Douluo Dalu 2: Reincarnated as the Auspicious Beast

[T/N: Yes Genderbend Huo Yuhao]

Fifty miles northwest of Star Luo City, there stood a mansion occupying an area of about 3,000 acres.

The red walls were solemn, and the golden tiles were extravagant. From afar, it gleamed like a treasure, mesmerizing to the eye.

It was said that this mansion had once been the private estate of the Baihu Dai family, a royal family of the former dynasty of the Star luo Empire.

Several thousand years ago, during a national crisis when the Star luo Empire was on the brink of collapse, the talent-depleted Baihu Dai family abdicated in favor of the Xu family of the Xingguan lineage to ensure the survival of the empire.

The new emperor, in gratitude, conferred the title of hereditary Duke to the Dai family, granting them eternal wealth and status.

The current Duke of Baihu, Dai Hao, married the beloved youngest daughter of the current Emperor of Star luo, commanding an army and guarding the borders, enjoying unparalleled prominence.

At the massive main gate of the mansion, a large plaque boldly read "Duke's Mansion."

However, no matter how noble the position of the Duke or how magnificent the mansion, this grand estate harbored many hidden, shameful secrets.

It was still early in the morning when a slender figure quietly slipped out from the northern gate of the Duke's mansion.

The figure was that of a young girl who appeared to be about eleven or twelve years old.

She was at the age when one's body grows taller, yet her frame was frail and slender, likely due to insufficient nourishment. Her delicate white neck even showed a slight bulge from the exposed Adam's apple. Her wrists were so thin that the bone structure was visible, with a dark bruise circling her left wrist.

She wore a faded blue tunic, the fabric washed and worn, with meticulous patches sewn at the elbows. Her hair was styled in a low ponytail, and the tips of her hair appeared to have turned slightly yellow. Her face, though still youthful, showed the promise of beauty with sharp features.

What stood out the most were her eyes—deep blue, partially hidden by curled lashes, like two stars concealed within her gaze.

But her pale face, along with her dry and cracked lips, took away much from her beauty.

The girl seemed anxious, glancing over her shoulder as if a monstrous creature lurked in the Duke's mansion, ready to pounce and devour her at any moment.

She followed a narrow path, climbing a small hill beside the mansion, and eventually stopped in a clearing within the woods.

"Mom, I'm here to see you." She spoke softly.

Before her was a modest grave.

A small mound surrounded by carefully selected stones, and a crude wooden plaque stood in front, inscribed with the words "Huo Yun'er's Grave."

The inscription was signed "Huo Yuqing."

This was the girl's name.

Her mother, Huo Yun'er, had grown up as a personal maid to the Duke of Baihu. Her father was none other than the Duke of Baihu.

Logically, she should have been called Dai Yuqing, the illegitimate daughter of the Duke. However, the Duke had long forgotten about the two of them, even failing to provide any official recognition to Huo Yun'er.

Coincidentally, Huo Yun'er had a slight childhood affection with Dai Hao, unlike the other concubines who were hastily brought into the Duke's harem. Among the women in the Duke's mansion, the legitimate wife despised Huo Yun'er the most.

In the past decade, while the Duke was stationed on the frontiers, his wife poured all her resentment of his unfaithfulness onto Huo Yun'er.

Had it not been for the need to maintain the Duke's family reputation, the Duke's wife might have resorted to drastic measures, even sending Huo Yun'er and her daughter to a brothel.

The breaking point came when the Duke's second son, Dai Huabin, had his men beat Huo Yun'er and her daughter, leaving her severely injured.

Already in poor health, Huo Yun'er struggled for a week without proper medical care in a humble room before succumbing to her injuries, leaving her daughter alone in the world.

On the day her mother died, the girl abandoned the "Dai" surname and chose to follow her mother's surname, Huo.

Huo Yuqing carefully picked up the dead leaves around the grave, pulling out all the newly sprouted weeds and shrubs before sitting down beside the gravestone.

In the dim, gray light of dawn, with the morning mist still lingering in the air, the ground was cold and wet, almost like ice. But the girl simply huddled closer, hugging her small bundle, showing no sign of getting up.

"Mom, I'm leaving the Duke's mansion," she spoke after a long silence. "I know you told me that the outside world is dangerous for a girl like me with no one to rely on, and that I should stay in the mansion until I grow up. But... but I..."

Her voice was soft and trembling, as though something was preventing her from finishing her sentence.

"…I killed someone," she finally found the courage to say.

The girl huddled tightly, her head lowered, leaning against the tombstone. Her deep blue eyes revealed deep unease and fear.

"It was a servant who had just joined the mansion... I heard from Zhang Po that he had some connections with the housekeeper and wasn't a good person... Zhang Po told me to keep my distance from him..."

She muttered quickly, her voice growing faint and trembling as though she were afraid someone might overhear, "But he came after me... I had just finished washing clothes and was giving them to Zhang Po. Zhang Po gave me a copper soul coin and a steamed bun... when I returned to my courtyard... he was standing there."

"He smiled in a strange way... I was scared, not knowing what he wanted, and then he grabbed my hand." Huo Yuqing's delicate fingers nervously twitched as she tugged at her sleeve to hide the bruise on her wrist. "He pulled my hair, and I couldn't break free... I didn't know what to do... It was terrifying."

"I had the White Tiger Dagger with me... the one you gave me, Mom. I... I cut him open." Her voice broke, trembling as she recalled what had happened the previous night, as though warm blood had splattered on her face.

"I don't know how it happened... The dagger glowed white, and he just... he just split in half." She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. "It was all blood, just blood..."

The girl cried for a while before roughly wiping away her tears with her sleeve.

"Mom, don't worry," she croaked. "I'm just crying for a bit, I won't be scared. Don't worry about me. I understand. If I had been caught by him, I would have encountered the terrifying things you warned me about, but I don't regret killing him. Don't worry about me."

She repeated these words, as if trying to comfort her mother from another world, but also reassuring herself.

Eventually, the panic and fear in her eyes faded as the tears were wiped away. Only determination remained in her dark blue gaze.

The sun had risen higher, and the weather was no longer as gloomy. The pale golden sunlight spilled over the ground, and the shadows of the trees gently swayed.

A slightly larger than usual swallow with a grayish hue perched on a branch nearby.

"That man probably thought I was just another servant's daughter and could be bullied at will," Huo Yuqing spoke in a hoarse voice. "Although my situation might be worse."

"I threw him into the well near the firewood shed," she softly added. "He wasn't heavier than two basins of wet clothes."

End of Chapter 13