"Grandmaster?"
Tang San's voice was cold, carrying a chill that kept people at arm's length. "Why have you been following us?"
Yu Xiaogang hadn't noticed the murderous intent in Tang San's eyes. He coughed awkwardly and forced himself to stand up straight, trying to regain some dignity.
"Nonsense! Following you? I... I was observing you discreetly! I was making sure you were safe!"
He hurried over to Tang San and said urgently:
"Tang San, now that I've been discovered, I'll be frank. Take me with you! These layabouts know nothing about Soul Beasts. I'm the only one who can help you choose the perfect Soul Ring! I'm doing this for your own good!"
"For his own good?"
Su Yun pushed up his Sunglasses and spoke in a detached voice, cutting straight across Yu Xiaogang's self-righteousness:
"Sir, if I remember correctly, you've been sneaking after us ever since we left Notting City's south gate."
Su Yun raised his wrist and pointed toward the fully armed patrol soldiers.
"An adult man hiding in the wilderness and following two children for an extended period. That's suspicious behavior, and it could amount to trafficking or kidnapping."
"I..."
Yu Xiaogang's face stiffened, and he hurriedly defended himself. "I'm the Grandmaster of the academy! I was protecting my students!"
"That's a title you gave yourself."
Su Yun didn't even bother to look him in the eye. He waved impatiently at Red Hair.
"Red Hair, go get the patrol captain over there. Tell him we caught a suspicious stalker red-handed. We'll hand him over to the Sheriff."
"Right away, Godfather!"
Red Hair had been fed up with the old man for a while. He rolled up his sleeves and turned to call over the armored soldiers.
"Don't! Don't call them!"
Yu Xiaogang was thoroughly panicked now.
He came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, even if he'd been cast out. He still considered himself a man of status.
If he was arrested as a perverted stalker and interrogated, what would become of his dignity?
How could he ever show his face in the Soul Master World again?
More importantly, if he was driven away, he'd lose his chance to get close to Tang San for good.
And Tang San was his last hope of turning his life around.
Cold sweat beaded on Yu Xiaogang's forehead.
He had to offer them something valuable enough to make them shut up—and agree to take him along.
He needed to sweeten the deal!
"Wait! This is a misunderstanding!"
With trembling hands, Yu Xiaogang plunged one hand into his robes and pulled out the Jade Belt he'd treasured for years, as if it were a lifeline.
He held the belt high and looked pitifully at Su Yun.
"Your Young Master Su, don't call the guards! This is a Storage Soul Tool! It has twenty-four separate spaces! I'm willing to give it to you!"
Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth, his heart bleeding.
It was the most valuable thing he owned, a remnant of his former glory and the last shred of his dignity.
But seeing that Su Yun looked ready to call the guards at any moment, he could only stake everything on this.
He held out the belt in both hands and bent low, his tone nearly pleading.
"Your Young Master Su, as long as you don't call the guards and let me join your group... I'll give you the belt! Consider it an apology!"
Su Yun didn't hesitate. He reached out and took it, wanting to see what kind of thing it was.
But the instant his fingertips touched the row of smooth, warm jade stones, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Buzz—
Fine, steady spatial fluctuations rippled through them.
Su Yun's heartbeat skipped a beat.
It wasn't merely a storage item...
The Storage Ring he'd obtained earlier worked just fine, but it was too limited a sample.
As a result, Earth's physics team had lacked an effective control group while building its spatial-folding model.
But this was different!
Twenty-four jade stones meant twenty-four separate folded spaces!
It was like having only one lab mouse and being afraid to dissect it.
But now someone had suddenly handed you two dozen lab mice, thoughtfully sorted into separate cages!...
With these twenty-four samples for comparison, plus the ring as an external reference, the research back on Earth could make huge strides!
This wasn't just a belt.
It was half the field of spatial physics!
Though he was ecstatic inside, Su Yun kept his expression as steady as a rock.
He even frowned on purpose, as if he thought the belt looked old-fashioned, then casually brushed away some dust that wasn't there.
"Fine. Since the Grandmaster's getting on in years and looks ready to die on the spot... I'll reluctantly accept this apology."
Hearing that, Yu Xiaogang's heart bled, but he could only force a smile and pray that this little tyrant would let the matter drop.
Meanwhile, Tang San's eyes remained fixed on the belt.
As he gazed at the twenty-four jade stones, their gentle luster flowing over their surfaces, a rare ripple passed through his heart.
The familiar design and exact number reminded him of the ancient bridge that had carried so many memories in his previous life.
A sudden rush of homesickness made him murmur a line of poetry etched into his very bones:
"On Twenty-Four Bridges, beneath the moonlit night..."
Though his voice was quiet, it carried a profound sense of loss.
Yu Xiaogang, who'd been waiting for a chance to join the conversation, suddenly brightened.
"What a poem! What a poem!"
Yu Xiaogang was so excited that his beard quivered. He stepped in front of Tang San.
"Pure and elegant, with such a distant, haunting mood! Tang San, I never imagined that someone so young could have such a profound literary sensibility, on top of your extraordinary talent! A genius! A true all-rounder, both learned and skilled!"
To curry favor with Tang San, the Grandmaster reached for every compliment he'd ever learned.
Caught off guard by the sudden shower of praise, Tang San was jolted out of his memories. An awkward blush spread across his face.
The poem had been written by someone else. Hearing the Grandmaster gush over it only made him feel embarrassed.
But the speaker meant nothing by it, while the listener took it to heart.
Behind his Sunglasses, Su Yun's gaze grew thoughtful.
"On Twenty-Four Bridges, beneath the moonlit night"?
A poem by Du Mu?
In Douluo Continent, where people knew only Martial Souls and Soul Beasts, someone could recite a poem from Earth off the cuff?
A playful smile curled Su Yun's lips.
It seemed the secrets Tang San was hiding were even more interesting than he'd imagined.
To test his hunch, Su Yun slung an arm around Tang San's shoulders and leaned in like a curious child.
"Hey, Xiao San, I never knew you were so poetic. But as the saying goes, if you leave a sentence unfinished, you'll end up without a spouse."
"'On Twenty-Four Bridges, beneath the moonlit night'—what a beautiful image. What comes next? Come on, tell your pal!"
Tang San stiffened, his eyes darting away.
"N-nothing. I was just reciting it offhand."
"Don't be like that!"
Su Yun wouldn't let it go. He poked Tang San's warm cheek with a finger.
"We're all brothers. Why hide it? The Grandmaster's about to praise you into a flower. Come on, tell me—what's the next line?"
Tang San couldn't shake him off.
He lowered his voice and quickly recited the second half, as if he were sneaking around:
"...Where does the beauty teach the flute?"
As soon as he finished, Tang San shut his mouth and looked away.
Before you continue