Tenderness in Excess Is Also a Poison

"Teacher!!!"

Tang San shouted. He truly hadn't expected his teacher's actual combat ability to be so weak—he was practically worse than Tang San himself!

Seeing the Mandala Snake about to charge at them, he could no longer keep it hidden.

He pulled radishes from his Storage Soul Tool.

One white radish after another shot out. Though they lacked the force to injure the Mandala Snake, they always managed to block its body whenever it was about to catch up to them.

Though he had no hidden weapons, his hidden weapon techniques saved their lives at this moment.

Yu Xiaogang was stunned. Tang San's technique was so precise.

Every time Tang San flung out a white radish, his left thumb curled inward, his palm faced down, and his other four fingers were held together and extended forward. The movement was simple and effective.

Was this Tang San really Tang Hao's son?

He had never heard of anyone from the Clear Sky Sect liking long-range attacks.

But how many radishes could there be in twenty pounds?

In no time at all, the supplies in Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges had been exhausted.

Without hidden weapons, Tang San fell into deep despair.

But he did not want to simply abandon Yu Xiaogang, leave him behind as a shield, and flee on his own.

He had nothing to rely on now. Without Yu Xiaogang, it would be hard for him to get out of this forest.

However, his opinion of Yu Xiaogang had worsened considerably.

Shouldn't Yu Xiaogang take a piss and look at himself? What strength did he even have?

And he had brought Tang San here to die?

If Tang San had not possessed Tang Sect techniques, he would have died long ago.

Though now, it seemed death was not far away either.

"Little... San! Run! Run! Don't... don't worry about me..."

The poison in Yu Xiaogang's body began spreading rapidly. He felt that he was about to die, and he was deeply sorry for Tang San.

If he could block this Mandala Snake for Tang San before he died, then his death would have been worthwhile.

Damn it!

Tang San immediately hesitated.

He was not hesitating over whether Yu Xiaogang had treated him so well, and whether he should stay behind to face the coming danger with him.

Rather, he had been deeply bound by the sect's moral code. No matter what, he needed to maintain a good reputation.

Even if he killed himself, he would never do anything that damaged the sect's reputation, much less flee and live freely beyond the law!

So if he ran now and left Yu Xiaogang here, it would become a huge stain on his name if word got out.

There was only one way to ensure that what happened today would never spread.

Yu Xiaogang had to truly die here!

Only the dead would not leak secrets.

Only then would outsiders never learn that he, the disciple, had once abandoned his own teacher.

Besides, had Yu Xiaogang forgotten something? In this Soul Hunting Forest, anyone without a Spirit Hall permit would be judged as an illegal entrant.

If discovered by patrolling soldiers, it meant death!

Even if he left like this, he would still be unable to escape death in the end.

So before leaving, he had to take the Soul Master permit from Yu Xiaogang first!

Thus, Tang San put on a righteous expression, stood between the Mandala Snake and Yu Xiaogang, and shouted:

"Teacher! Run! I can hold it off a little longer!"

There were no more radishes, but there were plenty of pebbles on the ground.

After Tang San drew them into his hand with Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, they shot toward the Mandala Snake with a series of whooshes.

The effect was even better than the white radishes.

The Mandala Snake howled in pain from the barrage.

"Little San, keep going! Don't hit its head—strike seven inches below it!"

After Tang San switched from radishes to stones, the results were unexpectedly good.

He had actually injured the Mandala Snake.

Tang San froze. He had still wanted to kill Yu Xiaogang, take the permit, and escape!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Tang San viciously attacked the Mandala Snake's heart. His aim was extremely accurate, and every strike caused the Mandala Snake great pain.

In the end, the Mandala Snake was beaten into retreat.

Fighting Tang San was simply too disadvantageous.

Was this the terrifying upright ape?

"Little San, don't let it get away! It's the best Soul Ring for you!"

Tang San sighed in relief when he saw the Mandala Snake trying to flee.

But Yu Xiaogang shouted loudly.

Though Tang San had some doubts, he still chased after it, intending to take down the Mandala Snake.

However, the Mandala Snake seemed to be heading toward Starry Sky.

CRACK!!

With a single thunderous blast—

The still-lively Mandala Snake was instantly reduced to charred scraps by a bolt of purple lightning and fell to the ground, utterly dead!

"Th-This... who was that?"

Tang San jumped at the thunderclap, nearly scared out of his wits.

When he saw the Mandala Snake killed, anger surged through him.

That had been his Soul Ring!

But seeing the Mandala Snake instantly killed by a single bolt of lightning made Tang San's heart tighten.

He could not beat them! There was no way he could beat them!

Who said that those who dared not cause trouble were mediocre?

Causing trouble without backing or great strength was simply seeking death!

Tang San could only grit his teeth. "Starry Sky! You stole my Soul Ring! What do you intend to do about it?"

He still wanted to get some benefit out of Starry Sky.

But Starry Sky looked indifferent as he said:

"What do you mean, your Soul Ring? That Mandala Snake was foolish enough to approach me. It deserved to die!"

"You... I worked so hard to seriously injure it... Taking it away like this is far too against the rules between Soul Masters."

"Is that so? Soul Masters prey on the weak. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too weak."

Starry Sky gave a soft laugh, his tone dangerous.

"You..." Tang San was furious, but he was inferior in skill.

And the Mandala Snake was already dead.

No matter what he said, it was useless.

He hurried back to check on his teacher.

His teacher had already passed out.

His face was deathly pale, and his right arm had swollen to three times its normal size. The stretched skin had turned a glossy purple.

It was obvious that the poisoning was severe!

Tang San took antidote medicine from his Storage Soul Tool and fed it to Yu Xiaogang.

But the Mandala Snake's venom was incredibly potent, and the antidote appeared completely useless.

Tang San had been a member of the Tang Sect in his past life and possessed a deep understanding of poison.

He could use Tang Sect techniques to help Yu Xiaogang expel the poison—sealing acupoints and circulating his blood and energy with the inner power of the Mysterious Heaven Skill to achieve a detoxifying effect.

But if he used such techniques, there was no way they could be something a six-year-old child was capable of.

In the original story, merely having Yu Xiaogang see him use hidden weapon techniques had already made Tang San think it was grounds for death.

Let alone now, with Starry Sky and the three Raiden Queens watching. If he used them, they would definitely grow suspicious.

He could deal with Yu Xiaogang, but Starry Sky and the three women beside him were not opponents he could face.

"Cough, cough... Little San, where's the Mandala Snake?" Yu Xiaogang had been fed so many things by Tang San that he choked awake.

"Teacher... don't move around. I'll find someone... someone to help remove the poison!"

Unable to save Yu Xiaogang himself, Tang San quickly placed his hopes on Starry Sky and the others. Raiden Mei, Underworld, and the General clearly did not come from ordinary backgrounds. They surely had higher-grade antidotes!

Tang San hurried over and said:

"Starry Sky, please, please save my teacher! He was poisoned by the Mandala Snake while trying to save me. If he isn't treated soon, he'll... Please, as long as you save my teacher, I'm willing to compensate you tenfold for any losses in the future!"

Raiden Mei looked worried. Yu Xiaogang's poisoning was indeed severe. If he was not treated quickly, he would be in grave danger.

Just as Mei was about to go help Yu Xiaogang, Starry Sky quickly grabbed her wrist and shook his head to stop her.

"Big Sister Mei! Excessive tenderness can sometimes be a poison to others. When we entered the Soul Hunting Forest, we already told Yu Xiaogang to hire some mercenaries for help."

"Yet Yu Xiaogang believed his research into Soul Beasts was profound and did not take them seriously. It was this arrogance that led them into such a predicament."

"Yu Xiaogang can court death however he wants when he's alone, but he brought a child with him! He nearly got a child killed too. I think he should fully experience this suffering and remember it deeply, so that he will learn to respect life in the future."

"Otherwise, if he does this again and gets someone else killed, then we would share the responsibility for saving him now!"