Tang Hao Makes His Move

"Then come with us. You're the one who refuses to go."

Wang Dong'er said.

"When you promise to do something, you have to follow through. That really is the most basic virtue."

"But Shrek Academy is obviously a swindler academy. I don't care what you do, but Sister Xiao Wu absolutely can't waste her time here."

"Don't say that." Xiao Wu tugged at Wang Dong'er. "Xiao San, you should come with us too. This Shrek Academy... really is a swindler academy."

"I... I'm not leaving." Tang San looked at Xiao Wu, his expression earnest. "Xiao Wu, stay here with me. The academy my teacher recommended can't be wrong."

"This..." Xiao Wu looked at Tang San, then at Wang Dong'er, and finally shook her head at Tang San.

Her meaning was already perfectly clear. She just didn't want to make things too difficult for Tang San. After all, the friendship they'd built over six years as classmates was precious.

"We're friends, the three of us, right?"

To everyone's surprise, Tang San asked a calm, seemingly trivial question.

"Of course," Xiao Wu said.

Wang Dong'er hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"We're friends... So why do you always take Wang Dong'er's side? Why do you never consider staying with me?"

Tang San asked, bewildered.

"This..." Xiao Wu didn't know how to answer.

"Friendships aren't all the same. You ask why Xiao Wu takes my side? Because the heart naturally leans to one side."

Wang Dong'er raised a hand and pointed to the heart on the left side of her chest.

"Xiao San, if Xiao Wu and I both fell into the water, you'd definitely save Xiao Wu first. You know why."

"The reason Sister Xiao Wu chose to stay with me is the same as the reason you'd save her first. Do you understand now?"

"I don't understand."

Tang San suddenly roared.

His eyes reddened. He looked at Xiao Wu in sorrow, his lips twitching as he struggled to speak, but no words came.

When he looked at Wang Dong'er, resentment filled his heart.

He suddenly felt like Yu had been born in a world where Liang already existed.

If not for Wang Dong'er, Xiao Wu would belong to him completely.

He and Xiao Wu would surely have been childhood sweethearts, together until the end.

In his previous life, he'd been an orphan, with no one who cared about him.

In this life, his mother was gone. After he awakened his Martial Soul, his father had been the first to make him feel what it was like to be cared for—but before long, his father had left without a word.

To him, Xiao Wu and Wang Dong'er, his classmates of six years, were his best friends.

Now both of them had abandoned him... Despair welled up within Tang San. His eyes turned bloodred, and a cold aura seeped out, slowly spreading in every direction.

Killing intent?

Wang Dong'er began circulating her Soul Power, growing alert.

Xiao Wu's expression changed drastically.

That icy aura reminded her of someone.

Bibi Dong, the current Pope of Spirit Hall.

Tang San's aura now was extremely similar to the "Divine Slaughter's Domain" Bibi Dong had unleashed that day.

It was that Divine Slaughter's Domain that weakened her mother, Da Ming, and Er Ming, leading to her mother's death at Bibi Dong's hands.

"Tang San, what do you mean by this? You're actually thinking of attacking Dong'er and me... We've been friends for six years!"

"No, Xiao Wu, I wasn't going to hurt you."

Tang San reined in his aura and came to his senses. He didn't even know what had just happened. It had been as if he'd lost control...

He hurriedly tried to explain himself to Xiao Wu.

"I don't want to hear your explanation." Xiao Wu shook her head.

Tang San hadn't meant to attack her, which meant the killing intent just now had been directed at Wang Dong'er.

Wang Dong'er was family to her. She couldn't forgive Tang San.

"Tang San, I never thought you'd consider attacking Dong'er and me over something so trivial. I was wrong about you."

"The friendship we shared for six years ends today. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other."

"No, no, Xiao Wu, listen to me! I really didn't do it on purpose."

Tang San's heart raced with panic, and cold sweat soaked his body, but no matter how he tried to explain, it was useless.

Wang Dong'er led Xiao Wu toward the outskirts of the village. Tang San wanted to follow, but Xiao Wu's words pierced his spine like a blade, leaving him unable to move. He collapsed to the ground in utter grief and could only watch helplessly as Xiao Wu and Wang Dong'er disappeared from sight.

"No...!"

Having lived two lives, Tang San had thought himself a strong person, but the tears still wouldn't stop.

Try putting yourself in his shoes.

You had two beautiful childhood friends.

You liked one of them, but there was no place left for you in her heart. The one standing in your place was none other than your other childhood friend.

Today, both of them abandoned you at once, and because of your Martial Souls, you couldn't even remain friends.

Just thinking about it was suffocating.

The one bit of good news was that Tang San and Xiao Wu had never been together, so Wang Dong'er hadn't really stolen Xiao Wu from him.

"Poor thing..." Zhu Zhuqing shook her head.

"Poor how? That girl Xiao Wu chose to leave with another girl instead of him. Doesn't that say enough about what kind of person he is?"

Ning Rongrong said.

"He'd attack a companion of six years over something so trivial. Someone like that doesn't deserve pity. He got what was coming to him."

"Child, thank you. I feel much better now," Flender muttered. "And thank you for firmly choosing our Shrek..."

Dugu Bo gave a questioning "Hm?" Flender chuckled awkwardly and immediately corrected himself. "Swindler Academy. Swindler Academy."

"Senior, should I draw something beside the characters? Maybe a pig's head? A turtle?"

Tang San didn't care about anything around him. His sorrow reached its breaking point, and a suffocating feeling surged over him like a flood of ferocious beasts. He could no longer withstand the backlash of his emotions. Pfft! He spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

Hidden nearby, Tang Hao had watched the entire scene, and his fury had long since boiled over.

His child had been humiliated like a mangy dog.

The Soul Beast he'd watched over for six years had been taken away by some little girl. Today, even if it meant risking discovery and pursuit by Spirit Hall, he was going to vent his anger.

Wang Dong'er and Xiao Wu followed the country road they'd taken earlier toward the city.

A few minutes later, just as they were about to pass through a bamboo grove, a violent gale suddenly swept through it. Bamboo leaves whirled through the air, freezing in the cold killing intent and turning into sharp ice shards.

Caught completely off guard, Wang Dong'er and Xiao Wu were already covered in several bloody cuts.

"Dong'er, are you all right?"

Xiao Wu's face was full of concern. Ignoring her own injuries, she gently wiped the blood from Wang Dong'er.

"I'm fine."

Wang Dong'er shook her head slightly. She looked at Xiao Wu and was about to tend to her wounds when they began healing at a visible speed.

"Look, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red is working. Now that I know you're all right, I can relax."