Tang Hao: Could It Be I Have Another Child?

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

In the entire academy, Tang San was the only suitable person for him to spar with. Now that Tang San was in the hospital, he found himself missing him a little.

Xu Yuan thought it over and decided to visit Tang San tomorrow, to see how badly this walking experience dispenser had been hurt.

He could also ask what had happened that day.

Xiao Wu stuffed another piece of carrot cake into her mouth and said indistinctly, "Tang San's still staying at the best clinic in town. I heard his father keeps watch over him every day and won't let outsiders come near."

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

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

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

"Will they let you in?" Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow. "His father looks really scary, like a black iron tower. I caught a glimpse of him from far away last time and nearly forgot how to breathe when he glared at me."

Xu Yuan nodded slightly. "I'll give it a try. I'm sure I can think of something."

As she ate, Xiao Wu said, "Come to think of it, Yu Xiaogang had it coming. He goes around acting like he's so impressive all the time. If he's really that impressive, why come to our school?"

She edged closer to Xu Yuan and lowered her voice even more, sounding rather pleased with herself. "I heard he looked absolutely pathetic when he got beaten up! He was lying on the ground, wriggling like a maggot, unable to move. He kept mumbling that he was a grandmaster of theory, and then that vagrant kicked him right in the face. His front teeth were practically knocked loose!"

"And another thing," Xiao Wu said, swallowing her cake and clapping her hands as she laughed. "Lots of people at the academy are whispering that he deserved it! He was always using Tang San as an example to lecture everyone else. Well, look how that turned out. Tang San ended up in the hospital because of him, and now he's flat on his back too. Talk about karma!"

Looking at Xiao Wu's undisguised delight, Xu Yuan shook his head helplessly.

He knew Xiao Wu was always straightforward. If she disliked someone, she made no secret of it. He just hadn't realized she resented Yu Xiaogang so much.

"All right, don't laugh so loudly. It wouldn't be good if someone heard you," Xu Yuan warned.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Xiao Wu said, chin raised, utterly unrepentant.

She picked up another piece of carrot cake and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing with relish. It was as if the sweet taste had grown even richer just from thinking about Yu Xiaogang's miserable state.

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

As Xu Yuan reached the hospital room, he saw Tang Hao standing by the window with his back to him. His burly figure cast a somber shadow in the morning light.

Hearing footsteps, Tang Hao turned around sharply, his gaze sweeping over Xu Yuan like a torch.

The moment his eyes fell on Xu Yuan's face, he froze as if struck by a spell. His pupils contracted, and the hand gripping the window frame clenched so hard his knuckles went white, as though they might sink right into the wood.

"You..." Tang Hao's voice was as dry as sandpaper scraping. It seemed as though something was lodged in his throat. Only after a long pause did he manage to force out a few words. "Your hair... your eyes..."

He stared fixedly at Xu Yuan's sky-blue hair, at the blue-gold shimmer flowing through his eyes. Even the calm air between the boy's brows was so much like that of the woman buried in the depths of his memory, the one who always smiled and called him A-Hao.

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

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

Memories sealed away by alcohol and the passage of time now came surging back like a flood bursting through a dam.

"So much... too much alike..." Tang Hao's voice trembled almost imperceptibly, and his eyes even reddened slightly. "Especially that hair... it's exactly like hers..."

Xu Yuan froze for a moment, guessing who Tang Hao meant.

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

Silence briefly settled over the hospital room. The only sound was Tang Hao's heavy breathing.

Tang San seemed to have been woken by the noise. He coughed softly, and only then did Tang Hao abruptly come back to his senses. The dazed look in his eyes faded, replaced by wariness and gloom.

Tang Hao took a deep breath and turned his back to Xu Yuan, his voice once more cold and hard. "Come in. Xiao San just woke up. Don't disturb him."

Xu Yuan entered the hospital room. Seeing Tang San's face still pale as he lay in bed, he set the fruit basket on the bedside table. "Tang San, how are you feeling?"

Tang San managed a weak smile and was just about to speak when Tang Hao cut in. "He needs to rest. Say what you came to say, and make it quick."

Xu Yuan glanced at Tang Hao's rigid back and said no more. He simply asked Tang San about his injuries, told him to focus on getting better, and then got up to leave.

As Xu Yuan turned and reached the doorway, Tang Hao suddenly spoke, his voice low, as though weighed down by a stone. "Your hair... is it natural?"

Xu Yuan paused and looked back at Tang Hao.

The man still had his back to him, his broad shoulders slightly slumped. The morning light outlined the white in his hair at the temples, giving him a surprisingly lonely air.

"No. My hair changed like this a while ago," Xu Yuan said, shaking his head.

Tang Hao's back stiffened. After a long silence, he squeezed a question out of his throat. "Why?"

"Martial Soul Awakening," Xu Yuan answered honestly. "My Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul awakened, and my hair turned this way."

As Tang Hao recalled the past, a burst of energy entered his mind, blurring his memories.

"That's enough. You can go now."

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

After Xu Yuan left, a question surfaced in Tang Hao's mind.

Could it be that he had another child, and that child had been lost in an accident back then?

"Dad?" Tang San's weak voice rang out. "Are you all right?"

Only then did Tang Hao come back to his senses. When he turned around, the turmoil in his eyes had already settled.

Tang Hao walked over to the bedside and reached out to feel Tang San's forehead. His voice softened a little. "I'm fine. Dad's here."

Seeing how strange his father was acting, Tang San said nothing more.

Tang Hao asked Tang San, "How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"

Tang San shook his head. "I'm fine. Much better than before."

Meanwhile, inside Xu Yuan's Sea of Consciousness.

God King Tang San rubbed his chin and said, "I've already blurred my father's memories. Next, I'll alter them so he'll think of Xu Yuan as his second son. Then we can set our plan in motion."

The situation now left him deeply puzzled. He had no idea what was going on.

As far as he remembered, nothing like this had ever happened before.