The Guardian Who Never Left

Lin Xuan truly had not expected Tang San to be so relentlessly determined just to one-up him. He was willing to stake more than even a gambler.

Still, thanks to Tang San's "selfless contribution," Lin Xuan had not gone hungry this past year, and his wallet even had a modest stash in it. At times, he almost felt as though Tang San was working for him and he was some heartless boss.

Looking at the horse carriage packed with gifts and Xiao Wu, who was practically bouncing with excitement, Lin Xuan arrived at Sacred Soul Village in just one morning.

The moment he returned, the entire village exploded with excitement. It was like a top university student returning in glory to a tiny rural hometown.

The Villagers he encountered along the way were absurdly enthusiastic, crowding around him to ask after his well-being.

Lin Xuan knew that some of that warmth might have been driven by profit, but more of it was genuine hometown affection.

"Boss Lin, you're way too popular in this village. You're almost as popular as me!"

Watching the endless stream of Villagers coming over to greet him, Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. This level of popularity was simply ridiculous; she had never been this welcomed even in the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Of course. I'm one of them, born and raised."

Lin Xuan smiled faintly and drove the horse carriage straight to the Village Chief's home.

After handing the gifts from the carriage to Old Jack and asking him to distribute them among the Villagers, he took Xiao Wu back to his own house.

He planned to stay in the village for a while, both to rest and to use the opportunity to prepare some secret weapons that were inconvenient to forge in Nuoding City.

When the villagers learned that the "little Soul Power genius" had returned, they all came to visit, eager to see how he had been doing outside.

Lin Xuan bustled around until the afternoon before finally getting everything settled.

As agreed earlier, Old Jack invited him to dinner. Xiao Wu naturally benefited as well and followed along to Old Jack's house for a free meal.

Old Jack had truly gone all out this time. Besides the gifts Lin Xuan had brought, he had bought plenty of additional ingredients himself. The table was full of delicacies, and the few of them ate in cheerful harmony.

After several courses, Old Jack suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Xiao Xuan, where's Xiao San? Why didn't he come back with you?"

He had been so busy chatting with Lin Xuan and Xiao Wu that he had nearly forgotten Tang San was also from Sacred Soul Village.

"Tang San?" Lin Xuan's chopsticks paused as he picked up some food, then he changed the subject.

"He's different from us now. He's taken a Soul Grandmaster as his teacher and is even a Self-Funded Student. He's living quite comfortably, so don't worry, Village Chief Grandpa."

At that, he added meaningfully,

"By the way, did Uncle Tang Hao prepare dinner for Tang San? Don't let him come back and find himself unable to get even a hot meal.

Tang San isn't an Ordinary Person anymore. He's a Soul Master with a Soul Ring. If things really get heated, Uncle Tang Hao is only an Ordinary Person—he might end up at a disadvantage."

What he truly wanted was to confirm whether Tang Hao was still in the village.

Under normal circumstances, if Tang Hao had not noticed Xiao Wu's presence, the plot should not have deviated too far. He would leave Sacred Soul Village as he had in the Original Work and stir up trouble across the continent.

But if Tang Hao had discovered Xiao Wu and realized that she was not deeply involved with Tang San, then he might very well use this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast as a bargaining chip for revenge against Spirit Hall. The plot could change dramatically, and Tang Hao might not even leave.

It was not as if Lin Xuan had never considered fleeing Nuoding City directly with Xiao Wu, but his lack of strength was a fatal weakness. He had no way of tracking Tang Hao's movements and was not even sure whether Xiao Wu had already been exposed.

All he could do now was act as harmless as possible, making outsiders believe that Tang San had initiated every conflict between them and that he was the one in the right.

No matter how shameless Tang Hao was, surely he would not personally deal with a child like him.

More importantly, as long as Tang Hao still wanted Xiao Wu to become Tang San's Soul Ring, he would not allow anything to happen to Lin Xuan, who was Close To Xiao Wu—at least not before Tang San was capable of absorbing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

"Tang Hao?" At the mention of that name, Old Jack suddenly slapped the table and said indignantly.

"Don't even mention him! I specifically went to remind him today to prepare something for Xiao San to eat. The boy's a Soul Master now, after all.

But what did he do? He didn't appreciate it at all!"

Lin Xuan's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly, and a piece of meat fell onto the table. Yet his expression remained unchanged.

Seeing this, Old Jack thought he had frightened him with his slap on the table and hurriedly softened his tone.

"It's fine, it's fine, Xiao Xuan. Grandpa didn't mean to scare you. I was just too angry..."

"It's okay, Village Chief Grandpa. I know you mean well for Tang San."

Lin Xuan revealed a gentle smile and shook his head, but he hastened his eating. A trace of gravity flashed deep in his eyes.

Tang Hao had indeed deviated from the plot!

He had most likely already discovered Xiao Wu's identity. It was only because Xiao Wu was not close to Tang San that he had chosen not to leave yet, instead planning to observe for a while longer.

Lin Xuan sighed inwardly. He had suspected this long ago, but now that it had been confirmed, he still felt stifled.

Sometimes, he truly hated that his cheat was not powerful enough. If he could unleash even a fraction of Tang Wulin's late-stage strength, why would he fear Tang Hao's threat?

But reality was reality. For now, he lacked enough strength to protect himself and could only do everything possible to emphasize how "harmless" he was and numb Tang Hao's vigilance.

Still, judging from the current situation, although Tang Hao had seen through Xiao Wu's identity, he was in no hurry to act and did not even regard Lin Xuan as a threat.

He was probably planning to use Lin Xuan to restrain Xiao Wu, then "harvest" them together once Tang San had grown strong enough.

The worst-case scenario was likely that Tang Hao would not make a move until after they graduated from the Elementary Soul Master Academy.

In other words, as long as they remained by Tang San's side for the time being, they would be safe for the time being.

Though deeply resentful, Lin Xuan did not reveal the slightest hint of it. He continued chatting and laughing with Old Jack, only heading home with Xiao Wu after dinner.

The two bickered and played, their figures gradually vanishing into the night.

Yet in a corner unnoticed by anyone, Tang Hao leaned against the trunk of a large tree outside Old Jack's house. From above, he watched the two's retreating back views, a complicated, unfocused look passing through his eyes.

"This works too," he murmured softly. "When the time comes to make my move, I won't have any misgivings."

Tang Hao had, in the end, seen through Xiao Wu's identity.

These days, he occasionally went to Nuoding City to observe Tang San's growth. After going often enough, he naturally had opportunities to notice the faint Soul Beast aura around Xiao Wu.

Just as Lin Xuan had guessed, he did not intend to deal with Xiao Wu now. He planned to let her roam free for the moment, then control her once she showed signs of leaving Tang San, turning free-range rearing into captivity.

As for Lin Xuan, he was merely a bargaining chip Tang Hao could use to restrain Xiao Wu.

Watching the two grow increasingly Close To each other, Tang Hao's lips curled into a calculating smile. Given how things were developing, he strongly suspected that feelings would blossom between them.

When that time came, those feelings would only maximize the benefits of his plan.