Tang Hao: Could I have another child?

The only pity was that he couldn't use Tang San to improve his own combat experience.

Throughout the entire academy, only Tang San was a suitable sparring partner for him. With Tang San now in the hospital, he actually missed him a little.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and decided to visit Tang San tomorrow to see how his "experience baby" was holding up.

He would also take the opportunity to find out what had happened that day.

Xiao Wu stuffed another piece of carrot cake into her mouth and mumbled, "Tang San is still staying at the best clinic in the city. I heard his father is guarding him every day and won't let any outsiders get close."

She paused, leaned closer to Xu Yuan, and lowered her voice, "I snuck in to see him once. His face was as white as paper, and he was lying on the bed without moving. He looked so pitiful."

Xu Yuan became even more curious. What on earth had Yu Xiaogang done to leave Tang San in such a state?

"I'll go see him tomorrow," Xu Yuan said softly.

"Can you even get in?" Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow. "His father looks so fierce, like a black iron tower. I took a peek from afar last time and was so scared by his glare that I almost forgot to breathe."

Xu Yuan nodded slightly, "I'll try. I'll find a way."

Xiao Wu continued eating as she said, "Come to think of it, Yu Xiaogang had it coming. He acts like he's so incredible all day long. If he were really that amazing, why would he come to our school?"

She scooted closer to Xu Yuan, her voice dropping even lower with a hint of smugness, "I heard he looked pathetic the day he got beaten up! He was lying on the ground like a maggot, unable to move, still muttering about being a 'master of theory'—only for that vagrant to kick him right in the face. Even his front teeth got loosened!"

"And another thing," Xiao Wu swallowed her pastry and clapped her hands, laughing, "A lot of people in the academy are whispering that he deserved it! He was always using Tang San as an example to lecture others. Well, look at him now—Tang San is in the hospital because of his bad advice, and he's laid out flat himself. It's pure karma!"

Watching Xiao Wu's undisguised joy, Xu Yuan shook his head helplessly.

He knew Xiao Wu had always been straightforward; she would openly show her dislike for anyone, but he hadn't expected her grudge against Yu Xiaogang to be this deep.

"Alright, don't laugh so loudly. It won't be good if others hear you," Xu Yuan reminded her.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Xiao Wu tilted her chin, looking completely justified.

She picked up another piece of carrot cake and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing with relish, as if the sweetness had intensified just from thinking about Yu Xiaogang's miserable state.

Early the next morning, Xu Yuan carried a basket of fruit and followed the address Xiao Wu had given him to find the clinic.

Just as Xu Yuan reached the ward, he saw Tang Hao standing by the window with his back turned, his burly figure casting a somber shadow in the morning light.

Hearing footsteps, Tang Hao spun around abruptly, his gaze sweeping over like a torch.

When his eyes landed on Xu Yuan's face, he froze as if struck by a binding spell. His pupils contracted sharply, and his hand, gripping the window frame, tightened until his knuckles turned white, almost embedding themselves into the wood.

"You..." Tang Hao's voice was as dry as sandpaper rubbing together. His throat seemed blocked, and it took a long time for him to squeeze out a few words, "This hair... these brows and eyes..."

He stared fixedly at Xu Yuan's sky-blue hair, at the blue-gold luster flowing within his pupils, and even the calm temperament between the boy's brows—it all looked exactly like the woman from the depths of his memories who always smiled and called him "Ah Hao."

Xu Yuan felt uncomfortable under Tang Hao's gaze and instinctively took a half-step back, "Uncle Tang? I'm Xu Yuan. I'm here to see Tang San."

"Xu Yuan..." Tang Hao murmured the name, but his eyes remained glued to Xu Yuan's face, as if trying to see someone else through him.

Those memories, sealed away by alcohol and the passage of time, came rushing back like a broken dam.

"So like... too much like her..." Tang Hao's voice carried an imperceptible tremor, and his eyes even turned slightly red, "Especially this hair... it's exactly the same as hers..."

Xu Yuan was stunned, guessing who Tang Hao was referring to.

Who else could it be but Tang San's mother, whom he had never met?

A brief silence fell over the ward, with only Tang Hao's heavy breathing echoing in the room.

Tang San, on the hospital bed, seemed to have been stirred awake and coughed softly. Tang Hao snapped back to reality, the haze in his eyes fading, replaced once again by vigilance and gloom.

Tang Hao took a deep breath, turned his back to Xu Yuan, and his voice returned to its usual cold stiffness, "Come in. San is just awake, don't disturb him."

Xu Yuan walked into the ward, looked at Tang San, who was still pale on the bed, and placed the fruit basket on the nightstand, "Tang San, how are you feeling?"

Tang San managed a weak smile and was about to speak when Tang Hao interrupted, "He needs to rest. Say what you have to say quickly."

Xu Yuan glanced at Tang Hao's tense back and said nothing more. He simply asked about Tang San's injuries, left a few words of encouragement for his recovery, and then rose to take his leave.

As Xu Yuan turned to walk toward the door, Tang Hao suddenly spoke, his voice low as if weighed down by a heavy stone, "Your hair... is it natural?"

Xu Yuan paused and looked back at Tang Hao.

The man was still facing away from him, his broad shoulders slightly slumped. The morning light outlined the white hair at his temples, revealing a touch of loneliness.

"No, it turned this way a while ago," Xu Yuan shook his head and said.

Tang Hao's back stiffened. After a long silence, he squeezed a question from his throat: "Because of what?"

"Spirit awakening," Xu Yuan answered truthfully. "My Blue Silver Grass spirit awakened, and my hair turned like this."

When Tang Hao recalled past events, a surge of energy had entered his mind, blurring his memories.

"It's fine. You can go."

Xu Yuan looked at Tang Hao's tense back, said nothing more, and gently closed the door as he left the ward.

Inside the room, after Xu Yuan had left, a doubt sprouted in Tang Hao's heart.

Could it be that he had another child, and during the accident back then, he had accidentally lost that child?

"Dad?" Tang San's weak voice rang out, "Are you alright?"

Tang Hao finally snapped out of it. When he turned around, the ripples in his eyes had already settled.

Tang Hao walked to the bedside and reached out to touch Tang San's forehead, his voice softening, "It's alright, Dad is here."

Tang San found his father's behavior strange and decided not to say anything more.

Tang Hao asked Tang San, "How are you feeling? Is there any discomfort?"

Tang San shook his head and said, "I'm fine, much better than before."

On the other side, within the Sea of Consciousness of Xu Yuan.

God King Tang San stroked his chin and said, "I have already blurred Father's memories. Next, I will alter them so that Father treats Xu Yuan as his second son. This way, the subsequent plan can proceed."

The current situation left him deeply puzzled, as he could not understand what was happening.

According to his memories, nothing like this had ever occurred before.