'Just in Class One of the freshmen, there are already several girls with diary copies. Add in Meng Hongchen, and the difficulty of earning rewards skyrockets.'
'Meng Hongchen's luck is ridiculous. She monopolized all of the Day One rewards, and thanks to the lucky critical triggered by the diary system's first activation, not only did her martial soul evolve to the Extreme Ice level, but she also got a growable soul ring!'
A trace of envy flashed deep in Juzi's eyes. If she had received those rewards, she wouldn't need to rely on anyone else anymore. With her own strength alone, she could probably one day kill the White Tiger Duke and avenge her parents, right?
Still, this situation was already quite good. As long as she had the diary copy and ensured Huo Yuhao mentioned her name ten times a day, even without other rewards, she could still gain one level of soul power per day and reach the Soul King level at record speed.
Thinking of how Huo Yuhao had written in his diary that she could've been the best model of a virtuous wife and good mother, Juzi's eyes dimmed slightly. Then she smiled at Meng Hongchen and said:
"Miss Meng, if you don't mind, join us for the meal?"
Meng Hongchen gave Juzi a once-over but didn't refuse. She simply sat down right beside Huo Yuhao.
Sitting nearby, Keke felt the atmosphere becoming slightly awkward. After a moment of hesitation, she looked at Huo Yuhao and asked with a smile:
"Yuhao, are you from Mingdu? You seem quite close with Miss Meng."
Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly while stuffing food into his mouth.
"I'm from the Star Luo Empire. I just happened to meet Senior Meng when I defected to Sun Moon. She brought me to the academy."
As he finished speaking, Huo Yuhao paused his eating slightly. His gaze became subtly unreadable as he slowly lifted his head to look at Juzi and Keke across from him.
When she heard that Huo Yuhao was from the Star Luo Empire, Keke's pupils dilated in shock, disbelief written all over her face. In contrast, while Juzi appeared just as surprised on the surface, her reaction was slightly delayed, and her gaze didn't change at all.
With the enhanced vision granted by his Spirit Eyes, even though Juzi masked it well, Huo Yuhao could immediately tell the difference.
Remaining calm while savoring the food, Huo Yuhao let out a faint chuckle and deliberately led Keke on.
"What's wrong, Senior Keke? There should be a lot of people who came to the Sun Moon Empire from the original Douluo Three Kingdoms, right?"
Keke gave a slightly awkward "uhh" and nodded hesitantly.
"That's true… it's just, seeing how close you are with Miss Meng, I thought you must've known each other for a long time. If she personally brought you into the Sun Moon Royal Soul Tool Academy, you must be really talented, Yuhao!"
Huo Yuhao shyly waved his hands as if he didn't want to accept the compliment.
"No, no. I'm just a one-ring Soul Master. It's just that my martial soul is a bit special and better suited for being a Soul Engineer, so Senior Meng brought me here."
This reaction made all three girls—Meng Hongchen, Juzi, and Keke—laugh.
Meng Hongchen and Juzi laughed because they knew the truth: everything he said was an act. Keke, on the other hand, genuinely thought Huo Yuhao was just an innocent little guy. But if he traveled all the way from Star Luo to Sun Moon at his age, he must have had no choice.
Being naturally outspoken, Keke couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked directly:
"You came all this way to Sun Moon at such a young age—did something happen?"
Huo Yuhao felt like giving Keke a big thumbs-up on the spot. That question was right on point!
"Senior Keke, you've probably heard of the White Tiger Duke, right? I have a blood feud with the Duke's household. To avoid being completely wiped out by them, I had no choice but to escape to the Sun Moon Empire for now. Once I become strong enough, I'll return to seek my revenge."
Hiss—
Keke gasped, stunned by the identity of Huo Yuhao's enemy. The White Tiger Duke! That name alone carried weight across the entire Star Luo Empire—he was probably second only to the Emperor.
Huo Yuhao could clearly see that there wasn't a trace of surprise in Juzi's eyes!
That all but confirmed his suspicion.
Otherwise, with Juzi's hatred for the White Tiger Duke, there's no way she wouldn't have had a stronger reaction. Clearly, Juzi already knew about his vendetta with the Duke beforehand.
There were only two ways Juzi could've found out. One, she heard it from Xu Tiannan. Two—and this matched Huo Yuhao's suspicions—she could read what he wrote in his diary!
But right now, Jing Hongchen hadn't even begun supporting Xu Tiannan. During the crown prince contention, Jing Hongchen aimed to stay neutral.
So, if Juzi truly could read the diary, then everything would make sense. Her, Meng Hongchen, Gu Yuena, and even Wang Dong'er—all their strange behaviors could be explained!
Right after he arrived at the Sun Moon border, he met Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen. Girls who shouldn't even be here kept showing up one after another. Even in the dining hall, he randomly bumped into Juzi.
Any one of these might seem like coincidence. But when the coincidences piled up… something was clearly wrong!
With that thought, Huo Yuhao turned to Meng Hongchen and asked:
"Senior Meng, are we really going out to explore Mingdu this afternoon? Actually, I really want to keep learning about soul tools with Senior Xiao Hongchen."
Meng Hongchen was stunned. She hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to waver. If he went back into the lab with Xiao, then her shot at today's reward would be toast!
Was it because he mentioned the White Tiger Duke and got all riled up about revenge again?
Whatever his reason, Meng Hongchen wasn't about to let go of a reward from the diary system. She quickly tried to persuade him:
"You spent all of yesterday in the lab with Xiao. You haven't explored Mingdu since you arrived! Even if you're eager for revenge, don't push yourself too hard. If you're too tense all the time, you'll break."
Juzi's eyes flashed slightly, and she gave a gentle smile.
"Miss Meng is right, Yuhao. Hatred isn't everything in life. If you let it consume you, it'll only bring pain."
Keke glanced between Huo Yuhao, Meng Hongchen, and Juzi, and wanting to fit in, nodded in agreement.
"Miss Meng and Juzi are right!"
Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and reluctantly nodded.
"Alright then. I'll skip the lab for today. But starting tomorrow, I can't slack off anymore."
Meng Hongchen had no objections. She'd secure today's reward first—then worry about what came next.
But Juzi had already been mentioned seven times in the diary today—just three more mentions and she'd get a reward too! There was no way she'd let Meng Hongchen monopolize Huo Yuhao.
After a moment's thought, she smiled and said:
"Yuhao, do you mind if Keke and I join you and Miss Meng? We know a few fun spots and can show you around. Afterward, you'll feel much more relaxed."
This was exactly what Huo Yuhao had aimed for. Of course, he readily agreed. Meng Hongchen shot Juzi a glare but, unable to expose the diary's existence, could only grit her teeth and accept.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao began mentally writing in the diary:
[Today, I'll relax a bit and stroll around Mingdu with Senior Meng and Senior Juzi. Starting tomorrow, I must not slack off anymore. I need to spend most of my time in the lab learning about soul tools!]
As he continued eating, Huo Yuhao's eyes deepened with thought.
'The pit has been dug. Now let's see who jumps in—and whether my hypothesis holds up. Let's uncover the truth!'
Who said this novel is following the same old cliches? Come forward! Don't think you can get away without handing over your recommendation and monthly votes! Oh, and if there's a reward, even better. Heh.
I've said before, my version of OP-Yuhao won't just sit back and ignore everything. Let's see what he does next!
(End of Chapter)