At the thought, a fierce killing intent flashed through Su Qing's normally gentle eyes.
"Xiao Ya, once I break through to Soul Ancestor, we'll go get revenge."
"Mm."
Tang Ya, who had cried herself hoarse, rested her chin on top of Su Qing's head and nodded hard. She put so much force into it that her pointed chin dug painfully into his scalp.
"Ow, that hurts! I'm adding this to the Iron Blood Sect's tab, too!"
Su Qing cursed inwardly. Remembering that in the original story, Tang Ya became an Evil Soul Master after taking her revenge, he also sensed the dark power in her Martial Soul. He couldn't help but feel alarmed. That darkness had already taken root. If he forcibly removed it, Tang Ya would either die or become a cripple. They would have to wait until they got the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife before purging it.
Watching quietly from the side, Huo Yuhao now understood. So this was the younger brother Tang Ya had said she'd gotten killed. Knowing her brother was alive, Huo Yuhao was genuinely happy for her, and his hands grew even more deft as he roasted the fish.
After Bei Bei led Tang Ya aside to sit down, Su Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He took the opportunity to tell them about the years he'd been away, but left out everything about Ferocious Beasts and Immortal Herbs.
"Big Brother Su, I really admire you!"
Su Qing's experiences made Huo Yuhao's eyes shine. He'd lived alone in the Star Dou Great Forest for so long and hadn't even picked up a single injury. He was incredible!
But when Tang Ya heard all this, her heart filled with nothing but concern.
"Xiao Qing, you've had it so hard all these years. Is this the same outfit I bought you back then? It's practically falling apart now..."
As she spoke, tears welled in her eyes again. Su Qing quickly shook his head.
"These holes weren't caused by fighting Soul Beasts. I got them when branches snagged on me while I was training."
Tang Ya's expression changed at once. She launched into a lecture. "Why did you have to train in a Soul Beast forest? Don't you know how dangerous it is here? You spent almost two years alone in the forest. Even a Titled Douluo wouldn't dare do that! You've really gotten too big for your boots. Do you have any idea how worried people would be? Huh?!"
"And didn't I tell you I was going to Shrek? You didn't come looking for me all this time, and I thought you... I don't care. From now on, wherever you go, you have to report to me, your big sister. Otherwise, I'll pretend I don't have a little brother!"
With that, Tang Ya crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, cheeks puffed up.
"Uh, well, brother-in-law... has she always been like this?"
Tang Ya had fired off her words like a machine gun, leaving Su Qing speechless. He stared blankly at Bei Bei.
"And don't call him that! Bei Bei and I aren't even close to getting married. I'm his teacher right now, got it? If he wants to be your brother-in-law, he'd better at least become a Titled Douluo... No, at least a... Soul Emperor."
As she spoke, she glanced at Bei Bei and tilted her chin up haughtily. He could only smile wryly. With his innate ninth-level Soul Power and Shrek behind him, how could he fail to become a Titled Douluo? Tang Ya had no confidence in him at all.
"Wow, Xiao Ya, you sure have high standards."
Su Qing pretended to agree. They were already playing house, yet she was still saying they weren't even close to getting married. She hadn't stopped him when he'd called Bei Bei "brother-in-law" so loudly earlier, either.
"Ahem, the fish is ready!"
The most beautiful, most soul-soothing sound in the world rang in their ears. Two ravenous gazes turned toward Huo Yuhao in unison, making him shudder.
"Xiao Ya, I've grown up... You can't out-eat me anymore!"
That pause in the middle had almost made Tang Ya think the boy was about to offer her his fish. She'd been ready to refuse, saying he was still growing, but then she heard his next words. Her gratitude vanished like smoke, and she finally understood: in a glutton's heart, there was no room for family affection!
In the next instant, the two of them pounced on Huo Yuhao like hungry tigers...
By the time the sun sank toward the western horizon, Tang Ya had eaten herself flat on her back, sprawled on the ground with her belly up. Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei sat nearby, rubbing their stomachs. Only Su Qing kept eating without pause, and he couldn't help feeling smug.
"Xiao Ya, you're old now. The glutton world belongs to this rising star."
He wasn't kidding. His opponent all these years had been the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who could eat the Star Dou Great Forest bare. At his current level, if Xuan Zi wasn't around, who could stand against him?!
Looking at Su Qing, who seemed to sparkle where he stood, Bei Bei thought to himself, Maybe this guy really could out-eat Xuan Zi.
Of course, if Xuan Zi were here, ten Su Qings still wouldn't be able to out-eat him. No matter how much a person could eat, they'd eventually get full. Xuan Zi, on the other hand, could keep eating and stay hungry.
"When we were little, I loved competing with Xiao Qing to see who could eat more. Whenever he came to the Tang Sect, Mom and Dad would cook so many, many dishes..."
Tang Ya's thoughts drifted back to the past.
"Xiao Ya, you can't eat like that in front of other people. You'll scare them. And Xiao Qing, stuffing yourself so full will make you uncomfortable..."
"Xiao Qing, Xiao Ya thinks of you as her own little brother. When you grow up, you have to protect your big sister, all right?"
"Hmph, I'm older than Xiao Qing, so I should be the one protecting him! I'll protect Xiao Qing, and I'll restore the Tang Sect, too!"
"Restoring the Tang Sect means knowing your limits. Mom just hopes our Xiao Ya can be happy every day, thinking of nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun, living a carefree life."
"No way! Then I'll turn into a greedy pig and never get married!"
"Xiao Ya is so pretty that someone would love her even if she turned into a greedy pig. Besides, maybe someone's into that."
"You! How dare you call me a greedy pig? You're done for! I promise that tonight at the dinner table, you won't see anything but my afterimages!"
"Bleh~"
As Tang Ya remembered those days, a happy smile slowly appeared on her face.
"Xiao Ya, go! Hurry and tell Xiao Qing not to come back to the Tang Sect, and not to take revenge for us. All Mom and Dad want is for you to live happily..."
"Mom! Dad!"
As memories of that blood-soaked night flickered through her mind, Tang Ya's smile hadn't even faded before pearls of tears slid down her cheeks. That day, before she could go find Su Qing, the Iron Blood Sect members discovered her. So she'd run in the opposite direction to keep them from going after him. By the time she'd shaken them off, she'd lost her way... From then on, she'd been consumed by regret over her own helplessness. If she'd remembered the way, she could have gone back to find Su Qing and told him not to return to the Tang Sect...
"Xiao Ya, I won't let anyone hurt you again."
At some point, Su Qing had quietly sat down beside her. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Mm."
Tang Ya gave a soft hum and buried her face in his arms. Bei Bei watched with a relieved smile. The knot that had tormented Xiao Ya for so long had finally come undone. He did wonder, though—why did this Su Qing look so much like the Xiao Qing Zhang Lexuan had described?