He Hurt Him Deeply

"Dad, what's wrong?" Tang San asked curiously.

Tang Hao's eyes were clouded by alcohol. He looked toward the voice, and in the flickering candlelight, a blurry figure stood before him.

That figure was slender and gentle, its outline overlapping with the person in his memories.

"Dad—Brother Hao—you should stop drinking. Too much alcohol is bad for your health."

"Ah Yin..."

Tang Hao could no longer control himself. Trembling, he reached out and touched "Ah Yin's" face.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps years of guilt had finally crushed his reason. Tears streamed down Tang Hao's face as he choked out:

"Ah Yin! I'm sorry!"

"Dad—Brother Hao—what's wrong?"

Tang San stood rooted to the spot, at a loss. He could not understand why his usually taciturn father had suddenly become like this.

"Wuwuwu... Ah Yin..."

Tang Hao pulled Tang San tightly into his arms and burst into tears, soaking Tang San's shoulder with them.

"Ah Yin... I'm the one who wronged you!"

"I'm not human! I'm not human!"

"I shouldn't have lied to you!"

Tang San was bewildered. He did not know who "Ah Yin" was, much less why his father was crying so heartbreakingly.

He only knew that his father was sad—very, very sad.

After thinking for a moment, he tentatively reached out and gently patted Tang Hao's back, saying softly:

"It's okay... I forgive you..."

"Ah Yin..." Tang Hao hurriedly pushed "Ah Yin" out of his arms, cupped that face in both hands, and looked at "her" expectantly. "You... you really forgive me?"

"Mm..." Tang San nodded. Though he did not understand what had happened, seeing his father like that, he still said seriously, "I really forgive you..."

"Ah Yin..." Tang Hao murmured. "I love you..."

The next moment, Tang Hao suddenly dragged "Ah Yin" into his arms.

A long while later—

"Ah—! Father! What are you doing?! I'm Little San! I'm your son, Tang San!!!"

"Ah Yin! I'll make it up to you! I love you!! I love you!!!"

"No! Father! I'm not Ah Yin! I'm Tang San! I'm your son, Tang San!!"

For a time, no one knew what exactly was happening inside Tang Hao's home.

The screams continued without end, one after another, shrill and desperate, carrying far into the silent night.

One villager after another was awakened by the noise, and more and more people gathered outside Tang Hao's door.

Only when someone finally worked up the courage to enter with several villagers and push open Tang Hao's door did they witness that utterly absurd, nauseating scene!

"You beast! What are you doing?!"

Several villagers immediately shouted and rushed forward, trying to pull Tang Hao away.

But how could these country villagers possibly contend with Tang Hao's strength?

They could not pull him away or pry him apart. They could only watch helplessly as it continued.

"Father—!"

"Open your eyes and look carefully! I'm your son, Tang San!"

The scene shifted.

It was dawn, and the sky was gray and hazy.

Tang San wore a blank expression, his eyes hollow like two black holes.

His clothes were wrinkled, and the way he walked was unnatural. Every step seemed as though he were enduring tremendous pain.

Then, beneath the complicated gazes of the crowd, he left Holy Soul Village without saying a word.

He did not look back—not even once.

He was not planning to return. Not for the rest of his life.

Tang Hao stood at the village entrance, watching Tang San's retreating back. His lips moved a few times, but he did not know what to say.

Last night... he had hurt him too deeply.

"You drunken beast!" one villager could not help pointing at Tang Hao's nose and cursing. "Do you know what you did to your son?!"

"Exactly! That was your son!"

"How could you do that to him?"

"You've ruined his entire life, do you understand?!"

"Are you even human?"

"You're not human!"

"You're worse than a beast!!"

For a time, all kinds of curses swept over Tang Hao like a tidal wave.

Tang Hao lowered his head, his eyes cast down, and said nothing.

His hands hung at his sides, slowly curling into fists. His breathing grew heavier, and the killing intent in his eyes thickened.

A thought slowly rose in his heart.

What he had done yesterday absolutely could not get out.

Otherwise, Tang San's reputation would be ruined.

Ruined...

Ruined...

Ruined—!!!

The next day.

News of a village massacre spread from Nuoding City.

Everyone in Holy Soul Village, apart from the village chief Old Jack, who had gone out to drink with someone, had fallen victim to the hands of fallen Soul Masters. Men and women, young and old—none were spared.

The scene was unbearable to behold, with blood flowing like a river.

When Old Jack learned the news and saw the ruins and corpses strewn across the ground on his way back to the village, his vision went black and he fainted on the spot. Whether he would live or die was unknown.

Elsewhere, at home.

The morning breeze slipped through the window lattice, carrying the scent of earth from the vegetable patch as it coolly brushed across their faces.

The weather was especially fine today. The sky was clear, and even the cicadas had yet to begin their racket.

In the bedroom, the bronze mirror had been polished to a shine, reflecting two figures.

Zhao Linchuan stood behind Xiao Wu, holding the comb her mother had left her and slowly combing through her long hair, stroke by stroke.

Xiao Wu sat obediently, perfectly still.

In the mirror, her eyes were lowered and her lashes trembled faintly, as though something weighed on her mind.

"Brother." She suddenly spoke, her voice much quieter than usual, carrying a hint of bashfulness. "If one day, a lot of people wanted to kill me, would you protect me?"

"I won't allow something like that to happen."

Zhao Linchuan's hands did not stop. He continued combing her hair at an unhurried pace, though his tone grew more emphatic.

"If I can't even protect my own little sister, what kind of man would I be?"

His gaze rested on Xiao Wu's face in the mirror, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

He did not know what exactly he felt for Xiao Wu now.

Was he using her?

Thinking carefully, perhaps that was no longer the case.

From initially plotting to approach her, to now living and eating together for nearly a year, the boundary that had existed at the beginning had blurred without him noticing, perhaps even vanished entirely.

Family?

Perhaps.

She called him brother, and he treated her as his adopted little sister. They ate together, slept together, planted vegetables in the courtyard together, and sat beneath the jujube tree to enjoy the shade together.

When such days went on for long enough, some things changed. They became real, less and less like a scheme.

Hearing this, Xiao Wu lowered her head, her brows drawing together slightly as though she were making some major decision.

She blinked, hesitated for a moment, then spoke again with uncertainty.

"Brother, if I wasn't human... would you still protect me?"

Zhao Linchuan wove the last lock of hair into her scorpion braid, deftly tied it off with his fingers, then set down the comb. Looking at her in the mirror, he spoke in a calm but firm tone:

"As long as you're not some sewer rat, I'll always protect you."

He patted her shoulder and continued:

"Alright, stop talking nonsense."

"From now on, stay by my side. No matter what you are, I'll protect you."

Xiao Wu suddenly turned around and looked up at him.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, a thin mist of tears gathering in them as though it might spill over at any moment.

"Brother... I have a secret I want to tell you..."