After returning to his room, Huo Yuhao walked excitedly to the vegetable plot in the backyard, tended to the spices he had planted some time ago that were now growing vigorously, and channeled his soul power into several soul power lamps that were running low on energy. Only then did he return indoors to begin sorting through his achievements over this past period.
[The identity of Mole cannot be used any longer. I've grown another centimeter taller recently, and it looks like I'm hitting a growth spurt. Fortunately, my soul power level has already broken through level ten. As long as I obtain my First Soul Ring, I can take Mother and leave Xingluo City to settle down in Shrek.]
Huo Yuhao's pen paused abruptly as he wrote on the draft paper. He raised his head to look out the window at the garden, where the thriving spices helped soothe his unsettled mood just a bit.
He had asked the owner of the muddled Treasure Pavilion to help him collect these spices. Many of them had extremely strict environmental requirements for growth and were simply not native to Xingluo City.
Moreover, even among nobles—not to mention the Sun and Moon continent—the spices used on the dining table were limited to the traditional trio of scallions, ginger, and garlic, while their cooking methods consisted of nothing more than simple stewing, boiling, and roasting. This, however, left him with a way to make money.
Once they reached Shrek City, Huo Yuhao had no intention of continuing to take on those dangerous commissions. Although making money by taking on occasional commissions was worlds apart from licking blood off the blade every day in the world of Ashina, there were simply too many powerhouses in this world. On the most dangerous occasion, Huo Yuhao had been pursued all the way by one Soul Ancestor and two Soul Elders, running breathlessly for over two hundred miles before finally shaking them off.
For three whole days after that commission, every time Huo Yuhao spoke, he felt a taste of blood in his mouth. He even felt as though the blood in his lungs had been squeezed out by his own exertion.
Therefore, as long as he could earn an honest living in peace, Huo Yuhao really didn't want to take on any more of those commissions.
At this thought, Huo Yuhao stared at the row of first-tier soul power lamps hanging above the crops. The orange-yellow light cast down a cozy glow and warmth. Under this kind of temperature, even in Xingluo City, which was located further north, it was still possible to grow tropical crops.
Huo Yuhao dazed off for a moment, faintly catching a series of soft coughs. The wheezing breath that followed the coughs carried a vague asthmatic rattle that tore at one's heart, but very soon, the sound vanished again as if it had never existed at all.
[The pills I brought back didn't have any remarkable effect on Mother's illness; I can only pin my hopes on Shrek City now. Even if the private physicians attending the nobles in Shrek City cannot cure Mother's illness, I figure that as long as I can pass the entrance exams for Shrek Academy, I might at least be able to use that shred of goodwill to ask an auxiliary-type teacher to help examine Mother's body.]
Huo Yuhao's handwriting became somewhat messy with the appearance of the coughs, but fortunately, he soon continued writing.
[Mother's asthma was probably a root cause left behind when she caught a cold after being driven into the woodshed by the Duchess while she was pregnant with me. Although I brought Mother away from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion less than half a year after awakening my martial soul, this illness has lingered for many years, and treatment was delayed back then.]
[Many doctors took a look and simply said she needed quiet recuperation and dietary therapy. I could understand the meaning hidden in their eyes. After dragging on for so long, even a simple cold is now fraught with difficulties to root out from Mother's body. Relying on quiet recuperation to prevent the condition from worsening as much as possible is already the limit of what they can do.]
[I can't blame them; the medical skills in this world are perhaps even inferior to those of Ashina. After all, with healing-type Soul Masters around, many medical procedures are completely meaningless. While this is convenient, it also hinders the development of medicine. If Lady Ema were here, she would surely be able to cure Mother's illness, wouldn't she?]
Writing this, Huo Yuhao let out a long sigh, yet continued to pick up his brush.
[The identity of Mole is far too sensitive and must never be used again once we reach Shrek City. But that being the case, if I want to obtain a letter of recommendation to Shrek, I will have to find another way.]
[Aside from the minimum requirements for entering Shrek—that one cannot be older than twelve and must have reached at least level fifteen in soul power—one also needs a letter of recommendation from someone of at least city lord status. The first two aren't too difficult, but that last one is truly a headache...]
[There are quite a few ways to obtain a letter of recommendation from someone of city lord rank. Joining a minor family or sect that was once glorious but has now fallen into decline is a decent choice. The Count Ansel family is actually a viable option, but this fellow couldn't even manage to send his own son to Shrek to be gilded with credentials; his family probably has truly suffered the collapse of the tree with monkeys scattering in all directions, leaving no foundation whatsoever. It can only serve as a backup option.]
[Aside from that, the Tang Sect also seems like a decent choice. According to the intelligence I've recently gathered, the Tang Sect now appears to have only a sect master and a single disciple left. A sect that was once immensely popular but has now waned is actually quite suitable for me.]
However, Huo Yuhao's writing took a sharp turn as he continued:
[Yet, on the Douluo Continent, any Soul Master who joins a family or sect must never betray them and must become a part of that family. Everything they do from then on will be bound by constraints. Joining a good family or sect would be fine, but the reputation of this sect is truly daunting. No matter how well it fits me, it can ultimately only serve as a backup option.]
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes in deep thought, waiting a moment before putting pen to paper again.
[Rumor has it that Shrek accepts only monsters and no ordinary people, while my martial soul is the rare eye martial soul. Perhaps it can arouse the curiosity of the teachers at Shrek. Once I acquire my First Soul Ring, I should be able to try crafting second-tier soul tools. Combining the two should be enough to attract a teacher willing to make an exception and grant me an opportunity for admission.]
[Before that, however, I must find a way to gain a foothold in Shrek City and figure out a way to open a restaurant, making a name for myself with the spices I've prepared. Only by doing so will I have the opportunity to get acquainted with those teachers from Shrek Academy.]
[I've heard there is an old man named Elder Xuan in Shrek Academy who acts crazy all the time and is especially fond of fine food, particularly roasted chicken drumsticks. If I can cater to his preferences, my chances of successfully entering Shrek might increase even further. I just wonder which teacher or school leader's relative that old man called Elder Xuan actually is, to allow him to live such a carefree life in Shrek Academy.]
[In that case, I will first prepare to set off for the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a soul beast, then find a way to settle down in Shrek City, and by the way, weave a new intelligence network there.]
[Depending on hearsay, the news gathered is simply too inaccurate—I couldn't even find out who stands behind that crazy old man. That is truly far too passive.]
Having written this, Huo Yuhao finally stopped his writing, put the diary entirely away into his storage soul tool, and retrieved a Katana measuring about ninety centimeters in length from the storage soul tool.