Chapter 99: White Tiger Duke

Huo Yutong's suggestion was smoothly adopted, and at noon Xuanzi led them to a small stream to have lunch.

Everyone present obviously had rich wilderness survival experience; as soon as they landed they began dividing tasks—some gathering firewood, some starting fires, some catching fish—a bustling scene.

Soon, Huo Yutong's grilled fish were ready; the first piece went to Tang Wulin, the second to Zhang Zehao.

After taking a bite, Zhang Zehao's eyes widened, he exclaimed "Delicious!" and finished the fish in just a couple of bites.

Seeing his eager eating, everyone else felt reassured and looked expectantly at Huo Yutong.

One, two, three… the grilled fish kept coming; soon everyone had tasted Huo Yutong's cooking, and without exception they praised it endlessly.

Dai Yaoheng sat down beside Tang Wulin and remarked:

"I didn't expect Yutong's cooking to be this good; looks like whoever marries her in the future will be blessed."

He spoke sincerely—partly because he truly thought so, partly because he was secretly trying to curry favor with Tang Wulin.

Dai Yaoheng, being very perceptive, immediately noticed that the relationship between Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong was anything but ordinary.

Those who can perform a Soul Fusion Technique usually have a very close relationship—either family or lovers; the former is exemplified by the Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu sisters, the latter by the White Tiger lineage and the Yinming Spirit Cat lineage through generations of intermarriage, and Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong clearly belong to the latter.

Although they are still young and this feeling is clearly in its infancy, the fiery looks they exchange show that, barring any mishap, they will inevitably become lovers.

Moreover, according to Dai Yaoheng's observation, contrary to their relative strengths, Tang Wulin actually holds the dominant role in this pair; his influence on Huo Yutong is enormous, so after careful thought Dai Yaoheng decided to first get close to him.

He smiled and said:

"By the way, I heard that my good-for-nothing younger brother clashed with you guys last year and got expelled—is that right? I know the general outline of what happened, and you were indeed in the right; my father and I were furious when we heard about it and have already reprimanded him privately, so I hope you don't hold a prejudice against the Duke's Mansion."

He clearly understood that as long as the Dai Huabin issue remained unresolved, Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong would always have a grudge against him; therefore, instead of pretending nothing happened, he chose to address it directly.

Tang Wulin nodded lightly.

"Don't worry, senior; I understand."

He naturally wouldn't be placated by just those two sentences from Dai Yaoheng; after returning yesterday, Huo Yutong had already told him about Dai Yaoheng's identity and the fleeting killing intent in his eyes, so Tang Wulin now feels wary of him.

Dai Yaoheng didn't realize that no matter how hard he tried, Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong would always be hostile toward the Duke's Mansion; hearing Tang Wulin's obedient agreement, his smile widened, and he handed over the untouched grilled fish in his hand to Tang Wulin.

"Come on, Wulin, you're about to finish the one in your hand—why not eat mine first? I'm not hungry right now."

"Okay."

Tang Wulin didn't refuse, after all food is innocent; he took the grilled fish from Dai Yaoheng's hand and took a bite.

Next, he widened his eyes in surprise.

"Hmm? The texture seems a bit off."

"It's not that the flavor differs much; it just feels different when eating, not as tasty as what he had before."

"Did Huo Yutong secretly add something to his?"

Tang Wulin wondered but didn't voice his doubt; regardless, receiving special treatment isn't exactly comfortable—though he himself didn't mind being favored, if others found out the taste differed they might complain about Huo Yutong. He quickly finished the fish in his hand and asked Dai Yaoheng, "By the way, senior, your father is the White Tiger Duke, right? Could you tell me what kind of person he is?"

This is a very important question; although Huo Yutong harbors hatred for the White Tiger Duke, she actually knows little about Dai Hao himself—she hasn't even met him—in fact, it's precisely because she's never seen him that she hates him so much.

He wanted to gather some information about the White Tiger Duke Dai Hao.

"No problem at all." Dai Yaoheng nodded with a smile, "My father can be summed up in one word: hero. He is the most renowned general of the Star Net Empire, stationed year-round at the border between the Star Net Empire and the Ri Yue Di Guo, sacrificing himself for home and country—he rarely returns home, a exemplar of putting the greater good before self. It is precisely because he has long guarded the frontier that the ambitious Ri Yue Di Guo dares not act rashly."

Saying this, Dai Yaoheng's eyes filled with pride.

However, these were not what Tang Wulin cared about most.

"Then how many wives does your father have?"

Dai Yaoheng's face stiffened slightly, and he spoke solemnly:

"My father is deeply devoted, naturally having only one wife; he has always been restrained in matters of the heart, a man renowned throughout the nation as a good man."

"……"

Tang Wulin's gaze instantly turned cold.

Well, just based on that sentence, the truth of all Dai Yaoheng's previous evaluations deserves a question mark.

Who knows whether this guy has been excessively glorifying his father.

No one noticed that Huo Yutong, who was grilling the fish, suddenly clenched her little hand holding the fish, her breathing becoming somewhat rapid.

She had been quietly paying attention to Tang Wulin all along, and naturally caught every word of their conversation.

Devoted? One wife? Extremely restrained in love? A man famed nationwide as a good man?

What about her mother? And what about her?! Huo Yutong bit her lower lip tightly, burying the surging dark emotions in her eyes.

The lunchtime passed just like that, and the relationship between Shilake's official team and preparatory team seemed to have grown much closer through this meal.

Xuanzi patted his belly contentedly after a satisfied burp, saying, "Not bad—though we lost some time, getting to eat such delicious grilled fish makes it worthwhile. Come on, I'll lead the way on the rest of the journey to make up for the time we lost eating."

Saying that, he handed out several long ropes to each member, telling them to tie them around their waists.

Next, a dark‑red flying soul tool appeared on his back, boasting twelve jet nozzles, and he gave a hehe laugh.

"Give you a heads‑up first—my speed will be extremely fast; you don't need to worry about anything else, just protect yourselves with soul power, then three, two, one, let's fly!"

A tremendous roar sounded, and then Tang Wulin felt the world before him become unreal, the surrounding scenery beginning to recede backward at astonishing speed.

The Shilake members turned into a blazing white meteor streaking across the sky, flying toward their destination.

(End of chapter)