Tang Hao: "So I'm the Jinx?"

"Phew!"

At Lin Chen's words, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San both let out a sigh of relief.

They had thought they were about to suffer another bout of bad luck.

Coming back to his senses, Yu Xiaogang looked down and immediately flushed scarlet.

He was the Grandmaster, and yet a single remark had scared him so badly he'd wet himself.

If word got out, how could he ever show his face in the Soul Master World again?

"No need!"

Yu Xiaogang tossed out those two words, then hurriedly turned and fled.

"Thanks, but there's no need."

Tang San thanked him, then turned and headed back to Dorm Seven as well.

He was genuinely afraid of Lin Chen now.

If he stayed even a moment longer, the other boy might tell him another bout of bad luck was coming.

He didn't have any more QQs left.

"Who knows what they went through to end up this scared?"

"Surely the Wolf Bandits didn't..."

Lin Chen shook his head hard, banishing the disgusting thought.

"Best to let them recover for a while."

Lin Chen couldn't bear to see them suffer any more, so he decided to give them a few days off.

He also wanted to avoid suspicion.

No matter how unlucky someone was, their misfortune couldn't keep coming one thing after another.

Letting them take a breather would help keep his own involvement under wraps.

"System, claim my reward!"

At Lin Chen's mental command, a flood of memories suddenly surged through his mind.

Heavenly Thunder Movement: A surprise attack and peerless flying technique. Its speed increased with each level. At its peak, the user could transform into lightning, crossing the distance between inches and the ends of the earth.

"What a fine technique, this Heavenly Thunder Movement."

Lin Chen didn't know whether the Douluo Continent he'd found himself in incorporated settings from other series.

If it followed Douluo I's rules, then flight was an enormous advantage.

According to Douluo I's rules, unless a person had a flying Martial Soul or a flying Soul Skill, even a Titled Douluo could only hover in the air briefly.

In other words,

a Spirit Master who could fly could practically be said to have been born invincible.

Even if they couldn't win, they could still escape unharmed.

The Heavenly Thunder Movement the system had rewarded him with gave Lin Chen exactly that advantage.

As expected of a system reward.

Lin Chen smiled and headed toward the school gate, feeling quite pleased with himself.

His luck was good today. He'd eat out.

What Lin Chen hadn't expected was to be called over the moment he stepped outside the school gate.

"Lin Chen!"

Hearing that familiar, slightly raspy voice, Lin Chen looked in its direction.

A middle-aged man stood at a street corner, watching him. He looked utterly downcast, hardly any better dressed than a beggar.

"Uncle Hao?"

Lin Chen had never expected Tang Hao to suddenly show up looking for him.

Had the man noticed something was wrong?

Lin Chen was panicking inside, but kept his expression calm.

He walked up to Tang Hao.

"Uncle Hao, are you here to see Tang San? Want me to go get him for you?"

Tang Hao shook his head.

"No. I came to see you. There's something I'd like to ask."

At that, Lin Chen stopped worrying.

From Tang Hao's tone and expression, he didn't look like he'd come to pick a fight.

Before Lin Chen could speak, Tang Hao asked first.

"I heard from Xiao San that you can read people's fortunes, and that you said the Grandmaster was a jinx?"

Tang Hao had come to Lin Chen to confirm whether that was true.

What they'd experienced in the Soul Hunting Forest had robbed his son of his manhood.

If Xiao San's willpower hadn't been strong enough, he might not have gone so far as to take his own life, but he could easily have given up on himself and never recovered.

If that disaster had merely been an accident, he could grit his teeth and move on.

But if it had been because of Yu Xiaogang...

Then Tang Hao would have to think carefully about whether Xiao San should keep following him.

After all, this time he'd lost only his dignity. Next time, it might be his life.

After what had happened, even Tang Hao, a Titled Douluo, couldn't guarantee that Tang San would escape the jinx's misfortune.

It wasn't as if he could keep his eyes on Tang San every moment of every day.

"Uh..."

Lin Chen hadn't expected Tang Hao to come to him just to ask about that.

Tang Hao said, "I want the truth."

Lin Chen thought it over. "A true jinx usually brings death to their parents, spouse, and children. I don't know the Grandmaster's situation well enough to say for sure."

"I called him a jinx simply because Tang San got caught up in bad luck after spending time with him. That, and he didn't deny that his life had been unfortunate."

Hearing Lin Chen's words, Tang Hao froze.

His mother had died in an accident when he was very young.

His wife, Ah Yin, had been exposed as a Spirit Beast because of him. You could even say he'd caused her death.

And his father had been so enraged when Tang Hao killed the Spirit Hall Pope that he'd died from the shock.

Of the parents, spouse, and children Lin Chen had mentioned, only his son remained.

Tang Hao: "So I'm the jinx?"

Come to think of it, had he passed his bad luck to Xiao San, who then passed it to Yu Xiaogang? Was Yu Xiaogang the real victim here?

Tang Hao suddenly thought of Tang San's Second Martial Soul.

Normally, awakening a Martial Soul and putting it away again wouldn't have much effect, but when Xiao San put away his Second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer had shattered.

Could that have been because of him, too?

Lin Chen watched Tang Hao's expression shift rapidly.

That was exactly what he'd been aiming for.

Tang Hao staying in Nuoding City was ultimately a potential threat to him.

He had to find a way to get him out of there.

The original story never mentioned Tang Hao's mother, which meant she must have died long ago.

His father had been angered to death by Tang Hao himself.

And his wife, Ah Yin, had become his ninth Spirit Ring.

After Lin Chen put it that way,

Tang Hao would naturally start connecting himself to the word "jinx."

For Tang San's sake, he'd very likely choose to leave.

Without Tang Hao in Nuoding City, Lin Chen would be under far less pressure.

Tang Hao took a deep breath and looked at Lin Chen.

"If I stay away from the jinx, I shouldn't be affected anymore, right?"

Lin Chen said, "As long as there's no blood relation."

With Lin Chen around, even if Tang Hao left, Tang San would still have to suffer bad luck. So Lin Chen naturally couldn't make any guarantees. Otherwise, Tang Hao might catch on.

Tang Hao frowned. "And what if we're related by blood?"

"Huh?"

Lin Chen pretended to be baffled, then looked at Tang Hao again with a hint of pity.

Tang Hao asked, "What's with that look?"

Lin Chen hurriedly waved his hands. "Nothing. If you're related by blood, there'll be some degree of impact no matter how far apart you are, but it'll be greatly weakened."

"For example, a death calamity might be reduced to a bloody mishap, and a bloody mishap might be reduced to losing money or some other minor trouble. It won't actually put your life in danger."

Hearing this, Tang Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it wouldn't threaten his life, minor troubles were just a form of tempering.

"Fine, I'm off."

Tang Hao planned to say goodbye to Tang San and Yu Xiaogang before leaving.

He also had something he needed to remind them about.

"Uncle Hao, please wait!"

Lin Chen called out just as Tang Hao turned around.

Tang Hao stopped and turned back. "What is it?"

[Disaster Curse on Tang Hao successful. Obtained God-tier Martial Soul: Sword of Calamity.]

What the heck.

He'd gotten a gold-tier reward on his very first try. Was Disaster Curse more likely to yield gold when used on a powerful opponent?