Damn Bearded Man

The next morning, at dawn.

Tang San lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

True heartbreak didn't come with loud wails. It only brought silent tears.

Just like Tang San now, tears kept sliding from the corners of his eyes.

He hadn't cried when his Martial Soul shattered, nor when he lost his manhood.

He hadn't even cried after two straight years of bad luck.

But today, he truly couldn't hold it in. His tears poured forth like a river bursting its banks, and no matter how hard he tried to stop them, they wouldn't cease.

He didn't understand.

If Heaven had given him the chance to be reborn, why treat him like this?

Scenes from last night replayed in his mind, one after another.

Tang San's fists clenched of their own accord, and a fierce killing intent rose in his eyes.

"Damn Bearded Man! How dare you treat me like that? You've earned yourself a death sentence."

"If I don't kill you, then I, Tang San, am no man!"

Tang San sat up. Bearded Man had long since vanished without a trace.

He went into the bathroom.

He scrubbed his body furiously and rinsed out his mouth again and again.

He washed for a full two hours before finally emerging from the bathroom.

He walked to the bed and was about to get dressed.

Then his gaze suddenly fell on the Gold Soul Coins atop the nightstand.

There were about a hundred or two.

But the Gold Soul Coins weren't the point. The point was the note beneath them.

Tang San picked it up and read.

[Sweetheart, Uncle really didn't expect you to be... Uncle really likes that. I'll come find you again.]

"Crack, crack, crack..."

Tang San instantly crushed the note into a ball. His knuckles popped as he squeezed it, his teeth clenched in fury.

"Come on, then. I'll be waiting. Just make sure you don't keep me waiting too long."

Then he got dressed, took the Gold Soul Coins he was owed, and left the hotel.

Tang San returned to the academy.

Xiao Wu and the others had just finished washing up and were about to head to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Tang San composed himself and went over to Xiao Wu.

"Xiao Wu, I've got money now. I can take you out for something good to eat today."

His voice was cheerful, and a happy smile spread across his face.

But a trace of disgust flickered in Xiao Wu's eyes.

Why was she disgusted by Tang San?

Because even though Tang San had tried his hardest to hide it, and even avoided going to the bathroom with Wang Sheng and the others, he still couldn't escape her senses.

As a hundred-thousand-year-old Soft Bone Charm Rabbit who had taken human form, she was exceptionally sensitive to male hormones.

She could clearly sense that the male hormones in Tang San's body had suddenly grown extremely faint two years ago, and for the past two years they had all but stopped being produced.

That meant he had become neither man nor woman.

His teacher was the same.

How could Xiao Wu not be disgusted by someone like that?

If she hadn't considered that he was willing to spend money on her, she would have stopped paying attention to him long ago.

"We'll see."

Xiao Wu gave a curt reply and headed straight out of the dormitory.

"Xiao Wu, wait for me!"

Tang San hurried after her, leaving the other work-study students speechless.

They truly couldn't understand Tang San.

No matter how shameless someone was, surely they couldn't stoop this low?

Time flew by, and afternoon arrived.

The carriage Lin Chen was riding in stopped outside Nuoding Academy.

He climbed down, just in time to see Tang San following Xiao Wu with his arms full of shopping bags as the two headed into the academy.

"Tang San, Xiao Wu, please wait!"

Lin Chen called out without hesitation.

Tang San and Xiao Wu came to a stop.

They turned around and stared blankly at Lin Chen as he walked toward them.

Hearing him say "please wait" really sent a shiver down their spines.

They'd reminded Lin Chen countless times, but he simply wouldn't change.

[Disaster Curse on Tang San, success on Xiao Wu. Obtained one level of Soul Power.]

Lin Chen's brow lifted.

Well, well. After more than two years, he'd finally gained Soul Power again.

"Huh? Tang San's bad luck has already lifted."

Lin Chen suddenly noticed that the dark mark between Tang San's brows had brightened considerably.

But in the next instant, a wisp of black energy darkened it again.

Lin Chen looked Tang San up and down. He seemed perfectly fine.

That didn't make sense.

Five layers of bad luck was quite a lot. How could nothing have happened to him?

Could the system really be this unreliable?

"D-do you have a problem?"

Tang San noticed Lin Chen sizing him up and, for no apparent reason, felt his backside clench.

He was genuinely afraid Lin Chen would suddenly say that his bad luck was about to strike again.

He'd already had enough bad luck. He really didn't want any more!

He was about to reach his breaking point.

Lin Chen shook his head. "It's nothing. I was just wondering where you got all that money. Those things can't be cheap, right?"

His gaze fell on the many bags in Tang San's hands. Several bore the logos of clothing stores.

And as far as Lin Chen knew, clothes from those shops weren't cheap.

Especially women's clothes.

They could easily cost more than ten Gold Soul Coins apiece—not something Tang San could afford.

"Uh..."

At his words, Tang San's mouth twitched. His backside gave a faint twinge of pain.

What a bastard. Why bring up the one thing I don't want to talk about?

"You just get back?"

Xiao Wu suddenly asked, giving Tang San a chance to change the subject.

Lin Chen nodded. "Yeah, I went out of town."

Xiao Wu looked him up and down, suspicion in her eyes.

"You haven't broken through already, have you?"

Of course, she couldn't sense Lin Chen's exact Soul Power Level.

It was purely a guess.

After all, Lin Chen had hardly ever traveled far in the past two years.

The only reason she could think of for him to go far away was to hunt for a Spirit Ring.

"What?"

Tang San's eyes flew wide open, his face full of disbelief.

How was that possible?

They both had Innate Full Soul Power. How could Lin Chen cultivate so quickly?

He was only at level eighteen himself.

Lin Chen shook his head. "How could I break through that quickly?"

Tang San let out a breath of relief.

I knew it. How could Lin Chen cultivate that fast?

Xiao Wu didn't press him further. Instead, she invited him along.

"Have you eaten? Want to join us?"

Perhaps because she and Tang San had never become entangled in a tangled romance, Xiao Wu now kept firmly in mind the mission that had brought her to the human world.

And she obviously couldn't avenge her mother by herself.

Two talented people like Tang San and Lin Chen would make excellent allies.

She'd already gotten Tang San wrapped around her finger, so naturally she didn't want to let Lin Chen slip away either.

Besides, Lin Chen was not only talented but also handsome.

Most importantly, he was rich.

Compared to Tang San, Xiao Wu would much rather spend time with Lin Chen.

Unfortunately, he never gave her the chance.

Whenever he stopped her, he would leave after only a few words.

Tang San whipped around to look at Xiao Wu.

He'd just taken her to a restaurant in town for a lavish meal. Why was she suddenly inviting Lin Chen to dinner with them?

Could it be...

Tang San thought of one possibility, and his face instantly darkened.

He turned to Lin Chen, his eyes full of warning.

It was as if he were saying, "If you dare say yes, don't blame me for what happens next."