Tang Hao Leaves

Without a doubt, Old Jack still agreed to bring Xiao Wu back to Holy Soul Village with them.

Although Old Jack believed that children should spend Chinese New Year with their families, he was completely unable to resist Xiao Wu's adorable act. His heart softened, and he took her along.

"It feels completely different from when we came here."

The three of them sat in the back. Tang San looked at the bare branches on both sides of the road, then at how the clothes he and Gu You wore had changed from thin short sleeves to thick padded jackets, and let out a sigh of emotion.

"It's been half a year since we went fishing. I wonder if I've gotten rusty." Gu You had a strand of Blue Silver Grass between his teeth as he gazed at the blue sky and white clouds. "Xiao San, let's go fishing tomorrow."

Xiao Wu chatted with Old Jack in the front. Through all sorts of subtle probing, she coaxed every embarrassing story from Gu You's childhood out of him.

"I'm telling you, your desire to dig up dirt on me is way too obvious."

Although Gu You, who considered himself mature, believed that he had no dark history from his childhood—wetting the bed was even more impossible—Old Jack told stories of him catching nothing while fishing, then stubbornly claiming after returning home that the feng shui had been bad, and of him saying he would go to Spirit Hall to read during winter, only to clutch his quilt and refuse to let go because the weather was too cold. Only then did Gu You realize that he had so many embarrassing stories.

To a parent, perhaps every moment of a child's life was a unique treasure. Some trivial matters Gu You had long forgotten were precious memories of the child Old Jack was so proud of.

"Grandpa!"

"All right, all right, I won't say anything else." Old Jack replied with a laugh.

Seeing everyone in the carriage laughing, Gu You grew embarrassed and angry. Pointing at Tang San, he said, "What are you laughing at? You think you have very little dark history?"

The moment she heard there was juicy gossip, Xiao Wu immediately moved over beside Gu You.

"What? What is it?"

"I'm telling you, the first time Xiao San saw..." Gu You had just begun when Tang San, sensing trouble, decisively rushed over and covered his mouth. He even bound it shut with Blue Silver Grass.

"Xiao San, what are you doing? Let Gu You go!" Xiao Wu said unhappily.

"It's nothing. Xiao You is acting strange again. He'll recover after a while."

"Mmph! Mmph-mmph-mmph!"

"Hahaha." Hearing the commotion from the three people behind him, Old Jack burst into hearty laughter as he drove.

The sun gradually set, and darkness slowly spread across the land.

Looking at the wisps of cooking smoke ahead, everyone knew they were close to Holy Soul Village.

A few minutes later, the entrance to Holy Soul Village appeared before them.

"Holy Soul Village, your king has returned!" Unable to contain his excitement, Gu You stood up and raised both arms as he shouted.

Although he had only been away for half a year, Gu You had already begun to miss life in Holy Soul Village.

The stream beside the village, the great banyan tree at the entrance, the uncles and aunties working in the fields, and that patch of woods behind the hill. It had only been half a year, yet Gu You had never expected to feel as though he had been away from the village for several years.

Over these six years, Old Jack's love and tolerance had long made Gu You accept this ordinary yet warm family from the bottom of his heart, as well as this poor little village that was filled with memories everywhere.

The group entered Holy Soul Village. Old Jack dropped the three children off, then went to return the carriage to a villager.

Tang San's home was right at the village entrance. Pointing up at the dilapidated sign on the roof, he smiled at Xiao Wu and said, "Look, that's my home."

Seeing his home right before him, Tang San became excited without realizing it. He quickened his pace, covering the distance in three steps before reaching the door.

The front door was open just as it had been when he left. This was Tang Hao's habit. After all, there was nothing worth stealing from a small Blacksmith Shop. The lamp had not been lit, and Tang San guessed that Tang Hao had drunk himself unconscious and had not woken up yet.

"Dad, I'm back!" Tang San shouted excitedly as he walked into the house.

Xiao Wu looked astonished. In the half a year since she had met Tang San, she had never seen him display such emotions.

In her impression, Tang San was completely different from Gu You. Gu You was naturally lively and could not sit still whenever he was not researching. Tang San, on the other hand, was a rather gentle person who usually did not say much. He only spoke more when chatting with Gu You, and his expressions also became more varied than when he talked with other people.

Only when sparring with him could one see his serious side. Yet regardless of whether he won or lost, he always wore an indifferent expression. Even then, he only spoke more when sparring with Gu You.

Calling out as he went, Tang San hurried farther inside.

Everything seemed unchanged. The Blacksmith Shop was still just as messy. Without Tang San's regular cleaning, it was even more disordered than before he left. All sorts of random objects were scattered across the floor. Yet that worn-down atmosphere made Tang San feel even more at home.

"Oh, Xiao San, you're back." Tang San could almost hear that voice by his ear, but in reality, there was not the slightest movement in the room. It was as though this were a castle sealed for decades, with only Tang San's voice echoing inside.

A trace of nervousness appeared in Tang San's heart. He hurried into the inner room.

That room was just as disorderly. Empty liquor bottles covered the floor, and there were even unwashed bowls and chopsticks from a finished meal on the table.

Tang San noticed a piece of paper pinned beneath a bowl and hurriedly picked it up to read.

It was a letter.

"Xiao San:

By the time you read this letter, I will already have left. Don't come looking for me. You won't be able to find me.

Although you're still young, you can take care of yourself. A young eagle can only soar higher sooner by spreading its own wings.

Don't worry about me. You inherited much of your mother's thoughtfulness. Your father is a useless man. Now that you're gradually growing up, your father needs to take back some things that should have belonged to me. One day, the two of us will meet again.

I hope you become strong, but I also don't want you to become strong. You must choose your own path.

If one day you feel that being a Soul Master is not a good profession, then return to Holy Soul Village and become a blacksmith like me.

Don't think of me.

Tang Hao"

Looking at the paper in his hands, Tang San froze completely. The joy of returning home instantly turned into helpless disappointment.

Seeing that Tang San had not come out after so long and hearing no further sounds from inside, Xiao Wu worriedly pulled Gu You into the room with her.

The moment he entered, Gu You saw Tang San's helpless back.

When he stepped forward for a closer look, Gu You saw the letter Tang Hao had left for Tang San. He also noticed Tang San's trembling hands, which had crumpled the letter.

Xiao Wu looked at Tang San worriedly and asked in a quiet voice, "Xiao San, are you... all right?"

Tang San said nothing. He folded Tang Hao's letter and tucked it into his shirt, then bent down and began cleaning up the trash in the room.

Seeing Tang San's actions, Gu You and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance. Gu You turned around and went outside to fetch water, while Xiao Wu helped Tang San clean up the trash on the floor.

P.S. After thinking it over carefully, I realized that these "filler chapters" are still necessary. Character development needs these details to show changes in personality and the evolution of relationships. I've learned my lesson.

I've found that after starting to write a novel, I have even less time than I imagined. There's no time to play games, no time to watch videos, and I don't even have time to read novels anymore. The only joy left in life is reading the readers' comments while lying flat. Please leave lots of comments! I'll keep asking for recommendation votes, collections, and monthly votes.