"Get lost."
The six men thanked him over and over, then fled with their broken arms and legs, as wretched as stray dogs.
Xia Yan's expression softened. He said to the middle-aged woman,
"Don't worry. I'll pass by here now and then from now on. If anyone deliberately gives you trouble, I'll go find those six men."
His voice was gentle, but on the silent street,
every single person could hear him.
It was reassurance, and a warning.
Xiao Wu covered her mouth, her eyes practically sparkling. They were filled with the image of Xia Yan's heroic figure just now,
and how calm yet intimidating his words had been!
She hadn't expected Xia Yan to step in and help her!
Then, amid the stall owner's gratitude and the reverent gazes of the hundred people on the street, the two of them left.
Once they reached a quieter place,
Xiao Wu walked lightly, clasping her hands behind her back. Her lively, big eyes blinked as she stole glances at Xia Yan, a sweet, lovestruck smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"That auntie is really nice. I often come to her stall to buy candied hawthorns. Those six men had come before, too. There was another time, but there were only two of them, so I beat them back..."
Her voice suddenly grew very soft, and she lowered her head.
"Good thing you were there..."
Xia Yan said,
"I was heading back to the academy anyway and happened to pass by. I guessed they were acting so brazenly because they had Soul Power but no Soul Rings. You might not have been able to handle all six of them at once on your own."
He's worried about me...
Xiao Wu's lashes trembled, and her bright, watery eyes curved into crescent moons.
"By the way, what have you been doing lately?"
"You're always asking for leave. I hardly ever see you at the academy..."
The classes at Notting Academy were too elementary for Xia Yan. He attended the practical lessons, but as for the rest of the theory classes,
he learned faster by studying books on his own,
so he often took leave and spent the time cultivating.
By now, Tang San's Soul Power should have been nearing level sixteen, while his own was nearing level seventeen. The Mysterious Heaven Skill truly lived up to its reputation as a top cultivation method that would remain useful even ten thousand years later.
And yet, it still hadn't widened the gap between them.
Only by growing stronger could Xia Yan feel safe.
Besides,
taking leave also helped him keep his distance from Xiao Wu.
He could tell she wanted to get closer to him.
Xiao Wu was very appealing, and Xia Yan wasn't a saint, but in this situation, keeping his distance was the best choice.
"The academy's classes are too easy. I take leave so I can cultivate more effectively."
"Then..."
Xiao Wu ventured,
"Then... classes are really hard. When I have questions I don't understand, could you... teach me when you have time...?"
After saying this, she gave a light flutter of her lashes, her heart beating softly,
and waited eagerly for Xia Yan's answer.
Xia Yan could only refuse. "...You can ask the teachers. They'd definitely be willing to help."
Hearing this,
Xiao Wu bit her pink lips, her gaze dimming. She still smiled, but now there was a wounded, pushed-away look in it.
Another month passed in the blink of an eye,
and Notting Academy's holiday arrived.
This time of year was graduation season. The sixth-year students would all be leaving. Some would continue their studies at intermediate Soul Master academies, while others would join merchant caravans, Soul Hunting teams, or go into other lines of work.
The continent was vast, after all, and some people might never meet again in their lifetimes.
With hopes and apprehension for the future, as they watched the dormitories and campus gradually empty,
it was hard not to feel a little sad.
But that was only true for the sixth-year students. For those in the other years, the period before the holiday was the most exciting and thrilling time of all.
Who wouldn't get excited before a long break?
Especially these students, who had spent eleven whole months cooped up, yearning for the holiday every day.
Although family members were allowed to visit, Notting Academy's rules generally prohibited students from taking leave and leaving at will. This month-long holiday was their only chance to relax,
and at last, they could go home to see their families and have a good look around.
Tang San invited Xiao Wu to return with him to Holy Soul Village, but she refused.
Xiao Wu wanted to return to his village with Xia Yan, but Xia Yan politely declined.
In the end, Xia Yan and Tang San both left. Xiao Wu also said she was going home, but didn't say where.
After returning to his village, Xia Yan gave the village chief, who had always looked after him, Copper and Silver Soul Coins worth five Gold Soul Coins in total.
Even when his adoptive parents had still been alive, the village chief had treated him well.
In a remote little village like this, even one Gold Soul Coin was an enormous fortune, let alone five of them.
It was enough to last for several years.
Besides that, Xia Yan also gave him some mild tonics for maintaining good health.
He hoped the village chief would live even longer.
The village chief's reaction could only be described as shock. His first instinct was to refuse, thinking it must have taken Xia Yan a great deal of effort to save the money and that giving it to him would be a waste.
But in the end, after Xia Yan insisted,
he accepted it.
He was so moved that tears streamed down his face. He ran to the graves of Xia Yan's adoptive parents and cried out excitedly, "You two have such a good child!"
Meanwhile, Tang San pushed open the door with eager anticipation. "Dad!"
But the person he saw was Old Jack, cleaning the room.
"Grandpa Jack, where's my dad?"
Jack sighed and took a piece of yellow paper from inside his shirt. "I came to find him this morning, hoping we could go pick you up together. When I opened the door, I saw this on the table."
Tang San took it with a puzzled look.
It was a letter, written in his father's hurried scrawl.
After reading it, the paper trembled in Tang San's hands. He stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly before looking up. "Grandpa Jack, Dad's gone?"
Old Jack sighed again and stroked Tang San's head.
He had watched Tang San grow up and was practically family. He had often helped Tang Hao and his son, too. Tang San was a good, obedient boy, but he had lost his mother when he was little, and now even his father was gone.
Whenever he thought of how Tang Hao had spent all these years drunk every day, doing nothing but drink and sleep, throwing drunken fits and never doing a single proper thing—not even taking care of Tang San—and now had simply run off, he burned with anger.
And then he had the nerve to say that if Tang San didn't want to become a Soul Master, he should return to Holy Soul Village and become a blacksmith.
Listen to that. He didn't even wish his child well.
What kind of normal father would say something like that?
"Little Three, don't be sad. Come stay at Grandpa's house. Don't feel bad for your dad. He does nothing worthwhile all day. He doesn't deserve it."
Unexpectedly,
Tang San's expression suddenly changed.
He carefully folded the yellow paper in his hands and tucked it into his shirt.
"Thank you, Grandpa Jack. But the house is such a mess. I need to clean it up, so I won't keep you."
Old Jack froze. His gaze trembled. He wanted to say something, but didn't know what. The old hand that had been stroking Tang San's hair stopped, too.
Was this... him telling Old Jack to leave?
Just because... he'd said a few bad things about Tang Hao?
In his daze, Old Jack saw Tang Hao's shadow in Tang San's eyes.
For the first time, he realized that Tang Hao and Tang San were so alike...
Of course. They were father and son, after all...
Old Jack's aged hand hung in midair for a long while.
In the end, he silently drew it back,
and sighed. With a helpless air, he laid the rag on the table.
"...If you need anything, just come find me..."
Old Jack picked up his cane and slowly left the blacksmith's shop.
Tang San didn't tell him to take care. He simply washed the clean rag again and resumed cleaning the room, which was already more than half clean.
Before you continue