Tang Hao's Secret Visit, Extreme Hibernation

The shadow outside the window did not push the door open.

He merely stood there. None of the sleeping children in Seventh Dormitory woke up, yet Ji Yuan's true body hidden in the sole's inner layer had already begun to shrivel.

The first spore severed.

The second spore severed.

Ji Yuan forcibly pressed the red speck lodged at Xiao Wu's hair roots beneath her skin, while the offspring spore inside the blacksmith shop's hammer handle fell completely dormant.

All extended senses withdrew, leaving only several fine tendrils at the edge of Tang San's heart meridian to maintain the bare minimum disguise.

No.

It was not enough.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ji Yuan pulled even those final tendrils away from the surface of the meridians and pressed them all against the outer wall of Tang San's heart meridian, disguising them as residual toxin deposits.

The demonic vine's true body began to dehydrate.

Its dark-purple bark lost its luster, its barbs flattened, and its venom channels contracted. The Mysterious Heaven Skill internal energy, Datura Snake venom, and Xiao Wu's origin essence it had previously devoured were all forced by Ji Yuan into its deepest recesses, forbidden from leaking even the faintest ripple.

Living things would be detected.

Then it would become a dead thing.

A corner of the window paper fluttered up in the night wind, and the black-robed man appeared silently inside the room.

Tang Hao lowered his head to look at Tang San.

He did not look at Wang Sheng or the other work-study students. His gaze rested solely on his son's face.

Tang San slept lightly, his brows furrowed. His wrist still ached from blacksmithing, and his lips were paler than usual.

Tang Hao raised a hand, his fingertips hovering before Tang San's forehead without touching it.

"He went to Soul Hunting Forest and absorbed a Datura Snake."

The words were not a question for anyone.

No one in the room answered.

Tang Hao's soul power swept through Tang San's meridians, while Ji Yuan made no movement whatsoever.

He compressed himself into a dry, hard splinter wedged in the sole's seam, and his consciousness sank with it into the edge of darkness.

When Tang Hao's soul power passed through Tang San's chest, it paused.

There was the depletion of blood and vitality left behind from vomiting blood, as well as traces of the Datura Snake venom having been forced out.

Tang Hao frowned.

"Yu Xiaogang."

The three words left his mouth with displeasure.

Tang San turned over and murmured vaguely in his dream, "Dad."

Tang Hao's hand froze.

Xiao Wu slept beside him as well. Hugging her blanket, she muttered, "Stop making noise. Tang San isn't allowed to practice."

Tang Hao looked at her.

A Titled Douluo's senses swept over the edges of Xiao Wu's body. Her soul beast aura was tightly concealed, with only the soul power fluctuations of a young female soul master on the surface.

Tang Hao did not probe deeper.

His purpose tonight was Tang San alone.

That terrifying scrutiny continued downward, sweeping over Tang San's legs, ankles, and finally settling on the sole of his shoe.

Ji Yuan's consciousness sealed itself completely.

No suction.

No poison.

No growth.

Fine dry cracks spread across the outer layer of the demonic vine's true body, while all energy within was completely locked away.

Tang Hao's soul power swept past the sole's inner layer and touched that dry, hard wooden thorn, lingering for a moment.

At that pause, Ji Yuan suppressed even his instincts.

Pressure from the outside squeezed in from every direction. If he showed even the slightest reaction, this man would drag him out and crush him into powder.

Tang Hao bent down and reached out to pinch Tang San's shoe sole.

Within the old cloth's inner layer, that dry wooden thorn was wedged deeply.

Tang Hao pressed with his thumb, lifting a corner of the sole.

Ji Yuan felt no pain.

He had shut off his sense of pain as well.

Tang Hao glanced at it, then released his hand.

A wood shaving brought along the way wasn't worth any more thought.

He looked again at Tang San's left hand.

That palm rested quietly outside the blanket. Ji Yuan had long since forced the Clear Sky Hammer's origin deeper within, leaving only traces of Tang San's own vitality and Blue Silver Grass soul power on the surface.

Tang Hao remained silent for a long while before saying softly, "Remember what I told you. Don't let anyone see it."

Tang San gave no answer in his sleep.

Tang Hao took a small piece of coarse cloth from his robes and placed it beside Tang San's pillow.

There were no words on it, only a faint soul power mark.

The mark was not strong. It served more as a warning.

If a high-level soul master forcibly examined Tang San's left hand, the mark would be triggered.

Ji Yuan did not look.

He could not look right now.

Tang Hao turned and walked away, his footsteps making no sound as they touched the floor.

But just as he reached the window, he suddenly turned back.

"Who's there?"

That single shout made the air in the Seventh Dormitory tighten.

Wang Sheng turned over in his sleep, mumbling something under his breath.

Xiao Wu pulled her blanket over her head as well.

Tang San did not wake.

Tang Hao's gaze swept across the entire room before finally settling near the soles of Tang San's shoes.

Cracks spread further across Ji Yuan's dried main body.

It wasn't him.

It was a sub-spore over at the blacksmith shop. Before the connection broke, it had retained a faint memory of vibration, which had rebounded through the old link.

It was incredibly subtle.

But Tang Hao had caught it.

Tang Hao raised a hand, and killing intent spread outward, sweeping through every crevice in the room.

The dried wooden thorn hidden in the shoe sole was repeatedly scoured by that power, its outer layer shedding fine dust.

Ji Yuan did not move.

He even gave up maintaining the outer shell of his main body, actively peeling away part of the dried vine bark to make it look like debris worn from the sole.

Tang Hao walked back and stopped beside the bed.

Tang San frowned, his breathing becoming slightly uneven.

Looking at his son's thin face, Tang Hao finally withdrew his hand.

"Don't disappoint me."

The shadow left the Seventh Dormitory, and the window paper returned to stillness.

The room remained dark.

Ji Yuan did not immediately wake up.

He did not believe Tang Hao had truly left.

A man who had suppressed the Clear Sky Hammer's aura and hidden in Holy Soul Village for so many years would not be reassured after checking only once.

Ji Yuan continued playing dead.

Time passed bit by bit. First, a student in the Seventh Dormitory began grinding his teeth. Then someone kicked off their blanket. Wang Sheng was even cursing Xiao Chenyu in his sleep.

When Tang San turned over, the sole of his shoe pressed against Ji Yuan's dried main body, nearly cracking the outer layer.

Ji Yuan still did not move.

Only when the sky outside the window began to brighten, when the sounds of early-rising school servants sweeping the grounds drifted through the academy, and when Tang Hao's killing intent could no longer be sensed in the distance, did Ji Yuan slowly regain consciousness.

First, he could not reconnect with the spores.

Second, he had to first absorb the vitality naturally leaking from Tang San.

The dried demon vine clung to the crack in the shoe sole and slowly drew in the warm aura, its outer skin gradually regaining a dark purple color.

This time, he did not dare gulp it down.

The mark Tang Hao had left was right beside the pillow. Though weak, it still irritated Ji Yuan.

The blade hanging over his head had finally fallen once in person.

Fortunately, it had missed.

Ji Yuan reawakened the sub-spore at the roots of Xiao Wu's hair, allowing it only to remain dormant without drawing on her origin.

The sub-spores in the blacksmith shop's hammer handle had been reconnected as well, but only with a sliver of perception—no energy was transmitted.

He needed to be more cautious.

He also needed to grow stronger faster.

When Tang San woke up, it was already daylight.

He sat up and rubbed his temples. "Why did I sleep so deeply last night?"

Xiao Wu sat beside him hugging a blanket, her hair a mess. "You're asking me? I watched over you half the night. I'm exhausted."

Tang San felt a little guilty. "Thanks for the trouble."

Xiao Wu immediately lifted her chin. "Good that you know. You're buying breakfast."

Tang San smiled. Just as he was about to get out of bed, he suddenly noticed the scrap of cloth beside his pillow.

His hand paused. He picked up the cloth and turned it over.

Xiao Wu leaned closer. "What's that?"

Tang San looked at the faint lingering aura on the cloth, and his expression slowly changed. "My father left it."

Xiao Wu blinked. "Your father came?"

Tang San did not answer. There was surprise in his eyes, but also disappointment.

He hurriedly jumped out of bed and pushed open the door to look outside.

The corridor was empty.

There was no one there.

Xiao Wu followed him out. "Tang San?"

Tang San clenched the scrap of cloth and said quietly, "He came, but he didn't see me."

Hidden in the sole of his shoe, Ji Yuan's newly recovered vine tip tightened slightly.

Good that he came.

Even better that he left.

As long as Tang Hao was not nearby, he could keep feeding.

That morning, when Yu Xiaogang learned that a scrap of cloth had appeared beside Tang San's pillow, his expression turned grave as well.

He did not ask further about Tang Hao. Only after examining Tang San's left hand and confirming there were no signs of losing control did he allow him to leave.

Tang San took the initiative to say, "Teacher, I still want to go to the blacksmith shop this afternoon."

Yu Xiaogang frowned. "You slept deeply last night. Your body may not have fully recovered."

Tang San shook his head. "I feel fine. Blacksmithing helps steady me."

Xiao Wu cut in from the side, "He just can't sit still."

Yu Xiaogang looked at the red marks on Tang San's wrist before finally saying, "Don't force yourself. If you feel any discomfort, stop immediately."

Tang San nodded. "I understand."

Deep within the sole of his shoe, Ji Yuan slowly spread his roots.

Understand?

You understood nothing.

You would only deliver yourself before the anvil, then feed me the Clear Sky Sect's things hammer blow by hammer blow.

That afternoon, Tang San arrived at the blacksmith shop.

Shi San was sorting materials by the furnace. When he saw Tang San, he waved him over. "Kid, you came at just the right time. I've got something for you to try today."

Tang San walked over and saw a dark-colored piece of metal beside the anvil. Its surface was dull, yet it carried a heavy, weighty presence.

Shi San patted the piece of metal. "Ironmother. Ordinary apprentices aren't allowed to touch it. You had enough strength in your hands yesterday, so try and see whether you can move it today."

Tang San's eyes lit up.

Ji Yuan's roots also pressed against the crack in the shoe sole.

Inside that piece of ironmother was something he had never fed on before.

Cold, hard, heavy—and carrying a metallic sharpness that made the vine's barbs itch.

Tang San reached out and gripped the hammer, but Shi San suddenly pressed down on the handle and stared at him. "Kid, let's be clear first. You can't afford to pay for it if you damage this thing. You really dare to strike it?"

Before Tang San could answer, Ji Yuan's roots had already pierced into the ground and burrowed toward the base of the anvil.

Ironmother had no blood.

But Ji Yuan wanted to know whether a plant could eat iron.