Tang San had always felt that there was something inexplicably strange about Xiao Wu today.
The way she cared about Fu Qin seemed to go beyond the bounds of "an older sister's concern for her younger brother."
What bothered him even more was her attitude when she refused to share a room.
It was as if an invisible wall had shut him completely out.
Could I really be overthinking it? Tang San raised a hand and rubbed his brow, trying to suppress the inexplicable irritation.
Xiao Wu had always doted on Fu Qin like a younger brother. It was only natural for her to show him a little extra concern.
As for refusing to share a room... perhaps after being reborn, she still hadn't gotten used to this body—or to being so close to him again.
He tried to reassure himself, but deep down, he still felt deeply uneasy.
Before long.
He finally forced his thoughts aside and focused on the Dragon Whisker Needle in his palm.
His memories of his past life were as clear as yesterday. This seemingly delicate Hidden Weapon had been his ace in the hole at the Soul Master Tournament. Only by mastering it as soon as possible could he gain a firm foothold in the early stages.
His fingertips brushed the Dragon Whisker Needle's cold, hard surface as the inner force of the Mysterious Heaven Skill quietly flowed through him, and he tried to recapture the effortless familiarity of his past life.
He had no idea that the atmosphere in Room 301 next door was utterly different from the somber mood in his own.
In front of the full-length mirror, Xiao Wu gently smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt. The girl in the mirror had flushed cheeks, as if peach blossoms had bloomed across them. Her eyes, however, brimmed with barely concealed anticipation, shining dazzlingly bright.
She took a bottle of glassy perfume from her Storage Soul Tool and pressed the atomizer with a fingertip. The crisp scent of flowers soon curled around her, sweet and enticing.
By evening.
The clash between Tang San and Dai Mubai at the Rose Hotel erupted right on schedule.
Tang San and Dai Mubai's encounter played out just as it had in the original story, as if copied and pasted.
They came to blows at the slightest disagreement.
Unlike the green newcomer of the original story, Tang San had now lived three lives. Both his mindset and his strength had long since changed beyond recognition.
He deftly evaded Dai Mubai's fierce attacks, while Blue Silver Grass coiled around him like nimble serpents.
"Kid, you actually managed to break through my White Tiger Intense Light Wave!" Dai Mubai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Far from being angry, he grinned broadly, admiration filling his eyes.
"You're young, but your Soul Power is impressive, and your Martial Soul is quite unusual. Are you here for Shrek Academy too?"
Tang San nodded, his fingertips still warm from the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulating through him.
"Exactly." He had deliberately held back the mental energy of his Purple Demon Eye. His victory just now had certainly been supported by his strength, but it had relied even more on the memories of his past life.
If they had met force with force, the outcome would still have been uncertain.
Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow and clapped Tang San on the shoulder. The force nearly made Tang San stumble.
"You came alone? Come on, your big brother will show you the world." A playful glint flashed in his eyes, and his tone carried a hint of temptation.
"The pleasure houses in the south of town are second to none. Those young ladies' soft waists could steal the soul right out of a man."
"Pleasure houses?" Tang San's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
Xiao Wu's charming face immediately appeared in his mind, along with the words she was always saying: "Third Brother can only be good to me." Her soft, sweet voice seemed to linger by his ear.
Ever since their reunion after being reborn, Xiao Wu had still been clingy, but whenever he tried to get close, she would cleverly evade him. The girl's body held a youthful reserve that kept everyone at arm's length, leaving him with nowhere to vent the restless heat and hurt that had built up inside him.
The deep, unforgettable bond they had shared as husband and wife in his past life, and the innocent, elusive distance between them in this one, were like a fine thorn lodged in his heart, aching faintly.
"What? Afraid to go?" Dai Mubai's teasing voice pulled him back to reality.
A resolute glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. The fierce inner force of the Mysterious Heaven Skill surged through him, overpowering his hesitation. "What's there to be afraid of?"
Dai Mubai burst out laughing, slung an arm around his shoulders, and strode toward the south of town. His swaggering figure drew sidelong glances from passersby.
The scene happened to fall within view through the small window of Fu Qin's room.
Standing beside Fu Qin, Xiao Wu clutched the hem of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Yet there wasn't the slightest trace of sorrow in her eyes; instead, a cold, playful glint passed through them.
She had thought that after being reborn, Tang San would cherish this second chance and devote himself to her. She hadn't expected to witness such a glaring scene after only half a day.
Once, she too had naively believed that Tang San would always be good to her.
But what had happened? How ironic. After becoming a God King, Tang San had repeatedly selected stunningly beautiful women from across the continent and made them divine officials under his command.
Divine officials under his command... Heh.
Xiao Wu sneered inwardly. They were nothing more than canaries kept beneath his hips.
"Tang San..."
She had long suspected that Tang San might not behave himself after being reborn, but she hadn't thought he would dare to follow someone else off to seek pleasure right in front of her.
She slowly turned to look at Fu Qin behind her.
The boy was reclining on the sofa, leafing through an ancient book. The setting sun fell across his profile, tracing its gentle contours and lending him an especially absorbed air.
Though she was displeased by Tang San's behavior, she knew all too well that she no longer had the right to reproach him.
During the tens of thousands of years she had spent in the Divine Realm, she had endured enough—enough keeping her feelings buried, enough deceiving herself.
Now that she had been reborn, she would never again foolishly hope that Tang San would devote himself to her alone.
"Fu Qin, tell me—which is prettier, the book in your hands or Sister Xiao Wu?"
A flash of surprise crossed Fu Qin's eyes, then he put on the innocent, nervous expression unique to an adolescent boy.
He held the book lightly in his hands, his gaze darting away. His voice was tinged with bashfulness.
"Sister Xiao Wu, didn't you say there wasn't any hot water left in your room? I still have some here. Why don't you..."
At seven the next morning, Tang San sneaked back into his room.
His clothes were disheveled, his hair was as messy as a chicken's nest, and the reek of alcohol still clung to him. He was panting heavily.
Deep, dark circles shadowed his eyes. He stumbled as he walked, his steps unsteady, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.
At the pleasure houses last night, the young ladies had taken turns offering him drinks. Surrounded by soft, fragrant bodies and the twittering of their sweet voices, he had only managed to escape in the latter half of the night, with a sliver of clarity left.
But the moment he tried to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill, he found his inner force sluggish and blocked. It was clearly a lingering effect of overexerting himself the night before.
"Damn it." Tang San leaned against the doorframe and cursed under his breath, filled with regret over his lack of self-control.
At daybreak.
Wrapped up from head to toe and cheeks flushed, Xiao Wu returned to her room.
As soon as she got back, she could no longer hold herself up. She collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.