Twenty-odd Copper Soul Coins lay scattered across the ground, glinting in the sunlight.
At the gatehouse, two middle-aged men were wrestling. One was yanking the other's hair, while the other bit the first man's ear, both cursing up a storm:
"You ungrateful bastard! I was the one who recommended you!"
"You heartless bastard! You took fifteen Silver Spirit Coins from me!"
"I was holding on to them for you!"
"Hold on to your ass! Give me my money back!"
Several guards stood in a circle nearby, munching on melon seeds as they watched the show. They had no intention of breaking up the fight.
Yu Xiaogang: "..."
He silently took a step back, then another.
Then he turned around, pretended he hadn't seen a thing, and hurried into the academy.
As he walked, he wondered:
Were those... the academy's gate guards?
Had Notting Academy really lowered its hiring standards that much?
No.
The point was—where was Tang San?
He looked around, but didn't see that familiar figure.
Yu Xiaogang frowned.
According to his memories of his previous life, Tang San should have been given a hard time by the gate guards today. Then Yu Xiaogang would have shown up just in time, resolved the crisis in a few words, and won Tang San's favor.
But now...
The guards were fighting.
Tang San was nowhere to be seen.
An ominous feeling stirred faintly in Yu Xiaogang's heart.
But then he reassured himself: It was fine. Tang San must have been sent back. After all, without his help, what could a six-year-old child do?
Tomorrow, he would go to Holy Soul Village and "bump into" him. He could still take him as his disciple.
Perfect.
Yu Xiaogang nodded, clasped his hands behind his back, and ambled into the academy.
"Never mind. Apart from me, who else could teach Tang San to become a god? He can't do without me."
Inside Notting Academy.
With Su Yuntao leading the way, getting into the academy was a breeze.
Old Jack unloaded the luggage, took Su Mo by the hand, and spent ages reminding him to eat well, study hard, avoid fighting, and send word to the village if he ran short of money...
Su Mo agreed to everything.
At last, Old Jack wiped the corner of his eye and drove the carriage back.
Su Mo watched the rickety carriage disappear from sight, then turned away.
Su Yuntao said beside him, "Sir, I'll take you to complete the enrollment paperwork first and pick up your daily necessities. Big Black Ox will also need a pet permit to be allowed to move about inside the academy."
"No need. If he's emergency rations, there's no need to go to all that trouble."
"Moo?"
Su Yuntao smiled. He naturally knew it was a joke.
Su Mo nodded and looked at Tang San.
Tang San had the sack slung over his back, a sack even bigger than he was and stuffed full of Su Mo's belongings. The three bumps on his forehead still hadn't gone down, gleaming in the sunlight, but his face wore a satisfied smile, as if he'd just found money.
Su Mo fell silent for a second.
Tang San hadn't stopped fussing over him once during the whole journey from Holy Soul Village to Notting City.
He had brought him water in the morning, handed him dry rations at noon, and made his bed at night. He'd waited on him hand and foot all the way, as dutiful as a professional servant.
Just now, at the gate, he'd even charged straight at a seventeenth-level Soul Master for his sake, only to be shoved to the ground with a single slap.
He was a little foolish.
But that thoughtfulness...
Su Mo sighed. "Tang San, wait here and get some rest. Give me the luggage. I can go pick up the supplies myself."
Tang San hurriedly hid the sack behind his back. "No need, no need! Master, your disciple isn't tired!"
Su Mo said, "Those three bumps on your head still haven't gone down."
Tang San touched his forehead and grinned. "It's fine! Master bestowed them on me. They're a mark of honor!"
Su Mo: "..."
He really couldn't keep up with this kid's train of thought.
Su Yuntao tried to hold back a laugh. "Don't worry, sir. Young Master Tang San can wait here. I'll go with you to handle the enrollment paperwork. It won't take long."
Tang San was about to say something, but Su Mo had already turned and left.
All he could do was stand there and watch Su Mo go.
Then he found a shady spot to sit, pulled Battle Through the Heavens out of the sack, and happily started reading it again.
Yu Xiaogang was wandering aimlessly around the academy, planning out tomorrow's "chance encounter."
As he walked, a figure caught the corner of his eye.
Short black hair, about six years old.
Sitting in the shade, holding a book and reading intently.
Yu Xiaogang stopped in his tracks.
He rubbed his eyes and looked more closely.
That profile, that familiar outline—
Tang San?!
Yu Xiaogang's mind went blank for 0.3 seconds.
What was he doing here?
Shouldn't the gate guards have sent him back?
Could it be... could it be that he'd gotten in on his own?
Yu Xiaogang's heart gave a lurch, but he quickly calmed down.
It didn't matter how he'd gotten in. Since they'd met, it was fate.
He straightened his clothes, cleared his throat, and put on what he considered his most scholarly smile before walking over.
"Little friend, are you waiting for someone, sitting here all by yourself?"
Tang San looked up.
A middle-aged man stood in front of him, dressed plainly. As for his air... how to put it? He looked like someone trying hard to seem learned, but who still gave off an unmistakable whiff of musty pedantry.
Tang San blinked. "Who are you?"
Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly and stood with his hands behind his back. "My surname is Yu, and my name is Xiaogang. My friends in the Soul Master World call me—the Grandmaster."
Tang San: "Oh."
Then he lowered his head and went back to reading.
Yu Xiaogang: "..."
He waited a while, but Tang San showed no sign of continuing the conversation, so he had no choice but to go on himself. "Little friend, if I'm not mistaken, you're a Soul Master, aren't you?"
Tang San didn't even look up. "Mm."
Obviously. He'd come to enroll at a Soul Master Academy. What else would he be?
"Your Martial Soul is... Blue Silver Grass?"
Tang San finally looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "How did you know?"
Yu Xiaogang was secretly delighted. As expected, the memories of his previous life were still useful.
He gave a mysterious smile. "Because I'm a master of Martial Soul Theory. Although Blue Silver Grass is widely considered a Trash Martial Soul, I believe it has limitless potential."
Tang San looked at him without saying a word.
Yu Xiaogang continued, "For example, Blue Silver Grass may be fragile, but it has extraordinary vitality and adaptability. With the right Soul Rings, it could absolutely follow a control-type or poison-type path. And since you have Innate Full Soul Power, there's no reason you couldn't achieve great things in the future."
He paused, his tone turning earnest. "Little friend, if you're willing, I can become your teacher. I'll use everything I've learned in my life to help you plan the cultivation path that's best for you."
When he finished, he gazed at Tang San expectantly.
Tang San was silent for three seconds.
Then he asked, "Are you done?"
Yu Xiaogang froze. "...I'm done."
Tang San nodded. "Oh."
Then he lowered his head and went back to reading.
Yu Xiaogang: "..."
This wasn't right.
In his previous life, when he'd said all this, shouldn't Tang San have been moved to tears and bowed to him on the spot?
He couldn't help asking again, "Little friend, don't you... think what I said makes sense?"
Tang San didn't even look up. "It makes a lot of sense."
Yu Xiaogang: "Then why are you..."
Tang San finally looked up again and gazed at him, an odd light in his eyes.
Yu Xiaogang knew that light well—it was admiration, reverence, the look someone gave an idol.
But the problem was, those eyes weren't looking at him.
Tang San was looking into the distance, at the small figure approaching them.
Then Tang San's face broke into a radiant smile. He stood up and hurried over to greet him:
"Master! You're back!"