Hao, Don't!

"Tang Sanmei, you're one ruthless girl!"

Two days had passed since Martial Soul Awakening. Tang Yin looked at Tang Sanmei, who was sitting across from him and sipping her porridge, with a strange expression.

With just a little effort, she'd made Tang Hao completely lose it. He'd run away from home and still hadn't come back.

"Brother, why aren't you eating? Why are you staring at me?" Tang Sanmei felt a little embarrassed under his gaze. Her ears flushed faintly, and she touched her lips, though there wasn't a grain of rice there.

"Nothing. I just feel like all these years of doting on you weren't wasted!"

Tang Yin meant it from the bottom of his heart. Remembering what had happened two days ago, he added, "The old man may be a piece of work, but I agree with him about the work-study student position. You really are more suited to going than I am."

"Brother!" Tang Sanmei set down her porcelain bowl, looking anxious.

"See? You're getting worked up again!" Tang Yin folded his arms across his chest.

In the end, Tang Yin got his way with Tang Sanmei through the authority he'd built up over years as her big brother, along with his silver tongue.

As for Tang Hao, who'd been left speechless and driven off in defeat by a single sentence from Tang Sanmei, he was now standing at the mouth of an alley somewhere in Heaven Dou City, clad in a tattered hooded robe, gazing at a magnificent building.

"Moonlight Pavilion. I never thought it'd look exactly the same as I remember!"

Tang Hao's voice was low. A little girl who used to love running after him sprang into his mind. Then he vanished from the spot in a flash.

Moonlight Pavilion Attic

This was the living quarters of Tang Yuehua, the owner of Moonlight Pavilion. Ordinarily, outsiders weren't allowed in.

At that moment, a beautiful woman sat before her dressing table, combing her hair. Her luxurious, figure-hugging formal gown outlined her full, graceful curves. Her brows and eyes bore a slight resemblance to Tang Sanmei's, but her face was clouded with worry.

"Yue Hua!"

The sudden voice from behind startled Tang Yuehua. She rose at once and looked toward the curtain behind her.

"Yue Hua, it's me!" Tang Hao slowly emerged from behind the curtain. As he did, he raised both hands and lowered his hood, revealing his disheveled, unkempt appearance.

"Hao? You're Hao!"

Tang Yuehua covered her mouth with both hands. Tears instantly blurred her vision, and her reddened eyes brimmed with disbelief.

"It's me!" Tang Hao looked at his younger sister. Though she was nearly middle-aged, she still looked no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight. A wave of emotion stirred in him.

"So you do know how to come see me!"

After confirming that the man before her really was the Hao she'd longed for, Tang Yuehua first looked overjoyed. But that quickly turned to reproach, edged with a hint of annoyance. She strode forward and threw her arms around Tang Hao, not caring in the least about his sweat and grime.

"Where have you been all these years?" Leaning against Tang Hao's broad chest, Tang Yuehua scolded him as she pounded his chest again and again with her little fists.

Tang Yuehua's actions were less angry than playful. The expressionless look on Tang Hao's face finally softened with affection, and he unconsciously stroked her hair with one hand.

They stayed like that for a long while. At last, Tang Yuehua's heart settled. Somewhat embarrassed, she pushed Tang Hao away, stepped back to the table, and picked up the teapot to pour some water.

"Go on, tell me! You don't come to the Three Treasures Temple without a reason. After disappearing for so many years, you surely didn't come to see me just to catch up on old times!"

Tang Yuehua had regained her usual graceful, dignified bearing. Only her still-reddened eyes betrayed the womanly side of her that she'd shown him.

"Uh... well..." Hearing Tang Yuehua tease him, Tang Hao opened his mouth, but found it difficult to say.

"Pfft!" Seeing him like this, Tang Yuehua couldn't help laughing.

"We're siblings. Since when have we had to beat around the bush with each other? Just say what's on your mind. If there's anything little sister can do, I promise I won't let you down, Hao!"

The Clear Sky Douluo she'd known—the fearless man, full of spirit—was now acting so awkwardly in front of her. It truly piqued her curiosity.

Tang Hao was just about to speak, but seemed to realize something. He glanced around.

Tang Yuehua's expression turned serious. "Don't worry. This is the highest pavilion in Moonlight Pavilion. No one ever comes near without my permission."

"This is a long story..." Tang Hao nodded and stopped hesitating. He immediately told Tang Yuehua about his children's Martial Soul Awakening.

He spoke at length for several minutes, telling her about Tang Yin's Sharp-Tailed Swift and Tang Sanmei's Twin Martial Souls, Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer, as well as the dispute between the siblings over the work-study student position.

"That's how it happened. I'd thought there was no hope of revenge in this life, so the two siblings might as well live ordinary, peaceful lives. I never expected Third Sister to be a genius who awakened Twin Martial Souls!"

As he spoke, Tang Hao seemed to take pride in her. He sat down casually and picked up the tea Tang Yuehua had just poured, a hint of self-satisfaction showing on his face.

"Hao, don't—" Tang Yuehua had been listening with great interest. When Tang Hao suddenly lifted the teacup to drink halfway through his story, she tried to stop him, but it was clearly too late.

"Hiss—ah!" Accustomed to gulping down his drinks, Tang Hao downed the scalding tea in one go. He sucked in a sharp breath, his face instantly flushing as he gaped and panted like an ox.

"Hao, are you all right? It's my fault. I should've warned you first." Tang Yuehua's face was full of concern, her voice thick with guilt.

"I-I'm fine! I just need a moment." After all, he was a Titled Douluo, and his body was far stronger than an ordinary person's. A little hot water wasn't enough to hurt him. Tang Hao waved his hand to show that he was all right.

Only then did Tang Yuehua breathe a sigh of relief. Thinking it over, she realized she'd only been thrown into confusion by her concern for him. Her Hao wasn't like her, a good-for-nothing who couldn't break through level ten. How could a dignified Titled Douluo really have his stomach injured by hot water? At most, he'd feel uncomfortable for a while.

"Consider it a lesson for the wanderer who left for years without a word!" Tang Yuehua flashed a mischievous expression that seemed far too youthful for her age.

Tang Hao had recovered by now. Hearing his younger sister's complaint, he could only laugh sheepishly. "By the way, where was I?"

"You were telling me that my nephew has a Sharp-Tailed Swift Martial Soul, and my niece has Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer!" Tang Yuehua glared at Tang Hao before returning to the matter at hand.

"Right. The two siblings are very close. Neither of them wants the other to suffer. So I thought, if I'm sending one, I might as well send both of them to school together."

"How wonderful! Just like we were back then!" Tang Yuehua's face filled with nostalgia. The three of them had once loved one another just as deeply. Sadly, in the end, a woman had driven them apart.

Tang Hao fell silent for a moment too, but then a faint smile appeared on his face. "Speaking of which, Third Sister has a temperament just like Ah Yin, but her brows and eyes resemble yours a little. They say a nephew takes after his maternal uncle and a niece after her paternal aunt. The ancients were right."

"Oh? I really must meet my niece sometime."

At this, Tang Yuehua felt a sudden affection for Tang Sanmei, whom she'd never even met. Then she thought of Tang Yin.

"By the way, my nephew doesn't have an uncle, does he? Then who do you think my nephew Tang Yin takes after, Hao?" Their conversation had been brief, but Tang Yuehua was perceptive. She'd noticed that Tang Hao hadn't said much about his son, Tang Yin. Even when the subject had been impossible to avoid, he'd mentioned him only in passing.

"As for him..." Tang Hao's voice held an indescribable note.