Commander Huo wasn't in the game as he had died before the plot began. But since the man's appearance was shown in various pictures throughout the Huo Clan mansion, Xue Bai knew what he looked like.
As a commander under Xue Feng, Commander Huo naturally wore the signature light blue armor that had Xue Feng's emblem etched onto the heart guard.
But since he was in the estate and not on a mission, he didn't bother to wear the helmet.
Commander Huo was a man with a clean-shaven chin but with long and wild hair that he didn't bother to straighten out. Moreover, since he didn't have a beard covering it, you could see that his chin had a sharp jawline.
Coupled with his above-average face, he was definitely something women would be after.
He was currently being led by a maid over to Xue Bai and Li Rou, and after getting within earshot, he knelt and spoke, "Huo Chen is reporting to the Mistress and Young Duke!"
After motioning that he could stand, Li Rou spoke, "Commander Huo, it seems it's time for your annual return home, correct."
While he didn't understand where his mistress was going with it, Huo Chen still replied, "Yes, Mistress, I plan to stay for a week this time. I've heard my older cousin has birthed a great child, and I plan to teach him how to use a spear while I'm there."
"Then my request is simple, take Bai'er with you and serve as his bodyguard. Since my Husband is currently in the Imperial Capital, we decided to let Bai'er gain some experience managing the subordinate families and want him to explore some of The Empire simultaneously." Li Rou explained.
"While I am fine with that, Mistress, you do know my Huo Clan doesn't have anything to offer the Young Duke during his stay?" Huo Chen replied, confused.
"As long as this trip gives Bai'er some practical experience, it'll be worth it. So do you agree or not?"
"Yes, Mistress, this subordinate agrees." Huo Chen accepted. It didn't bother him much bringing Xue Bai with him. He was confident in his strength and knew that not many people even dared to attack Xue Bai in The Great Xuan Empire.
"Then it's settled. Also, since you are taking Bai'er with you, you may take a Bear Griffin as a mount instead of the usual carriage." And after sorting out the details, Li Rou left.
Alone with his new bodyguard, Xue Bai cupped his fist and spoke, "Then I'll be in your care Commander Huo."
Cupping his fists back, Huo Chen replied, "It's my pleasure to be your escort, Young Duke."
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time for Commander Huo's return home.
Currently, Xue Bai was getting a stern talking to from his mother outside the estate while Huo Chen was readying the mounts they would use for the trip. Usually, when Huo Chen returned home, he could only take a carriage as it was a personal visit. But now that Xue Bai was with him, Li Rou let him take his mount home.
"Bai'er listen to Commander Huo as you would to your father or me. While he is our subordinate, when you leave the estate, he will become your dependency. If you get attacked, however much effort he puts into the fight is your chance of survival."
Huo Chen, who had heard Li Hou very clearly and defended himself, "Mistress, what kind of image of me do you have? I would protect the Young Duke with my life. And even if it weren't the Young Duke and another child, no matter how much they annoyed me, I wouldn't let them fend for themselves against cultivators."
"Mother, what fools would even dare to attack someone affiliated with the Dukedom? Let alone someone like Commander Huo." His mother's care touched Xue Bai, but he still acted a little resistant.
"You're father and I have made many enemies over the years. And while we killed most of them, some have closed up waiting for situations like this, so any precaution is a good one," Li Huo then looked at Huo Chen with cold and dead eyes and continued, "If Bai'er doesn't come back that means you're dead as well."
However, even after being threatened, Huo Chen didn't cower and only pounded his chest and replied, "Don't worry, Mistress, the Young Duke is in safe hands."
Nodding back Huo Chen, Li Rou gave Xue Bai a big hug and returned to the mansion.
"Young Duke, the city where my Clan lives are far, so we should start to get going." Huo Chen reminded before lifting Xue Bai up onto the mount he had readied.
The Wang Twins also had a mount that they would share for the journey. And after some preparations, the two Bear Griffins Flew off.
To prevent being blasted off by the strong winds, Xue Bai was covered by a small shield of Spiritual Qi that was conjured by Huo Chen. And after a few minutes of flying, the small group had left the vicinity of the Duke Estate.
"Commander Huo, how far is this trip going to take?" After leaving his home, Xue Bai asked.
"Young Duke, my Clan lives on the Frontier City on the edge of The Great Xuan Empire. And with how fast our mounts are flying, we should arrive by tomorrow morning." Huo Chen replied respectfully.
"Then I will rest for a little. Commander Huo, if anything important happens, wake me up." Xue Bai ordered. He had no plans to stay awake for another 16 hours, so he only instructed Huo Chen before closing his eyes.
"You can rest easy Young Duke. The twins and I are enough to ensure your safety while you rest." Huo Chen promised.
Nodding, Xue Bai closed his eyes but didn't go to sleep. He only said he would because he wanted to think peacefully.
Currently, they were on their way to Frontier City, where Huo Long lived with his Clan. The reason His Huo Clan lived so far away from The Capital was that it had risen so fast under his grandpa that the Emperor at that time gave the title of Marquis along with a fief to bring the Clan closer to the Empire. Ignoring that, besides Huo Long's grandpa, no one in the Clan had even reached the Law Engraving Realm. But after the Huo Clan founder disappeared, the fief they had struggled to survive. Without the Domain Lord Realm of the founder to ensure safety, it had turned into a bandit home.
The Emperor eventually took away the fief from the Huo Clan and moved them to the Imperial Capital just in case the founder would return someday. But he never did, so two years ago, the current Emperor kicked them out of the Capital and to the Frontier City along with other declined nobles.
Xue Bai wanted to build a relationship with Huo Long, and since he hadn't turned into the cold Clan exterminating protagonist yet and was still a child, Xue Bai could adopt many ways to get close. But Xue Bai eventually went with the simplest version and would try and help out the Huo Clan.
This way, not only could he befriend Huo Long but also his Clan. In the game, the Huo Clan founder hadn't died like the entire Empire had presumed but was currently locked in a secret realm. He would break out in about 30 years and return with a Spirit Fusion Realm Cultivation.
So if Xue Bai could relieve the Huo Clan's difficulty, he could also befriend the Huo Clan founder and Huo Long at the same time.
Xue Bai had brought some treasures that could help a clan, like the blueprints to create a Spiritual Qi Gathering Array. Along with some Middle Yellow Grade Natural Treasures that could help the younger generation of the Huo Clan cultivate.
Also another key thing to note is that Huo Long had just turned ten and would be awakening his Martial Veins next year. So Xue Bai also planned to send messages back and forth with the protagonist to ensure that their relationship didn't fall off after their separation.
In the game, Huo Long was only allowed to cultivate for a little over two years before he had been crippled, just barely reaching the Muscle Nourishing Realm. Huo Long had also stayed a cripple for another year and a half before cultivating again. So with all the setbacks, the protagonist would face, Xue Bai would have around five years to become sworn brothers with Huo Long before his meteoric rise would start.
After planning the encounter with the protagonist for a bit longer, Xue Bai began to tire out and finally went to sleep. And after a refreshing sleep, Xue Bai was awoken by a shaking from Huo Chen.
"Young Duke, we have arrived." Huo Chen announced.
As he looked at the towering thick metal walls surrounding the city in front of him, Xue Bai didn't know what to say. Whenever he read "10-meter tall walls" in a novel, he skipped past it but now, looking at an actual 10-meter tall wall, he was astonished. The wall was the size of a three-story building, and it was built surrounding a city with a radius of a few dozen miles. So how much Spiritual Ore went into the wall?
Seeing Xue Bai look at the walls with such surprise, Huo Chen commented, "Yes, Young Duke, the walls are the crowing achievement of the Frontier City. Our Clan at first had also looked down upon the city, but after seeing them, we were amazed too."
The Wang Twins were rather indifferent to the situation. The only thing that excited them was cultivation.
Shaking his head, Xue Bai looked away from the walls and asked, "Commander Huo, why are we outside the city right now? I assumed you'd wake me up in your Clan's mansion?"
"Young Duke, we must go through the security check before entering Frontier City." Huo Chen reminded.
Scoffing at this, Xue Bai retorted, "Security Check? I am the Heir to a Duke who dares to check my pockets. Commander Huo, fly over the wall, see who dares to stop us."
Realization struck Huo Chen. Yes, this child was the only son of a Duke. So what mere security guard would check him? Huo Chen had been used to going through the gates and complying since he didn't have much of an identity outside of the Dukedom. But now Xue Bai was with him. So what rules would stop him?
Huo Chen then mounted the Bear Griffen again and flew into the air scaring the nearby citizens.
"What idiot is trying to skip the security check?"
"Ha, more fools looking for an early death. Ignore them. The City Lord will shoot them down soon."
"Wait, don't those mounts look familiar?"
"Oh, my heavens, those are the Duke of Snow's Bear Griffins!"
"There are two of them as well. Who in the world is riding them? All the Dukes have been gathered at the Capital."
As the crowd was discussing the situation above them, an armored man came flying from inside the city and stood in front of Xue Bai in mid-air.
"Look, it's the City Lord!"
"Things are getting interesting now."
The City Lord pulled out a sword and pointed it at Xue Bai's group before shouting, "Stop now before I take action!"
"Country Bumpkin, look at who I am before raising your voice!" Xue Bai retorted.
Hearing such arrogant words from an invader, the City Lord instinctively looked at the source of the voice and saw Xue Bai's beautiful appearance and almost instantly knew who it was.
'Why is this high-profile character at the frontier city' Seeing Xue Bai gave him a headache. Just being at risk of invasion every day was tiring enough, but now the Heir of Duke was here.
But he didn't say his thoughts and instead said, "Forgive me, Young Duke Xue. I didn't notice it was you."
"It's fine, but now that you have moved, I have things to do." Xue Bai was still being arrogant.
This city lord was a coward in the game and would abandon the Frontier City during an invasion, no matter who invaded. He would also be one of the first to run. Xue Bai had no respect for the man, so he continued being arrogant.
"Young Duke Xue, may I know why you have graced our humble Frontier City with your presence before I leave you?" The City Lord almost had a vein burst from hearing Xue Bai. But he couldn't do anything and continued to act humbly.
"I ran away from home and am hiding from Father." Xue Bai replied sarcastically.
"It's my business what I'm here for. Now, move before I order Commander Huo to attack!" Xue Bai continued.
Seeing Xue Bai not give him any face and that he wouldn't get an answer, the City Lord bowed and left, ending the encounter.
"Alright, Commander Huo, now take us to your clan." Xue Bai ordered
Now with no more distractions, the group continued their flight to the shock of the crowd outside the city.
After shooing away the City Lord, the group of four only needed to fly for a few more minutes before they reached the Huo Clan Mansion.
Xue Bai looking at the Huo Clan Mansion, could see that it was noticeably worse than either the estate where he lived or Li Huo's Mansion. But the Huo Clan were trying their best with where they lived now and their financial situation.
Huo Chen noticed the look in Xue Bai's eyes, so he didn't try to brag about this clan home.
Huo Chen lived during the era when the founder was around, so he also experienced the pinnacle of housing. So having been evicted from their luxurious home and given only a mansion in Frontier City was a hard adjustment. Thankfully he lived in the Duke Estate and didn't have it as bad as his cousins and their children, who had to live there permanently.
As Huo Chen was reminiscing, Xue Bai saw the melancholy look in his eyes, and to somewhat comfort the man, Xue Bai patted him on the back and said, "Things can only go up from here, Commander!"
Not expecting to be comforted by a child less than a tenth of his age, Huo Chen could only laugh awkwardly.
After dismounting, the Wang Twins also noticed the poor-looking home in front of them. Astonished, Little Wang unconsciously said, "Commander, don't tell me you come from this backwater place?"
Hearing his little brother say something so blunt, Big Wang smacked him on the back of his head before rephrasing it. "Commander, what he meant to say was that we know you game from a better background. So why is your Clan living here?"
But surprisingly, Huo Chen was angry at Little Wang's comment and replied simply, "It's because my Huo Clan isn't strong enough."
Ignoring the thoughtful looks on their faces, he turned to Xue Bai, still on the mount, and said, "Young Duke, you can jump off the mount now. I'll help you land."
While it wasn't as tall as Xue Feng's mount, the one that belonged to Huo Chen was still almost 4 meters tall. So Xue Bai needed help getting on and off the thing.
Xue Bai nodded and jumped off before being caught with a gust of wind that Huo Chen conjured. Landing safely, Xue Bai patted off any fur that had stuck to his clothes, then looked at Huo Chen and asked, "Commander Huo will you show us in?"
They had landed just outside the Huo Clan manor, and a small crowd had gathered around them. While being the center of attention was nice, Xue Bai was getting really weird stares from some of the men, and he wanted to leave.
"Give me one moment, Young Duke. I'm waiting for my cousin to come to greet us." Huo Chen paused for a moment before continuing, "When someone as important as you come to a household of lower importance, their head should come to greet you at the door."
"No, commander, I know about greeting etiquette, but I'm getting some very disturbing gazes from the crowd. So I'd rather not stay in the open much longer."
Hearing that, Huo Chen immediately spun and released some aura at the crowd. "The Young Duke is bothered by your stares. Leave!"
ραпdα Йᴏνêl(сòm) With the pressure of a Law Manifestation Realm cultivation being unleashed on the crowd, the people quickly scattered. The strongest people in this town were the Patriarch of the Huo Clan and the City Lord, and they were merely in the early Law Engraving Realm. The people in the crowd had even lower cultivations. No one in the group could withstand Huo Chen's pressure, and they ran away to not further anger the powerhouse protecting the small androgynous-looking child.
Right after Huo Chen scared off the crowd, the gates of the Huo Clan mansion swung open. The person who opened the door was dressed in luxurious robes branded with a flame symbol. He looked similar to Huo Chen, but their temperaments were different. Huo Chen walked with a ramrod straight spine he learned from his military training. But the man who opened the door walked out hunched over in exhaustion. Adding on the greying temples, though he and Huo Chen were the same age, he looked almost 20 years older.
And after seeing Huo Chen, the man gained some energy he didn't have before and laughed happily, "Cousin Chen is it that time of year already? Come inside. We already had prepared a feast that would await you when you sent the message."
Seeing his cousin, Huo Chen broke into a smile before replying, "Cousin Ming, I've always told you guys that you can see me as another member of the family."
"Cousin Chen, you are one of the mighty ten commanders under Duke Xue. How can we not give you the treatment you deserve? If anything, we feel like we don't give you big enough a welcome." The man called Huo Ming replied.
As the two were talking happily and giving each other hugs, Xue Bai on the side thought to himself. 'Leave to the protagonist to have a completely conjoined family. Commander Huo is a whole Realm above Huo Ming, and they speak so nicely with each other.'
Commander Huo wouldn't even bother to visit his Clan if this was any other family. But as the uncle of the protagonist, not only did he visit annually, but he wanted his cousin to talk to him equally.
After hugging for some time, Huo Ming finally noticed Xue Bai and the Wang Twins and asked, "Cousin Chen, who are the people with you?"
"Cousin Ming, you know how I work under Duke Xue, correct?" Huo Chen, not wanting to say directly, asked back.
"How could I not? You are the pride of our Clan!"
"And you also know how the Duke birthed a son a few years ago."
"Yes, how could I not know that the legendary Duke of Snow birthed a son, but what does that have to do with the beautiful Young Miss you brought?" Huo Ming replied, not knowing he was talking about the son of the legendary Duke of Snow.
Huo Chen, not expecting his cousin to so badly guess, was floored. He had so obviously implied who it was. So why couldn't his idiot of a cousin guess?
Thankfully Xue Bai was too far to hear their conversation. So Huo Chen only pulled Huo Ming over before whispering, "That's the Young Duke himself, and while he isn't bothered much by people misgendering him, I am a commander, and my family won't misgender him. Also, tell our Clan that anyone who does so will face the paddle."
Huo Ming nodded heavily. 'Thank the heavens the Young Duke didn't hear me.'
After some more small talk, Huo Chen waved over Xue Bai and the twins to enter the Mansion.
Entering the gate, Xue Bai saw that most of the Huo Clan were gathered around the entrance for a formal reception. Obviously, Huo Ming, as the Patriarch, ordered this grand reception to welcome Huo Chen. Because if he had known Xue Bai was coming, every Clan member, young or old, would've come out to greet him.
However, even without mentioning his status with how Huo Chen and Huo Ming looked so respectful to him, the Huo Clan quickly noticed that there was a guest even more important than Huo Chen that had visited.
"Whose that beautiful child with the Patriarch?"
"How would I know? But even Uncle Chen is being respectful to her, so don't try to antagonize her."
"Maybe she is from the Dukedom and is out for experience?"
The Huo clan all had various guesses. However, neither Huo Chen nor Huo Ming bothered to explain and walked to the main hall where the banquet was being held.
The Main Hall was built just like the one at the Duke Estate. However, since the Huo Clan was much better off than the Dukedom, it was less grand.
But currently, it wasn't set up for a meeting but instead had dozens of Kang tables in preparation for the banquet. They were all set up to face the back of the main hall, where two tables were set up for Huo Chen and Huo Ming to sit and eat at.
However, now, with not enough tables with Xue Bai and the Wang Twins joining in, Huo Ming ordered some clan members to bring in two more tables for them.
After Xue Bai and his group took their seats, the rest of the Huo Clan also sat down at their tables. And with everyone sitting down, Huo Ming clapped his hands and called for the maids and servants to bring in the food.
After the dishes were served, Huo Ming stood up and announced, "While there have been some more guests to join us, the banquet is starting, my Clan members. You may eat!"
Banquet
After Huo Ming sat back down, the Huo Clan started to chat amongst themselves. While most of it was about who Xue Bai was, many of the children there didn't care much and were focused on the food.
Their clan usually lived frugally, and with such a luxurious feast in front of them, the kids were having a great time.
Seeing his clan look so lively, Huo Ming smiled. It was moments like this that reminded him of what he was protecting.
He then looked over at Xue Bai and spoke, "Young Duke, while I know our food isn't like you'd receive at the Dukedom, they are the best our chefs could offer, so I hope you'll enjoy it."
Xue Bai didn't have much of a picky appetite as he spent five years eating bland hospital food. So currently, he was already engrossed in the meal, but after hearing Huo Ming speak, he put down his chopsticks and replied back, "The food is wonderful, Patriarch Huo, don't worry."
Currently, Xue Bai had a table to himself, so he was able to pick whatever food he wanted from the options without another mouth taking any. However, the twins shared one and were butting heads with each other every few seconds. While Huo Chen and Huo Ming also shared a table but were more elegant with their eating choosing only to eat as a show rather than to get full.
Seeing Xue Bai enjoy himself so much, Huo Ming was relieved. So while comfortable, he began to talk to Huo Chen, who sat next to him. "Cousin Chen, you got my message about my son, right?"
"Yes, I did. I can still hear your bragging throughout." Huo Chen spoke irritably.
Huo Ming only smiled at that. Yes, he did exaggerate about his son's talents, but how else would he attract the attention of his extremely talented cousin?
But he didn't mention his lie and replied, "Xiao Long is maybe even more talented than I described him. Let me call him over right now."
After speaking, Huo Ming stood from his seat and went to go call over the protagonist. And soon, Huo Ming returned with his son.
Currently, Huo Long was only ten. And while Huo Long didn't have the temperament he did in the game, he still had the looks. As a protagonist in a game, how could his looks be poor?
Huo Long, and Xue Bai, were both extremely good-looking, but Huo Long had a different style of looking. Xue Bai looked like the epitome of beauty, with his white skin, red lips, and long eyelashes making him look feminine. But Huo Long had a more manly look with a chiseled chin.
As Huo Long walked up to the group, he bowed toward Huo Chen, thinking he was the leader. "Huo Long greets Uncle Chen."
"So this your extremely talented son, huh?" Huo Chen spoke. "Just from the greeting alone, we already know his eyes don't work well. Cousin Ming, what part of him was so special? You never mentioned it in the message."
Reading in between the lines, Huo Ming quickly smacked Huo Long on the back of the head and sternly told him, "Unfilial Child, the son of our Lord is here. Greet him before your uncle."
Aggrieved, Huo Long covered his head and spoke through tears, "But there isn't even a boy here. There is only a girl here, and she's eating the food like she's a hungry ghost."
However, those words made Huo Ming even angrier, and he smacked the protagonist once more before saying, "That isn't a girl nor a hungry ghost that is the Duke of Snow's son."
Huo Long, at this point, wanted to leave. He had been looked down upon by his uncle, smacked twice in the head by his father, and was now forced to bow to a kid even younger than him.
However, Huo Long saw that his father was readying another slap behind him, so he forced a smile and bowed once more, "Greetings, Young Duke."
Xue Bai watching all of this, couldn't contain his laughter. The all-mighty future Huo Long was in front of him, tearing up like a child. And now, he had even been forced to bow in front of him. This was something he would brag about in the future.
At first, he was annoyed at being called a hungry ghost, but after seeing that, any resentment he had dissipated.
Huo Long seeing Xue Bai laugh at him, was even more aggrieved. He had been smacked twice, and the target of his bow hadn't even taken him seriously.
Seeing the protagonist look like he was about to start crying in front of him, Xue Bai eventually stopped laughing and nodded at him accepting the bow.
After seeing that, Huo Chen finally looked at his nephew and commented, "So my cousin told me that have talent that could rival mine. What's so special about you."
After hearing that in the back, Xue Bai immediately started choking on the chicken in his mouth. 'Good lord, this mob who dies even before the game starts just said that Huo Long could barely rival him!'
The three members of the Huo Clan turned around to see what was happening with Xue Bai, but he only turned them away with a wave indicating he was fine.
"My father surely was exaggerating, Uncle Chen. I only have minor talent with the spear. I only hope that I can follow your footsteps and become a commander under the Duke."
Xue Bai in the back choked again from this. 'Please, I just want to eat these delicacies. So stop saying such funny things!'
Hearing Xue Bai choke again, Big Wang went over to Xue Bai to make sure he was okay. But Xue Bai just waved him off and asked for some more fruit juice. Which he soon fetched from a nearby servant.
Seeing that Xue Bai was okay for the moment, Huo Chen looked back at Huo Long and replied. "Since you use the spear, how about I teach you some techniques? You'll be awakening your Marital Veins next year, too, and after that, you'll have to focus on cultivation more. So it's the best time to learn the fundamentals of your weapon before that."
Excited, Huo Long thanked him, "Uncle Chen Xiao Long would be grateful if you did."
Soon Huo Chen was starting to get along with his nephew, so he asked a maid to bring an extra mat for Huo Long to sit on so they could continue their conversation about the art of the spear.
Xue Bai saw this and thought this would be an excellent time to build favor with the protagonist and stop him by saying, "Commander Huo, it's fine Huo Long can sit next to me. I won't be able to finish all this food myself either."
"Young Duke, it's arranged like this to promote your status. Having Xiao Long sit next to you would imply he's your equal. If you really can't finish your food, we will store it later, so don't worry, it won't go to waste." Huo Chen replied.
While Huo Long was the Young Master of the Huo Clan here, his status was nothing compared to Xue Bai's.
"Commander Huo, don't be such a rule stickler. It's just a small banquet." Xue Bai smiled before calling over Huo Long to sit next to him.
Huo Long seeing the gesture, while apprehensive at first, he soon forced himself to sit down next to Xue Bai. With the train of thought that, 'The Young Duke wouldn't do anything to harm me.'
Xue Bai was annoyed, though, because after sitting down, Huo Long continued to talk with Huo Chen about the art of the spear, completely ignoring Xue Bai.
'I let you sit here so we could talk about life. Not so you talk with your muscle-brained uncle.' Xue Bai mentally thought. However, he didn't mention it and continued stuffing his face.
Eventually, the banquet ended without Xue Bai even getting to speak with Huo Long, much to his annoyance. However, Xue Bai consoled himself by saying that he'd be here a few days and there would be no way that Huo Long could ignore him the entire time.
After eating, Xue Bai was tired and asked, "Commander Huo, it's getting late. I'm tired. Where will I rest?"
"Young Duke, follow that maid. She will take you to your courtyard. It's the second nicest in our Mansion, so while it won't be as nice as your home, it's the best our humble home has." Huo Ming replied respectfully.
Nodding, Xue Bai followed the maid out the main hall and to a courtyard. As Huo Ming said, it wasn't as nice as his at home. But it was as nice as some of the luxury homes in Snowy Wind City.
Seeing the courtyard in front of him, Xue Bai thought, 'While it's still the home of country bumpkin, this'll do for now.'
He then tossed a spirit stone to the maid, thanking her for the guide before walking in. He quickly found where the bedroom was, and after making sure the windows were closed, he covered himself in the quilt and went to sleep for the night.
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