Tang Hao Was Cuckolded

Chen Xuan sat up from the rocking chair, his gaze turning distant.

He looked up at the night sky far away.

"Do you know what the Dao is?"

His five disciples froze, exchanging glances.

"The Dao?" Shi Mo scratched his head and rumbled, "Does it mean a road?"

"That's one way to understand it." Chen Xuan nodded.

"From the moment we're born, each of us walks a path of our own."

"So do you, so do I, and so do the people from Shrek."

"Your path is one I paved for you. It is the righteous path, the road to heaven. If you keep walking it, your future achievements will be boundless."

Chen Xuan's gaze passed over his five disciples.

"But Tang San's path is crooked from its very roots. It's a path of theft."

"A path of theft?" Ning Rongrong blinked, confused.

"Exactly. A path of theft."

Chen Xuan's voice held a faint detachment.

"He stole a life that never belonged to him. He stole a father's love and a mother's love that were never his, and he even stole knowledge from another world, then took pride in it."

"His mind has long been twisted. He may seem loyal and righteous, but in truth he's utterly selfish: those who follow him prosper, and those who oppose him perish."

"Everything he has today—the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline and Twin Martial Souls—came with this body. Yet he has never once considered that this body should have had another owner."

"He enjoys it all without a second thought, and even treats reviving Ah Yin as his responsibility and motivation. How laughable."

"He's only trying to make his act of occupying this body seem 'rightful' through that means."

"He isn't bringing his mother back to life. He's indulging his own inner demon."

Chen Xuan's words crashed through the minds of his five disciples like successive peals of thunder.

They had never considered Tang San from this perspective.

Thinking back now, what Ah Yin, their mistress, had said during the day—and Tang San's reaction at the time—seemed to confirm their teacher's words.

"That's why I need Yanzi to shatter, piece by piece, everything he takes pride in."

Chen Xuan's gaze returned to Dugu Yan.

"Control? Against Yanzi's Jade Phosphorous Emperor Poison, his Blue Silver Grass is just a heap of trash."

"Poison? Does he think he's fit to play with poison in front of Poison Douluo's granddaughter?"

"An External Soul Bone? That's just a little 'bonus' attached to the life he stole. Yanzi's Soul Bone, on the other hand, came from hunting a Soul Beast with her own strength."

"I want him to see just how utterly the 'path of theft' he walks crumbles before the true, glorious path of righteousness."

"If we don't knock some sense into him today, scare him witless, and cripple him, then one day, with this 'path of theft,' he'll bring even greater disaster to the world."

Chen Xuan finished speaking, picked up the teacup from the stone table, and took a small sip.

Silence fell over the courtyard once more.

Dugu Yan, Ning Rongrong, and the others were all digesting their teacher's words.

They felt that their teacher's level of understanding had already surpassed anything they could comprehend.

They saw a battle and its victor.

But their teacher saw a person's 'Dao' and the future of an entire world.

"Senior Sister."

Ning Rongrong suddenly tugged gently at Dugu Yan's sleeve.

"Hmm?" Dugu Yan came back to herself.

"The teacher was right," Ning Rongrong said quietly. "I... I shouldn't have thought that way just now. Compared to Tang San, the teacher and Mistress are my family."

Dugu Yan looked at her, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

She reached out and ruffled Ning Rongrong's hair.

"Silly girl, didn't the teacher say that having a kind heart is a good thing?"

"We're cultivating the righteous path to heaven, not the merciless path of slaughter."

"Mm!" Ning Rongrong nodded firmly, her sweet smile blooming anew.

Beside them, Ye Lingling had listened quietly the whole time. Now, she too nodded thoughtfully.

She recalled the teacher's command to keep Tang San conscious at all times.

So the teacher's purpose was to make him watch, fully conscious, as his "path" was crushed bit by bit.

That was more cruel than killing him.

But it also meant more.

"All right."

Chen Xuan set down his teacup.

"You all worked hard in today's battle. Go back and rest."

"Yes, teacher."

The five stood together and bowed respectfully, then quietly left the courtyard.

Only Chen Xuan and Ah Yin remained.

"Xuan."

Ah Yin stopped what she was doing, walked behind Chen Xuan, and raised her slender hands to gently massage his temples.

"What are you thinking about?"

Her voice was as gentle as flowing water.

"I'm thinking about what Yu Xiaogang will do."

Chen Xuan closed his eyes, enjoying his wife's ministrations.

"He's a clever man, and a fool."

"He's clever because he may have already guessed Tang San's origins."

"He's a fool because even if he has, he'll still choose to protect Tang San."

Ah Yin's hands paused slightly.

"Why?"

"Because Tang San is his only hope of proving the value of his theories," Chen Xuan said calmly.

"Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul Mutation failed, leaving his strength stagnant. He endured mockery and scorn, and poured all his effort into Martial Soul Theory."

"He longs to prove himself, to show the world that his theories are correct."

"And Tang San, that 'monster' with Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, and a mind far beyond his years, is the perfect tool for proving it."

"For the sake of that tool, he can abandon everything, including so-called justice and conscience."

Ah Yin fell silent.

She thought of the man called Grandmaster earlier that day, and the way he had looked at Tang San.

That gaze hadn't been a teacher looking at a student. It was more like a craftsman admiring his finest work.

"Will he give up?" Ah Yin asked softly.

"No." Chen Xuan opened his eyes, a hint of amusement in them. "He won't give up. If anything, he'll do everything he can to make Tang San stronger, then come looking for us again."

"Because only by defeating us can he prove that his 'work' is perfect."

"Then..."

"It doesn't matter."

Chen Xuan took Ah Yin's hand and drew her onto his lap.

"They're just jumping clowns."

"The only reason I'm keeping them around is so Yanzi and the others have a few more punching bags to practice on."

His tone was carefree, as if he were talking about something trivial.

Ah Yin leaned against him, feeling the warmth of his chest. Her heart was at peace.

That was right.

With this man here, what was there to fear, even if the sky fell?

She lifted her head and looked at the handsome face so close to hers, her voice gentle. "Let's not talk about them anymore."

"Hmm?"

"Are you tired today? I'll get some water ready for your bath."

Chen Xuan lowered his gaze to her tender, affectionate eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Sounds good."