Tang San's Jealousy

Cai Kun held a rather messy-looking radish pie in both hands and offered it to Yu Xiaogang, his face full of sincerity:

"Thanks to you yesterday, I was able to deal with a big problem."

"My grandpa Jack is an honest man. He got up before dawn this morning and used his own radish Martial Soul to make you a radish pie. He told me I had to bring it for you to try, as a small token of appreciation from the two of us."

Yu Xiaogang looked down at it.

Lard had soaked into the edges of the oilpaper. Lifting one corner revealed coarse, blackened mixed grains packed with shredded radish.

Yu Xiaogang came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Even after he had fallen on hard times, he had never eaten food like this.

Looking at the unappetizing lump of country food, he felt not the slightest appetite. Instead, a hint of revulsion stirred in his stomach.

Yu Xiaogang edged to the side without betraying his feelings and raised a hand to gently refuse it, adopting the air of a secluded master indifferent to fame and fortune:

"No need. I don't much care for greasy food."

"A mere hundred Gold Soul Coins is but a single hair from nine oxen to me. It was a simple favor, nothing worth calling a debt of gratitude."

"I, Yu Xiaogang, have always cherished talent above all else. If you can make names for yourselves in the Soul Master World someday and happen to mention me, that will be the best repayment. I appreciate the gesture; keep the pie to fill your own stomach."

Cai Kun blinked, secretly laughing at how picky the old fellow was.

He didn't stand on ceremony. He drew back his hands, opened his mouth, and took a big, crunchy bite:

"All right, then. Since you're not hungry, Grandmaster, I can't let it go to waste. You don't mind if I eat it in the carriage, do you?"

"Not at all, not at all."

Eat someone's food, and your words grow soft; take someone's gift, and your hands are tied.

Although Yu Xiaogang hadn't eaten the pie, those hundred Gold Soul Coins yesterday really had saved Cai Kun a great deal of trouble.

Cai Kun was someone who liked to settle cause and effect cleanly. Since he had no money to repay the debt, he would give this face-loving Grandmaster his full share of emotional validation for now, then find a way to wipe the debt of gratitude clean later.

"Grandmaster, I heard someone say yesterday that the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul you proposed once caused a sensation even in Spirit City. Is that true?"

Cai Kun finished the radish pie, brushed the crumbs from his hands, and broached the subject himself.

That single question hit Yu Xiaogang exactly where he itched most.

"It is indeed!"

The faint impatience in Yu Xiaogang's eyes abruptly gave way to a bright gleam. He instantly straightened his back, cleared his throat, and launched into a torrent of words:

"The world is full of fools who blindly pursue the ferocity of Beast Martial Souls, unaware that there are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters!"

"Take the dispute between Tool Martial Souls and Beast Martial Souls, for example..."

Holding a thermos, Cai Kun sipped warm water and chimed in with precisely placed praise as Yu Xiaogang spoke.

"Brilliant! Grandmaster, your insight is like a thunderclap to deaf ears! Everything has suddenly become clear to me!"

"So that's how it is! No wonder those ordinary Soul Masters remain stuck as Soul Grandmasters their entire lives, unable to advance. They've all narrowed their own path!"

In his previous life, Cai Kun had learned to trot out workplace pleasantries for clients without even repeating himself.

Yu Xiaogang had endured scorn all his life. When had anyone ever admired and flattered him so wholeheartedly?

He felt utterly at ease, every pore radiating pleasure. His gaze toward Cai Kun grew ever gentler, and he could hardly wait to call him a kindred spirit on the spot.

The older man and the younger sang in harmony inside the carriage, the atmosphere as warm as if they were friends across generations reunited after years apart.

Across from them, Tang San had remained silent all along, but his expression darkened little by little.

Today was supposed to be the day he, Tang San, hunted for his First Soul Ring!

Yet from the moment Cai Kun stepped into the carriage, his teacher Yu Xiaogang's gaze had not rested on him for even a second!

It was as though Cai Kun were the personal disciple. After all his efforts, Tang San had finally managed to become the disciple of a renowned master like a sweeping monk, only to become an outer disciple instead.

Tang San lowered his eyelids, his lashes concealing the gloom churning in his eyes. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched into tight fists.

Why?

An uncontrollable sourness and jealous fire spread wildly through Tang San's chest.

You, Cai Kun, already have a mysterious Titled Douluo senior protecting you, and you obtained a hundred-year First Soul Ring that ordinary people could only dream of with ease!

You already have the finest resources, so why did you shamelessly come after me to steal my only teacher?!

In a flash, the words Cai Kun had said yesterday suddenly crossed Tang San's mind-

"Taking a master is a major decision in life. Impulse is the devil!"

Tang San's whole body jolted, and a chill shot up his back. He believed he had finally seen through the sinister intentions beneath Cai Kun's hypocritical facade!

So that's how it is!

Cai Kun tried every way he could to stop me from taking a master yesterday, not because he had my interests at heart!

He had long since seen that Teacher was an unparalleled genius of his generation. He was afraid I would take up some of Teacher's attention if I became his disciple, so he deliberately made up lies to make me miss out on a good teacher and rot in the mud for the rest of my life!

Now that he's failed to stop me, this Cai fellow has torn off his disguise and chased us all the way to the carriage to compete for Teacher's favor and affection!

Cai Kun, you really kept yourself well hidden.

What deep scheming... You can know a man's face, but never his heart.

Tang San sneered inwardly, his gaze as cold as decade-old ice.

He slowly unclenched his fists, his breathing returning to normal as though nothing had happened. Only his gaze toward Cai Kun had quietly gained a trace of hostility.

Cai Kun, who was chatting eagerly with Gangzi, had no idea that someone had already placed him on a list of those deserving death.

Two hours later, the carriage finally came to a stop outside a marketplace.

Not far ahead, vast numbers of ancient, verdant trees towered into the sky. A high iron fence surrounded them, and armored Spirit Hall soldiers carrying long spears patrolled at ten-pace intervals.

They had reached the Soul Hunting Forest.

After passing through the bustling mercenary market, Yu Xiaogang presented the third-tier permit engraved with sword and hammer emblems at the checkpoint.

Once the guards had verified it, the iron fence slowly opened a crack.

The moment they stepped into the forest, the light around them abruptly dimmed.

Dense canopies blotted out the sky and sun. Rotting fallen leaves squelched underfoot, and a cold dampness lingered around their feet.

They had walked fewer than a few dozen steps when Cai Kun stopped.

"Grandmaster, San'er, this is where I leave you."

Cai Kun patted the backpack on his back and spoke with a smile:

"I already have a Soul Ring. If I stay with you, I might startle the Soul Beast Tang San wants to hunt."

"It's not every day I get to visit the Soul Hunting Forest. I want to wander around the outskirts on my own and stretch my legs. I'll meet up with you again after a while."

Tang San, who couldn't wait for Cai Kun to get lost, was delighted, but he put on a concerned expression and said:

"Kunkun, danger lurks everywhere in the forest. It's too dangerous for you to go wandering around alone."