"Xiao Wu,"
Tang San took a deep breath and forcibly tamped down the wild joy in his heart. "We have to raise this little brother of ours well."
"Of course!" Xiao Wu nodded vigorously. "With such an adorable brother-in-law, I'll definitely treat him well."
Tang San smiled, the corners of his mouth curling into a gentle arc. Yet beneath that smile, a glint of calculation quietly flashed in his eyes.
Raising him wasn't enough.
He had to find his little brother Tang An a good wife to bind his fortune to theirs.
As it happened, the Douluo Continent was now flourishing with planar fortune, and a one-of-a-kind daughter of fortune had been born: Huo Yutong.
And then there was his daughter.
Long ago, in order to control the fortune of the mortal realm, Tang San had personally sent his daughter to the Douluo Continent.
He had split her divine soul in two, creating a pair of incarnations, one male and one female.
The male incarnation went by Wang Dong'er, while the female incarnation went by Wang Qiu'er. Each incarnation carried a different mission.
Originally, Tang San had planned for Wang Dong'er to get close to the daughter of fortune, Huo Yutong, and bind herself to the continent's supreme fortune.
But now, Tang San had come up with an even more perfect plan.
His own little brother, Tang An, was born perfectly suited to the two great divine seats of Destruction and Life in the Divine Realm. His talent surpassed even Tang San's own at that age. A peerless uncut jade like him couldn't be raised through resources alone; he had to be bound in the firmest way possible.
Wang Dong'er would continue to bind herself to the daughter of fortune.
As for Wang Qiu'er, Tang San would make deliberate arrangements for her to bind herself to his own little brother, Tang An!
With the support of fortune on both sides, along with two Divine King seats, his little brother would surely become the sharpest blade in the Tang family's arsenal, cementing his dominion over the Divine Realm once and for all. From then on, no one would be able to hold the Tang family in check!
Tang San settled on his plan, his expression composed and utterly free of guilt.
With the three shackles of kinship, fortune, and marriage, he would bind this future Dual God King completely, keeping his little brother forever on the Tang family's side and at his own disposal.
The more Tang San thought about it, the more satisfied he became, as though he could already see the future in which he unified the Divine Realm.
The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Tang An withdrew his Martial Soul and stood where he was, his mind calm and clear.
He didn't even have to think about it to know that Tang San, that control freak, was probably already planning out his entire life for him.
Resources? A divine seat? A wife?
Tang An shook his head.
He had no desire to be Tang San's puppet on a string.
Now it was time to put on a good show.
First, he would play the obedient little brother and swindle all of Tang San's resources out of him. Once he was strong enough, he would see what kind of attitude Tang San took.
If his big brother truly treated him like a little brother, then everyone would be happy. But if Tang San only wanted to use him as a tool to shore up his power... there would still be time to flip the table.
The Martial Soul Awakening ceremony had come to a complete end.
The couple had only just come to their senses from their immense surprise and shock, and were about to ask Tang An about the details of his Martial Soul, when the entire void suddenly trembled faintly.
A divine thought that only Tang Hao and Ah Yin could hear rang out abruptly in their minds, tinged with obvious confusion and puzzlement.
"Father, Mother, when did you have a little brother?"
"You've lived in seclusion at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well for ten thousand years. I've never interfered in your lives, but why didn't you tell me anything about having a child?"
The voice belonged to none other than Tang San, the Sea God and Asura God of the Divine Realm, holder of two divine seats.
The sudden divine thought left Tang Hao and Ah Yin momentarily stunned.
Ah Yin immediately offered a gentle explanation through divine thought. "Xiao San, we didn't mean to keep it from you."
"You know that time flows differently in the Divine Realm and the mortal realm. A few times over the years, we tried reaching out to you with our divine thoughts, but we sensed that you were buried in the Divine Realm's countless affairs and had no time to spare for the little things happening in the mortal realm."
After hearing his parents' explanation, Tang San's confusion completely vanished. He stopped dwelling on the past and went straight to the point, his tone turning exceedingly solemn.
"I watched the whole thing just now. Little brother's Hammer-Sickle Martial Soul contains the dual origins of ultimate destruction and ultimate life, perfectly corresponding to the two top divine seats in the Divine Realm. He's a Dual God King candidate the likes of which comes along only once every ten thousand years."
"I've already decided on his divine seats. I'll pour all the Divine Realm's resources into supporting his cultivation, and help him inherit the two great divine seats of Destruction and Life. Then he'll take a seat on the God Realm Committee."
"By then, our Tang family will hold three Divine King seats. We'll completely break the balance of power in the Divine Realm and unify it. No one will be able to hold our family back."
After hearing this, Tang Hao offered his full support without hesitation.
"It's doable. Your judgment has never been wrong. Xiao An has this opportunity, so he should rise to the top."
But beside him, a deep worry welled up in Ah Yin's heart.
Ah Yin hurriedly pressed him through divine thought. "Xiao San, the Divine Realm is a place of brutal struggles. If An'an sets foot on this path, could he be swept up in danger and put at risk?"
Faced with his mother's concern, Tang San replied with absolute certainty, brimming with confidence.
"Mother, don't worry. Xiao An is my own little brother, and the future trump card of the Tang family."
"I'll face every danger, every enemy, and every crisis for him. I'll clear every obstacle in his path, protect him every step of the way, and pile him all the way up to the Divine King seat."
Only after hearing Tang San's absolute promise did Ah Yin's anxious heart settle a little. After a moment's silence, she finally nodded in agreement.
Throughout the entire private exchange of divine thoughts, Tang An, standing nearby, couldn't sense a thing.
But watching his parents' expressions shift from shock and delight to grave contemplation, he vaguely guessed that something major had happened.
Thoughts whirled through Tang An's mind. He had a vague suspicion that his bargain-bin big brother Tang San had started laying plans.
Only after Tang San's divine thought had completely faded did Ah Yin gently walk over and take Tang An's little hand.
She crouched down to meet her younger son's eyes, her voice tender but serious.
"Xiao An, there's something your father and I need to tell you now.
Tang An feigned confusion, blinking his clear eyes as he looked at the two of them in puzzlement. "Father, Mother, what is it?"
Tang Hao spoke in a low voice. "You're not an only child. You have an older brother, your own brother, named Tang San."
At this, Tang An played along at once. Shock and surprise flooded his face; his mouth fell slightly open, and he looked utterly clueless.
"I... I have an older brother? Why have you never told me?"
Seeing the innocent surprise on their youngest son's face, Ah Yin's heart softened even more. She began telling Tang An all about Tang San's past.
Ah Yin spoke with tenderness and pride, every word painting a picture of Tang San's hardships and strength. In her eyes, Tang San was a peerless hero who stood tall beneath the heavens and sheltered his family.
Tang An listened attentively the whole time, now and then looking amazed and admiring, his eyes shining with yearning.
"Big Brother is incredible!"
"I can't believe the Tang family has such an amazing person!"
"I'll definitely cultivate hard and learn from Big Brother. I won't ever bring shame to him or the Tang family!"
He looked so well-behaved and sincere, every bit the innocent little brother who had heard his elder brother's legend and admired him with all his heart.
But inside, Tang An had already let loose a torrent of cool-headed sarcasm.
Learn from him? Learn what? How to scheme against your own family, control their fates, and treat everyone as a pawn in your bid for power?
I was weak right now, so I just had to play along and take all the resources and favoritism Tang San offered.
Once I was strong enough, no one would get to bind my fate.
The night passed in the blink of an eye.
The next morning, the spatial barrier above the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well trembled gently.
Two divine consciousness avatars, illusory yet astonishingly clear, slowly took shape.
Tang San wore a blue robe, his bearing refined and dignified, every inch a Divine King's presence.
As for Xiao Wu, standing on his right, she looked completely different from her usual poised and elegant self.
Even Xiao Wu couldn't explain why, but she felt especially invested in this first meeting and had instinctively taken extra care to dress up.
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