head maid and head of security of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, also known as the right hand of the Duchess.
She's been working at this job for more than 20 years; she was the previous White Tiger Duke's right hand as well and continued serving him after her time in the military. As a result, she knew almost everything that there was in the estate, a perk for being the trusted subordinate of the true lord of the house — the Duchess.
The Duke? Hah! Bai Ya's lips curled and almost laughed out loud, but merely snickered into her cup of wine. She was sitting beside the door of the Duchess's study room, two bottles of wine by her side.
'The only thing that man knows is to fight and die for the country, instead of staying at home and be a family man. Even his father made time for his wife, concubines and children. If it weren't for the Duchess, this property and his valuables would've already been stolen from other nobles.'
It was because of the Duchess capabilities that she switched sides
'If it weren't for her, the young lord Yueheng would've faced much more severe consequences and the young miss Mei Lan would truly experience the harsh reality of what it truly means of being in the military.'
Before the Duchess became who she is right now, she was known as the Goddess of War back when she served in the military. Not because of unparalleled strength or something, but because of her strategic mind.
With her intelligence and brilliant tactics, she won 137 battles and was the medal bearer of the Crimson Star of Valor, the highest military honor awarded by the Star Luo Empire — a decoration reserved only for those whose contributions changed the tides of war.
However, after she retired from duty, only the older generation remembered her — Zhu Yanjing, the Duchess and wife of Dai Hao. After she became his wife, her once brilliant mind was now corrupted by the extremities of politics.
The once perfect strategies she holds in her mind are now filled with schemes, negotiations, veiled threats, and the endless calculations of behind the scenes of survival.
No longer did she draw up battle formations or maneuver troops across open plains.
Now, her battlefield was one of velvet chairs and golden halls — a place where a misplaced word could cost more than a blade ever could.
Zhu Yanjing had adapted, yes, but not without cost. The fire in her eyes had dimmed, replaced by a colder, calculating gleam. Her voice, once sharp with command, had grown quieter — not weaker, but laced with hidden meaning and double edges.
In the eyes of nobles, she was a snake. In the eyes of commoners, she was a bitch.
Bai Ya took another sip and sighed deeply, "Mistress, I truly do not understand your loyalty towards that man. You don't even take a young lover to bed, aren't you sexually frustrated?"
The Duchess has complete control over the entire mansion, who would even snitch?
'It just shows how much she's fallen from grace,' Bai Ya grumbled and refilled her drink.
Zhu Yanjing was a noble daughter of two prestigious clans of the Star Luo Empire, the Zhu and the royal family. She was one of the greatest talents in her generation, and yet look at how she'd become.
Bai Ya paused.
'It's too quiet here. It hasn't rained for days now so insects should be making some noise. And what is this chilling feeling—?!' Her eyes widened and she tried to stand up.
"Shh."
Bai Ya's eyes widened as she stared at a masked figure standing in front of her, his hand on her shoulder.
He was as tall as she is if she stood up. He wore all black, formfitting clothes with the exception of a white mask with the features of a snake.
His grip on her shoulder wasn't strong, yet her body refused to move.
It was just an overwhelming feeling of dread and chilling cold emitting from his body. Her soul power — which had instinctively surged to her limbs — dispersed the moment his hand touched her.
It wasn't a technique she recognized.
It wasn't suppression from raw cultivation either.
'Poison? No, this is...Ice?!' Her lips trembled, but no words came out. Her throat constricted, not from fear, but from some unseen tiny ice-fire energy that slithered through her meridians like poison.
She desperately tried to circulate her soul power and activate her martial soul, but how could her ordinary soul power be able to overpower the energy of Ultimate Ice-Fire?
The masked man tilted his head slightly, the serpent design on the mask catching the light.
She then heard an indifferent voice in her mind, causing her to shudder.
"You're not the target," he said. "But you're in my way and show great loyalty towards her, so you won't be bribed. I apologize, I will make this painless."
"Sleep, in eternal bliss. And be reborn anew as my soldier." He touched her forehead with his right index finger.
The moment his finger made contact with her forehead, within her spiritual sea, a blazing blue soul fire emerged and burned her consciousness to ashes.
Bai Ya's eyes dimmed, fading into a lifeless glaze.
Her body slumped forward without resistance, collapsing onto the floor with a soft thud and sunk into the shadows.
There was no final cry, no dramatic struggle.
Just silence.
Huo Yuhao didn't dwell on her death and stepped into the study room.
By now, all of the security members in the estate are either unconscious or dead by his hand. His subordinates are all stationed on all possible exits to stop stragglers and intercept any sudden reinforcements.
Huo Yuhao could do this all by himself, but that would bring up all kinds of suspicions that would connect this to him.
There are all kinds of martial souls and soul skills in the world — what if there's a very powerful detection soul skill that traces spiritual fluctuations, soul energy residue, or even time manipulation?
It was better to have different people take part in this mission than a single individual as a smoke screen.
Huo Yuhao wasn't about to take a risk. Not when he had come this far.
"Auntie Ya? Are you drunk on the job again? I've said this before, I won't help you to your bed. Not since you puked on my face the last time." When Huo Yuhao entered the study, he heard an familiar voice. A soft, refined tone — sharp like a blade concealed within silk.
She didn't notice him entering — too caught up in her work.
The woman behind the grand desk, seated with the poise of a monarch, continued scribbling onto parchment with a fountain pen. Her every movement was deliberate, graceful, the curve of her wrist betraying years of discipline and control.
She wore high quality clothes befitting a woman of her class, but unlike most noble women, she looked prepared for war rather than a ballroom.
Her tailored dark-red robes were trimmed with gold but devoid of excess decoration — no frills, no gemstones, no fragile silks that would snag or stain. Instead, the fabric was reinforced, subtly padded beneath the sleeves and shoulders. Her boots, polished but practical, peeked from under her long skirt — worn by someone who still walked with purpose, not one who expected to be carried.
Her hair was coiled into a tight bun, secured with a single crimson pin shaped like a phoenix — ceremonial, yes, but also sharp enough to be a weapon.
This was Zhu Yanjing: not just a duchess, not just a soldier-turned-strategist who had traded blades for words and still made both cut just as deep, nor one of the most blessed women in the continent—
To Huo Yuhao, she was his enemy.
'The duchess...' Huo Yuhao clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming crimson.
"Hm?" She stopped as the soul lampshade on her desk flickered. Sensing something, she looked up from her desk and stared at the figure in black standing in front of her.
"You're not Auntie Ya," Zhu Yanjing calmly stated and put aside her fountain pen.
She frowned, although middle aged, she still looked quite beautiful and captivating with her beautiful face and hot body.
"An assassin, huh. Did you kill Bai Ya, the one sitting by the door?"
Huo Yuhao narrowed his gaze.
Zhu Yanjing tilted her head. "The silent type, huh. Well, all the assassins I've come across are like that. No matter. I've long since expected Bai Ya's death, just as she was prepared to die when being the head of security. I will miss her dearly."
"....How are you so calm?" Huo Yuhao asked, masking his voice to be static.
Zhu Yanjing pressed her chin against her fist, and indifferently replied. "I've faced death countless times. Whether it be in the war-torn battlefields or in luxurious houses, death is always close. It's just the faces that change."
Her eyes, sharp and discerning, locked onto the masked figure before her with a look of curiosity.
As the wife of the famous war general of the Star Luo Empire and a women originated from powerful bloodlines, there was no shortage of assassination attempts upon her life.
However, ever since the advancement of soul tools, the abilities of the assassins after her have been.... extremely frightening to say the least.
Especially since the last attempt on her and her family's lives, the security system has been updated to what money can buy for them in the black market, as much as she hated using the technology from those barbarian Sun Moon people.
However, thanks to the new soul tools, many assassins in the last few months couldn't even enter the building before they were killed.
So she was curious on who this capable assassin was and his background.
"If you were here to kill me," she continued, her tone almost bored, "you would've done it already. Which means you want something. Information? Money? What is it?"
Huo Yuhao continued staring at her with his white snake mask.
"....A few years ago, do you recall someone in particular who died?"
"Someone who died a few years ago? Well, that's kinda vague isn't it?"
"Three chances. If you can name the person, then I will give you a swift death." Huo Yuhao coldly stated, in a deep static voice.
Zhu Yanjing furrowed her brows and leaned back against her chair, contemplating.
"Someone in particular, huh. Could they be someone of importance? And they died in the last few years. A "few" means less than a decade, I presume? Hmm."
There were brief moments of silence.
"Could it be the Dragon God, Mu En? He died recently, but it does count as someone from a few years ago."
"...."
"No? Then....could it be the old city Ling that governs the city nearest to the capital city?"
"...." Huo Yuhao's fists trembled, bones cracking.
Zhu Yanjing didn't notice, or chose not to, she was deep in thought.
"Not him either? Then, is it the minister of economics? No one ever liked that old coot, he was always so obvious for being corrupt."
"...."
Huo Yuhao stared at Zhu Yanjing, looking nonchalant yet exuding an aura of confidence.
As she had stated before, she had faced death numerous times yet had survived every encounter of them. She held confidence in not just her own strength, but also because of the defensive soul tools on her that would enable her to block several attacks of a Titled Douluo.
Moreover, there was even an elder, a Titled Douluo, from her family hiding in a secret room that would storm the study the moment there would be fluctuations of soul power — which she was subtly emitting it from a specialized soul tool she bought from the black market.
Just by pressing a soundless button on her armchair, the elder in the secret room would be immediately alerted.
So she wasn't worried about her safety at all.
Zhu Yanjing placed her hand on her face. 'But she's taking an awful long time to burst in... Is she fishing for information secretly? Hm. I could taunt him some more and reveal his origins.'
"....Thank you."
"Hm? For what?" Zhu Yanjing was taken aback when she heard a normal, young man's voice instead of static.
She furrowed her brows when Huo Yuhao turned around and started walking away.
"I thanked you, for reminding me about my hatred. I confess, I was feeling a bit lost on my way here.
Before I left this house, I was filled with anger, vengeance and the fury from hell to exact retribution. But after some time in the outside world, meeting with all kinds of people and experiencing all kinds of wonders and dangers, it slowly began to dwindle."
"To be honest, there were times I've thought about letting go of my hatred towards the duke, you and Huabin. Moving on is the greatest wonder in life, I heard from some people."
"As I entered this room, thinking of just killing you outright and getting it done... You started taunting me, goading me to attack you.
Congratulations. You've successfully pissed me off and reminded me of my purpose — making sure you die a horrible death, to make you wish for it."
"So, thank you."
"Wait, you said Huabin? You bastard, were you the one who made Huabin—gah!" Zhu Yanjing's face changed at the mention of her son's name. As she stood up, she covered her mouth with her hands and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
"W-What is this...?!" She looked down in horror, as she felt like millions of fire ants were crawling through her veins, gnawing at her insides with every twitch of her muscles.
Her knees buckled, slamming against the base of her desk as she collapsed to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.
She tried circulating her soul power, to activate the soul tools she had, and even alert the elder from outside the room — but nothing.
Suddenly, the world around her distorted and she now found herself in some frozen wasteland.
'W-What is....' Her eyes widened.
Bunnies. Crimson-eyed, white furred bunnies numbering in the hundreds slowly started creeping towards her.
"For the next 74 hours, I'm going to make you suffer the worst hells I can imagine. Time, space, reality? None of that matters when I have you trapped in my world." Huo Yuhao muttered, staring down on her as she glanced up at him.
She was now deeply afraid and confused.
What is going on? How did she end up here?!
Ahhhh! One of the bunnies jumped out and took a chunk out of her right side, and another went to start nibbling on her arm.
Before long, she was covered entirely by the Snow Bunnies — blood, meat and bones torn apart.
Huo Yuhao coldly looked.
He snapped his fingers, and Zhu Yanjing's flesh, bones and skin reconstructed.
She snapped her eyes widely, but before she could say a word — she was once more torn apart again by the Snow Bunnies.
"From the moment you looked at my mask, you were already caught in my genjutsu. I hope your sanity lasts long enough so I can savor this memory for as long as I live."
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
AN: Sup💀