Severed Arm

Su Cheng's words reached Ah Yin.

She glanced at the other person instinctively, her eyes glazed over, her heart pounding strongly in her chest.

At this moment, she seemed to have many inexplicable emotions arising out of thin air, which then transformed into a fine, warm current that spread throughout her body until it settled in an unknown, deeper place.

Su Cheng also turned his head and met her gaze.

He knew that Ah Yin still had some unresolved issues, but he wasn't sure exactly what was troubling her the most.

Therefore, we can only guess that the reason why the other party is hesitant, even though their relationship is already so close, is probably related to Tang Hao's affairs.

It's not necessarily because she still has feelings for him. Otherwise, even if she hadn't followed Tang Hao away, she wouldn't have stayed in Spirit City like that afterward, since no one had ever restricted her freedom.

Moreover, Ah Yin had already made it very clear to him a year ago.

So, perhaps it was the guilt stemming from the "betrayal" and her lack of self-confidence that made her want to assume the role of "older sister" and was reluctant to take the next step.

Su Cheng could only guess at this.

However, even Ah Yin herself might not fully understand these things.

Unless it's a critical moment, she has never had any opinions of her own, whether it was following Tang Hao and his brothers around twenty years ago or silently confining herself to Spirit City in recent years.

She only takes action when faced with life-or-death situations like those of the past, or when she was pushed to the brink of explosion by Su Cheng last time.

Thinking of this, Su Cheng's eyes flashed as he looked at the man opposite him who seemed to be in a dilemma.

"Tang Hao, we've said enough today, there's no point in continuing. Ah Yin is right here, and I've never restricted her freedom. Neither now nor in the future will I restrict her."

He released Ah Yin's hand.

"The decision is in Ah Yin's own hands. I won't use any grand principles to bind her, and there's no favor or anything like that between us. If she's willing to leave with you today, I won't stop her in the slightest."

After saying that, he stood there with his arms crossed, quietly watching Tang Hao.

Hearing this, Ah Yin felt a strange emptiness in her heart as she felt her hands no longer restrained.

This seemingly generous approach by the other party, which appeared to give her the freedom to choose, did not make her particularly happy.

"Ah Yin!"

Tang Hao's eyes lit up, and he called out anxiously in a slightly rough voice.

Facing Su Cheng now, he knew that he had no chance of winning as his injuries had not yet healed.

If the opponent tries to keep Ah Yin, even if I use all my means, such as Ring Detonation, my chances of winning are extremely slim.

He even had to consider whether this would completely enrage Su Cheng, and whether he could bear the consequences.

After all, he was not alone; he had the ties of a sect and a family behind him.

Behind Su Cheng is the Spirit Hall, a force with unfathomable depths, supporting him.

But now that the other party says it depends on Ah Yin's wishes, I think if I persuade her a few more times, I might still have a chance.

However, you also need to consider how to deal with it if the other party changes their mind.

Tang Hao did not believe Su Cheng's explanation.

Those high-sounding words were nothing more than a means to deceive Ah Yin. It seems that Ah Yin's current state is definitely related to his scheming.

Tang Hao admitted that he couldn't bring himself to say anything like that.

He believes he has always acted with integrity and would never resort to such underhanded tactics.

Ah Yin is too inexperienced, so it's normal for her to be deceived; you can't blame her.

"..."

However, when it came time to speak, Tang Hao suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

He has no other cards left to play.

After much thought, it seems that I can only use Tang San as an example.

After all, in the human world, aside from being hunted down and sacrificed, it seems that the only thing worth mentioning about his and Ah Yin's experiences is their shared bloodline.

"Ah Yin, Xiao San is almost nineteen years old now. Do you know why I named him Tang San— "

"Alright!"

Before Tang Hao could finish speaking, Ah Yin interrupted him.

Her voice carried a hint of inexplicable irritation.

She suddenly didn't want to stay there any longer, and she didn't want to hear those endless stories from the past.

"Tang Hao, stop talking. I've already told you, he's not my son, and don't mention him to me again. I can't go with you. Leave on your own, forget about me, and we'll be even from now on."

After saying that, Ah Yin glanced at Su Cheng beside her and opened her mouth.

But in the end, she didn't say anything, and just walked away with her head down.

Su Cheng was taken aback by her reaction.

But soon, he roughly understood something, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Tang Hao, whose face was stiff and whose eyes were filled with astonishment.

"Alright, you can get lost now. Isn't Ah Yin's attitude obvious enough?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao finally realized what was happening, but he still found it hard to believe.

Perhaps, Ah Yin's feelings have really changed, and she no longer depends on him or loves him as much as before.

This is understandable, after all, I failed to protect her and disappointed her.

But how could someone as kind as Ah Yin, who clearly had a sense of guilt in her eyes before, suddenly become so cold?

That tone was completely unlike anything Ah Yin had ever said.

Furthermore, what did she mean by saying "that's not my son"? Does she not even recognize her own flesh and blood?

This wasn't the first time he'd heard similar words. Ah Yin had said something similar when they parted ways in Spirit City.

Why is that?!

No mother with any conscience would do such a thing.

Moreover, she is the kind-hearted Ah Yin.

Tang Hao's temples were bulging with veins, and he was panting heavily, clearly furious.

For the first time, he completely ignored Su Cheng's threat and stared intently at the woman standing a little distance away.

"Do you know what you're saying?!" he roared. "How can a mother say such things! Have those desires extinguished your humanity?!"

"Shut up!"

"Well--"

The next moment, accompanied by a suppressed, low groan, Tang Hao's right arm fell to the ground.

The incision was clean and smooth, and a large amount of fresh blood gushed out.

"If you keep talking nonsense, it won't just be one arm anymore. No matter what Ah Yin does or says, she has no obligation to explain herself to you; she doesn't owe you anything. As for Tang San's problem, you should think about it yourself."

Su Cheng frowned and withdrew his finger, still without revealing any aura, as if the sword had nothing to do with him.

"Leave this Soul Bone behind, and get out of here quickly."

He didn't have time to deal with Tang Hao right now; there was a beautiful woman waiting for him over there.

However, he didn't intend to kill it just like that; teaching it a lesson would be enough.

Other reasons were secondary; the main reason was that even if he wanted to kill Tang Hao, he would have had plenty of opportunities, and there was absolutely no need to do it here, in front of Ah Yin.

"..."

Tang Hao silently stopped the bleeding, his face turning slightly pale from the intense pain, but the intense rage that had been burning away his reason was instantly extinguished.

He glanced at Ah Yin one last time, then silently turned and walked out of the Blue Silver Grass Forest.

With just that one sword strike, he deeply felt the gap between himself and Su Cheng.

That was an unfathomable power.

She was much stronger than Bibi Dong was that day!

Is this the strength of Peerless Douluo? A nineteen-year-old Peerless Douluo? Tang Hao couldn't understand.

However, his confidence in Tang San wavered once again...

After Tang Hao left, Ah Yin lowered her head and remained silent for Jiujiu.

Su Cheng ignored the fallen Soul Bone, stepped closer, and casually said, "What? Do you think I went too far?"

Ah Yin gently shook her head and whispered, "You're so generous and carefree. If I choose to go with him, what will you say? In your heart, am I dispensable?"

Upon hearing this, Su Cheng suddenly understood.

He suddenly realized where Ah Yin's real dilemma lay. The hesitation stemming from her past special identity was far more profound than he had imagined.

What she needs is not this so-called respect and freedom, but a sense of security.

"Haha, I was so nervous just now. How could I possibly let you go with him? I only said that on purpose to try and move you," Su Cheng chuckled.

"I spared his life last time, but if you hesitate even slightly this time, there's nothing I can do. I'll have to settle things for you. I've never had any principles when it comes to this."

"He says one thing but means another."

Ah Yin bit her lip, but her eyes softened.

"There's nothing I can do, you're so easy to fool." Su Cheng put his hand on her shoulder. "After being entangled with the past for so long, it's time to start anew."

At this point, Su Cheng chuckled and lowered his head, his lips brushing against the edge of Ah Yin's earlobe.

Bathed in dappled sunlight, it glowed with a translucent, slightly reddish hue, exquisite and charming.

"However, our top priority right now is to continue our medical check-up."

Upon hearing the words "physical examination," Ah Yin stiffened, her pretty face flushed slightly, but she didn't say anything more.

"Huh? Why are you blushing?"

At this moment, Su Cheng suddenly leaned over and scrutinized her closely, looking surprised. "Are you thinking the wrong thing? This is a very proper check-up. Didn't we agree on this?"

Hearing him say that, the blush on Ah Yin's face not only did not fade, but instead turned from light pink to a deep crimson.

She lowered her head and said in a muffled voice, "Do you know how sometimes you can be really annoying when you talk?"

"Really? Well, if you want to do other tests, that's fine with me."

"Who said I wanted to do other tests!"

"I think this is fine." Su Cheng laughed and pulled Ah Yin toward the place where the two of them had rested before.

Tang Hao's arrival today is perfectly timed.

Without this confrontation, it might have taken much longer for Ah Yin to fully understand everything.

But now that they've met and said those things, it probably won't be long before she completely changes her mindset.

Half a month later, in Heaven Dou City, at the Shrek Academy's headquarters.

With only one arm remaining, Tang Hao entered the faculty and staff residence deep inside the academy, his face ashen.

There is a room here that is exclusively for him.

In fact, with his cultivation level, the journey from the Blue Silver Grass Forest back to the academy should have taken far less time.

However, Tang Hao, who lost his Right Arm Soul Bone, suffered far greater damage than it appeared on the surface.

Even though Su Cheng didn't leave him any hidden tricks throughout the whole process.

However, Su Cheng's attack speed was too fast, and Tang Hao had no time to react at all.

This resulted in him not only being unable to use the severed arm Soul Bone to repair the disordered old injuries in his body, but also causing his original injuries to worsen.

Not to mention that for Soul Master, the integrity of their limbs is extremely important. Meridians are the carriers of Soul Power, and injuries of this magnitude, such as limb amputation, are of extraordinary significance.

In the battle twenty years ago when he was promoted to Titled Douluo, Tang Hao was severely injured.

In the past, he only managed to persevere because of his profound cultivation and physical strength.

Now that he has lost his Right Arm Soul Bone, not only has his cultivation level dropped significantly, barely maintaining at the Soul Douluo level to prevent further decline, but his old injuries can only be barely suppressed, and it is unknown how long it will take for them to stabilize.

But for him now, the most fatal blow is neither the physical injury nor the heavy pressure brought about by the terrifying strength that Su Cheng has shown.

Instead, they lost their goals and motivation to move forward.

For nearly twenty years, only three things lingered in his muddled mind:

He wanted to destroy the Spirit Hall to avenge Ah Yin, find a way to make up for the losses he had caused to the sect, and raise Tang San to adulthood.

Of these, the former is the most important.

Although he mostly just thought about these three things and never really put in much effort, he mostly just drifted through life.

But ultimately, there is still a goal.

Especially with the awakening of Tang San's Twin Martial Souls, he regained some motivation after a long time.

He was extremely certain at that time.

As long as this child grows up smoothly and cultivates diligently, he will surely become an unparalleled powerhouse in the future and fulfill his long-cherished wish.

But what about now?

Ah Yin was resurrected, Ah Yin fell in love with someone else, and it even seemed that Ah Yin was about to stand on the same side as the Spirit Hall, and she even disowned her own son for Su Cheng.

So what does it mean to have persisted all this time?

Wouldn't everything have become a complete joke?

"... thump, thump, thump."

"Your Haotian Mianxia, are you injured? What happened?"

Just then, a dull knocking sound rang out, accompanied by an inquiry from Flender, the dean of the Shrek Academy.

When Tang Hao returned to the academy, he had no energy left to hide himself, and Flender, with his cultivation level, was naturally able to detect him.

"Let me have some peace and quiet."

Tang Hao's voice was filled with deep weariness.

Outside the door, Flender turned and exchanged a glance with Yu Xiaogang, then shook his head helplessly.

Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang could only frown and not say anything more, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Judging from Tang Hao's tone, the matter didn't seem urgent and probably had little to do with the Spirit Hall's wanted notice.

There is some estrangement between him and Tang Hao now, but the alliance cannot afford to make any mistakes in the face of the strong threat from the Spirit Hall.

Fortunately, several other people mediated the situation, and things ultimately appeared to be relatively harmonious on the surface.

And just like that, a week passed quickly.

On this day, Tang Hao's door suddenly opened, and his figure reappeared outside the room.

If someone familiar with him were to observe from the side at this moment, they would notice that his gaze had become calm and firm again, even more so than before.

It must be said that for a man, especially for a man like Tang Hao who has a high opinion of himself, the power of being cuckolded is, in some ways, even more intense than a life-or-death feud.

He had figured it out: since Ah Yin had changed her mind, he would use force to take her back!

Perhaps with his current abilities alone, he would find it difficult to accomplish this.

However, he also has a son who is exceptionally talented.

With Tang San's quick wit and intelligence, his future remains to be seen.

Correct typos first, then edit.