Yu Xiaogang's raised hand froze in mid-air, unsure whether to lower it or not, his old face turning bright red.
Flender touched his nose, trying to smooth things over in order to ease his old friend's embarrassment at his failed attempt to show off.
" Your His Excellency Haotian, please show yourself."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a dark figure appeared in the room.
Flender's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stood up, respectfully clasping his hands in a salute.
"Greetings, Your His Excellency Haotian."
Yu Xiaogang, disregarding the embarrassment of his failed attempt to show off, quickly followed suit and bowed.
Only Tang San stared blankly at the dark figure before him.
The person before me was wearing a hood, his face hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see what he looked like. But his imposing figure, the tattered black robe, and the faint, sour smell emanating from it...
Well, how should I put it?
It's so familiar!
Tang San's mind went blank for a moment because of how familiar it was.
It was a dark and windy night.
It was late at night, and the wind was cool.
He was cultivating in his dormitory at the Shrek Academy when the man in black suddenly appeared beside him, grabbed him without a word, and gave him a brutal beating.
Later, when he was about to enter Heaven Dou City, the same man in black appeared before him like Gui Mei, and seemed to forcibly insert something strange into his body.
"You... it's you?"
Tang San's face gradually turned pale.
"You're the man in black who dragged me out in the middle of the night and beat me to a pulp!"
Yu Xiaogang was taken aback. "Is that so?"
Flender seemed to have thought of something, and his expression became somewhat strange.
Tang Hao's body stiffened abruptly.
Beneath the hood, an embarrassed blush crept onto the old face.
The father saw his son but did not speak; the son saw his father but was bewildered.
That was too hasty!
At the time, Tang San possessed the aura of Human-shaped Soul Beast. In a moment of panic, Tang San's father mistakenly believed that his own son had been switched by Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Overwhelmed by rage, he lost control and killed Tang San without hesitation...
It turned out to be a huge misunderstanding.
But to my utter surprise, this happened so suddenly that I completely forgot to change out of this "criminal disguise"!
Tang Hao cursed Yu Xiaogang's ancestors a hundred times in his heart.
It's all that damned eunuch's fault for insisting on making that show of calling people over, he didn't even have a chance to change his clothes!
Tang Hao remained silent for a moment, then coughed lightly.
"Cough."
" Flender, Yu Xiaogang, you two go out first."
"I have something to say to the Tang San alone."
Yu Xiaogang was stunned, and a thousand grass mud horses galloped through his mind.
He was indignant; he felt incredibly wronged and resentful!
Even if you, Tang Hao, are Tang San's biological father, I, Yu Xiaogang, am also Tang San's spiritual father!
Haven't you heard the Tang San constantly saying, "A teacher for a day is a father for life"?
In terms of time spent together and effort invested, I, this "wild father," am far better than you, the biological father who has been missing for years and neglecting your children!
We're all fathers, why should I be kicked out just because you say so?
But these treasonous words could only circulate in Yu Xiaogang's mind, and he didn't dare to utter a single one.
"Yes... Your Majesty."
Flender helped the frustrated Yu Xiaogang out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Inside the house, only the two scoundrels, father and son, whom he hadn't seen for many years, remained.
Tang Hao stood there in silence for a moment before raising his hand to lift the hood from his head, revealing a face covered in stubble and unkempt features.
Tang San stared blankly at that face.
Deep in my memory, the man who spent his days sitting in the blacksmith's shop drinking and forging iron gradually overlapped with the face before me.
Tang San's eyes reddened.
He opened his mouth, his voice dry and trembling.
"Dad..."
This call expressed all the longing he had accumulated over the years.
Tang Hao originally wanted to adopt a serious fatherly demeanor.
But upon hearing the word "Dad," the coldness on his face quickly crumbled, leaving only an unnatural sigh.
" Tang San, you've suffered so much these past years..."
Tang San could no longer hold back. He stumbled over, tears streaming down his face.
"Dad, where have you been all these years?"
"You've been right beside me the whole time, why didn't you come looking for me sooner?"
Tang Hao looked at his son, who was crying with tears streaming down his face, and his brows furrowed unconsciously.
"A real man sheds blood, not tears. What kind of man cries and whines like that!"
Despite saying that, he still raised his hand and ruffled Tang San's hair.
Before I knew it, my son had grown up so much.
However, this father was absent from the most important years of Tang San's life.
Tang San felt the warmth coming from above his head, and his tears flowed even more fiercely.
He hadn't felt this kind of touch in far too long.
Tang San could no longer control his emotions and threw himself into Tang Hao.
Tang Hao's hand landed on Tang San's back, patting him gently, one pat at a time.
The father and son embraced each other in silence.
After a while, Tang San's emotions calmed down a bit.
With his eyes red and swollen, he asked urgently.
"Dad, what the teacher and the principal said... is it all true?"
"Are you really Clear Sky Douluo?"
Even though he was already 99% certain, Tang San still hoped to get his father's personal confirmation.
Tang Hao nodded with a complicated expression.
"My title is indeed Haotian."
"Your Second Martial Soul, which is also the number one Tool Martial Soul in the world, is the Clear Sky Hammer."
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Tang San's eyes gleamed with ecstatic joy and excitement.
But the next second, that painful and unbearable memory resurfaced in his mind.
Tang San sniffed, and said with a mix of grievance and resentment.
"Dad, since you're my biological father, why did you beat me so badly back at the Shrek Academy?"
Tang Hao's eyelids twitched.
Tang San clearly had no intention of letting him off so easily.
"Seven or eight bones in my body were broken, and my face was swollen like a pig's head."
"I was lying in bed at the time, and even breathing hurt."
"I even thought I was going to die."
Tang San felt increasingly aggrieved as he spoke.
"I never imagined that the person who beat me so badly was actually my own father."
Tang Hao's expression turned unnatural.
This little brat, how come he can't remember anything else, but he remembers being beaten so clearly?
And to have them recount their injuries in detail right in front of me, were they afraid I wouldn't feel guilty?
"Cough."
Tang Hao coughed lightly, trying to maintain his fatherly authority.
" Tang San, it's time for you to know some long-buried secrets."
Tang San didn't speak, he just stared at him quietly.
The meaning is very clear.
You continue making things up.
Tang Hao felt somewhat uncomfortable under their gaze, and could only force himself to say, "When I took action back then... I truly had no other choice but to do so."
Tang San wanted to hear what kind of immense hardship could make his own father beat his own son to death!
Tang Hao exhaled a long breath, his eyes filled with pain and vicissitudes, and began to slowly recount the past that was soaked in blood and tears.
Back when he was full of vigor and traveled across the mainland, he had a chance encounter with the gentle and tender Ah Yin.
Then, the two fell in love, and then Ah Yin's identity as Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was exposed, leading to her being besieged and hunted down by Qian Xunji, the former Pope of the Spirit Hall, and his powerful followers.
In the end, to save him and his son, Ah Yin was forced to sacrifice herself...
Tang Hao even shamelessly explained why he beat Tang San at Shrek.
"When I sensed the aura of Soul Beast on you, I also wanted to confirm whether you were truly my son..."
Tang San was utterly devastated after hearing these words.
He didn't care about the reason his father hit him; instead, he heard his mother's message.
Mother... is actually a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?
Does he possess blood that is half that of Soul Beast?
After all this time, it turns out that Tang San, who has lived two lives, isn't even a pure human being in this one?
He's actually a hybrid of grass and human... a mixed breed?
Thinking of this, Tang San shuddered.
no.
This identity is absolutely unacceptable!
He possesses Twin Martial Souls and is the son of Clear Sky Douluo, a peerless powerhouse destined to dominate the continent. He absolutely cannot be called a monster who is half-human and half-grass!
Tang San forcibly suppressed his awkwardness and grasped the key point in Tang Hao's words.
He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.
"Dad... So, Mom has been forced to sacrifice herself by the Spirit Hall and is no longer alive?"
Tang Hao looked at his son, whose expression was ferocious, and nodded heavily.
"Yes."
"Your mother has passed away while protecting us."
Tang Hao seemed somewhat guilty when he said those words.
He did not reveal the fact that Ah Yin had left behind a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone after her sacrifice, nor that her original form had transformed into a seed.
After all, those two things had long since disappeared.
If he says this now, and the Tang San asks why he, as the father, couldn't even protect his wife's physical body and Soul Bone, how should he answer?
Tang San was naturally unaware of Tang Hao's awkwardness.
After hearing Tang Hao's words, his eyes turned bloodshot and he began to pant heavily.
Spirit Hall!
What a magnificent Spirit Hall!
He killed his mother, forced his father to this state, and even turned himself into a half-human, half-grass skewer!
You have already Way of Seeking Death!
No, that's not right!
This is no ordinary Way of Seeking Death!
That would be a death sentence, one for which one cannot Way of Seeking Death!
Tang Hao was very satisfied to see that Tang San was filled with hatred.
He quickly stepped forward and hugged Tang San in his arms.
" Tang San, I'm telling you these old stories not so you can wallow in self-pity, but so you can remember who our real enemy is!"
Tang Hao patted him on the back, his voice carrying a hint of heaviness.
"You possess Twin Martial Souls and are Innate Full Soul Power. You must cultivate diligently and use your Clear Sky Hammer to avenge your deceased mother!"
Tang San buried his face in Tang Hao's shoulder and nodded vigorously.
"Dad, don't worry!"
"I swear, in my lifetime, I, Tang San, will raze the Spirit Hall to the ground and make them pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold price for their blood debts!"
"Good!"
Tang Hao released his grip with relief.
"This is my good son."
Seeing his son so emotional, Tang Hao felt that the atmosphere had been built up enough that it wouldn't be right not to give him something tangible to celebrate.
Tang Hao then adopted a serious expression.
" Tang San, wait here for me."
Tang San was taken aback. "Dad, where are you going?"
Go and fetch something.
Tang Hao didn't explain. As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the room with a "whoosh".
Tang San stood there, his face full of confusion.
Retrieve something?
Could it be a keepsake left by my mother?
Thinking about this, his feelings became complicated again.
Not long after, the air rippled, and Tang Hao reappeared in the room.
This time, however, he was holding a shimmering Blue Silver Grass in his hands.
The roots of that grass were still covered in mud, and it didn't look like a valuable relic at all.
But in Tang San's eyes, it was not the case at all.
Grass is mother, and mother is grass.
Tang San's voice began to tremble.
"Dad, is this... Mom's true form?"
After saying this, Tang San's tears fell again.
He lived two lives and never met his real mother.
To my utter surprise, the first time I met his mother, I actually saw her in her true form!
Before Tang Hao could even explain, Tang San's knees buckled, and with a thud, he knelt down before the Blue Silver Grass in Tang Hao's hand!
"Mom!!!"
Tang San cried out in utter grief.
Tang Hao: "..."
The next moment, Tang San braced himself with his hands on the ground, his forehead hitting the floor.
Bang!
"Mom! I'm the Tang San!"
"Your unfilial son only learned of your existence today!"
Bang!
"I had no idea you had endured so much suffering to protect me!"
Bang!
"Mom, you died such a terrible death!"
The sound of kowtowing echoed one after another.
Tang San cried so hard that tears and snot streamed down his face, as if he were about to follow his mother to the afterlife.
Tang Hao, holding the Blue Silver Grass, was completely speechless.
His lips twitched several times, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around the grass stems.
He just wanted to pick a random blade of grass and leave it as a keepsake for his Tang San.
Just a token gesture will suffice.
Who would have thought that this child wouldn't follow the expected path at all?
Without even asking a single question, she immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, acknowledging him as her mother!
"Ahem... well..." Tang Hao's face flushed slightly.
" Tang San, get up first."
Tang San didn't hear it at all.
"Mom! Don't worry, that Tang San will definitely avenge you!"
"I will definitely kill all the villains of the Spirit Hall!"
Tang Hao's expression grew increasingly unnatural.
"No, don't rush to take revenge."
Tang San continued to kowtow.
"Mom, please watch over the Tang San from heaven!"
"May the Tang San quickly achieve her goals and avenge her enemies!"
"Enough!"
Tang Hao finally couldn't hold back any longer, reached out and grabbed Tang San's shoulder, pulling him up from the ground.
"Dad?" Tang San looked at him blankly, his face streaked with tears.
" Tang San, stop kowtowing."
You've mistaken the grass for something else.
"This isn't Ah Yin, nor is it your mother."
"..."
Tang San's cries stopped abruptly.
With snot and tears streaming down his face, and a large red mark on his forehead from banging his head against the wall, he stared at his father in disbelief.
Not my mom?
Then why did you solemnly hold a blade of grass when you came back, with such a sorrowful expression?
Why not explain anything at all?
Was all that kowtowing I just did for nothing?
Were all those tears shed in vain?
I even ate my snot!
Tang San slowly turned his head and gave Tang Hao a resentful look.
Tang Hao felt even more guilty under their gaze and could only cough dryly.
"Um... I didn't expect you to kneel down like that."
He paused, then quickly added.
" Tang San, although this isn't Ah Yin's true form..."
"But this is grass that I personally plucked from the grave where your mother was buried."
"Consider it... leaving you a keepsake."
Tang San was completely dumbfounded.
He looked down at the Blue Silver Grass, then at Tang Hao.
So, the thing he was just now kowtowing to, crying and screaming for his mother...
Is it the grass on his mother's grave?