Deep in Tang San's lowered eyes, a faint glimmer of blue light suddenly flared like a spark catching fire, then vanished in an instant.
Tang San abruptly raised his head. The resentment and struggle in his eyes gave way to something... "clear" and "resolute."
He grabbed Yu Xiaogang's hand just as his teacher was about to take out his token. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a "forthrightness" as firm as a nail driven into wood.
"Teacher! You don't need to say anything more on my behalf!"
He turned to Zhao Linchuan, his chest rising and falling slightly, and spoke in a clear voice:
"I, Tang San, can take a loss! Since I've lost, I'll naturally honor the wager!"
"A real man keeps his word, come hell or high water! Isn't it just crawling around Notting Academy three times?!"
"Then I'll crawl!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yu Xiaogang gaped in astonishment, the work-study students around them sucked in their breath, and Wang Sheng and the others stared so hard their eyes nearly popped out.
Tang San took a deep breath without saying another word. He crouched down, braced his hands against the ground, bent his knees, and then... began crawling on all fours, one step at a time, toward the road beside the academy gates!
"Xiao San! Have you gone mad?!"
Yu Xiaogang snapped back to his senses and hurried to pull him up, but Tang San's "stubborn" gaze and his words—"Teacher, this is my promise. Please don't stop me"—held him back.
The watching crowd fell silent at first, then erupted in an uproar!
"Oh my god! He's really crawling?!"
"Tang San... did he take the loss that badly?"
"Tsk, I have to say, he's crawling pretty steadily..."
"Look, look! A bunch of people are coming over!"
The news spread like the wind. More and more students, and even some townspeople passing by, gathered around. They pointed at Tang San as he crawled along the ground, and their laughter, chatter, and exclamations mingled together.
Tang San's name spread throughout Notting Academy in an instant, in a way he would never have wanted.
Watching the scene, Zhao Linchuan smiled in "appreciation." He clapped his hands and said:
"Good! You can take a loss and let things go! Tang San, you're a real man!"
"I, Zhao Linchuan, admire your courage in keeping your word!"
Wang Sheng and the others exchanged glances. They wanted to laugh, but felt it wasn't quite appropriate, so in the end they could only nod along with strange expressions.
"Uh... yeah, he's quite the... 'real man.'"
Wang Sheng thought, Though I suspect you'd have to add the word 'foolish' in front of 'real man.'
Seeing his disciple suffer such public humiliation before the eyes of everyone, Yu Xiaogang was so furious his vision darkened and his whole body trembled. But faced with Tang San's uncharacteristic "resolve" and the growing crowd, he didn't know what to do. All he could do was close his eyes in pain, unable to bear watching any longer.
Having enjoyed the spectacle enough, Zhao Linchuan decided the time was right.
He turned and took the soft hand of Xiao Wu beside him. In a relaxed tone, he said, "Now that the excitement's over, let's go back."
Xiao Wu obediently hummed in agreement and let him lead her away from the noisy crowd.
At the residence in the western part of the city,
Zhao Linchuan, the Moon Goddess, and Yan Fei were having dinner.
The dishes had been prepared by Yan Fei herself, and they were delicious, with an enticing aroma and appearance.
The Moon Goddess ate with graceful composure, chewing slowly. From time to time, she placed food on Zhao Linchuan's plate, her gaze gentle.
After Zhao Linchuan finished his meal at an unhurried pace, he took the warm towel the Moon Goddess promptly offered and wiped his hands. His eyes swept over the two stunning young women before he suddenly asked:
"Moon Goddess, Yan Fei. In your old world, had either of you studied alchemy or medicine-making?"
At his question, Yan Fei set down her spoon and replied with a slight nod. "In answer to the young master, the Yin-Yang School's arts covered a wide range of fields, including pills, medicine and poison, and formations."
"I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I know a little. Does the young master have something for me to do?"
A glimmer of anticipation shone in her eyes. She finally had a chance to demonstrate her worth in other areas.
The Moon Goddess also raised her cool gaze to look at Zhao Linchuan.
Zhao Linchuan smiled warmly and nodded. "There is a small matter I need your help with. Come out with me tomorrow."
The Moon Goddess asked softly, "Young master, where are we going?"
Zhao Linchuan lightly tapped a finger on the table and slowly uttered a few words: "Sunset Forest..."
In the blink of an eye, six years slipped quietly away like sand through one's fingers.
With his foreknowledge of the original story, Zhao Linchuan had intervened at just the right moment and saved Dugu Yan's parents, who had been on the verge of death after suffering backlash from their Martial Souls.
In return for this kindness, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo had given him his gratitude and promise, along with actual control over the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, a treasure trove where rare natural treasures gathered.
From then on, Dugu Yan became his little shadow. Her bright, shining eyes were filled with admiration and dependence on the mysterious benefactor who had saved her.
Even her cool-tempered best friend, Ye Lingling, had gradually been "infected" by Yanzi's constant chatter and the strange things Zhao Linchuan occasionally revealed, and had begun to regard him with curiosity and interest.
Meanwhile, the forces under his command had steadily grown.
He had ordered the Moon Goddess and Yan Fei to put their respective strengths to use. One of them devoted herself to studying the properties of Douluo Continent's medicinal herbs, combining Yin-Yang School alchemy with the use of spiritual power to improve existing pills and develop new ones.
The other relied on her keen mind and resourcefulness to secretly select and train a group of Soul Masters and ordinary people with clean backgrounds and decent potential, preparing them to become the backbone of his future forces.
That day, the bustling streets of Suotuo City teemed with people.
A man and a woman walked side by side. The man was tall and straight, with handsome features and a composure that seemed to surpass his age.
The woman had a graceful figure, stunning looks, and a cool temperament like the moon.
But at that moment, the cool beauty had her lips slightly pursed as she muttered complaints in a voice only the two of them could hear, completely unlike her usual self.
"...You're so biased! Incredibly biased!"
The Moon Goddess clung to Zhao Linchuan's arm and gave it a gentle shake, her tone full of grievance.
"How much have I done for you? I've run around doing this and that, killed people and set fires—when have I ever held back?"
"And what did I get?"
"How long did I have to pester you before you finally gave me that divine-grade right arm bone?"
"Huh?"
The more she spoke, the more upset she became. She stopped by the roadside and looked up at Zhao Linchuan, her lovely face raised and her beautiful eyes shimmering with tears, as if she had suffered some earth-shattering injustice.
"But what about Yan Fei? All she did was sit there and concoct a few pills that worked pretty well, then say a couple of sweet words to you and put on that gentle, considerate act—and you melted!"
"You gave her that divine-grade left arm bone just like that!"
"Why?!"
"Why... why are you all so fond of her?"
"What does she have that I don't...?"
The Moon Goddess's voice trailed off, a touch of loneliness and bitterness in her words.
"She always seems to get everything I want so easily, while I... have to give it my all just to reach for it."
(My left brain punched my right brain and said, "We need to recruit Ning Rongrong." My right brain slapped my left brain and said, "Gu Rong has to die.")
Before you continue