Tang San Can't Escape My Palm, The Second Move!

Duke Spirit Cat froze for a moment, his body instinctively shifting half an inch forward from the back of his chair, his gaze burning as he looked at Dai Mobai.

"Your Highness, I am eager to hear the details."

The Star Luo Emperor did not speak, merely setting the teacup in his hand slowly onto the desk.

The look in his eyes as he watched Dai Mobai also held a hint of anticipation.

Dai Mobai was in no hurry.

He lifted his teacup to take another sip, moistening his throat before speaking unhurriedly.

"That hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor from back then left Tang Hao with an heir."

Zhu Song's brows arched slightly.

He had heard vague rumors of this, but no one had ever confirmed it.

Tang Hao had vanished so thoroughly that the entire world of Soul Masters assumed he had died in some unknown corner.

"And the location where I discovered this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone is in a mountain range about fifty miles south of Nuoding City."

Dai Mobai placed his teacup back on the table, his fingertips tracing a slow circle along the rim.

"At the foot of that mountain range lies a village called Holy Soul Village. As it happens, there is a blacksmith in that village named Tang Hao, and he has a son named Tang San."

"Holy Soul Village? Tang Hao?"

Zhu Song repeated the two names, his expression shifting from confusion to contemplation.

"What's more coincidental is this."

Dai Mobai delivered the final blow without haste.

"He first appeared in Holy Soul Village twelve years ago."

The Imperial Study fell silent for a moment.

The Star Luo Emperor's pupils contracted slightly, his fingers tapping silently against the surface of the desk.

"Twelve years ago was exactly when Tang Hao disappeared from the Soul Master world."

The Star Luo Emperor spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying an indescribable weight.

Twelve years ago, Qian Xunji had been severely wounded and died, sending Spirit Hall into a rage, while Tang Hao had fled to the ends of the earth, never to be heard from again.

Who could have imagined that he had been forging iron in an unremarkable little village near Nuoding City for twelve years?

"Are you saying this Tang San is Tang Hao's heir?"

Zhu Song could not help but interject, his tone filled with disbelief.

"Exactly."

Dai Mobai nodded with a smile.

"If Tang Hao were still alone, with his strength as a Title Douluo, Spirit Hall would truly have no way to deal with him."

"But things are different now; he has an heir, which means he has a weakness."

Dai Mobai's voice was not loud, yet every word was clear.

"He can run, but Tang San cannot. Can a twelve-year-old child spend his entire life hiding in the deep mountains and old forests with him?"

"Therefore, as long as we hold Tang San's whereabouts, Tang Hao will be forced to act as our bait, luring the big fish that is Spirit Hall."

Zhu Song drew a sharp breath after hearing this.

The Star Luo Emperor's gaze shifted slightly as well.

He remained silent for a moment before nodding slowly.

The plan was interlocked, with every step perfectly aligned.

He had not failed to consider using Tang Hao to check Spirit Hall, but he had never found a viable breakthrough.

Yet, Dai Mobai had already paved the way.

"Then how are we to control Tang San's whereabouts?"

Zhu Song glanced at the Star Luo Emperor, voicing the question they both shared.

Tang San's location was the key to the entire plan; without holding that thread, the fishing rod that was Tang Hao would be useless.

Dai Mobai smiled but said nothing.

He extended a finger, dipped it lightly into the tea in his cup, and unhurriedly wrote a single character on the smooth surface of the table.

The Star Luo Emperor and Zhu Song both fixed their eyes on it.

A bright, clear "San" appeared before them.

The tea spread across the dark tabletop, the strokes simple and unmistakable.

"San?"

Zhu Song's brows were tightly knit as he stared at the character for a long time, his mind turning over several possibilities without finding the answer.

"Your Highness, what does this mean? Does it refer to Tang San himself?"

Dai Mobai shook his head.

"Does it refer to three steps?"

Zhu Song asked again.

Dai Mobai shook his head once more.

Zhu Song was completely at a loss. Unable to fathom the meaning, he could only offer a bitter smile and bow to Dai Mobai.

"I beg Your Highness to enlighten this subject."

"This 'three' refers to both Tang San and Dai Mubai."

Dai Mobai tapped the writing on the table, his voice indifferent.

Dai Mubai.

As soon as the name was spoken, the atmosphere in the Imperial Study subtly stiffened.

Zhu Song looked toward the Star Luo Emperor almost instinctively.

As a subject, he knew better than anyone what the name Dai Mubai meant to the Emperor.

It was a disgrace, a taboo that could not be mentioned.

But the Star Luo Emperor's expression remained calm, unaffected by the name.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip, as if listening to a complete stranger.

If he had once felt a shred of disappointment at his son's failure to live up to expectations, then in the presence of a gem like Dai Mobai, that son who had fled from battle had long since been erased from his heart.

There was no hatred, no disappointment—only a pure, absolute indifference.

It didn't even qualify as a lack of affection.

"What does this matter have to do with him?"

The Star Luo Emperor's voice was flat, as if he were inquiring about a total stranger.

"After Dai Mubai fled the Star Luo Empire, he went to the Heaven Dou Empire."

Dai Mobai said unhurriedly.

"He joined a Soul Master Academy there called Shrek, and Tang San was his classmate at Shrek."

Zhu Song was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Dai Mubai and Tang San were classmates, which meant that by tracking Dai Mubai's movements, Dai Mobai could indirectly monitor Tang San's activities.

This move had been set in motion three years ago when Dai Mubai fled, but it was only being revealed today.

How old was His Highness three years ago? Twelve? A twelve-year-old boy had already begun laying out such a scheme?

Zhu Song couldn't help but take another look at Dai Mobai.

That young face still wore a faint smile, gentle and harmless, like a modest gentleman.

Yet behind that smile lay a vast web that had been woven for three years.

"I hadn't expected you to have made so many preparations."

The Star Luo Emperor looked at Dai Mobai, his tone filled with emotion, gratification, and a trace of admiration that even he himself had not noticed.

"Since you have such a clear grasp of Dai Mubai's whereabouts, I shall leave the manipulation of this hidden piece, Tang San, to you."

He was quite decisive, handing full authority over the matter to Dai Mobai without asking another question.

However, what the Star Luo Emperor did not know was that the reason Dai Mobai knew all this was not because he had planted spies around Dai Mubai, nor was it due to years of intelligence gathering.

He didn't need to.

He was born with a god's-eye view; the life trajectories of everyone in this world were like an open book in his eyes.

"Understood, Father."

Dai Mobai nodded, his demeanor as calm as a cloud, before shifting the topic.

"The first move was played perfectly; now, it is time for the second."