Nuoding City's finest clinic.
"Doctor, doctor! Please treat my son!"
Tang Hao rushed into the clinic, carrying a completely naked Tang San.
The clinic was filled with the rich scent of medicinal herbs. The old physician on duty was sorting herbs with his head bowed, but the sound of hurried footsteps startled him into looking up.
He saw a burly man rushing in with a battered boy in his arms. Blood was still seeping from the boy's lower body, staining the man's clothes.
Tang Hao carefully laid Tang San on the examination bed, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a fragile treasure. Yet the trembling of his fingertips betrayed his panic.
The old physician had seen his share of suffering, but when he saw where Tang San was injured, he couldn't help drawing a sharp breath.
In all his years, he had never seen anything so outrageous.
The old physician hurried to Tang San's side and examined him, then used his first Soul Skill to treat the boy's injuries.
His first Soul Skill was Gentle Water Healing. Pale blue Soul Power transformed into a soothing stream of water that slowly enveloped Tang San's injured parts.
The moment the water touched the wounds, the blood that had been flowing wildly seemed to calm, and the bleeding slowed noticeably.
After a while, Tang San's lower parts were gradually healed.
Tang Hao asked anxiously, "Doctor, will my son's... you know... still work normally?"
The old physician hesitated for a moment. "Hard to say. There's a chance he'll be impotent for the rest of his life. My treatment isn't all-powerful; getting the wounds healed is already a good outcome."
Tang Hao's body went rigid.
The old physician's words struck his heart like a heavy hammer, leaving his ears ringing and his vision swimming.
He struggled to digest the words "a chance he'll be impotent for the rest of his life." His burly frame even swayed slightly. He looked at Tang San lying on the examination bed, his face pale as a sheet.
"Is there... is there anything else we can do?" Tang Hao asked hoarsely.
His voice trembled despite himself, burdened by worry for his son's future and the profound helplessness of a father.
The old physician thought for a moment. "There is, but I'll need to examine his condition."
With that, he began examining Tang San.
Half an hour later, the old physician frowned. "This child's body is badly injured, and his meridians have been damaged too. He'll need half a year to recuperate. Fully healing him will cost quite a bit."
Learning that his son could be saved, Tang Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "It's fine. As long as he can be saved, money isn't a problem."
With that, he placed five Gold Soul Coins on the table.
"Here's what I have for now. If it isn't enough, I'll go get more!" Tang Hao's voice was resolute, leaving no room for argument.
The old physician looked at the coins on the table, then at Tang Hao's burly figure.
He was a little surprised. With such a lavish hand, this man was clearly no ordinary blacksmith.
The old physician nodded. "In that case, take the child to the inner room first. I'll prepare a prescription and send someone to find a few rare medicinal herbs."
He pointed to a small door beside the examination room, indicating that Tang Hao should settle Tang San there.
Following the old physician's instructions, Tang Hao carefully picked Tang San up and carried him into the inner room, which smelled faintly of herbs.
The room was small but tidy, with a clean wooden bed set quietly against the wall.
Tang Hao gently laid Tang San on the bed and tucked him in. Then he sat beside him, silently watching his pale little face, his heart a tangle of emotions.
Before long, the old physician came in with an apprentice. The apprentice carried a wooden tray bearing several packets of herbs and a steaming bowl of medicinal broth.
When the old physician entered, Tang Hao said, "Doctor, I have something to take care of. Sorry for the trouble—please look after my son."
The old physician nodded. "All right. Go take care of it."
Tang Hao turned and left. Once outside, he flew straight toward Notting Academy.
He was going to teach Yu Xiaogang a brutal lesson. Everything Tang San had suffered was Yu Xiaogang's doing. Yu Xiaogang had to pay the price.
Yu Xiaogang paced anxiously beside the athletic field, brows knitted. He kept murmuring Tang San's name, his hands clenched into fists, knuckles white.
He had just come from the infirmary without finding Tang San. His heart was still in his throat, and he hadn't noticed the killing intent gathering behind him.
A sudden gust of wind swept dust from the ground. Tang Hao appeared as if out of thin air, a ghostly figure landing three steps behind Yu Xiaogang.
The Soul Power around him brimmed with fury, repressed to the breaking point. It seemed to freeze the air itself. Even the students playing in the distance fell silent and hurriedly kept away.
Yu Xiaogang sensed something was wrong and whipped around. Before he could see who it was, everything went black.
Tang Hao didn't say a word. He poured all his rage into his fist.
Yu Xiaogang felt immense force rush at him. It was like being struck in the chest by a battering ram. He flew backward like a kite with its strings cut and slammed hard into the stone wall beside the athletic field.
"Crack—"
A dull thud shook several chips of stone loose from the wall. Yu Xiaogang spat out a mouthful of blood and slid to the ground. He struggled to lift his head, only for Tang Hao's next step to come down on his chest.
The foot bore the weight of a thousand jun. Yu Xiaogang felt his ribs about to break, and breathing became a luxury.
Tang Hao bent down, grabbed Yu Xiaogang by the collar, and lifted him up. His other fist clenched until his knuckles turned white, then shot toward Yu Xiaogang's cheek with a whistle that tore through the air.
"Bang!"
As the fist swept past his ear, Yu Xiaogang could feel the fierce killing intent radiating from Tang Hao.
The blow caved in his cheek. Teeth mixed with blood and spittle flew out as he was flung to the ground like a rag doll, rolling several meters through the dust.
Yu Xiaogang struggled to get up. He had barely pushed himself up on one arm when Tang Hao's boot ground across the back of his hand. The grating pain of bone scraping against bone drew a bloodcurdling scream from him.
The students nearby had already fled in terror. The athletic field at Notting Academy was suddenly deserted, with only Yu Xiaogang's muffled groans and Tang Hao's heavy breathing left behind.
Tang Hao didn't stop.
He kicked Yu Xiaogang in the ribs. Every blow carried world-shattering fury, the muffled impacts echoing across the empty athletic field.
"You were supposed to teach him? You can't even protect yourself, so what gives you the right to touch him!" Tang Hao's voice was hoarse, as though he were forcing broken stones out of his throat. "I entrusted him to you so you'd watch him grow up, not so you'd leave him lying in a clinic, his life hanging in the balance!"
Yu Xiaogang didn't know how many ribs he had broken. Every breath felt like swallowing knives. He wanted to explain, but all he could manage was a wet, wheezing sound.
Tang Hao seized Yu Xiaogang's wrist and twisted it the wrong way.
"Crack!"
The sharp snap of a dislocated bone was especially jarring. Yu Xiaogang's vision went black, and he lost the strength to struggle. He slumped to the ground, only the faint rise and fall of his chest proving he was still alive.
Tang Hao stared at Yu Xiaogang, unconscious on the ground. His chest heaved violently as he slowly unclenched his blood-covered fist.
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