Getting Away with It

The smile on Su Yuntao's face grew even broader. "I came here mainly to ask you about your brother. We went to Notting Academy, and the headmaster said you two had come to get Soul Rings."

His words revealed something important to Grandmaster and Tang San: Spirit Hall knew that Tang San and Tang Liu had both enrolled at Notting Academy.

In a flash, Tang San worked out what to say based on the situation.

Grandmaster stood quietly to one side, wondering what Tang San would come up with to get them out of this. He wanted to be ready to adapt.

"Uncle, are you asking about my younger brother?" Tang San asked.

"Yes, yes, that blue-haired boy. Isn't he with you?" Su Yuntao asked, feigning curiosity.

Tang San shook his head. "No. My younger brother was supposed to come with us to get Soul Rings, but yesterday morning, on the way here, we ran into my father, and he took my brother away."

Su Yuntao's expression froze. "Why did your father take your brother away? Doesn't he know Notting Academy has already started the term?"

"Speaking of that, Tang San and Tang Liu's father asked me yesterday to handle Tang Liu's withdrawal from the academy," Grandmaster said.

Su Yuntao furrowed his brow slightly. Grandmaster's words not only told him Tang Liu wouldn't continue studying at Notting Academy, but also confirmed that Tang San was telling the truth.

"My younger brother has been in poor health since he was little. He's always had a chronic condition. Yesterday, Father came to see us and said he'd found a doctor who could cure my brother, so he was taking him to see the doctor," Tang San explained.

"So your father took your brother to see a doctor?" Su Yuntao's brow furrowed even more. "What kind of illness requires him to withdraw from the academy? Does that mean they won't be coming back anytime soon?"

Tang San nodded.

Grandmaster picked up the conversation. "Their father told me he was taking Tang Liu to stay wherever the doctor was, and that Tang Liu would go to school there as well. He didn't tell me exactly where they were going. Xiao San, did your father tell you?"

Tang San shook his head. "Father said they might not come back after they left. Once my first term ends, he'll come get me and take me to see them. Then I'll come back to school."

"Sorry, young man, but may I ask what illness your brother has?" Su Yuntao asked again.

This time, Grandmaster spoke before Tang San could. "I'm a little curious, too. Xiao San, your brother doesn't have any physical defect, does he? Otherwise, he couldn't have been born with Innate Full Soul Power."

Taking Grandmaster's hint, Tang San quickly changed his story. He nodded, then said, "That's right. My younger brother was weak when he was little. He eventually recovered, but he was left with a chronic condition that caused... some problems with his mental health." At the end, Tang San looked as though he could barely bring himself to say it.

"Could you be more specific?" Su Yuntao pressed, but then he noticed Tang San's troubled expression and realized he'd gone too far. "Sorry. If you'd rather not talk about it, that's fine."

Only then did Tang San look a little better. He shook his head and sighed. "It's nothing, really. My younger brother sometimes stares off into space and has trouble focusing. Sometimes he'll stay like that for more than half an hour, and afterward he'll be dazed and confused. When it's bad, he even loses consciousness..."

That explained it to Su Yuntao. So the boy had something wrong with his head!

Thinking back carefully, Tang Liu had seemed to be staring off into space the whole time when he'd awakened his Martial Soul.

"All right, I won't keep you two any longer. But, Tang San, if you hear anything about your brother, be sure to come tell me at Spirit Hall!" Su Yuntao said, preparing to let Tang San and Grandmaster leave.

"If there's nothing else, we'll be on our way," Grandmaster said with a nod.

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

After watching Grandmaster and Tang San climb into a carriage, Su Yuntao immediately instructed the people beside him, "Split into groups and search the Soul Hunting Forest. Don't go too deep—just look around the outer area nearby. Bring anyone suspicious back to Spirit Hall."

"Yes!"

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

On the one hand, he needed to report the situation here to Ma Xiunuo, the Grandmaster of Spirit Hall.

On the other, he wanted to follow Grandmaster and Tang San to see what happened.

Even though, in his heart, he had all but accepted Tang San's explanation.

"Teacher, Su Yuntao is following us."

Inside the carriage ahead, Tang San withdrew his gaze from the small hole he'd secretly cut in the back with his pocketknife and spoke to Grandmaster beside him.

"Mm. Now we can only hope Xiao Liu manages to avoid them." Grandmaster's expression remained grave.

In the Soul Hunting Forest, seeing that Grandmaster and Tang San had successfully fooled the people from Spirit Hall, Tang Liu quickly climbed down from the tree and ran deeper into the forest.

Of course, he moved quietly and left no footprints on the ground. He also cleared away the traces he'd left in the tree. He took care to erase the traces from when he'd been with Grandmaster and Tang San, too, doing everything he could to reduce the chance of being discovered.

Naturally, at his actual age of no more than twenty-two, it was hard to account for every possibility. Fortunately, he had a system that could do nothing but offer advice, and he still managed to be fairly thorough.

"Spirit Hall's people have believed Tang San and Grandmaster's story. They won't search too deep into the forest. It is recommended that the host travel one thousand meters into the forest, then move one thousand meters east to avoid Spirit Hall's pursuit. To increase travel speed and reduce the traces left behind, it is recommended that the host use 'Ethereal Defense.'"

After receiving the system's advice, Tang Liu naturally did as instructed. He released his Martial Soul and used his first Soul Skill on himself.

The Ethereal Blue Silver Emperor in his left palm instantly uncoiled and wrapped around his arm. Tang Liu was no longer hindered by the terrain and moved straight through it.

At the same time, Spirit Hall's people entered the Soul Hunting Forest.

Although they were basically certain they wouldn't find anyone inside, they figured they might as well make a token effort so they'd have something to report when they returned. So they began a search that was just serious enough to count, covering a fan-shaped area centered on the entrance and extending five hundred meters into the forest. Then they called it quits and left.

After receiving the system's "safe" notification, Tang Liu finally breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against a tree to rest.

"Now I just have to wait three hours, then use Teleportation."