Gangzi: Tang San Will Definitely Come!

At the academy entrance, Tang San and Xiao Wu were already waiting.

Big Black Ox stood to the side, lazily flicking its tail.

Tang San held the reins of a carriage—not the dilapidated one from Holy Soul Village, but a new one with a spacious cabin and two sturdy, well-fed horses pulling it.

"Master!" Tang San greeted him, "The carriage is rented, three Silver Spirit Coins a day!"

Su Mo nodded and looked toward the cabin.

It was quite spacious inside; it could easily seat four or five people.

Xiao Wu was already inside, leaning against the window and looking around excitedly.

Big Black Ox sauntered up, found a comfortable spot, and lay down.

Su Mo boarded the carriage, Tang San sat next to the driver's seat, and cracked the whip—

"Giddy up!"

The carriage slowly pulled away, heading in the direction of the Star Dou Forest.

Yu Xiaogang crouched in a corner by the school gate, his neck hunched, his eyes fixed intently on the academy entrance.

He had been squatting there for a day and a half.

He had spent all of yesterday waiting, but to no avail.

He couldn't sleep a wink that night, his mind filled entirely with thoughts of Tang San.

He had arrived before dawn today to continue his vigil.

Heaven rewards the diligent.

Finally, he had waited long enough.

Yu Xiaogang saw Tang San lead the carriage out, saw Su Mo and Xiao Wu board it, and watched as the carriage drove toward the outskirts of the city.

His eyes lit up.

Hunting a Soul Beast!

They must be going to hunt a Soul Beast!

In his previous life, it was on this very day that Tang San had slain a Datura Snake at the Royal Hunting Ground and obtained his first soul ring!

Although there were a few extra people this time, the general direction couldn't be wrong!

Yu Xiaogang trembled with excitement.

He stood up, ready to follow them.

Then, a problem occurred to him—

He was out of money.

He had been hounded by the cafeteria staff for debts yesterday and had even pawned his ancestral jade pendant. Now, he had only a dozen or so Copper Spirit Coins left to his name.

Never mind renting a carriage; he didn't even have enough to rent a donkey.

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth.

Forget it, he would go see if there was anything cheap.

He ran to the carriage rental shop next to the academy, and as soon as he poked his head in, a shifty-eyed man approached him.

"Sir, looking to rent a carriage?"

Yu Xiaogang nodded.

The man lowered his voice: "I've got good stock here, half the price of the rental shop. Interested?"

Yu Xiaogang's eyes brightened: "Really?"

The man patted his chest: "Of course! My horses are all top-notch—fast, steady, just like the ones at the rental shop!"

Yu Xiaogang was tempted.

He took out all the money he had—seventeen Copper Spirit Coins.

The man took one look and nodded: "That's enough, that's enough! Follow me!"

Yu Xiaogang followed him through several twists and turns until they reached a small alley.

At the end of the alley, there was tied...

There was...

Yu Xiaogang rubbed his eyes.

It was a dog.

No, was it a dog?

The creature had a dog's head and a dog's body, but its four legs were as thin as hemp stalks, and its fur was patchy, revealing the wrinkled skin beneath.

Most importantly—

It was old.

So old that its eyes could barely stay open, and it lay on the ground, panting weakly.

Yu Xiaogang's mouth twitched. "This is... a horse?"

The man nodded. "That's right, a horse! You've never seen this breed, have you? It's called... uh... a Hyena Horse! Yes, a Hyena Horse! They run incredibly fast!"

Yu Xiaogang: "..."

He pointed at the "Hyena Horse." "It can't even stand up."

The man walked over and gave the creature a kick.

The creature stood up sluggishly, its four legs trembling and wobbling as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.

The man looked proud. "See that? It stood up! How spirited!"

Yu Xiaogang fell silent.

He suddenly realized that he might have been scammed.

But before he could say a word, the man had already shoved the reins into his hands and scurried away in a flash.

"Transaction complete! No refunds or exchanges!"

Yu Xiaogang gripped the reins, looking at the creature before him...

A hyena?

An elderly hyena?

The creature looked back at him, its cloudy eyes filled with a sense of bewilderment that seemed to ask, "Which one of us is having a worse day?"

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath.

Forget it.

Having something is better than having nothing.

He swung himself onto its back—

The creature's four legs buckled, and it nearly collapsed.

Yu Xiaogang quickly steadied himself and patted its head.

"Let's... let's go."

The creature began to move slowly, swaying with every step as if it were walking on cotton.

Its speed was roughly the same as a human walking.

Yu Xiaogang's face turned black.

He looked back at the carriage rental shop—it was already out of sight.

He looked ahead—Su Mo and the others' carriage was long gone.

He gritted his teeth.

It was fine; he knew where Tang San was going.

The Royal Hunting Ground, a place he had visited in his past life.

If he rode slowly, he would get there eventually.

On the main road.

Su Mo's carriage moved at a leisurely pace.

Inside the carriage, Xiao Wu leaned against the window, watching the scenery outside and humming an unknown tune.

The Big Black Ox lay in the corner, eyes closed, resting.

Su Mo leaned against the carriage wall with his eyes shut, lost in thought.

Suddenly, Tang San's voice came from outside: "Master, there seems to be someone behind us."

Su Mo opened his eyes, lifted the curtain, and looked back.

Far off on the main road, there was a tiny black dot.

The dot moved very slowly, as slow as a crawling tortoise.

Su Mo narrowed his eyes to look closer.

That dot... it looked like a person?

Riding what?

He couldn't tell.

He withdrew his gaze, unconcerned.

"Don't worry about it, let's focus on the journey."

Tang San acknowledged the order and continued driving the carriage.

The carriage gradually moved into the distance.

Yu Xiaogang rode that elderly hyena, moving at a leisurely pace.

The creature's speed was truly no faster than walking.

No, it was even slower than walking.

It would take a few steps, pause to catch its breath, and then continue on.

Yu Xiaogang was anxious beyond measure, yet he dared not urge it on, fearing it might simply lie down right there.

Would he really have to walk the rest of the way if that happened?

Suddenly, the sound of hooves echoed from ahead.

A luxurious carriage approached from the opposite direction, brushing past him.

Yu Xiaogang instinctively looked up.

The curtain of the carriage window was lifted a corner, revealing a face.

Fair and clean, about six years old—it was Su Mo.

Their gazes met in the air, separated only by the curtain.

Su Mo was taken aback.

He blinked.

Yu Xiaogang blinked as well.

And then—

The curtain was dropped.

The carriage continued forward, quickly vanishing at the end of the main road.

Yu Xiaogang faintly heard a conversation drifting from inside the carriage:

"Master, who was that person?"

"I don't know, he looked a bit familiar."

"Familiar? Ah! Is it that fool who calls himself Grandmaster?"

"It seems to be him."

"Pfft—what is he riding? Is that a dog? Hahahaha, he's killing me!"

"Moo." (How stupid.)

Yu Xiaogang's face turned red, then white, then a sickly shade of green.

He looked down at the creature he was riding...

A hyena?

The beast also looked up at him, letting out a wheezing sound.

Yu Xiaogang fell silent.

He suddenly felt he didn't want to go to the Royal Hunting Ground anymore.

But he gritted his teeth and continued forward.

For Tang San.

For the sake of becoming a god.

For...

Damn it, can this broken dog walk any faster?!

The main road split into two ahead.

One led left, toward the Star Dou Forest.

The other led right, toward the Royal Hunting Ground.

Su Mo's carriage turned left first.

Yu Xiaogang's "hyena" turned right.

Neither party noticed as they drifted further and further apart.

The setting sun slanted westward.

Yu Xiaogang rode his dog along the empty main road.

The evening breeze blew, carrying a chill.

He wrapped his clothes tighter around himself and looked toward the horizon.

The Royal Hunting Ground was still a long way off.

But it didn't matter.

He firmly believed that Tang San would definitely come.

He definitely would.