"More or less," Tang Hao replied, sparing his words like gold. He had not wanted to let them know the route, especially Xiang Yang. His original plan had been to knock them unconscious and wake them once they arrived, or at least seal their eyes and ears.
But Tang San had strongly refused, saying that Xiang Yang was absolutely trustworthy and that this was not a one-off deal after which they would no longer need his help.
Tang Hao was the one asking for a favor, after all. For his wife's sake, he could not worry about that anymore. At worst, he could move her somewhere else.
With his vast Soul Power, moving a flowerpot was nothing. Even carrying a plot of land several square meters across would not be difficult.
Tang Hao took them flying over Holy Soul Village. With the air whistling past them at breakneck speed, they arrived before a stretch of mountain ranges several hours later. Tang Hao descended, made several turns, and came to a stop in a small valley.
Tang San and Xiang Yang looked out to see a waterfall some twenty meters wide thundering down from above into a tranquil, jewel-like pool.
The scenery was as beautiful as a painting, but none of the three had time to admire it. Tang Hao walked up to the waterfall and waved a hand, using his Soul Power to hold back the rushing water and create a doorway-shaped opening.
He then pressed a hidden mechanism, revealing a doorway. They walked all the way to the stone chamber at the end, where Tang San saw a small mound of earth with a stalk of Blue Silver Grass bearing golden veins growing in it. The moment he saw it, he fell to his knees, tears filling his eyes. "Mom!"
In an instant, their Soul Power resonated. Tang San's Martial Soul appeared of its own accord, and the Blue Silver Emperor's golden veins began to flicker, as though she were saying something to her child...
Tang Hao froze at the sight of mother and son together before him, his eyes stinging.
Xiang Yang, meanwhile, had felt that something was odd from the moment they entered from outside. This hidden chamber behind a waterfall seemed like the Water Curtain Cave. Although the scene after they entered was what he had expected, and he had to admit it was moving, it was hard to keep a straight face when the one involved was a blade of grass.
He was truly sorry, but as far as Xiang Yang knew, although his predecessors' partners included snakes and ghosts, they at least had human forms. He could understand that.
But faced with a blade of grass, Xiang Yang really struggled to empathize. Doing his best to keep a straight face, he could only look away.
A moment later, sensing that their emotions had settled, Xiang Yang spoke. "Uncle Tang, should I start now?"
"Mm, go ahead..." Tang Hao was about to agree, but he was interrupted.
"No, the environment here isn't suitable," Tang San said, rising to his feet. "That little patch of light overhead isn't enough on its own, and besides, this place..."
He could not help asking Tang Hao, "Dad, have you had Mom living in a place like this all this time?" Tang San found it hard to believe. The material of the stone chamber was unsuitable for plants to take root in, and there was only an incongruous mound of soil surrounding the Blue Silver Emperor.
"Huh?" Tang Hao was puzzled. What was wrong with it?
Seeing this, Tang San could only explain, "Plants have certain requirements for their living environment. The most basic are sunlight and water, and even Soul Beasts are no exception. Besides, Mom was already weak. If she keeps being raised like this..." He feared she would not recover even after another hundred thousand years.
In a good environment, growth was faster. Conversely, if the environment was too poor, living a long time did not necessarily mean one's cultivation would improve.
From what he had just sensed, the Blue Silver Emperor had only been able to keep growing over the years because she had a strong foundation and made efficient use of resources. A more ordinary plant might well have been raised to death.
"This...!" Tang Hao was shocked and guilt-ridden...
If Tang Hao had not been his father, Tang San would have been unable to stop himself from suspecting that he had done it on purpose... Surely he had not even neglected to water her? Tang San's gaze grew stranger and stranger. He had always treated the bizarre remarks from later generations that he had heard while chatting with Xiang Yang as jokes. He had never expected to encounter something like this himself.
"Ahem." Xiang Yang put an end to the awkward atmosphere. He had anticipated the present scene to some extent. After all, in his view, aside from Tang San's Tang Sect origins, the way he had ultimately turned out originally had been due in large part to the influence of Tang Hao and Yu Xiaogang. To keep him from following the same path, Xiang Yang had deliberately slipped in a few "little stories" whenever they exchanged knowledge.
"Let's take Auntie outside and find a good place for her."
"Mm." Tang San promptly took his usual tools out of Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges and carefully transplanted "Mom."
A few minutes later, Xiang Yang and Tang San emerged from the stone chamber, with a dejected Tang Hao following behind them.
Bang! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Xiang Yang used a shield of light to block the waterfall's torrent for an instant, and the two took the opportunity to return to the pool's edge.
Tang San spent a while looking around and comparing the surroundings, hesitating over whether to take his mother with him. It was not that he did not trust Tang Hao. On the contrary, he trusted him so much that he thought Tang Hao might genuinely be unable to care for someone properly. After all, when Tang San was little, he, a child, had been the one taking care of Tang Hao, an adult. If not for Village Chief Jack's help, Tang San might have long since...
Behind him, Tang Hao saw his misgivings and grew anxious. Frowning, he said, "Xiao San! I won't let you take Ah Yin away. Maybe I really don't understand plants, but I can learn all that."
Finally, he added, "And I'm the only one who can protect Ah Yin!"
Thinking of his current strength, Tang San had to admit that he was too weak. He could only compromise, replanting the Blue Silver Emperor, who seemed much more cheerful now that she had "seen the light of day again," in a place with ample sunlight and water.
As he watched Xiang Yang construct the Sun-Gathering Shield, Tang San thought that it would be wonderful if he could make the machines A Yang had mentioned, like satellites and cell phones. Then he could monitor this place at all times...
Although he could not do that now, Tang San had already decided to lay a dragnet of traps nearby to prevent anyone from investigating the area.
As a Tang Sect disciple, Tang San was not particularly accomplished in this field, but he had already reached a level those on Douluo could only gaze up at from afar. Over the years, he and Xiang Yang had come to understand clearly how fantastical this world was. Because people relied so heavily on Martial Souls, many things that could be accomplished by human effort alone had struggled to develop.
Tang Hao glanced first at the Blue Silver Emperor and then at his son. Something came to mind, leaving him hesitant. Tang San noticed at once and turned to ask, "Dad, is there something you want to tell me?"
"Mm. Xiao San, come with me." Recalling the faint golden light that had appeared on Tang San's Martial Soul when he resonated with Ah Yin, Tang Hao finally made up his mind. Whether it strengthened Tang San or helped restore some of his own image, that thing was no use to him anyway.
At Xiang Yang's current level of strength, he had to devote all his concentration to setting the light shield's frequency, so he did not hear the conversation between father and son. Otherwise, he would certainly have guessed that Tang Hao intended to give Tang San the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone ahead of time.
By the time they finished their work, it was late, and the three of them made do for the night.
The next day, Tang Hao once again escorted the two back. Tang San immediately set about gathering or buying what he needed, and if he could not find something, he made it himself. With the help of a rudimentary steam engine, his efficiency was astonishing.
A week later, while Xiang Yang, Dai Mubai and the others were doing their daily training, Tang San returned to Shrek Academy, travel-worn and dusty. This time, Tang Hao had only taken him as far as Holy Soul Village before hurrying back to be with Ah Yin, along with several books Tang San had given him.