Gangzi the Deadbeat

Afternoon.

Yu Xiaogang had prepared a pile of stones and several carrying baskets. He planned to have Dai Mubai and the others run laps with them on their backs, thereby improving their physiques and endurance.

Flender and Zhao Wuji were also there.

But when Dai Mubai and the others arrived, he didn't see Tang San.

"Where's Xiao San?"

Yu Xiaogang instinctively looked at Xiao Wu. She should know Tang San's whereabouts best.

That was right: Xiao Wu had joined Shrek too.

It was for no other reason than that Dai Mubai and the others had decent talent.

They might become useful allies in her revenge someday.

And Flender and Zhao Wuji were both Spirit Saints.

They could protect her to some extent.

Xiao Wu didn't hide anything and briefly explained what had happened.

"What?"

At her words, Yu Xiaogang's expression instantly turned grave.

What sort of man was Tang Hao?

Even if he came, he wouldn't wait for Tang San outside the school gates.

That so-called father couldn't possibly be Tang Hao.

"Flender, Zhao Wuji, let's go!"

Yu Xiaogang didn't hesitate for long before running toward the school gates.

Flender and Zhao Wuji immediately realized that the so-called father might be the enemy Yu Xiaogang had mentioned when they first arrived.

The two hurried after him.

"What's going on?"

Dai Mubai looked at Xiao Wu in confusion. Tang San's father had come, so why had Yu Xiaogang looked so grave?

"How would I know?"

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes at him, then headed toward the dormitory building on her own.

Dai Mubai and the other two exchanged glances before following her back to the dormitory.

The three of them rushed to the gatehouse.

After making a few inquiries, Yu Xiaogang immediately confirmed the man's identity.

It was that damned Round-faced Bearded Man.

And this time, that damned bastard had even brought someone along.

If he couldn't rescue Xiao San in time,

he could hardly imagine how much Xiao San would suffer tonight.

"Let's go!"

Yu Xiaogang had no idea where that damned bastard would take Tang San, so he could only try his luck at the hotel they'd visited earlier.

If that didn't work, they'd have no choice but to search the hotels one by one.

Flender and Zhao Wuji didn't understand why Tang San had obediently gone with the enemy, but now was clearly not the time to ask.

Soon,

the three arrived at the hotel that was, for Yu Xiaogang, the stuff of nightmares.

"A hotel?"

Flender and Zhao Wuji looked at Yu Xiaogang beside them, utterly baffled.

Why had Tang San been taken to a hotel?

And judging from how familiar Yu Xiaogang seemed with the place, this wasn't the first time.

"Haah!"

Yu Xiaogang couldn't help sighing. He knew he couldn't hide the truth any longer. Once they found Tang San, they'd understand everything anyway.

So he stopped concealing it and told the two of them about the Round-faced Bearded Man.

Of course, he certainly left himself out of it.

"Gasp!"

After hearing Yu Xiaogang's explanation, the two couldn't help drawing in sharp breaths.

Tang San had actually been...

He was only eight years old! Wasn't that a little too cruel?

Still, you had to hand it to the kid. He was pretty tough.

After enduring such torment, he usually acted as though nothing had happened.

What a man.

Anyone who could endure what ordinary people couldn't was bound to achieve something great someday.

"Let's go!"

Yu Xiaogang said no more. He took a deep breath and entered the hotel.

He went to the front desk.

"Did two middle-aged men just come in with a little boy and get a room?"

Yu Xiaogang stared at the receptionist.

To make sure she wouldn't lie, Zhao Wuji immediately released his Martial Soul.

The phantom of a Vajra Bear appeared behind him, and seven Spirit Rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—rose from beneath his feet.

The receptionist was so startled that she stumbled, nearly falling over.

"N-no..."

"No?"

Yu Xiaogang flew into a rage. He glared at the receptionist with a gaze as venomous as a snake's.

He remembered the Round-faced Bearded Man saying that both times, Tang San had been at this hotel.

How could she say they weren't there?

Zhao Wuji said coldly, "If you don't want to die, you'd better tell the truth."

The receptionist was on the verge of tears. "They really aren't here!"

Flender said, "Why waste your breath on her? Just search the place."

"Let's go!"

Yu Xiaogang didn't waste any time. He immediately led the other two upstairs.

They smashed open every door, not caring whether anyone was staying inside or how much damage they did to the hotel's property.

Even when the guests were furious, they could only grit their teeth and swallow their anger after seeing how many Spirit Rings Zhao Wuji had.

The receptionist was helpless too.

They smashed open the last door, but the three of them still couldn't find Tang San.

Flender looked at Yu Xiaogang. "What now?"

Yu Xiaogang pondered for a moment. "We can only search them one by one."

Flender frowned slightly.

Nuoding City wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. There had to be at least dozens of hotels and inns.

How long would that take?

"Let's go."

Flender shook his head. They couldn't just leave it at that, could they?

"Gentlemen!"

A potbellied, middle-aged man blocked their way.

Zhao Wuji said coldly, "If you don't want to die, get out of the way."

The middle-aged man wasn't afraid in the slightest. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"The Rose Hotel belongs to the Seven Great Families. You smashed the place and now want to walk away without a care. Don't you think you're showing the Seven Great Families a little too much disrespect?"

Flender and Zhao Wuji's pupils shrank.

The Seven Great Families were second only to Spirit Hall and the Upper Three Sects in strength.

Even the Lower Four Sects were nothing in comparison.

Moreover, the Seven Great Families were bound together by the profits of the Great Soul Arena. They were far more united than the so-called solidarity of the Upper Three Sects.

Even a single one of the Upper Three Sects wouldn't gain much against the Seven Great Families.

And they were just a bunch of nobodies.

Flender and Zhao Wuji couldn't help looking at Yu Xiaogang.

They couldn't afford to pay for the damages.

Yu Xiaogang had a splitting headache too.

Of course he knew the Rose Hotel belonged to the Seven Great Families. He'd just been so worried that he'd forgotten about it.

What was he supposed to do now?

He definitely couldn't pay, and Xiao San was still waiting for him to rescue him.

He couldn't afford to waste too much time here.

"My name is Yu Xiaogang, son of Yu Yuanzhen, sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect. If you have a problem, tell the Seven Great Families to take it up with my father."

The middle-aged man said coolly, "Words are cheap. Leave a written pledge or a token."

He'd seen people who dragged their fathers into trouble, but he'd never seen anyone do it quite like this.

It had been a minor matter, but if it became a conflict between factions, that was another story.

With what he'd just done, if the Seven Great Families didn't take a chunk out of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect, they wouldn't be the Seven Great Families.

Yu Xiaogang didn't think much of it and immediately left the man a written pledge.

He also pressed his thumbprint onto it.

As far as he was concerned, they'd only smashed a few doors.

What was the big deal?

That little compensation was less than a drop in the ocean for the family.

After leaving the Rose Hotel,

the three of them began searching the hotels one by one.

This time, though, they'd learned their lesson and didn't dare act as arrogantly as before, so their search naturally slowed down.

Before they knew it, darkness had fallen.