"If there's even a single falsehood in this, I'll go to Notting City myself."
Inside the Pope Palace, Bibi Dong left them with those words. Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo immediately withdrew.
The diary copy lay open in silence on the purple crystal desk.
Bibi Dong didn't turn another page.
Yu Xiaogang.
Tang San.
Su Hang.
Those names were already tangled together.
She had originally only wanted to investigate Su Hang, but now she also had to get to the bottom of what Yu Xiaogang had taken from Spirit Hall all those years ago.
Notting Academy, Xiao Chenyu's courtyard.
Su Hang closed the Dark Gold Diary. The oil lamp on the table flickered twice.
Xiao Wu was still asleep on the soft bed by the window. The blanket was pulled up tightly, leaving only half her head exposed.
She didn't sleep soundly. When she turned over, she even dragged her pillow a little closer to Su Hang.
Su Hang was just about to put away the diary when the system notification arrived.
[Ding! Detected that Bibi Dong has developed serious suspicions about Yu Xiaogang. The diary's influence has expanded.] [Ding! Detected that Qian Renxue's interest in the Soul Hunting Forest incident has deepened. The likelihood of her observing what happens next has increased.] [Ding! Detected that Xiao Wu's dependence on the host is stable. Her current affection level remains steady.] [This diary settlement is complete.] [Reward: A slight increase in Soul Power.]
A warm current coursed through his meridians.
The Soul Power within Su Hang's body made a full circuit. The energy that had still been somewhat unsettled after he absorbed the God-Given Soul Ring now flowed more smoothly.
His level didn't leap up by a huge margin, but his foundation had become much steadier.
The reward wasn't anything spectacular, but it was quite useful.
The System Panel unfolded next.
[Level 1 Shop has been restocked.] [Basic Antidote Pill: Can neutralize common Soul Beast toxins. Exchange cost: 50 Diary Points.] [Low-Tier Soul Guidance Storage Belt: Contains storage space. Exchange cost: 80 Diary Points.] [Current Diary Points: 60.]
Su Hang looked at the shop, tapping his fingers on the tabletop a few times.
"Would you look at that? I still have to save up points myself."
"I thought the system was going to give me everything for free."
Both items in the shop were decent.
The storage belt would be convenient. He could pack plenty of things in it when he went Soul Hunting.
But he was going to the Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow, and his target was the Mandala Snake.
The poison was the most troublesome thing at the moment.
Su Hang didn't hesitate.
"Exchange for the Basic Antidote Pill."
[Exchange successful.]
A pill the size of his thumb landed in his palm, giving off a faint medicinal fragrance.
Su Hang put it away.
Tang San had the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the Tang Sect's methods for dealing with poison. Yu Xiaogang had also brought plenty of preparations.
Su Hang had Xiao Wu on his side.
Xiao Wu's true body was a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast that had taken human form. If she happened to get brushed by the Mandala Snake's poison, it might not be fatal, but an extra layer of protection was still a sensible precaution.
A rustle came from the bed.
Xiao Wu rubbed her eyes and sat up, her hair a little mussed from sleep.
"Brother Su Hang, you're still awake?"
Hugging the blanket, she scooted forward a little. Her eyes fell on the tabletop, then quickly moved away.
She was clever.
She didn't ask questions she shouldn't.
Su Hang put the diary back into his system storage space, then stood and walked to the bed. He ruffled her hair as he passed.
"If you're awake, go back to sleep."
"We're going to the Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow."
Xiao Wu immediately perked up.
"Were you just thinking about Tang San's First Spirit Ring?"
Su Hang glanced at her.
"You're pretty good at guessing."
Xiao Wu gave a quiet little snort.
"I'm not stupid."
"Ever since that Tang San showed up, I've felt all wound up inside."
"The diary says he'll hurt our family in the future. Of course I have to keep a close eye on him."
Su Hang sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Stay close to me tomorrow."
"Don't go wandering off by yourself, and don't let your Soul Beast aura show."
"If anything happens, get behind me."
Xiao Wu nodded quickly.
"Got it."
"My job is to cling to the strong guy's leg, not to play the hero."
Su Hang chuckled at that.
"You've got the right idea."
Xiao Wu wrapped the blanket around herself.
"Staying alive is what matters most."
"Brother Su Hang, if you snatch that Mandala Snake, does that mean Tang San won't be able to take off?"
Su Hang didn't answer right away.
He stirred his thoughts.
A gray-gold card appeared in his palm.
There were no words on it, only patterns that kept shifting.
It was the Tang San Luck Deprivation Card.
The system interface opened alongside it.
[Use the Tang San Luck Deprivation Card?] [Can lock onto Tang San's recent major luck nodes.] [Option One: Apprenticeship node.] [Option Two: First Spirit Ring node.] [Option Three: Hidden Weapon fame node.]
Su Hang leaned back in his chair, watching the options.
Tang San had already become Yu Xiaogang's apprentice.
Interfering now wouldn't bring much benefit.
It would be a while before he made a name for himself with hidden weapons.
The First Spirit Ring was the real starting point.
The Mandala Snake had a lot to do with the Blue Silver Grass taking the control route.
It had poison, resilience, and worked well with Entangle.
Once Tang San got this ring, he would have officially stepped onto the path of a protagonist.
If Su Hang was going to cut in, he might as well strike at the root.
He selected the second option without hesitation.
"Lock onto the First Spirit Ring node."
[Selected.] [Notice: The Luck Deprivation Card cannot make the target die out of nowhere.] [This card can only change who receives an opportunity, lower the quality of an opportunity, or transfer part of its benefits.] [The host must personally get involved and drive the event forward.] [If the host does not enter the Soul Hunting Forest, the card's effect will be greatly reduced.]
Su Hang read the notice and wasn't disappointed.
That made sense.
If he could sit in his room, tap once, and make Tang San's opportunity vanish by itself, it would be a little boring.
Getting personally involved would make it easier to dismantle Yu Xiaogang's theories on the spot.
And while he was at it, he could let Tang San experience what it was like when the protagonist treatment went offline.
Sitting on the bed, Xiao Wu couldn't see the system interface, but she could tell Su Hang was planning something big.
She scooted closer to the edge of the bed.
"Brother Su Hang, are we really going to snatch it tomorrow?"
Su Hang held the gray-gold card between his fingers.
"'Snatch' sounds crude."
"We'll call it a reasonable redistribution."
Xiao Wu blinked, then nodded at once.
"Got it."
"If Tang San gets it, he'll use it to hurt us, so we can't let him have it."
"That's called cutting our losses early."
Su Hang flicked a finger.
The gray-gold card scattered in midair into pinpricks of light, then slipped into the void.
[Luck Deprivation Card activated.] [Tang San's First Spirit Ring luck has been marked.]
Elsewhere.
Notting Academy, teachers' dormitory.
The light was still on in Yu Xiaogang's room.
Several sheets of paper were spread across the table, covered in notes about Spirit Ring ages, types of Soul Beasts, and paths for developing Martial Souls.
Tang San sat opposite him, listening intently.
Yu Xiaogang pointed at the words "Mandala Snake" on the paper.
"Blue Silver Grass's biggest weakness is its lack of strength."
"If it can absorb a Soul Beast that has poison and great resilience, it can make up for that."
"The Mandala Snake is a good fit."
Tang San nodded.
"Teacher, I'll follow your arrangements."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his chest suddenly felt tight.
Tang San raised a hand to his chest and went still for a moment.
Yu Xiaogang immediately put down the paper.
"What's wrong?"
Tang San composed himself.
"I feel a little unwell."
"I may just be tired from traveling."
Yu Xiaogang studied him closely for a few breaths, then picked up a cup of water and handed it over.
"We're going to the Soul Hunting Forest tomorrow. Get some rest tonight."
"A Soul Master's first ring is crucial. Nothing can go wrong."
Tang San took the cup and drank.
He didn't say anything else.
But the uneasy feeling in his heart lingered.
Tomorrow's Soul Hunting trip might not go as smoothly as he'd imagined.
Xiao Chenyu's courtyard.
The system's final line of text remained in front of Su Hang.
[Target: Soul Hunting Forest, Mandala Snake.]
Su Hang closed the panel and turned to Xiao Wu.
Hugging the blanket, she had already decided that she would follow him out tomorrow.
She'd even set her shoes by the bed, right where she could reach them most easily.
Su Hang blew out the oil lamp.
The room grew dark.
Xiao Wu spoke softly.
"Brother Su Hang, will that snake really show up tomorrow?"
Su Hang lay back down on the bed, his voice steady.
"The Mandala Snake is still around, but tomorrow, it may not be clear who it bites—or who it makes whole."
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