Tang Hao turned and was about to charge outside, but Tang Yuehua stopped him.
"Second Brother, Sister-in-law really did choose this of her own free will. Your paths have run their course. Let her go!"
Tang Hao glared at her, his eyes bloodshot. "You just said you didn't know where Ah Yin was! And it turns out she was right here with you! Is this how you deceive your second brother?"
Tang Yuehua's expression didn't change. "I did it for your own good."
"What's so great about that Brother Cao?!" Tang Hao roared. "He's got every last one of you bewitched! What kind of love potion did he pour down your throats?!"
"Ordinary men like you could never understand Brother Cao's greatness. He's a truly great man."
Before her words had even faded, she activated a Teleportation Talisman and vanished before Tang Hao's eyes.
Only Tang Hao and Tang San remained in Moonlight Pavilion, father and son facing each other in silence.
Tang Hao sank to the floor, tears streaming down his face.
Tang San stood to one side, his face livid and fists clenched so tightly they creaked.
After a long while, Tang San spoke, his voice cold as ice. "Brother Cao... One day, I'll make you pay."
First Xiao Wu, and now even Mom...
This was going too far. They were practically treating him like a Japanese man!
The hatred of having his wife stolen, the vengeance for his mother—these could never coexist under the same sky!
Tang Hao didn't respond. He only stared blankly in the direction where Ah Yin had vanished, murmuring to himself, "Ah Yin... My Ah Yin..."
Ye Family Fortress.
Ye Lingling looked away from the Sky Screen, her watery blue eyes fixed on the man beside her, who was leisurely sipping tea.
"Husband, you sure know how to have fun, huh? There aren't enough human female Soul Masters for you?"
Cao Xiyu's hand paused slightly around his teacup. He let out an awkward chuckle. "Heh, it's all the same. It's all the same. After Soul Beast Transformation, soul beasts are no different from humans. Two arms, two legs..."
"All the same?" Ye Lingling sneered. "Then how about I turn into a rabbit tomorrow and keep you company?"
Cao Xiyu hurriedly waved his hands. "No need, no need. You're perfect just the way you are, madam!"
Seeing this, Xiao Wu hurried over and linked arms with Ye Lingling, smiling sweetly.
"Exactly, big sister! After Soul Beast Transformation, soul beasts really are no different from humans. You can't discriminate! I may be a rabbit, but my skin's better than most human girls'!"
Ye Lingling's mouth twitched.
Was she helping her make a point, or showing off?
Zhu Zhuyun cradled her teacup and spoke in an unhurried voice. "Sister, you're so fierce. Unlike me—I only know how to dote on Brother Cao."
Ye Lingling: "..."
She took a deep breath and suddenly regretted taking these two troublemakers in.
One pretended to be innocent, the other played the helpless maiden. Neither of them was easy to handle.
Clear Sky Sect.
Tang Xiao stared at the two characters "Ah Yin" on the Sky Screen, silent for a long time.
Back then, he and his younger brother had both fallen in love with Ah Yin.
To let his younger brother have her, he had willingly stepped aside and buried his feelings deep in his heart.
He never expected that in the end, Brother Cao would be the one to benefit.
And now even his little sister Yuehua...
Tang Xiao closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
Had Heaven sent Brother Cao to punish the Clear Sky Sect?
The First Elder beside him had a different take.
His eyes shifted as he stroked his beard, then he spoke in a leisurely tone. "Sect Master, perhaps this is a good thing!"
Tang Xiao opened his eyes and glared at him. "A good thing? What the hell is good about it?"
The First Elder hurriedly explained. "Sect Master, think about it. Leaving Ah Yin aside, Miss Yuehua has gone to Brother Cao, so she belongs to him now. Miss Yuehua is one of our Clear Sky Sect, and she has a good relationship with the sect. Doesn't that mean..."
He paused, his eyes gleaming. "We're connected to Brother Cao by marriage now, too? Even if he doesn't favor the Clear Sky Sect, surely he won't deliberately make things difficult for us?"
At this, the other elders chimed in one after another.
"The First Elder makes a good point!"
"Exactly, Sect Master. Brother Cao's power is heaven-defying. He killed a God Official with a single slap. Getting on good terms with him would be a tremendous boon for the Clear Sky Sect!"
"We watched Miss Yuehua grow up, and she's always been deeply attached to the sect. Even if Brother Cao won't look at the monk's face, he'll look at the Buddha's. Surely he'll show us some consideration?"
Tang Xiao thought it over carefully. It did seem to make sense, but something about it still felt off.
His Clear Sky Sect, the foremost of the Upper Three Sects and once the greatest sect on the continent, now had to rely on a woman's connections to beg for protection?
Tang Xiao gave a bitter laugh and waved his hand. "Enough, enough. What's done is done; there's no point saying more. Pass down the order: show Yuehua more respect from now on. Also..."
He paused, a complicated look flashing across his eyes. "Keep a close watch on Brother Cao's movements. If he needs anything from the Clear Sky Sect... do everything we can to help."
The elders all nodded, their faces breaking into relieved smiles.
Ah Yin's appearance on the rankings had given the continent's countless onlookers a hearty helping of gossip.
"Fresh new recipe! Sisters-in-law together on the Combat Power Ranking!"
"Clear Sky Douluo has it rough. His wife and his little sister both ran off!"
"That Tang San guy's the real unlucky one! His girlfriend and his mom both got scooped up!"
"First Xiao Wu, then Ah Yin. Both went through Soul Beast Transformation. Tsk, tsk. Brother Cao sure has wide-ranging tastes!"
"Just wait. There'll definitely be more. I bet this Combat Power Ranking will turn into Brother Cao's harem list, just like the Genius Ranking!"
"Am I the only one who noticed that reward? Thousand-Lady Hundred-Change? That's a real weapon of mass destruction! Heh!"
"Heh! Is it what I think it is?"
"You bet, brother! You can change your body however you like. That means you can have legs as long as you want, a waist as slim as you want, and breasts as big as..."
"Gasp!"
"Gasp!"
"Brother Cao's happiness is beyond our wildest imagination!"
Blue Tyrant Academy.
Tang Hao and Tang San stumbled in, both looking utterly dejected.
One was deathly pale, the other wore a dark scowl.
Yu Xiaogang approached with a coy, mincing gait, his fingers posed delicately.
His face, caked in makeup, was full of concern. "Xiao San, look on the bright side. It's not so bad that your mom went with Brother Cao. It's like you've gained Uncle Cao as a powerful backer! He's the kind of man who can kill a God Official with one slap. How many people would kill to get on his good side?"
Tang Hao's eyes instantly reddened. He jerked his head up, his gaze so murderous it looked like he wanted to eat someone alive. "Yu Xiaogang, is that any way for a human being to talk? If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"
Yu Xiaogang shrieked in fright and darted behind Flender, shielding him firmly in front of himself.
Flender looked at his former good brother—no, good sister—with speechless dismay. He could hardly bear to look.
That guy hadn't just lost his manhood; he'd probably lost his mind, too.
He could only step in to smooth things over. "All right, all right. Xiaogang, that goes for you too. If you can't speak properly, don't speak!"
Tang San was furious, too. He might as well be rid of this teacher!
Yu Xiaogang, however, didn't think he'd said anything wrong.
He poked his head out from behind Flender and looked at Liu Erlong. "Erlong, don't you agree? We women should find a strong man to rely on—the stronger, the better!"
Liu Erlong felt her stomach churn at his words.
How had she ever fallen for a thing like this?
But... thinking it over carefully, he did have a point.
Wasn't that exactly what she'd done?
Ever since she'd met Brother Cao in a dream and spoken with him, his strength had completely won her over.
Brother Cao had said he liked riding dragons, so she let him ride her every day.
Life like this was a thousand times better than being with that useless Yu Xiaogang!