Homeward Bound and Harvest: Belt and Gold Soul Coins

Outside the Soul Hunting Forest, the sunlight was just right.

For Soul Masters who had just gone through a brush with death, this long-lost warmth of the sun was the most luxurious comfort in the world.

Above the Sky Curtain, the scene shifted.

The hunt had ended, and the journey home had begun.

The Tang Sans of the two worlds, each bearing their own First Soul Ring, set out on the road back to Nuoding City.

[Black World]

In the image, an old man and a young boy supported each other.

Yu Xiaogang's face was deathly pale, his steps unsteady. Every time he put his foot down, Tang San had to brace him forcefully from the side.

Rather than a teacher leading his student through training,

it was more like a student dragging dead weight through a fight for survival.

"Teacher, slow down."

Hei Tang San looked deeply concerned. The hands that had just killed a Datura Snake were now carefully supporting Yu Xiaogang's arm.

There was not the slightest hint of impatience in his eyes.

Only pure respect for his teacher.

Yu Xiaogang panted heavily. Looking at the sensible disciple beside him, a warm current surged through his heart.

This trip had been embarrassing.

Luo San Pao had been taken out instantly.

And in the end, they had only survived because his disciple had risked his life.

But the result was good.

More importantly, it had verified this disciple's character—kindhearted and filial.

"Xiao San, stop for a moment."

Yu Xiaogang stopped beside a bluestone, then, with trembling hands, untied the ancient-looking belt around his waist.

The belt was entirely black, set with twenty-four milky-white jade stones.

They gleamed with a gentle luster under the sunlight.

"This belt has been with me for many years."

Yu Xiaogang stroked the belt, his eyes carrying a trace of reminiscence, as well as the ceremonious sentimentality of someone moved by his own gesture.

"It has been buried in obscurity in my hands for far too long."

"Today, I will give it to you."

"I hope it can accompany you to the pinnacle of the Soul Master World."

Hei Tang San shuddered.

He knew quality goods when he saw them.

The jade stones on the belt faintly emitted Soul Power Fluctuation. They were clearly no ordinary items.

"Teacher, this is too precious. I..."

"Take it."

Yu Xiaogang forcibly stuffed the belt into his hands, wearing a smile like that of a loving father.

"Give it a name."

Hei Tang San held the belt in his hands, his fingers gently brushing over the jade stones.

Verses and poems from the Tang Sect of his previous life flooded into his mind.

"Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges Night."

He murmured the name softly.

"Good name." Yu Xiaogang nodded approvingly.

The scene was beautiful.

The sun was setting, and the legacy of master and disciple was being passed on.

Hei Tang San fastened the belt around his waist and silently swore to himself.

"Teacher treats me as his son. I will respect him as my father."

"These twenty-four jade stones will be used to store my Hidden Weapons."

"Whoever dares harm Teacher in the slightest, I'll make them taste the might of Tang Sect Hidden Weapons!"

What a deeply moving vow.

What warm and touching affection between master and disciple.

However.

The Sky Curtain's camera was extremely inconsiderate as it gave a close-up.

It was of Hei Tang San's stomach.

"Grrrumble—"

An ill-timed protest of hunger sounded.

Hei Tang San covered his stomach awkwardly.

Yu Xiaogang froze for a moment as well, then felt around in his pockets.

They were completely empty.

Their earlier money had all gone toward radishes and bedding.

"Ahem, Xiao San, there'll be food when we return to the academy. Bear with it."

Yu Xiaogang awkwardly tried to cover it up.

Hei Tang San hurriedly nodded. "It's fine, Teacher. I'm not hungry. I'm full just having this belt!"

[Real World]

Flender sat in the Shrek Academy office, watching the screen as he helplessly held his forehead.

"Xiaogang, Xiaogang..."

"You gave away the Soul Tool that even I couldn't bear to buy. That was certainly generous."

"But could you at least solve the food problem first?"

"That child is still growing, yet you had him go hungry while acting out this loving father-and-son routine with you?"

Zhao Wuji, sitting beside him, also curled his lip.

"Scholarship requires poverty; martial training requires wealth."

"This Hei Tang San looks rather moving, but he's actually poor as dirt."

"Other than that belt, his pockets are cleaner than his face."

"When it comes time to buy herbs and materials for cultivation, is he supposed to beg for them?"

[White World]

There was no sentimental background music.

No burdensome teacher.

Only a nimble figure carrying an enormous bundle, striding out of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Bai Tang San.

A few blades of grass clung to his clothes, but he was exceptionally energetic.

He did not return directly to the academy.

Instead, he headed straight for the busiest commercial district in Nuoding City.

His goal was clear—

To turn his spoils into cash.

Inside a lavishly decorated shop that bought Soul Beast materials.

"Get lost, get lost! Where did this little beggar come from? Don't block the business!"

Seeing Bai Tang San in rough cloth clothes, the clerk waved him away.

Bai Tang San did not waste words.

He directly tossed the bundle from his back onto the counter.

Bang!

A heavy, muffled impact—the sound of genuine weight.

The bundle came apart.

A nauseatingly bloody stench spread through the room.

A complete snake skin gleaming with a dark green sheen.

Two sharp fangs still dripping venom.

And a dark green venom sac carefully stored inside a Jade Box.

As well as...

A large pile of colorful poisonous herbs.

"This is..."

The clerk's eyes immediately went wide.

"A complete hide from a four-hundred-year Datura Snake?!"

"This is premium material for making leather armor!"

"And these venom fangs... this venom sac..."

"These are all highly valuable goods!"

The shopkeeper rushed over at the sound. When he saw the items covering the counter, he could not hide the gleam in his eyes.

But he was, after all, a businessman.

After glancing at Bai Tang San's age, he immediately began thinking about how to drive down the price.

"Ahem, the goods are decent."

"But the processing is a little rough, and the Datura Snake's venom is too potent, making it difficult to work with..."

"How about this? You're young, so it can't have been easy."

"Ten Gold Soul Coins, and I'll take everything."

The shopkeeper held up one finger, wearing an expression that said Bai Tang San had struck it rich.

Ten Gold Soul Coins.

For an ordinary family, that really was an enormous sum.

If Hei Tang San had been here, he would probably have sold it with endless gratitude.

But Bai Tang San merely sneered.

He reached out to take back the bundle.

"Fifty Gold Soul Coins. I won't sell for one coin less."

"What?!"

The shopkeeper jumped up. "Fifty? Why don't you just rob me?!"

Bai Tang San did not stop packing as he spoke blandly.

"This snake skin has over ninety-nine percent of its scales intact, and the soft skin on its belly has just completed its molt. Its flexibility is exceptional."

"For the hide alone, selling it to the city guard to make fitted soft armor would bring at least eighty Gold Soul Coins."

"Those two venom fangs are as hard as refined iron, making them ideal for forging daggers."

"The most valuable thing is this venom sac."

Bai Tang San pointed at the Jade Box.

"A four-hundred-year Datura Snake has fierce venom."

"To certain Soul Masters cultivating Poison Techniques, or to alchemists, it is a treasure that can save lives."

"Don't think I don't know."

"The Nuoding City Auction House has recently been seeking poison-attribute materials."

"If you won't take it, the Auction House is just outside and to the left."