Oriental Pearl

Two days later, dawn had barely begun to break.

Tang crept out of bed, strapped the Vajra Hammer to his back as usual, tucked a shortsword into his belt, and slung a bow and arrows over his left arm. He was armed to the teeth.

On top of that, he had stuffed medicine, a change of clothes, masks... and all sorts of odds and ends into a bulging bundle.

After packing everything, Tang San stood by his bed and looked down at himself. He was the very picture of a walking armory.

In the next bed, Xiao Wu seemed to have been woken by Tang San's movements. She rolled over and mumbled, "Tang San... where are you going so early..."

"To the Soul Hunting Forest," Tang San answered in a low voice.

"Oh..." Xiao Wu murmured vaguely.

Tang San remembered the work-study students' duties and shook Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, cover my work-study duties for me. I'll treat you to a feast when I get back."

"Mm-hmm. Don't go back on your word when the time comes." Hearing there was a feast to be had, Xiao Wu woke right up and nodded quickly.

Tang San said goodbye to Xiao Wu, left Dorm Seven, and headed to the academy gates.

A carriage was already parked there, with Yu Xiaogang standing beside it.

Tang San hurried over, the weapons on his body clanking with every step.

Hearing the noise, Yu Xiaogang turned around. His gaze fell on Tang San, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"...Get in." Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, seemingly about to say something, but those were the only words that came out. He then turned and climbed into the carriage first.

Tang San clambered into the carriage on hands and feet, then set down the pile of things from his back, waist, shoulders, and hands with a clattering crash.

Once seated inside, Tang San raised his head and looked at Yu Xiaogang expectantly.

His heart was full of anticipation. I've hinted clearly enough, haven't I? I brought so much stuff. Surely you can see I need a Storage Soul Tool? Where's your Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night?

Yu Xiaogang looked at the messy pile of weapons in the carriage, and the corner of his mouth twitched again. He was thinking, Just how little does he trust me? He brought so many weapons—is he afraid I, his teacher, can't protect him?

As soon as the thought arose, Yu Xiaogang shook his head and chased it out of his mind. He comforted himself, Probably not. He's only six. What does he know about trust or distrust? It's probably just his first trip to the Soul Hunting Forest, and he's scared, so he brought extra things for peace of mind.

Yu Xiaogang calmed himself a little, reached into his robes, and took something out, holding it before Tang San.

"Xiao San, this is for you."

Tang San looked down and saw a belt. Twenty-four milky-white jade stones were set evenly along it, each the size of a thumb and polished smooth and round. Silver threads linked the stones, and the workmanship was exquisite. At a glance, it was clearly no ordinary item.

Tang San silently recited the name: Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night.

A Soul Tool of this caliber would fetch at least several million Gold Soul Coins at auction. Yu Xiaogang's character might not be much to speak of, but he was certainly generous with his gifts.

He would be a fool to turn down a free gift.

Tang San hurriedly reached out and accepted the belt. "Thank you, Teacher!"

The jade stones on the belt felt warm, fine, and smooth to the touch. Tang San marveled inwardly, For this belt alone, taking him as my teacher wasn't too much of a loss.

Tang San eagerly fastened the belt around his waist. It automatically adjusted to the right length and fit snugly, its weight barely noticeable.

Tang San sent a wisp of Soul Power into it, and his consciousness followed into the belt's storage space. Each of the twenty-four jade stones contained an independent little space, about one cubic foot in size, more than enough room for everyday necessities, weapons, and medicine.

Tang San set to work immediately. In fewer than ten breaths, he had stored the entire pile of things inside the belt.

Yu Xiaogang stood to one side, watching Tang San handle it so deftly. His eyebrows rose slightly.

Yu Xiaogang had originally intended to explain how to use the belt and what precautions to take. After all, a six-year-old encountering a Soul Tool for the first time ought to be curious and confused. Yet Tang San knew how to use it the moment he got his hands on it.

"You seem to like it," Yu Xiaogang said, suppressing his doubts and speaking first. "Give it a name."

Tang San's hands paused slightly when he heard that.

A name?

Since I'm no longer the Tang San from the original story, I don't want to call it Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night either.

Tang San thought for a moment and said, "Oriental Pearl. Let's call it the Oriental Pearl."

In the original story, the belt was called "Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night." But Tang San of this life did not want to follow the original setting. That was someone else's path, not his.

Tang San thought for a moment, and an idea suddenly flashed through his mind.

Oriental Pearl.

It was the landmark of the city from his previous life, a towering structure of steel and concrete that glittered in the night. Naming the belt after it would be a small memento of his previous life.

"Let's call it the Oriental Pearl," Tang San said calmly and seriously.

The carriage began to roll slowly forward, heading toward Nuoding City's gates.

They soon reached the market by the gates, where Yu Xiaogang suddenly called for the carriage to stop. "Stop for a moment."

Yu Xiaogang jumped down from the carriage and strode into the market.

Tang San peered through a gap in the carriage curtain. He saw Yu Xiaogang buy several large packages of dried provisions from one stall, then stop at a vegetable stall and buy a large sack of white radishes.

Tang San's eyelid twitched. Realizing they were for feeding Luo Sanpao, he was caught between laughter and tears.

A perfectly good Golden Sacred Dragon, yet because its bloodline was not pure enough, it was being raised like a pig.

Tang San could not help shaking his head, a jumble of feelings in his heart.

Yu Xiaogang soon returned to the carriage. It set off again, passed through Nuoding City's gates, and took the main road toward the Soul Hunting Forest.

They had not gone far when Yu Xiaogang suddenly spoke. "Xiao San, I've looked through a great deal of information these past few days, but I still haven't found out why Blue Silver Grass can coexist with your hammer."

Yu Xiaogang paused, his gaze settling on Tang San's face. "But I still believe your Blue Silver Grass should follow the poison-attribute control-system path."

The corner of Tang San's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He cursed inwardly, You're going to get me killed.

But Tang San kept his expression unchanged and asked with a puzzled look, "Why?"

Seeing that Tang San had not contradicted him outright, but had asked a question instead, Yu Xiaogang was immediately heartened.

"Perhaps some change occurred in you that caused you to awaken Blue Silver Grass. But whatever the process, the result remains the same: your Blue Silver Grass really is very weak. That's a fact."

Yu Xiaogang continued with certainty, "That's why I believe the poison attribute is your best choice. The toxins of snake-type and spider-type Soul Beasts can be added to Blue Silver Grass through Soul Rings. Once you succeed, your Blue Silver Grass will no longer be an ordinary weed, but a deadly weapon bearing lethal poison, capable of controlling the battlefield."

Yu Xiaogang sat up straight. "I once published the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul. One of them states that plant Martial Souls can also absorb the Soul Rings of animal Soul Beasts. Whether ordinary Soul Masters or those fellows from Spirit Hall, everyone scoffed at my theory of the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul. No one believed it. Before now, no Soul Master was willing to absorb a Soul Ring of a different type to strengthen themselves, either. Xiao San, are you willing to try?"

Yu Xiaogang spoke with fervor, his eyes shining with excitement.