Shokugeki No Douluo Dalu (Patreon)

Chapter 224: You Should Call Me Second Uncle

Upstairs, Keke followed the man in the bamboo hat into a lifelike bamboo forest. The man remained silent, quietly observing Keke.

After a long moment of silence, Keke couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up, "Uncle Bamboo Hat, what do you want with me?"

The man in the bamboo hat paused before slowly speaking, "Keke, I heard that... you used to be a little beggar?"

"Yes!" Keke didn't hide this, and as he spoke, his face naturally showed a look of gratitude. "The boss has been really good to me. If it weren't for him, I'd probably still be wandering the streets, begging for food and sleeping in the open."

Seeing Keke's pure and kind expression, the man's heart trembled slightly.

Not only did they resemble each other physically, but even their personalities were similar.

"Do you... have parents?" The man hesitated for a moment before softly asking.

Keke shook his head, "As far back as I can remember, I've always been alone."

After speaking, he couldn't help but glance at the man in the bamboo hat. Why was Uncle suddenly asking these questions?

Could it be...

Thinking about his own background, Keke's body trembled slightly, and his expression tightened as he tried to calm himself.

It can't be. 

He met this man the day after learning about his own past, and the man was from out of town. 

It couldn't be that much of a coincidence.

He silently reassured himself, but the man's next question made his heart skip a beat.

"Can you tell me what your martial spirit is?"

The moment Keke heard this question, his body began to tremble uncontrollably. His hands clenched tightly, and he looked at the man in the bamboo hat with a mix of fear and confusion.

The man was initially surprised but soon understood and sighed softly.

"So, it is you."

If there wasn’t a secret to hide, how could someone react so unusually?

Without much movement from the man, a fierce tiger's roar echoed in Keke's mind. The pressure from a shared origin triggered Keke's hidden martial spirit, causing his body to rapidly transform. His hair turned black and white, and his eyes flickered with red and blue light, shining through the black pupils.

The man's gaze remained fixed on Keke's eyes. When he saw this, he seemed to realize something.

So, this child had found a way to conceal his true eye color.

Considering Keke's situation, the man’s eyes filled with pity.

This child had suffered so much over the years.

By the time Keke realized his martial spirit had been triggered and that it was too late, he panicked, covering his eyes with one hand and his black-and-white hair with the other. But soon, he understood the futility of these actions and cried out in fear, "I'm not a member of the Dai family! I'm not!"

"Don't be afraid." The man’s voice was calm and carried a hint of spiritual power, instantly clearing Keke’s mind.

"You..." Despite calming down, Keke's eyes still held a look of despair. "If you're going to capture me, just take me. It has nothing to do with my boss."

What nonsense.

The man couldn't help but chuckle as he removed the bamboo hat from his head, revealing a stern yet resolute face. His eyes, just like Keke’s, were a mixture of red and blue, full of warmth and joy. "Kid, you should call me Second Uncle."

...

"So, you thought I was one of the Emperor’s men, coming to secretly kill you?" The man couldn't help but show a look of helplessness.

After listening to Keke's nervous explanation, he finally understood why Keke had been so terrified once his identity was revealed.

Although... in a way, Keke’s guess wasn’t entirely wrong.

If Dai Yuansheng had found Keke instead of him, with that scoundrel’s nature, such a thing could indeed have happened.

"But I have to admit, kid, your guess was pretty accurate." The man laughed heartily.

As they chatted for a while longer, Keke's nerves gradually calmed down. It was clear that this man held no ill intentions and was instead very close to him. With his nerves settled, a strong desire to know about his past welled up inside Keke.

"Uncle..." Keke hesitated.

"I told you, call me Second Uncle!" The man waved dismissively, and Keke corrected himself.

"Second Uncle, who were my parents?"

"Your parents..." The man’s smile faltered slightly. He reached for a nonexistent cup of wine on the table, realizing there was nothing there, and sighed deeply.

After a moment of thought, he began, "Your father was my younger brother, the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire."

"You probably know the rules of the royal family. Back then, your father lost the fight for the throne. He and your mother packed their things and left Star Luo City, intending to live as ordinary wealthy people, living out a peaceful life..." The man paused. "You had just been born then, too young to endure the journey. Your mother had no choice but to leave you in the care of a nurse in Star Luo City, planning to come back for you once they were settled."

"But..." The man’s eyes flashed with anger. "But they were ambushed on the road and killed. You, left behind in Star Luo City, were also attacked. I don’t know the full details, but you disappeared without a trace."

"Until now..." The man looked deeply at Keke, as if trying to etch his features into memory. "Maybe this is my fortune."

The Fourth Prince...

Keke’s mind was a swirl of confusion. Though he had speculated about his origins, hearing it confirmed was something else entirely.

Perhaps because he had never known his parents, he felt detached even as he learned of their tragic fate.

But...

Keke glanced at the man before him.

So, this Second Uncle of his was Dai Youyuan, the War God of Star Luo, the Duke of the East?

This name held tremendous reverence among the common people—someone Keke had long admired.

"Second Uncle... there's been a rumor among the people that the former Third, Fourth, and Fifth Princes were all killed by the First Prince. Was my father really...?" Keke hesitated, struggling to speak.

By blood, he should address the First Prince as his eldest uncle. But if the rumors were true, this man was his father’s murderer.

"I thoroughly investigated the events of that year." Dai Youyuan's face darkened with hatred.

"The people who ambushed your father were indeed Dai Yuansheng’s men. Not only that, but shortly afterward, your Third and Fifth uncles were also killed by the same group."

So, it was true...

Keke's heart trembled, and a wave of complex emotions surged through him.

"Don’t worry, child," Dai Youyuan sighed softly as he gazed at Keke's conflicted expression. "Dai Yuansheng likely won't live past today."

He lifted his gaze toward the palace in the distance, his eyes deep in thought.

By now, Changling’s work should be almost done.