Chapter 137: Sister(2)

"Ah!" Wang Dong'er exclaimed in surprise, and quickly covered her mouth. A bead of cold sweat ran down her forehead as almost everyone turned towards her.

"Wang Dong, what's the matter?" Xiao Xiao asked, bewildered why her friend just suddenly yelled out of nowhere. She blinked, realizing that she called her by her male name.

She, Wu Feng and Ning Tian had learned that Wang Dong'er was a girl for a while now, but it still took a lot for them to get used to calling her by her female name.

But it's not like it's any different really.

Like seriously, what kind of a father names their daughter "Dong"? Even with the affectionate 'er', it still wasn't any better!(1)

Was there some kind of miscommunication between the parents or something? Or with the doctor? Did they want a son?

Xiao Xiao shook her head. Now was not the time to think about random crap, focus!

Wang Dong'er nervously chuckled, waving her hands. "Eh, nothing! I just felt something brush against my legs a moment ago, that's all. It was all so sudden, that I just..."

"What, that's all?" Ma Xiaotao muttered as the others relaxed. "Sheesh, you're too much of a sissy to let out a yelp over that. Careful, you might turn out like Gongyang Mo over there if you keep acting like a girl."

Wang Dong'er blushed deeply. She badly wanted to tell them all that she was a girl, but damned her family's strange tradition! She can't wait to return to her family's home and ask permission from her two uncles to let her reveal her true identity.

Gongyang Mo femininely giggled, putting a finger on his chin. "Little junior Wang Dong, do you want me to teach you some lessons~? Hmm?"

Wang Dong'er turned pale white and hurriedly shook her head. "N-No, I'm good, senior."

"Are you sure~?"

Wang Dong'er nodded like a chicken before hurriedly hiding behind Huo Yuhao. Gongyang Mo and some of the others laughed upon seeing her reaction.

"Yuhao, what do you mean she's your sister? Are you sure?" Wang Dong'er ignored their teasing and whispered to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao stopped chuckling and glanced at her. "Yes, I'm about 90% sure that she's my elder half-sister. Her facial features somewhat resembles Dai Huabin, also, despite being so young and of lower ranking, the captain seems to be speaking respectfully towards her."

"Star Luo Empire is quite well known for people with diverse hair color, but blonde hair here is still quite rare. I have never heard of a great family possessing yellow or golden hair besides the Dais."

"But, that doesn't mean that she's actually your elder half-sister. I mean, c'mon..." Wang Dong'er weakly retorted. Hoping to any God out there that Huo Yuhao was wrong.

Because if this was his elder half-sister, and she's going to be accompanying them, conflict is bound to occur. Though Wang Dong'er only vaguely knew about Huo Yuhao's purpose behind his pursuit of strength, she knew him for so long to not understand some things about him; especially his connection with the Dai family, Dai Huabin.

He already revealed his origins and his reasons of becoming a strong soul master several months ago. She couldn't help but feel happy and a little giddy that he trusted her so much to reveal this much to her. As she knew her friends only had a vague guess to Huo Yuhao's origins.

Huo Yuhao stared at her in a deadpan. "Dong'er, tell me, if you see someone who resembles someone you know, can you really say that they are not related?"

"Well, I mean, there are myths about doppelgangers in the world after all..."

"True, true. But this 'doppelganger' also lives in the same nation as the one you know."

"....It might be entirely coincidental-gah!"

Huo Yuhao couldn't be bothered with her bullshit anymore and flicked his fingers against her forehead, causing her to look up at him with teary eyes and a red mark on her forehead.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"Dong'er, it's going to be fine." Huo Yuhao softly whispered to her, gently grabbing onto her left hand and activated their fusion power; their soul power circulating throughout their bodies, intertwining with perfect synergy. A faint golden light momentarily appear on Wang Dong'er's body. Afterwards, that faint golden light would gradually flow from his body to Huo Yuhao's.

That was an added effect of the Golden Earth Dragon King's Left Bone Arm. It's extremely useful for offence, defense, soul power recovery, or even treating others, however, she can't use its full strength until she reached a higher understanding of the Light-element. But whenever she and Huo Yuhao does their fusion cultivation method, their cultivation speed is increased by almost doubled than before and it also automatically purifies the energies they cultivate, and it also increases their soul power recovery rate by a lot.

Lastly, it brings out a calming effect to either of them. As Wang Dong'er expression softened and she slightly leaned onto Huo Yuhao's back.

"No fair." She said, poutingly.

Huo Yuhao smirked and didn't say anything, merely softly stroking her hair with a gentle expression; having known each other for so long, plus their perfect connection, they didn't need further words to comfort the other.

It was because of this immense trust that he has towards her that he didn't hide his connection to the Dai family and his reason of becoming stronger after the class tournament that happened several months ago. Of course, he held back on telling her about Skydream, his Ancestor, etc.

Not only were they his biggest secret, but also simply because that everyone has a secret to keep.

On the side, Ling Luochen narrowed her eyes and whispered to Ma Xiaotao.

"Hey, you're close with Huo Yuhao, right?"

Ma Xiaotao blinked and nodded. "Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"

".....Is he gay or something?"

Ma Xiaotao chortled, flabbergasted as she stare at her with slacked jaw.

"W-What? What gave you that idea?!"

Ling Luochen raised an eyebrow towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er.

"....Point. But trust me, he's straight."

Huo Yuhao looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"They're coming." He said it loud enough that Elder Xuan and the others heard him clearly.

They furrowed their brows and subtly nodded, most of them trying to act casual by chatting with each other or a carefree expression; which was clearly failing to any observant person. Because they were simply trying too hard.

Huo Yuhao inwardly facepalmed when he looked at Tang Ya, Wang Dong'er and the rest being so awkward and obvious. Being a good actor is a necessary skillset needed for any self-respecting Shinobi.

'I hope the academy has someone who specializes in camouflage, espionage or just plain drama, because I am not good enough to teach them that.' Huo Yuhao was grateful that he can make a great pokerface....or simply put an illusion over his face to mask his real emotions.

It ain't cheating if he doesn't get caught~

"Greetings once more to the Lord Elder Xuan and the various talented students from Shrek Academy." An old man around fifty years old appeared before them with a big smile and a boisterous personality. Although he looked quite old, with white hair and hazy eyes, there was little to almost no wrinkles on his handsome face, showing that he was quite the fellow back in his youth. The only other distinguishable trait about him was the nasty scar below his left eye.

He performed a salute towards them and introduces himself, "My name is captain Huang Chen, the leading commander of the platoon stationed to guard this border."

Captain Huang didn't waste any time. "I'm sure you have been informed by the Lord Elder Xuan, I hope that you would bring someone with you on your mission in return for lending you all these high level flying-type soul tools." he meticulously explained as he brought out seventeen high-grade soul tools before them in the air, letting them float in the air with the use of his own soul power.

He let out a deep sigh. "I know you will hate me for basically wasting your time, Lord Elder Xuan. I will take every bit of responsibility for this. But this is also an important task, not only to the military, but to the whole Empire as well. So, to equal the exchange between us for doing this task, starting from now on, every student here will be given an authority pass that grants them the right and benefit equal to a Marquess/Marchioness."

"It means that whenever they enter the Star Luo Empire they will receive special treatment and privileges. Whenever you are in trouble or in need of help, the Empire will welcome you with open arms." His eyes showed great sincerity and seriousness, as he clenched both of his hands. "This is a testament to the importance of this little task I am requesting for you all."

Huo Yuhao and his group, even Elder Xuan, raised their eyebrows in shock. They didn't expect this level of seriousness just from having to bring someone along with them. They all shared a look with each other, wondering what was going on.

Huo Yuhao furrowed his brows, contemplating.

Even back in the White Tiger Mansion, information about his half-sister was...non-existent to say the least. He never even knew her name! Back when the servants started gossiping about the Dai children, they talked about all of the sons, including him, but never the one daughter. Some didn't even seem to know she ever existed!

'Just what makes her so special that her existence is kept an absolute secret?' There was too many questions he had about her but there was no point in thinking about it too much.

Unlike what Wang Dong'er was thinking, Huo Yuhao wasn't so revenge crazy that he'd go after the whole Dai bloodline. He was only after those who did him and his mother wrong: Dai Huabin, the duchess and the duke. As for Dai Yueheng? He was simply a casualty of war.

Plus, there was one half-sibling that he did like and hoped to one day reconnect.

He glanced at the girl standing at the right side of the captain.

Standing beside Captain Huang Chen was a beautiful girl with a strict and stern demeanor. This young lady had short blonde hair mixed with strands of black that reaches her ears, a unnatural hair color that some might think that she dyed her hair. She looked to be between seventeen and eighteen years of age, her large and cat-like blue eyes appearing sharp and composed. Her complexion was fair and smooth, which was a stark contrast to the other soldiers in the area that had a darker skin tone from being constantly exposed to the sun.

She wore a tailored military uniform that fit her form perfectly, accentuating her curves and giving her an aura of authority. Her stance was impeccable, exuding confidence and discipline. The various medals and insignias on her chest glimmered under the sunlight, indicating her high rank and numerous accomplishments despite her youth.

Captain Huang Chen continued with a smile, "This is Lieutenant Zhu Mei Lan, an exemplary officer in our forces. She will accompany you on your journey to the Ming Dou Mountain to join with the Eastern Army."

'Zhu? Did she take her mother's surname?' It was smart. The Dai and Zhu families are relatives by blood after thousands of years of incestual marriages, so it wasn't weird to see a Zhu with yellow hair.

Zhu Mei Lan expressionlessly stepped forward and perform a salute towards the group. "It's an honor to join you," she said in a firm, clear voice that resonated with confidence and composure. Her gaze briefly met Huo Yuhao's, and for a moment, there was a flicker of curiosity in her eyes before it quickly vanished, replaced by her professional demeanor.

Elder Xuan grunted, rubbing his beard. "Very well, we were the ones who asked for assistance after all. Letting you join us will be but a small matter."

He turned towards Captain Huang Chen. "However, she will not be joining us in our mission. As you said, she will only be tagging along with us until we reach the Eastern Army, where she will be dropped off there. We will not be responsible if she were to separate from us during our journey, we have no obligation to act as her bodyguards."

Huang Chen slightly smiled and nodded respectfully. "That's all I ever wanted. I give you my word that Lieutenant Zhu Mei Lan will not be a burden to your group. She is highly capable and will be on her best behavior. Should any issue arise, she is fully responsible for herself."

Elder Xuan nodded and forcibly grabbed the flying-type soul tools; a suction force from his right hand pulled the tools towards him. He inspected each one briefly before handing them out to the students. "Make sure you familiarize yourselves with these soul tools. Ma Xiaotao, you and the others are to instruct your juniors on how to use them." Elder Xuan instructed before turning towards the captain with a raised eyebrow.

"Well? Are you waiting for an invitation? Piss off already!"

Huang Chen's smile strained before he forced it back into place. He gave a stiff bow to Elder Xuan and the students. "Of course, Lord Elder Xuan. I shall take my leave now. Safe travels to you all."

With that, Huang Chen retreated, leaving Lieutenant Zhu Mei Lan standing with the Shrek Academy group. Elder Xuan wasted no time and turned to his students. "We have a long journey ahead. Let's get moving."

The group began to prepare for their departure, adjusting their new flying-type soul tools. Huo Yuhao found himself next to Zhu Mei Lan. "Welcome to the team, Lieutenant," he said expressionlessly.

He was curious about this mysterious elder half-sister of his.

"Thank you," Zhu Mei Lan replied, her tone formal but not unfriendly. "I look forward to working with all of you."

...

[1]AN: I don't know Chinese so I'm not really sure what Wang Dong really means in english, it's said in the wiki that it was inspired by the web novelist Hu Die Lan/Butterfly Blue (Wang Dong) on Qidian (The King's Avatar webnovel author). But I'm just calling it out as what I, and some other people, had thought when reading about her name. But what do you all think? Comment down below.

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