Tang San's heart clenched.
He could almost feel the young man's humiliation, the sense of being abandoned by the entire world.
The scene shifted.
The young man was jilted.
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't bully a poor young man!"
That furious roar set Tang San's blood ablaze.
The scene shifted again.
The young man met Yao Lao.
The young man trained bitterly.
Step by step, the young man rose from trash to the peak. Every time he fell, every time he got back up, every time he gritted his teeth and said, "Don't bully a poor young man!"
Tang San nearly burst into tears.
He felt as if he were looking at himself.
In his previous life, he had been an outer disciple of the Tang Sect. Relying on sheer refusal to give up, he had managed to master the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons.
In this life, he had a trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass. His father was a broken man, and everyone had already written him off.
But why should he accept that?
Why couldn't he become strong just because he had a trash Martial Soul?
Why?
The scene shifted one last time.
Xiao Yan stood atop the Cloud Mist Sect, looking down on all living things.
At that moment, he was no longer trash.
He was the protagonist.
The light faded.
Tang San slowly opened his eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Su Mo jumped in alarm. "You cried while reading a wish-fulfillment novel?"
Tang San didn't answer. He only clutched the book tightly, trembling all over.
After a long while, he finally lifted his head and stared at Su Mo with burning eyes.
"Sir." His voice was hoarse but firm. "I understand now."
Su Mo said, "...What do you understand?"
Tang San stood up, took a deep breath, then pointed at the sky.
"I'm going to be the protagonist!"
He threw his head back and howled, his voice echoing through the night.
Su Mo said, "..."
"From today on, I'm going to rise from trash to the peak, just like Xiao Yan!" Tang San clenched his fists. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't bully a poor young man! One day, I'll make everyone understand that Blue Silver Grass isn't a trash Martial Soul!"
If it weren't for the stench of urine, it might have been a moving scene.
But there was no "if."
Su Mo covered his face.
Those were your words? You're just going to claim them?
He'd been wrong.
He should never have let Tang San read Battle Through the Heavens.
Now it was over.
The boy had completely lost his mind.
Just then, the back of Su Mo's right hand began to burn.
He looked down. The character "Dao" appeared, and a stream of information flooded his mind—
[Resonance Reading] [Reader: Tang San] [Book: Battle Through the Heavens] [Resonance Level: Deep Resonance] [Insight Gained: Protagonist Will (the unwavering conviction to rise from trash to the peak and never let others look down on you)] [Feedback to Host: Destiny Fate (you will be more likely to get caught up in all kinds of troublesome incidents, while your talent and luck will increase significantly)]
Su Mo stared at the last line, his expression gradually stiffening.
More likely to get caught up in troublesome incidents?
A significant increase in talent and luck?
He looked up at the six-year-old child before him, who was howling at the sky. He looked at the boy's soaked clothes and the three shiny lumps on his forehead.
A sudden sense of foreboding came over him.
"Tang San."
"Your disciple is here!"
"You just said you wanted to be like Xiao Yan?"
"Yes!"
"Wherever Xiao Yan goes, trouble follows."
Tang San froze for a second, then grinned.
"That's not trouble."
"That's opportunity!"
Su Mo fell silent.
He looked down at the "Dao" character on his hand.
Then he looked at the little lunatic before him, eyes shining.
He quietly looked away.
Whatever.
It wasn't as if he'd be the only one dealing with the trouble.
They'd share the burden, right?
The night breeze swept by.
Tang San sneezed.
Only then did Su Mo remember that he was still soaking wet.
"...Come inside and change into some dry clothes."
"Thank you, Teacher!"
"Don't call me Teacher."
"All right, Master."
"..."
Su Mo turned and headed inside.
Behind him, Tang San's voice rang out again:
"Master, what should I choose for my First Soul Ring?"
"Shut up."
"Master, do you have the second part of Battle Through the Heavens?"
"No."
"Master, do you think I could meet a Yao Lao too?"
"..."
Su Mo drew a deep breath.
All he wanted now was to go back to bed.
As for tomorrow?
He'd deal with tomorrow when it came.
After all, Destiny Fate had told him—
The days ahead would be lively.
Far away, in the village, atop the old locust tree by the entrance.
A tall, dark figure crouched among the branches, staring fixedly through the night at the little courtyard outside Su Mo's home.
Tang Hao.
He had been in high spirits that evening.
Earlier that day, he'd learned that his son had awakened—with twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power! Sure, that Blue Silver Grass was a little useless, but the Clear Sky Hammer was the real deal! His son, Tang Hao's son, was destined for greatness!
He'd been so happy he'd nearly drained the liquor he'd been saving for three days.
Then he saw the three lumps on his son's forehead.
Tang Hao: "?"
Then he saw his son sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night.
Tang Hao: "??"
Then he saw his son standing in someone else's courtyard, soaked in urine by a little brat, and kneeling to take him as his master.
Tang Hao: "???"
He'd almost jumped down from the tree right then and there.
But he held himself back.
The composure of a Titled Douluo had kept him crouched there until now.
He watched his son follow that boy named Su Mo inside. He watched the light come on in the house. He watched his son read a book beneath the light, weeping. He watched his son throw his head back and howl, "I'm going to be the protagonist!"
Tang Hao fell silent.
For a long, long time.
The night breeze swept by, stirring his unkempt hair.
He lifted his head and looked at the full moon above.
The moonlight was bright, just like that night many years ago.
Back then, there had been someone by his side.
"Ah Yin..." His voice was hoarse, touched with bitterness. "If only I hadn't lost my head back then, over that Soul Ring..."
He didn't finish.
He simply lowered his head again and looked toward the little house glowing with light.
His son was gesticulating as he spoke, while that boy named Su Mo looked utterly exhausted.
Tang Hao's mouth twitched.
Then he let out a quiet sigh.
"It seems our son's been talked into losing his mind."
"Ah Yin, I've failed you—"
His sigh drifted far into the night breeze.
Meanwhile.
Su Yuntao lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep.
He just couldn't.
Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was that book—Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Its opening line—"It is said that the general trend under heaven is this: after long division, there will be unity; after long unity, there will be division"—seemed carved into his brain, echoing over and over.
He rolled onto one side.
Then onto the other.
Then back again.
"Damn it—" He sucked in a breath, sat up, and scratched his head. "No good. I have to read that book today."
Otherwise, it felt as if ants were crawling all over him.
Every pore in his body was screaming: Read! Read! Read!
In his twenty-six years, Su Yuntao had never wanted to read a book so badly.
He threw on his coat and went outside.
The moon was bright.
Holy Soul Village wasn't far. At his pace, he could get there in half an hour.
He'd borrow the book for the night, read it, then return it before dawn.
Perfect.
Su Yuntao took off at a run, racing all the way toward Holy Soul Village.
Moonlight spilled across the country road. Wild grass swayed in the breeze, and insects chirped one after another.
As he ran, he passed the Awakening Shrine from earlier that day.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Something on the ground had caught the corner of his eye.
Su Yuntao stopped and looked down.
In the moonlight, a thin book lay quietly in the grass, its cover facing up. Four large characters glimmered faintly beneath the moon—
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Su Yuntao froze.
He looked up and glanced around.
No one.
He lowered his head and looked at the book again.
It was real.
He bent down to pick it up, brushed off the dirt, and opened to the first page.
[It is said that the general trend of the world is this: after long division, it unites; after long unity, it divides...]
The handwriting was the same as the words he'd seen during the day.
But this time, as his gaze fell on the page—
The world changed.
Su Yuntao found himself standing on a vast, boundless plain.
Before him stretched a succession of military camps, banners fluttering and weapons bristling like a forest. In front of the central command tent, a figure holding a feather fan stood with his back to him, gazing up at the sky.
The man turned around.
His face was as fair as jade, his brows arched like eight-colored ribbons, his eyes bright as stars. He held a feather fan, gently waving it.
"Liang has been waiting for you."
Su Yuntao's lips trembled. "M-Mr. Zhuge?"
Zhuge Liang smiled faintly and gently waved his feather fan. "Since you've come, come with Liang on a journey."