After finishing everything, Ye Wen sent Huo Yuer back to Shrek Academy. Basic knowledge teaching was best left to Shrek to handle.
At this point, time was the one thing Ye Wen had in abundance. Having arrived in this version of the Douluo Continent, vastly different from his original timeline, Ye Wen decided to take a step back and enjoy himself for a while.
Mm, might as well live out some father-daughter daily life.
Snow Empress's soul had entered Huo Yu'er's body through the sacrifice, and now the little one was an entirely new existence.
"Dad~dy~" the little Snow Maiden called sweetly.
"Ai, come here, my little darling. This is delicious—try a bite," Ye Wen said indulgently as he fed her.
There's a type of feeding known as "Grandpa thinks you're hungry." Ye Wen's mental age far exceeded that of a regular grandpa—he was practically the universe's ultimate supermax grandpa.
The little Snow Maiden was clearly stuffed, but she obediently ate what Ye Wen offered.
How could Ye Wen resist such cuteness!? Though he stopped feeding her, he began playing with the little Snow Maiden instead.
An innocent, clingy little loli—especially a white-haired one—was simply irresistible.
Taking the little Snow Maiden around Shrek City for a leisurely stroll, Ye Wen suddenly remembered something.
"Today's probably the day of the freshmen competition."
With that thought, Ye Wen quickly came up with a plan. Smiling kindly at the little Snow Maiden, he said, "My little darling, how about we go watch your Big Sister Yu'er's match?"
The little Snow Maiden blinked her pure, innocent eyes.
Over the past month, not only had Ye Wen been taking care of the little Snow Maiden, but she also visited Huo Yu'er's shop in the evenings. Thanks to the little Snow Maiden's adorable appearance, they attracted many customers, making their business even more prosperous. They'd already opened a branch store.
Of course, Ye Wen didn't let the two girls waste their time managing the shop. Instead, he hired merchants to handle it for them.
As for the so-called branch store, Ye Wen simply copied the franchise model—less hassle, faster profits.
Quite a few people had come to negotiate partnerships recently, but Ye Wen took extra care in screening the franchisees to ensure Huo Yu'er's first entrepreneurial venture wouldn't fail. After all, Huo Yu'er's grilled fish had already become a golden brand in Shrek City's culinary scene, with no shortage of customers.
In the process, the little Snow Maiden had also grown familiar with Huo Yu'er and the others.
Naturally, the little Snow Maiden was closest to Huo Yu'er, as Huo Yu'er carried the aura of her former peak self.
As a unique being nurtured by heaven and earth—the sole Ice Empress of the Douluo Continent—Snow Empress, in a strict sense, could be considered the little Snow Maiden's mother.
Thanks to this sense of familiarity, the little Snow Maiden, whose mind was otherwise empty, happily agreed.
As for Shrek Academy's rule forbidding outsiders from entering? Hmph.
If it won't kill me, why can't I come and go as I please?
Using divine-level simulation, Ye Wen not only concealed the soul beast aura emanating from the little Snow Maiden but also moved through Shrek like an invisible human, completely unrestricted.
They reached the venue without any obstacles. When Ye Wen saw the two people beside Huo Yu'er, his brows furrowed.
In the original timeline, Huo Yuhao's teammates were Xiao Xiao, who also possessed twin spirits, and Wang Dong (a modified version of Tang Wutong) disguised as a boy.
But in this world, Huo Yuhao had been gender-swapped into Huo Yu'er. Surely Tang San wouldn't send his daughter down to form a yuri pairing with Huo Yu'er, would he?
The ocean god aura emanating from the young man before him stood out to Ye Wen like a firefly in the night.
Ye Wen stroked his chin, muttering inwardly, 'This definitely spells trouble.'
Just as Ye Wen was about to scrutinize the situation more carefully, the little Snow Maiden in his arms clapped her hands and cheered, "Big Sister, good!"
It turned out that it was Huo Yu'er's turn to enter the stage. With a single leap, Huo Yuer bounded onto the arena. Unlike her former weak self, she now radiated a heroic and spirited aura.
Seeing this new side of Huo Yu'er, Ye Wen nodded approvingly.
However, when he saw who Huo Yu'er's opponent was, his brows knitted together.
Huo Yu'er's expression visibly changed, her eyes filled with ferocity and hatred.
But her drastically altered appearance left her opponent unable to recognize her. The surrounding teachers simply assumed it was a typical rivalry between students—after all, youngsters of this age loved to compete.
At this moment, Huo Yu'er recalled those years filled with hatred and humiliation.
"Mom, I'll go hang up the laundry."
A delicate girl of seven or eight, Huo Yu'er struggled to carry a large wooden basin, staggering out of the courtyard to hang up the clothes.
In the yard, a weathered yet once-beautiful woman watched the girl's retreating figure with a gentle gaze, murmuring, "My Yu'er has really grown up. She's becoming more and more sensible."
Huo Yu'er finally made it out of the courtyard with great effort. Just a short walk ahead, and she'd reach the clothesline.
Suddenly, a powerful force struck her from the side, knocking her and the wooden basin to the ground.
The freshly washed clothes scattered everywhere.
"You fool! Are you blind? Didn't you see Young Master returning? Get out of the way!" a haughty voice barked.
Young Huo Yu'er, enduring the pain, looked up to see eight burly guards standing on either side of the passageway.
One of them had shoved her. A lavishly dressed youth with embroidered white python patterns on his robes strode forward.
He was extremely handsome, but his eyes exuded arrogance, and his demeanor reeked of nobility and disdain.
Only when his foot stepped on a piece of clothing stained with dirt did he pause and say, "Hmm?"
The noble youth stopped, casting a cold gaze at Huo Yu'er. "Beat her."
With that, he quickly walked away, as if afraid of dirtying his eyes.
Two of the eight guards immediately lunged at Huo Yu'er, raining down brutal punches and kicks. At just eight years old, how could she possibly fight back?
Hearing the commotion outside, her mother rushed out of the courtyard, shielding her daughter with her own body and pleading desperately.
In the end, both mother and daughter were beaten nearly to death. Though Huo Yu'er, being young, recovered somewhat quickly, her mother, weakened by years of overwork and old injuries, never fully recovered.
Two years later, she fell gravely ill and passed away, leaving Huo Yu'er forever.
Recalling this past, Ye Wen's gaze on the stands turned icy.
"Hmph." Ye Wen exhaled softly. From this small incident, it was clear how little regard the nobility of this era had for the lives of ordinary people.
But merely reminiscing about past hatred wasn't enough. Ye Wen slightly parted his lips and began transmitting a message.
------------------------------------------------------
Thank you to our new Patrons: bwuooq, Mike Foster and miney laster! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to 'Chapter 845: The Choice of the Fourth Ring - Part 1' on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.