Retaliation

Ye Qiu materialized elsewhere and watched Xiao Wu leave.

A thousand-year External Soul Bone—Remnant Shell!

After Xiao Wu absorbed it, her Soul Power Level had reached level 23.

When used, a resilient transparent horny layer would appear over the surface of her torso. Blocking a Soul Elder's attacks from the front would not be a problem.

According to her, it also seemed to possess a certain absorption and conversion ability, absorbing the Soul Power within an opponent's attacks and converting it to replenish her own expenditure.

Most importantly, like a Boa Constrictor, it allowed one to molt and be reborn. Seriously injured? No problem—just molt once. Its cooldown was three years! (Based on Snake Auntie; compared to hers, this could only be considered a weakened version.)

As expected of an External Soul Bone coveted in the dreams of Spirit Masters, it had countless functions.

This also put Ye Qiu much more at ease about Xiao Wu staying behind. At the very least, she now had some ability to protect herself.

In truth, Xiao Wu had deceived Ye Qiu in order to stay. The Remnant Shell had another ability: mimicry! It could conceal the aura of a soul beast on Xiao Wu's body.

She had not told him. She did not want to leave him, but she wanted even less to burden him. She could not swallow Tang Hao and his son attacking him, and she gladly did whatever she could for Ye Qiu.

Hidden in the shadows, Ye Qiu watched Xiao Wu disappear into the distance. The more he thought about it, the angrier and more upset he became!

Both father and son had their eyes on Xiao Wu in perfect unspoken agreement, and they just left like that.

This doesn't sit right with me!

His gaze turned once more toward Nuoding Academy. With the setting sun at his back, he was going to collect a debt—though only a little interest for now.

Every day at this hour, Tang San would go to Yu Xiaogang's room to study theoretical knowledge.

At that moment, Tang San sat beside the desk, reading Yu Xiaogang's so-called Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul theory.

In reality, those theories were merely notes he had made while reading other people's books.

What research could anyone expect from a Soul Grandmaster who had been driven out of his family? All he could do was go out to the countryside and tally whether trash Martial Souls like Blue Silver Grass possessed Soul Power.

Would Spirit Masters of any higher rank even pay him any attention? He should be grateful they gave him any face at all!

Ye Qiu had already infiltrated the staff dormitory.

In the corridor, Yu Xiaogang carried a tray holding dinner for himself and his beloved disciple. To give Tang San more time to study, he had done this sort of thing many times.

Thanks to the three kowtows Tang San had given him, he did not feel much impatience in his heart.

Using the Mangekyo's ability, Ye Qiu poked his head out from the ceiling. He released the prepared medicinal powder used to help livestock relieve themselves from Divine Might Space, scattering it down over Yu Xiaogang like fine dust.

Into the rice and dishes alike, evenly distributed!

"Achoo!" The powder in the air irritated Yu Xiaogang, making him sneeze.

Ye Qiu glanced at the food Yu Xiaogang held before him and felt a wave of disgust. He wondered how much saliva Tang San had already eaten.

The medicine had been administered. Now he only needed to let the bullet fly for a while.

A vortex appeared, and Ye Qiu vanished from Nuoding City. He held no expectations for the performance the master and disciple would put on next.

He wanted to return to Biyou Village first, then head to Sacred Soul Village to pull weeds and collect Tang Hao's interest.

Using a mark he had long ago placed in a patch of space outside the city, he traveled with Kamui at great convenience, appearing there in just a few breaths.

With the breeze beneath his feet and the evening glow on his back, he slowly made his way toward Biyou Village.

"Little San, put that down and come eat!"

Yu Xiaogang had just entered the room and had not even set down what he was carrying before calling Tang San over.

"Got it, Teacher! I'm coming." Tang San put away his book. Ye Qiu's departure had relaxed him considerably. In the vast Nuoding Academy, who else could possibly be his rival?

Master and disciple sat by the dining table like father and son.

Tang San had just picked up his rice bowl when he wrinkled his nose, as if he had caught some scent. "Teacher, does this rice smell a little strange?"

Yu Xiaogang sniffed as well. "No? Have you been reading for too long and started smelling things?"

"Is that so?" Tang San thought for a moment but could not make sense of it.

Without dwelling on it any further, he began eating with the dishes.

"Hiss!" ×2

Tang San, who had been thinking about how to please Xiao Wu that night even while eating, suddenly sucked in a cold breath.

Yu Xiaogang did the same.

Master and disciple exchanged a look, then immediately tossed down their bowls and chopsticks and ran outside.

Because of Yu Xiaogang's early experiences, he had some psychological shadows regarding latrines. Thus, there was no toilet in his room.

In the first-floor latrine, the two were separated by only a plank. Tang San was on the left and Yu Xiaogang on the right, while the sound of diarrhea continued without end.

After remaining in that environment for a long time, Yu Xiaogang became somewhat frightened. The paper in his hand slipped and fell to the ground, and he immediately picked it up and blew on it.

"Phew, phew."

The blowing reached the stall to his right, where a teacher squatting inside was already in a bad mood from constipation.

He immediately shouted, "What are you blowing for? Is the stuff in your pit going to burn your mouth?"

Yu Xiaogang froze in place. The paper in his hand fell straight into the pit, and his face flushed red. "Y-you, how can you slander someone out of thin air?! I-I..." He choked with anger, unable to say anything coherent.

"Teacher, don't mind him! Ngh..." Tang San's voice sounded from beside him at just the right moment.

Yu Xiaogang finally regained a bit of his reason. But when he saw where the paper in his hand had gone, the events of more than ten years ago began replaying in his mind, impossible to dispel. In the end, he collapsed directly inside the stall.

"Teacher? Teacher?"

Ye Qiu, who was still traveling, would never have imagined that merely adding a little laxative would take one person down—and leave Tang San with the troublesome task of wiping Yu Xiaogang's ass.

As the night deepened, Ye Qiu rode an Iron Hoof Horse, a ten-year soul beast requisitioned from the forest.

With a stalk of Blue Silver Grass dangling from his mouth, he galloped down the road home beneath the moonlight.

In Dormitory Seven, Tang San had finally cleaned up Yu Xiaogang's mess and returned to the dormitory exhausted.

Even though he was tired, the moment he entered, his eyes shifted toward Xiao Wu.

"Hm?" Tang San suddenly noticed that Ye Qiu's bed beside Xiao Wu was gone.

To avoid running into trouble again, he did not question Xiao Wu directly. Instead, he approached Wang Sheng first. "Wang Sheng, what happened there? Didn't Xiao Wu forbid anyone from touching Ye Qiu's things? If you made Xiao Wu angry, just watch how I deal with you!"

"Third Brother!" Wang Sheng wore a miserable expression. Sister Xiao Wu was the boss of Dormitory Seven—how could he dare provoke her? "Sister Xiao Wu moved it herself."

"What?" Tang San's spirits lifted. Could it be that Xiao Wu had come around? That she wanted to forget that trash Ye Qiu?

Xiao Wu, who sat cross-legged on her bed playing with a ring, had long noticed Tang San's return!

From far away, Xiao Wu shouted at him, "I threw out Ye Qiu's things. What, do you have a problem with that?"

"No, no, how could I? Everything you do is right, Xiao Wu!" Ignoring Wang Sheng's slightly disdainful gaze, Tang San frantically waved his hands, looking completely unlike before.

"Really?"

"Really! It's absolutely true!" He nodded quickly. Xiao Wu was finally willing to speak to him.

"Hmph! I'm in a bad mood. Go fetch me a basin of water to wash my feet."

"Ah?"

"What? You're not going? Then Wang Sheng, you go!" Xiao Wu casually waved her hand, signaling Wang Sheng to hurry up.

"Wang Sheng! Stop right there! Put down that washbasin and let me do it!" Tang San snatched the basin from Wang Sheng's hands and hurried off to fetch water.

Watching Tang San's back, Wang Sheng's mouth twitched, while Xiao Wu sneered inwardly.

What a toad dreaming of swan meat—ugly, yet full of beautiful fantasies! The retaliation has only just begun!

Caressing the ring on her finger, Xiao Wu could not bear to throw away Ye Qiu's things. She had even put away his bed.