Tang Hao at a Loss

He had been watching the two brothers, Tang San and Tang Liu, from the sky above them. Naturally, he saw Tang San take Yu Xiaogang, whom he had met a few times before, as his master. And then...

He actually—actually knelt before him!

Naturally, he also saw Grandmaster take Tang San and Tang Liu to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain Soul Rings.

Naturally, he saw Tang San kill the century-old Mandala Snake by himself.

Naturally, he also saw Tang Liu obtain his first Soul Ring, and saw that Tang Liu's Third Martial Soul already possessed two Soul Rings that surpassed everything Soul Masters understood.

Naturally, he also saw the Spirit Hall team pursuing them into the Soul Hunting Forest.

Hovering in the air, he had been tensely watching the situation below. When he saw Tang San and Grandmaster successfully fool Su Yuntao, he finally let out a breath of relief. But afterward, he began worrying about Tang Liu again.

Yet Tang Liu truly surprised him. The boy handled traces like a seasoned veteran. However, perhaps due to the physical limitations of his age, or because there was not enough time, there were still flaws in how he dealt with certain traces. Tang Hao had to step in and help.

Once he saw Tang Liu successfully evade the people from Spirit Hall, he breathed another sigh of relief. But before long, a Mandala Snake over five thousand years old charged out and attacked Tang Liu.

Knowing that his younger son was a support-type Soul Master, and unsure of how strong his younger son's Third Martial Soul truly was, Tang Hao's heart nearly leaped into his throat. He was about to rush out and smash that snake to death with a single hammer blow.

But Tang Liu's response made him stop again.

Seeing that Tang Liu was temporarily unafraid of the Mandala Snake under the effects of his own first soul skill, Tang Hao calmed down. He also wanted to see how that boy would deal with the Mandala Snake.

Although in his view, there was no way Tang Liu, merely a Soul Grandmaster, could defeat a Mandala Snake with the cultivation of a Soul Ancestor, escaping should still have been possible. Besides, Tang Hao was watching from nearby. What could possibly go wrong?

And so, later on, Tang Liu's series of moves nearly blinded him.

What was that?

Instant Transfer?

He had never seen anyone use an Instant Transfer soul skill so continuously without any gaps. Did it not consume Soul Power?

Moreover, what shocked Tang Hao was that Tang Liu's Instant Transfer speed was simply too fast.

Several times, Tang Liu kept teleporting around the Mandala Snake. In Tang Hao's eyes, Tang Liu seemed to surround the snake at that moment. It felt as though he had suddenly gained more than a dozen younger sons! Tang Hao was left utterly speechless.

Afterward, Tang Hao saw Tang Liu stop teleporting. After applying his first soul skill to himself, he walked to the side and sat down, looking as though he intended to cultivate.

But before long, Tang Hao spat.

Because he saw Tang Liu raise one hand, then clench it into a fist—and the Mandala Snake shattered!

Then it exploded!

Fortunately, although Tang Hao was astonished, he did not forget to save Tang Liu from the explosion of Soul Power.

The purple light radiating the aura of death reached Tang Liu's side in an instant.

Although Tang Liu's Soul Power was nearly exhausted, his consciousness remained perfectly clear.

He watched the purple light draw closer, yet there was nothing he could do.

With his Soul Power depleted, he could not even use Teleportation now.

For the first time, he felt just how close death was to him.

Although he had also been poisoned to death by that damn "Haolan Spell" in his previous life, that experience had felt completely different from this. Or rather, he had felt nothing at all that time.

But now, he seemed able to feel his life force rapidly slipping away, like water cupped in his palms.

Was he going to die?

Tang Liu's mind was blank. That was the only thought in his head; he had no time to think of anything else.

Yet in the blink of an eye, he discovered that the purple light had suddenly moved far away from him. The originally intense purple glow now looked like a faint lamp.

His thoughts were still sluggish, but it was not long before Tang Liu realized someone was holding him in their arms.

He stiffly turned his head and saw that person's ever-cold expression.

Two more seconds passed before Tang Liu's previously frozen mind began working again. Then, a surge of grievance and lingering fear flooded his heart.

Tears instantly spilled from his eyes.

"Why did you only come now?!"

Through his sobbing shout, he wrapped his arms around that person's neck.

And who else could that person be but Tang Hao?

No matter what, Tang Liu was only a child a little over ten years old.

In his previous life, he may have been somewhat mature for his age, but when had he ever faced the terror of life and death hanging by a thread?

If he had still been alone in this life as he was in his previous one, then after surviving such a mortal crisis, he would only have become more mature. The next time he encountered a deadly danger, he would have been able to face it more calmly. How could he have lost control like this?

Furthermore, he had just been tangling with a Mandala Snake far stronger than himself. Although he appeared relaxed, it was impossible for him not to be nervous or afraid. One careless mistake would have meant death!

But things were different. In this life, he had a father, an older brother, and a mother who was still waiting to revive. The warmth they brought had seeped into his once-lonely, cold heart, finally allowing him to truly experience what it felt like to have someone he could rely on and depend upon.

That was why, the instant he saw Tang Hao, he felt wronged. That was why he could cry freely in front of Tang Hao, and why he said, "Why did you only come now?"

Only after experiencing the lack of something could one become like this after gaining it.

That was what people were—complicated.

Watching Tang Liu burst into tears with a "Waa!" and throw his arms around him, even Tang Hao's cold expression stiffened. A hint of panic instantly rose in his heart.

Indeed, Tang Hao had been an extremely inadequate father. An incomplete one, too.

Tang San and Tang Liu had both transmigrated here, and neither had cried from the day they were born until now. Tang San needed no explanation—he had already been an adult in his previous life. Tang Liu, meanwhile, had the mental age of a mature fifteen-year-old high school student.

In Tang Liu's original world, even ordinary high school students his age rarely cried at fifteen, let alone an orphan like him who had nobody to rely on.

Thus, Tang Hao had never experienced the days of comforting a crying, fussing child. He had absolutely no experience with such things.

So now, Tang Hao felt utterly lost, panicked, somewhat heartbroken, and a little helpless...

What should he do?

Those four words were all that remained in his mind.

And so, a grown man stood blankly in the forest, his expression stiff as he held a child sobbing loudly in his arms.

If anyone saw them, they would definitely think he was a human trafficker.

Well, writing these scenes had felt great, but why was it that whenever he split them into chapters, checked for typos, reread them, and prepared to post them, he felt a faint sense of embarrassment? (/w＼)