Tang San Asked for Help and Was Rejected; One Word from Su Hang Was Enough to Protect Xiao Wu

In the low ground, the Mandala Snake's attacks grew fiercer by the moment.

Its body pressed several long furrows into the mud as poisonous mist spread low over the grass. Wherever it passed, the grass tips blackened, and a pungent stench rose from the earth.

Tang San's footwork shifted rapidly, but the hem of his robe was torn by a sweep of the snake's tail.

He could dodge and stall. He could also use his Sleeve Arrow and stones to disrupt the Mandala Snake's lunges.

But he couldn't break through its defenses.

Its dark green scales were far too hard. The Sleeve Arrow merely scraped over them, knocking off a few tiny fragments.

Even when stones struck its soft flesh, they only made the Mandala Snake pause briefly.

The places that would truly hurt it were out of his reach.

Driven back by the poisonous mist, Yu Xiaogang retreated to a tree root. Luo Sanpao lay beside his legs, its belly heaving. It could barely manage another Spirit Skill.

"Tang San, don't fight it head-on!"

Yu Xiaogang held up his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose as he backed away.

"This Mandala Snake is older than we expected. If you can't take it head-on, retreat for now!"

Tang San didn't retreat.

Retreat?

If he did, Su Hang would get to stand on the high ground and watch him make a fool of himself.

More importantly, this Mandala Snake was a perfect match.

Its poison, resilience, and ability to entangle.

If he could take it down, he'd have a clear direction for his Blue Silver Grass's First Spirit Ring.

Tang San planted his toe on a tree root and darted sideways, dodging the snake's bite. Three Fine Needles shot from between his fingers toward its mouth.

The fleshy crest on the Mandala Snake's head twitched. It turned aside, and the Fine Needles skidded off its scales.

Another miss.

When Tang San landed, his old shoulder wound flared, slowing his movements for half a beat.

The snake's tail swept toward him.

He immediately rolled aside, mud speckling his clothes.

On the high ground, Xiao Wu stood two paces behind Su Hang, clutching the strap of her bundle.

She didn't look at Yu Xiaogang. She kept her eyes fixed on Tang San.

Tang San could indeed hold his own.

But the better he held up, the less she wanted to get close.

The sacrifice written about in the diary, the fate of Daming and Erming, and the image of herself becoming a Spirit Ring had all weighed on her mind.

The word "classmate" couldn't erase any of that.

In the low ground, Tang San used stones to force the snake's head aside once more. Taking advantage of the brief opening, he finally turned toward the high ground.

"Xiao Wu, give me a hand."

His voice was steady.

It wasn't a command, nor a plea.

It was closer to a conclusion.

He judged that Xiao Wu was nimble, that she could harry the snake from the side, and that if she joined in, he'd get the chance to strike its mouth.

At those two words, Xiao Wu took half a step back behind Su Hang.

She hugged her bundle in front of herself, using it to shield her.

"We're not close. Don't call me that familiarly."

Tang San paused as he planted his foot.

That tiny hesitation was all it took for the Mandala Snake's tail to sweep toward his side.

Tang San bent at the waist and narrowly dodged it, but the tail tore away half his sleeve.

A deep furrow was gouged into the mud.

Yu Xiaogang grew frantic on the spot.

"Xiao Wu, you're a student at Notting Academy too!"

"When a fellow student is in danger, how can you just stand by?"

Xiao Wu poked half her body out from behind Su Hang's shoulder and fired back at once.

"Brother Su Hang warned you about the danger earlier. Did you listen?"

Yu Xiaogang was stopped short by her words.

Xiao Wu pressed on.

"He warned you something was wrong with the Beast Repellent Powder, and you said he was questioning you."

"He warned you this snake was older than expected, and you said Tang San could try."

"Now that your little experiment has gotten you into trouble, you want me to help?"

She paused, tightening her arms around the bundle.

"Why should I?"

Yu Xiaogang braced himself with his wooden staff, his chest heaving.

"Soul Masters are supposed to help one another!"

Xiao Wu immediately shot back.

"Helping each other depends on the person."

"I don't want to help him."

Tang San didn't say another word.

His footwork quickened. A string of stones flew out, forcing the Mandala Snake to turn its head.

But the calm on his face had already cracked.

The more decisively Xiao Wu refused, the more pressure Tang San felt.

Xiao Wu should have been a teammate who could work with him.

At least, by Tang San's reckoning, they were both new students at the same academy, so it was only natural for her to help distract the snake.

But she had retreated behind Su Hang.

And she did it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

For the first time, Tang San felt that the Notting Academy storyline had stopped following the path he'd expected from the moment he met Su Hang.

Su Hang was the one changing the game.

High in the branches, Yue Guan gave a quiet laugh.

"How interesting."

"Tang Hao's son wants the Soft Bone Rabbit to help him, but she's standing behind Su Hang instead."

Hidden among the shadows, Gui Mei watched as black mist drifted along the branches.

"Their relationship has changed."

"What was written in the diary is already affecting people."

Yue Guan looked at Tang San in the low ground, then at Su Hang.

"That boy isn't just taking his opportunities."

"He's dismantling the people around Tang San."

Gui Mei didn't disagree.

Below, the Mandala Snake spewed poisonous mist again.

This time the mist spread farther, creeping up the slope toward the high ground.

Xiao Wu shrank back.

Su Hang raised an arm to shield her.

Dark Purple Lightning spread out from beneath his feet, and the Chaos Thunder Shadow Dragon's might bore down across the slope.

A deep dragon's roar rolled through the forest.

The poisonous mist near the high ground was torn apart by the lightning. Black poison spots on the grass were shaken loose and scattered into ash.

The Mandala Snake's body stiffened, and its attack faltered for half a beat.

Tang San seized the opportunity, striking at its head with a stone. His left Sleeve Arrow followed, finally cutting a shallow gash in the soft flesh of its neck.

A bead of blood fell into the mud, driving the Mandala Snake into a greater frenzy.

But it didn't charge toward the high ground.

The Dragon Might pressed down on it, instinctively keeping it away from where Su Hang stood.

Su Hang remained on the rocky slope, not going down.

He simply kept Xiao Wu behind him and looked down at Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.

"If you want someone else to risk their life helping you, first ask yourself whether you're worth it."

The words weren't loud, but Yu Xiaogang had no answer.

Tang San heard him.

He said nothing, only shifted the pouch at his waist into a more convenient position.

Sleeve Arrows, stones, Fine Needles.

He began rearranging every tool he could use.

Su Hang had become the greatest variable.

Taking the Spirit Ring was one thing.

Xiao Wu choosing sides was another.

If Su Hang kept interfering, many things that should have gone smoothly around him would become troublesome.

Tang San stepped over a slick stone, skimmed past the snake's tail, and flung his Fine Needles once more.

This time, he didn't look at Xiao Wu again.

If she wouldn't help, so be it.

Relying on others had never been dependable.

He could only rely on himself.

On the high ground, Xiao Wu watched the fight below, her fingertips gripping the edge of her bundle. For a long time, she didn't let go.

She'd refused Tang San without hesitation.

But once the words were out, she felt a little heavy-hearted.

She wasn't someone who liked watching people get hurt.

It was just that the person in trouble happened to be Tang San.

The Tang San in the diary, who would make her sacrifice herself, and turn Daming and Erming into Spirit Rings.

Xiao Wu edged closer to Su Hang and lowered her voice.

"Brother Su Hang, was I too cold just now?"

Su Hang didn't turn around. His arm remained raised in front of her.

"You don't owe him your life, and you certainly don't owe him a sacrifice."

At the word "sacrifice," Xiao Wu fell silent.

She lowered her head, her bangs falling against her cheek.

The words in the diary came flooding back.

Soul sacrifice.

Daming and Erming's sacrifices.

Her entire family becoming stepping-stones on Tang San's path to godhood.

Without the diary, without Su Hang, she probably would have grown close to Tang San.

And then, step by step, she would have reached that very ending.

The wind swept over the high ground, and Xiao Wu's nose began to sting.

She reached out and took Su Hang's hand, which hung at his side.

The gesture was light, but she didn't pull away.

"Then I'll only help you from now on."

Su Hang turned his head and glanced at her.

Xiao Wu didn't look away.

Clutching her bundle and holding his hand, she stood firm.

"Don't think I'm a bother."

"I'm afraid of dying, and I'm afraid something will happen to Daming and Erming."

"But you're protecting me, so I'll remember that."

Su Hang's fingers moved slightly, but he didn't pull away.

"Fine."

"Stay close from now on."

Xiao Wu nodded hard.

"Mm."

In the low ground, Tang San had just dodged another lunge from the Mandala Snake when he caught sight of Xiao Wu and Su Hang holding hands on the high ground.

His footwork faltered for half a beat.

The Mandala Snake's tail skimmed his back, sending him stumbling forward several steps.

Tang San quickly regained his balance and flung stones behind him to force the snake's head back.

But that small misstep had already crept into his movements.

Yu Xiaogang had also seen Xiao Wu on the high ground.

He had been about to speak again, but the poisonous mist made him cough several times. All he could do was drag Luo Sanpao farther back.

Up above, Yue Guan clicked his tongue.

"The Soft Bone Rabbit has completely sided with Su Hang."

Gui Mei stayed close to the shadows of the trees.

"Make a note of it."

"This is very important to His Holiness the Pope."

Yue Guan glanced at Tang San, who was fighting alone in the low-lying ground.

"Tang Hao's son is in for a rough day."

At the same time, a system notification sounded in Su Hang's mind.

[Ding! Xiao Wu's trust in the host has increased significantly!]

[Xiao Wu's favorability has surpassed the threshold! Current favorability: 50%!]

[Tang San's First Spirit Ring fortune-extraction efficiency has increased!]