Muddle Through

The smile on Su Yuntao's face deepened slightly. "I came here mainly to find you and ask about your brother's situation. We went to Notting Academy, and the principal said the two of you had come to obtain your soul rings."

This statement revealed a crucial piece of information to Grandmaster and Tang San: Martial Soul Hall knew that both Tang San and Tang Liu had enrolled at Notting Academy.

Thus, as his thoughts raced, Tang San formulated a story based on the current situation.

Grandmaster watched quietly from the side, wanting to see what kind of explanation Tang San would use to deceive him, so he could follow the lead and adapt accordingly.

"Uncle, are you trying to find out news about my younger brother?" Tang San asked.

"Yes, yes, that little brother with the blue hair. Isn't he with you?" Su Yuntao said, feigning a look of curiosity.

Tang San shook his head. "No. My brother was originally going to come with us to obtain his soul ring, but yesterday morning on the way here, we ran into my father, and he took my brother away."

The expression on Su Yuntao's face stiffened. "Why would your father take your brother away? Doesn't your father know that Notting Academy has already started?"

"Speaking of which, yesterday, the father of Tang San and Tang Liu already entrusted me to handle the withdrawal procedures for Tang Liu," Grandmaster spoke up at this moment.

Upon hearing Grandmaster's words, Su Yuntao frowned slightly. Grandmaster's earlier words not only told him that Tang Liu would no longer be attending Notting Academy, but also confirmed that Tang San's story was true.

"My brother has been in poor health since he was young and has always suffered from a hidden ailment. Yesterday, my father came to find us and said he had found a doctor who could cure my brother, so he took him to see the doctor," Tang San said.

"So, your father took your brother to see a doctor?" Su Yuntao's frown deepened. "What kind of illness requires withdrawal procedures? Does that mean they won't be back for a while?"

Tang San nodded.

Grandmaster took over the conversation at this point. "Their father told me he was going to take Tang Liu to stay temporarily where the doctor is, and also have Tang Liu attend school there. He didn't tell me exactly where. Little San, did your father tell you?"

Tang San shook his head. "Father said they might not come back once they leave. After my first semester ends, I'll go pick him up to take a look, and then come back to school."

"Sorry, little brother, may I ask what kind of illness your brother has?" Su Yuntao asked again.

This time, Grandmaster spoke before Tang San could. "I am also a bit curious. Little San, your brother shouldn't have any physical defects, right? Otherwise, he couldn't have had Innate Full Soul Power."

Prompted by Grandmaster, Tang San improvised a change in his story and nodded before saying, "That's right. My brother has been physically weak since he was young. Although he was cured later, it left behind a lingering ailment that caused him to... have some mental issues." By the end, Tang San wore an expression of being unable to bring himself to say more.

"Can you be more specific?" Su Yuntao continued to ask, but then he saw Tang San's unpleasant expression and immediately realized his question had been too much. "Sorry, if it's inconvenient to talk about, then forget it."

Tang San's expression improved slightly, and he shook his head with a sigh. "It's nothing, really. It's just that my brother will space out from time to time, his mental focus is difficult to maintain, and sometimes he will space out for over half an hour. Afterward, his mental state is muddled, and in severe cases, he will even fall into a coma..."

Once it was put that way, Su Yuntao understood. So the kid had a problem with his brain!

Thinking back, when he awakened Tang Liu's martial soul, the boy did seem to be spacing out the entire time!

"Alright, sorry to bother you both. However, little brother Tang San, if you have any news about your brother, please be sure to come to Martial Soul Hall and tell me!" Su Yuntao said, preparing to let Tang San and Grandmaster leave.

"If there is nothing else, we will be going now," Grandmaster said with a nod.

"Goodbye, Uncle." Tang San waved at Su Yuntao, then left with Grandmaster.

Watching Grandmaster and Tang San board a carriage, Su Yuntao immediately ordered his men: "You all, split into groups and enter the Soul Hunting Forest to take a look. You don't need to go too deep; just search the surrounding outer areas. If you encounter any suspicious individuals, bring them back to Martial Soul Hall."

"Yes!"

After watching his subordinates enter the forest, Su Yuntao found a carriage himself, preparing to return to Nuoding City.

On one hand, he naturally needed to report the situation here to Master Ma Xiunuo of Martial Soul Hall.

On the other hand, he also wanted to follow behind Grandmaster and Tang San to observe the situation.

Even though, in his heart, he had basically accepted Tang San's story.

"Teacher, Su Yuntao is following us."

In the carriage ahead, Tang San, who had quietly used a small knife to cut a hole in the back of the carriage, withdrew his gaze from the hole and spoke to Grandmaster beside him.

"Hmm, now it depends on whether Little Liu can manage to evade them," Grandmaster's expression remained grave.

In the Soul Hunting Forest, seeing that Grandmaster and Tang San had successfully deceived the people from Martial Soul Hall, Tang Liu quickly climbed down from the tree and ran toward the depths of the forest.

Of course, his footsteps were very light, leaving no footprints on the ground. The marks he had made on the trees were also dealt with. Likewise, the traces left behind while he was with Grandmaster and Tang San were also taken care of along the way, minimizing the possibility of being discovered as much as possible.

Naturally, as someone whose actual age was under 22, it was difficult for him to cover every aspect, but fortunately, he had a system that was good for nothing but giving advice, so he managed to be quite thorough.

"The people from Martial Soul Hall have believed the story of Tang San and Grandmaster, and they will not venture too deep into the forest when they enter to search. It is suggested that the host enter the forest for one thousand meters and then move one thousand meters to the east to evade the pursuit of Martial Soul Hall. To increase speed and reduce traces, it is suggested that the host use Ethereal Defense."

Following the system's prompt, Tang Liu naturally complied, releasing his martial soul while using his first soul skill on himself.

The Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor in his left palm instantly curled back, wrapping around his left arm, and then Tang Liu was no longer hindered by the terrain, passing straight through in a direct line.

At the same time, the people from Martial Soul Hall also entered the Soul Hunting Forest.

Although they were basically certain that it was impossible to find anyone inside, adhering to the principle of doing their duty to some extent so they could report back, they began a search that was barely considered serious. However, they only searched a fan-shaped area with the entrance as the center and a radius of five hundred meters into the forest, before gathering their team and leaving.

Receiving the "safe" prompt from the system, Tang Liu let out a sigh of relief and leaned against a tree to rest.

"Now I just have to wait for the three hours to pass, and then I can teleport."