After we parted at the market, Tang San had been publicly beaten to the Body Tempering Grass by me. The frustration and resentment in his heart had refused to fade.
Back at Nuoding Academy, he looked at his stagnant Soul Power and thought of how I consistently outmatched him. With Xiao Wu growing more distant by the day, his agitation only intensified. Without suitable cultivation resources, his foundation could not be properly consolidated, and the gap between us would only grow.
Overwhelmed by anxiety, Tang San was eventually blinded by greed and came up with the idea of risking everything.
The academy's back hill had a dedicated herb garden for cultivating spirit grass. It held many basic spirit herbs that aided Soul Masters in their cultivation. Instructors checked on it regularly, but security was at its loosest late at night.
A daring plan quietly took shape in Tang San's heart.
[Memory interrupted]
In the original story, Tang San had always been good at spending other people's resources for his own benefit. Stealing resources didn't mean a thing to him. It was only because he'd had the protagonist's halo to protect him before that he'd escaped unscathed every time. In this life, with me watching him, his little tricks were bound to backfire. Yu Xiaogang would certainly blindly protect his precious disciple again. This was the perfect chance to shatter another layer of his authority.
[His thoughts settled, and he quietly focused]
I had already seen through Tang San's plans from the slightest changes in his expression. Given his cautious, narrow-minded nature, sneaking into the academy's herb garden to steal spirit grass was his only choice once he was backed into a corner.
Naturally, I wouldn't sit by and do nothing, but I wouldn't expose him myself, either. That would draw too much attention and risk revealing me.
As night fell, I quietly circled around the herb garden and used the Ink Shadow Spirit Cat's concealment and perception to discreetly set up several faint Soul Power warning marks. Ordinary instructors wouldn't notice them, but the instant Tang San stole an herb, they would draw the attention of the patrolling instructors with pinpoint accuracy.
Once I'd finished, I hid beneath the distant trees, like a hunter waiting for prey to walk into his trap, and quietly watched Tang San bring it upon himself.
Late that night, the moonlight was hazy and the world around us was utterly still.
A furtive shadow used the darkness for cover and crept toward the herb garden. It was Tang San, who had been plotting this for some time.
He carefully avoided the patrolling guards and used the Mysterious Heaven Skill's breath-concealing technique to slip silently into the herb garden. His greedy eyes swept over the spirit grass, and he went straight for the rare herbs that could quickly stabilize his Soul Power.
Just as he reached out to pluck one, the warning mark I'd set off quietly activated. A faint but distinct ripple of Soul Power went straight to the senses of the instructor patrolling that night.
"Someone's trespassing in the herb garden!"
Several shouts rang out. A number of academy instructors rushed over with the guards and immediately surrounded the garden.
Tang San's face went deathly pale. He hadn't even plucked the herb in his hand when he was caught red-handed.
Stealing academy property in the middle of the night was a serious offense at Nuoding Academy.
The news quickly reached Yu Xiaogang. When the theoretical master learned that his precious disciple had gotten into serious trouble, he rushed to the scene without a second thought, intent on covering for Tang San and getting him off the hook.
"Fellow instructors, there must be some misunderstanding! Xiao San is pure of heart. He'd never steal spirit grass. He must have been misled by someone and acted foolishly in the moment!"
As soon as Yu Xiaogang arrived, he immediately spoke up for Tang San, shifting all the blame onto some nonexistent outsider and taking on the airs of a man protecting his precious disciple.
The instructors exchanged glances. Given Yu Xiaogang's seniority at the academy, none of them felt they could openly contradict him just yet.
Seeing this from my hiding place, I knew the time had come.
I slowly emerged from the shade of the trees, calm and unhurried. My tone was even, and every word struck at the heart of the matter. I said nothing out of line, but quietly exposed every flaw in his story:
"Grandmaster, I'm afraid that's not right. There are no signs of outsiders around the herb garden, and no one but Tang San came near it in the middle of the night. Everything needs evidence. I doubt a simple claim of 'misunderstanding' will convince anyone."
"Besides, the academy's rules are plain to see. If people can cover for anyone who breaks them, then those rules will soon be nothing but empty words. How will the academy keep its students in line?"
My mild but pointed words were like a needle hidden in cotton. They immediately brought every instructor to their senses.
Everyone suddenly understood. They looked at Yu Xiaogang differently now. Showing favoritism toward a disciple and twisting the rules for personal reasons had already crossed the academy's bottom line.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned pale, then red. He wanted to argue, but every word I'd said was reasonable, leaving him nothing to refute.
Tang San hung his head, trembling all over. His last shred of hope was gone.
In the end, the instructors present ruled under the academy's regulations that Tang San was guilty of stealing spirit grass. He lost all his academic credits, was confined for three days, and was ordered to copy the academy rules a hundred times.
The cover-up Yu Xiaogang had wanted collapsed completely under my quiet dismantling. Not only had he failed to protect Tang San, but he'd also exposed his favoritism and abuse of authority in front of everyone. His already shaky reputation sank even further.
I looked at Tang San, dejected with his head bowed, and Yu Xiaogang, who had lost all face. A trace of coldness flickered in my eyes.
This was the price you paid for breaking the rules and making mistakes. It was also the beginning of your slow descent into the abyss.
I continued to keep every bit of my strength concealed. My Twin Martial Souls remained buried deep within me, and I never revealed my true rank. I watched the two master and disciple stumble into disgrace from the sidelines, always keeping the lowest profile.
The road ahead was long. I had all the patience in the world to slowly drain your luck, crush your pride, and finally bring it all to an end with my own hands.
Before you continue