That's pee! It's pee! Tang San, stop imagining things!

Su Mo slammed the ledger shut, took a deep breath, then flipped it open to check again.

That was right.

Six hundred and thirty-seven years.

That Big Black Ox of his—the one he treated as a mount, a brother, and a beast of burden—was actually a six-hundred-year-old Demon King!

Su Mo stood frozen in place, his mind a complete blank.

Su Mo fell silent.

He recalled many details—

The way the Big Black Ox would shake its head while reading.

The calm look in its eyes when it used its horns to poke Old Jack in the backside.

And that "moo" the ox let out every time he vented to it; thinking back now, that tone clearly meant:

"Heh, foolish human."

Su Mo's mouth twitched.

"You... a six-hundred-year-old Demon King, playing brother with me?"

The ledger grew slightly warm in his hands.

On the final page, a new line of text slowly emerged:

Deep reading in progress—

Big Black Ox is currently reading your work, Analects of Swinging...

Su Mo: "..."

He silently closed the ledger and exited the Heavenly Dao Library.

Opening his eyes, he was back in the small room, the moonlight bright outside the window.

He turned his head toward the door.

Through the crack in the door, a pair of eyes as large as copper bells were staring straight at him.

Under the moonlight, the Big Black Ox poked its head through the gap, its expression profound.

"Moo." (So you know?)

Su Mo stared it down for three seconds.

Then, he silently pulled the quilt up and covered his head.

"You old ox, you really are a sneaky bastard!"

The Big Black Ox nodded in satisfaction and pulled its head back.

Outside the door, the sound of pages turning drifted in.

Su Mo screamed silently beneath his covers.

I've been riding a century-old spirit beast for two years?!

The night deepened.

Su Mo slept very soundly.

Mainly because he was exhausted—awakening, growing larger, scaring children to tears, knocking out Tang San, going home to comfort his mother, discovering he'd been riding a Demon King for two years... the sheer volume of information from this day would be too much for anyone to handle.

But no matter how much he could handle, he couldn't handle his biological needs.

In the middle of the night, Su Mo was woken up by a full bladder.

He sat up groggily, rubbed his eyes, and wobbled toward the door.

The moonlight outside was bright.

The night breeze was cold.

The latrine was in the corner of the yard, just a few steps away.

Su Mo unfastened his belt, exposing little Su Mo—

And then he saw it.

In the yard, under the moonlight, a short figure stood bolt upright.

Motionless.

Facing the door.

Its eyes reflected light in the darkness.

Su Mo's brain crashed instantly.

Following that, every horror movie scene he had ever watched in his past life flooded his mind.

The Ring, Ju-On, A Wicked Ghost...

His body reacted faster than his brain.

A stream of heat, beyond his control, lashed out.

"Whoosh—"

A direct hit.

The short figure shuddered all over.

Su Mo shuddered all over, too.

It's over, I peed on someone.

He widened his eyes, peering closely by the moonlight.

Thin and small, short hair, with three bumps on his forehead reflecting the moonlight like three tiny lightbulbs.

He was soaking wet, water dripping down from his body.

Those eyes stared straight at him, their expression so complex it was as if he had experienced all the highs and lows of life.

It was none other than Tang San.

Su Mo: "..."

Tang San: "..."

The night breeze blew past, carrying a subtle scent.

The corners of Tang San's mouth twitched.

The corners of Su Mo's mouth twitched as well.

Silence.

A long, drawn-out silence.

In the end, it was Tang San who spoke first, his voice hoarse:

"Su... Su Mo."

Su Mo responded instinctively: "...Yeah."

"You..."

"I..."

"Just now, you..."

"I wasn't awake." Su Mo interrupted decisively. "I was sleepwalking."

Tang San looked down at his soaked clothes, then looked back up at Su Mo.

Under the moonlight, that six-year-old face was written all over with, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Su Mo remained composed. "People who sleepwalk have no control over what they do. That's common knowledge."

Tang San was silent for three seconds.

Then, he took a deep breath, stepped back, and bowed deeply to Su Mo.

"Disciple Tang San, greets his teacher!"

Su Mo: "???"

He was stunned.

What kind of development was this?

He peed all over him, and he was still bowing to become his apprentice?

"Wait, wait, wait." Su Mo waved his hands. "Don't be in such a rush to bow, what are you doing?"

Tang San straightened up, his eyes incredibly earnest under the moonlight.

"Teacher held back at the ancestral hall today, only knocking me out without causing me the slightest harm."

Su Mo: That's because I was afraid your dad would come to hack me to pieces.

Tang San continued, "Those three bumps, arranged so neatly—this is absolute control over power, it is your condescending mercy."

Su Mo: That was just me flicking my fingers at random.

Tang San went on, "And for you to write books at six years old, you must be a person of great wisdom."

Su Mo: That much is true.

Tang San added, "Disciple pondered for an entire day, and finally, I have realized."

Su Mo had an ominous premonition.

"Teacher was giving me a hint." Tang San's voice was resonant and powerful. "Coming in the dead of night to resolve my confusion!"

Su Mo: "..."

"You knocked me out and left three bumps, yet did not hurt me—this was to enlighten me!"

Su Mo: "..."

"This disciple originally thought he was overthinking it, but just a moment ago!" Tang San's gaze burned with intensity, "You appeared exactly at the third watch, stood before me, and even..."

He paused, carefully choosing his words.

"And bestowed upon me a... trial."

Su Mo nearly choked on his own saliva.

A trial?

You call that a trial?

That was urine! It was urine!

"Tang San," Su Mo tried his best to keep his voice calm, "listen to me, this is a misunderstanding."

"This disciple understands," Tang San nodded, "Teacher is testing this disciple's comprehension."

"No, it really is just a misunderstanding."

"This disciple understands," Tang San's eyes grew even more resolute, "The actions of an expert must have profound meaning."

Su Mo opened his mouth.

He realized that nothing he said would be of any use.

This kid, his ability to overthink was far too strong.

He looked at Tang San's earnest face, his soaked clothes, and the three bumps shining brightly under the moonlight, and suddenly felt a pang of pity.

With this kind of imagination, how many web novels must he have read in his past life?

No, wait, he was a Tang Sect disciple in his past life; he shouldn't have been reading novels.

That meant it was innate.

A natural-born talent!

Su Mo sighed.

Forget it, if it couldn't be explained, then he wouldn't explain it.

In any case, once Tang San set his mind on something, not even nine oxen could pull him back. Rather than arguing with him about "I didn't intend to take you as a disciple," it was better to think about how to handle this trouble.

He couldn't kill him; his father was a Title Douluo.

He couldn't beat him; if he broke him, it would be even more troublesome.

He couldn't drive him away; look at that gaze of his, could he be driven away?

Su Mo thought for a moment, then turned and walked toward the house.

Tang San followed immediately.

Su Mo stopped in front of a bookshelf, pulled out a book at random, and handed it to Tang San.

"Take it, read."

Tang San received it with both hands and looked down at the cover—Battle Through the Heavens.

The moment his fingers touched the pages, the book suddenly emitted a faint glow, as if waves of heat were radiating from between the lines.

He couldn't help but flip to the first page.

[Dou Power, Third Stage!]

A line of text caught his eyes.

Then, the world changed.

Tang San found himself standing on a massive martial arts arena, surrounded by countless looks of disdain. A frail youth stood in the center, listening to the mockery of those around him—

"Trash!"

"Three years, and still at the third stage!"

"The shame of the Xiao Clan!"