Tang Hao, Your Wife Is Gone

Tang Hao could see the sincerity in his eyes. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Remember your promise today. When I come back, I don't want to hear that anything else has happened to Xiao San."

"Come back?" Yu Xiaogang stared at him. "Clear Sky Crown, are you leaving? But you're Xiao San's father!"

Tang Hao froze, as if something about that didn't sound right. When it finally clicked, he glared at Yu Xiaogang and demanded sharply, "What did you just say? Say it again."

"N-no, nothing." Yu Xiaogang waved his hands frantically. "I mean, Xiao San is your son. He'll worry about you if you're gone."

Tang Hao took a deep breath. If Yu Xiaogang hadn't been injured, he would have slapped him a few times to vent his frustration.

"I have to leave. He wouldn't be happy following me, either.

"It's been ten years. I've been living under an assumed name for ten years. There are many things I have to take care of.

"Remember your promise. If I come back and find you haven't looked after Xiao San properly, I'll hold you responsible."

With that, Tang Hao raised a hand and tossed Yu Xiaogang a black token.

Then he pushed open the window and leaped outside.

As Tang Hao left, the oppressive feeling that had lingered in the room vanished, too.

"Phew!"

Yu Xiaogang let out a long breath. Before he knew it, he was drenched in sweat and felt utterly drained, as if he'd just jerked off ten times.

Tang Hao had barely left when there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Yu Xiaogang asked, as jumpy as a startled bird.

"Teacher, it's me." Tang San's voice came from outside.

"Phew. Come in." Yu Xiaogang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He'd thought Tang Hao had come back.

Yu Xiaogang couldn't help feeling lucky. If Xiao San hadn't shown up, Tang Hao probably wouldn't have let him off so easily.

Meanwhile, after leaving Notting Academy, Tang Hao hurried back to the cave where Ah Yin was.

It wasn't because he'd sensed that someone had dug Ah Yin up. He simply wanted to see her before he left.

The next day.

Surrounded by mountains beneath a bright sun, Tang Hao descended from the sky and plunged straight into the waterfall.

The moment he saw what lay behind the waterfall, Tang Hao felt his heart sink.

The boulder that had blocked the cave entrance was gone. The entrance stood open, proving that someone had been there before him.

When he entered the Stone Room inside the cave, his heart sank even further.

Ah Yin was gone. He looked up, and the place where the Soul Bone had been stored was empty, too.

How could this happen? How?

Tang Hao stumbled back a few steps. It was as if all the strength had been drained from him, leaving him utterly dejected.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some writing on the stone wall.

The handwriting was a little messy, but still legible. Tang Hao read aloud as he went. "Tang Hao, your wife is beautiful. I'll help her grow faster, then enjoy her every day once she takes human form. No need to thank me. A friend's wife is fair game. I'm a good person.

"Also, consider the Soul Bone a dowry from you to her. Thanks for the gift, Clear Sky Crown!

"One day, I hope Xiao San will call me Dad, too."

Tang Hao's face turned green. He cursed furiously, nearly exploding with rage on the spot.

His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulged on his forehead, and he breathed like an old bull. He was on the verge of going berserk.

"Damn you, you filthy thief! Tang Hao and you are sworn enemies..."

Just imagining someone pinning his Ah Yin beneath them and mercilessly ravishing her made him feel as if he had a vast green grassland over his head.

Huff... huff... huff...

It took dozens of deep breaths before he calmed down a little.

What had happened had happened. Getting angry wouldn't change anything. The most important thing now was to find the thief and get Ah Yin and the Soul Bone back.

That Soul Bone was meant for Xiao San. How could he let someone else take it?

But who could it have been? Tang Hao had no clue.

He had no idea that things were still taking a turn for the worse.

A black speck streaked across the sky like a shooting star.

When it stopped, four figures came into view.

Below them lay a dense forest. The plants here all looked ancient, as if they had endured countless years.

Towering trees stood everywhere, their thick foliage so dense that even sunlight struggled to reach the ground.

Accompanied by Snow Empress and Ice Empress, Lin Ye slowly descended toward the forest below.

All their gazes settled on a huge plant ahead.

More accurately, it was a gigantic mass, its entire body a clear, crystalline blue. A special shimmer gleamed across its surface. Long, slender vines climbed upward, tangled together until they reached about ten meters in the air.

As they watched, it swayed slightly. In the middle of the vines, a face had formed from the tendrils, and it seemed to be smiling.

The next moment, the vine-formed face opened its huge mouth and spoke.

"Humans, why have you come here?"

Lin Ye glanced at the others and laughed. "Humans? They're not humans."

At that, Ice Empress put her hands on her hips. "Hey, you brat! What are you saying?"

She wasn't human, true, but when Lin Ye said it, Ice Empress felt like he was insulting her—no, insulting beasts.

Lin Ye smiled faintly and didn't argue with Ice Empress.

The Vine Face's gaze swept over the group. When it saw Lin Qiu'er perched on Lin Ye's shoulder, its vine-woven body suddenly shuddered.

"Y-you're the Auspicious Beast?" It sounded so excited that it could hardly believe it.

Lin Qiu'er glanced up at it, then lowered her head listlessly and closed her eyes for a nap.

"Blue Silver King, look over here."

Lin Ye called out, drawing the Blue Silver King's attention to himself. Then he reached out and brushed the Dragon Pattern Jade Pendant.

In the next instant, a potted plant appeared in his hand.

"This is... the Empress?" The Blue Silver King was instantly overwhelmed with joy and surprise.

"Humans, what have you done to the Empress?"

Lin Ye: "..."

"Don't make baseless accusations. We didn't turn her into this."

The Blue Silver King asked urgently, "Then how did the Empress end up in your hands?"

Lin Ye smiled. "That brings us to her good-for-nothing husband. But it looks like you don't know much about your Empress's story, so let me tell you."

"Your Empress, Ah Yin, entered the human world and met two Clear Sky Sect disciples who were out exploring: Tang Hao, known as one of the Clear Sky Twin Stars, and his older brother, Tang Xiao.

"Ah Yin was kind, and she treated the Tang brothers well. After spending some time together, they decided to become sworn siblings.

"For the next three years, the three were inseparable, and their bond grew ever closer.

"They say even heroes fall for beautiful women, and the Tang brothers were no exception. They both fell in love with Ah Yin.

"In the end, Tang Xiao left on his own and returned to the Clear Sky Sect, choosing to give Ah Yin and his younger brother Tang Hao his blessing.

"After Tang Xiao left, Ah Yin came clean and revealed her identity: she was a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

"Once Tang Hao had gotten over his shock, he said he didn't care about Ah Yin's identity.

"Not long afterward, they married, and Tang Hao decided to take Ah Yin back to the Clear Sky Sect."