Mistress, what should you call me now?

Tang Ling's brow twitched slightly.

He did not answer immediately. Instead, his gaze swept over the baby, and the corners of his lips curved faintly.

"You really are willing to give him up."

"It's not about being willing." Tang Hao shook his head, his tone as solemn as if he were taking an oath, yet carrying a clumsy sincerity. "You saved the lives of my son and me, and you revived Ah Yin. Ah Yin is Little San's mother, so he shares in this debt of gratitude. It is only right for him to acknowledge you as his adoptive father and honor you alongside me."

As he spoke, his voice paused. A rare trace of embarrassment appeared on his rough face, but he still poured out everything in his heart in one breath.

"Besides, with you here, Spirit Hall won't dare come after us. Our family won't have to keep living on the run. Your strength is unfathomable—you can even bring the dead back to life. For Little San to call you father would be a blessing earned over several lifetimes. If you casually taught him anything at all, it would be enough to serve him for a lifetime."

Tang Ling watched the usually taciturn man pour out words like beans from a bamboo tube. After a moment of silence, he nodded.

"Fine."

It was only one word, yet Tang Hao seemed to have cast off a thousand-pound burden. His entire body relaxed.

He heavily kowtowed three more times before finally rising to his feet.

"Little San." Tang Hao looked at the baby in his arms, his voice choked with emotion yet more solemn than ever.

"Listen carefully. Your life was saved by your adoptive father. Your mother's life was also given back by your adoptive father. From today onward, your adoptive father is your real father. When you grow up, you must honor him properly and listen to him. Do you understand?"

Tang San stared blankly at his father with a pair of large blue eyes.

His mind was completely blank.

What the hell is going on?!

Listening to his father's choked voice and seeing the genuine gratitude and excitement in his eyes, Tang San went numb all over.

How did he become my lifesaver? How did he become my adoptive father?!

Dad, do you even know what you're doing?!

"System!!! System!! Get out here!!!"

"How did Tang Ling become my adoptive father?!"

[System Prompt: Host, please remain calm. The current situation is extremely advantageous to the host. Tang Ling's strength is unfathomable. This system recommends that the host go with the flow and acknowledge Tang Ling as his adoptive father. You may perhaps obtain an unexpected opportunity.]

"But he—"

[System Prompt: Host, please do not display any hostility toward your adoptive father. Please do not be paranoid and affect the normal progress of your missions.]

The system's words were like a basin of cold water poured over Tang San's head, calming his boiling mind somewhat.

He thought it over carefully. The system was right. Having a powerful adoptive father was better than having a powerful enemy.

Yet it still felt strange. He just could not put his finger on what exactly was strange.

He had been reborn. He had a father, a mother, and now... an adoptive father.

This adoptive father seemed to be from the Tang Sect.

Everything was a mess. Completely messed up.

Over the following days, Holy Soul Village returned to peace.

No one from Spirit Hall appeared again. The villagers gradually grew accustomed to Tang Ling's mysterious presence. Though they still feared and respected him, they at least no longer took detours whenever they saw him.

There was still no sign of Ah Yin recovering her memories.

She remembered many things. She remembered that she had once been a Blue Silver Grass, remembered Star Dou Forest, and remembered how to cultivate. But she remembered nothing about Tang Hao, Tang San, or the love and hatred that had once been etched into her bones.

Tang Hao did not force her.

Every day, he forged iron as usual, cared for the child as usual, and cooked for Ah Yin as usual.

Ah Yin liked sweet things, so he asked Old Jack to buy candied fruit in Notting City. When Ah Yin said the bed was too hard, he placed his own bedding on her bed and slept on bare wooden boards himself.

Whenever Ah Yin wanted to take a walk outside the village, he put down whatever he was doing and accompanied her across every hill in the surrounding area.

Ah Yin gradually became accustomed to his presence as well. Though she still would not call him "Brother Hao" and still would not let him touch her, at least she no longer avoided him.

Then there was the fact that Ah Yin liked sticking close to Tang Ling.

Whenever Tang Ling drank tea in the courtyard, she would carry over a small stool and sit beside him, propping her cheeks up with both hands while blinking her large eyes and listening to him tell stories she could not understand.

Whenever Tang Ling cultivated, she would sit quietly some distance away, remaining there for half the day at a time.

Sometimes, she asked strange questions, such as, "Why does the moon wax and wane?" or "Why do people need to eat?" When Tang Ling was too lazy to answer, she would mutter to herself and still have plenty of fun alone.

Tang Hao saw it all. He felt a little bitter, but he was even more grateful. Tang Ling had saved his wife's life and given her a new life. What did such a small matter count for?

Tang Ling, on the other hand, was starting to get a headache from Ah Yin constantly clinging to him. Several times, he wanted to remind Ah Yin to go find her husband, but whenever he looked into her clear, innocent eyes, he ultimately said nothing.

Forget it. I'll just treat it as a side effect of reviving her.

That morning, the weather was excellent.

Sunlight passed through thin clouds and spilled into the courtyard, warming the bluestone slabs on the ground until they were faintly hot.

Tang Hao slaughtered an old hen and stewed a pot of soup. He also cleaned the entire house from top to bottom. He polished the tables and chairs until they gleamed.

Today was a special day.

For this matter, Tang Hao had even specifically asked Old Jack in the village to find someone to choose an auspicious date.

"Little San, today is the big day you acknowledge your godfather." Tang Hao picked Tang San up and whispered in his ear.

"Dad knows you can't understand, but Dad still has to tell you this: your godfather is the most capable person in the world. Being able to acknowledge him as your godfather is a blessing for your whole life."

Tang San rolled his eyes inwardly. Dad, do you even know what you're saying?

In the morning, Tang Hao carried Tang San to Tang Ling's courtyard.

Ah Yin was already there, squatting in the courtyard and watering a stalk of Blue Silver Grass. She had transplanted it from the village entrance, saying it made her feel close to home.

"Mr. Tang." Tang Hao stood in the middle of the courtyard, his expression solemn.

Tang Ling rose from his wicker chair and looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Tang Hao turned around, holding Tang San as he faced Tang Ling.

"From today onward, you are Little San's godfather. When he grows up, he'll care for you in your old age and see you through your final days. If he ever dares to be unfilial to you, I'll be the first to spare him no mercy!"

Hearing once again that Little San was to acknowledge him as his father, the corner of Tang Ling's mouth still twitched slightly.

Care for him in old age and see him through his final days? With his Nascent Soul-stage cultivation, living for several thousand years would not be a problem.

Who would see whom through their final days was still uncertain.

Cradled in Tang Hao's arms, Tang San had his little hand held by his father as he bowed three times to Tang Ling.

First bow. Second bow. Third bow.

Lying in his father's arms, having his little hand held as he performed the ritual, Tang San's heart was filled with mixed emotions. No matter how he looked at it, acknowledging Tang Ling as his godfather felt utterly absurd.

Tang Ling accepted the three bows, then reached out and gently stroked Tang San's cheek, the smile at the corner of his lips carrying a meaningful undertone.

"Little San, what should you call me now?"

Tang San looked at the face so close before him. His own reflection lay in those deep black eyes, while the faint smile on Tang Ling's lips made it impossible to tell whether it was affectionate or dangerous.

But things had come to this, and there was nothing he could say. He could only let out an indistinct infantile babble.

Tang Ling patted his little head in satisfaction.

Just then, a crisp notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing a special task. Heartbreaking level: S. Reward: one minor realm increase. Would you like to claim it?]

[Note: This special task is a phased task and may continue to be triggered during Tang San's childhood. Each time you cause Tang San effective emotional anguish, the system will issue corresponding rewards based on the level of anguish. Please keep up the good work.]

Tang Ling looked at the system panel, and the smile on his lips deepened.

Acknowledging a father alone could earn him a minor realm increase. If he messed with him a few more times, then late Nascent Soul stage, Nascent Soul stage Great Perfection, or even the Void Refinement stage no longer seemed so unattainable.

Heartbreaking level S? Making Tang San acknowledge his Tang Sect pursuer as his godfather—the system's assessment of the emotional damage was indeed high enough.

But now was not the time to dwell on it. This was his territory, and he had set up an array across the entire Holy Soul Village, so he was not afraid of anyone causing trouble. It was only a minor realm increase; the commotion should not be too great.

"Claim it," he murmured inwardly.

The moment the words fell, a vast and pure force erupted from the depths of Tang Ling's body.

That power was not violent, yet it was so immense it was suffocating.

Before this force, the bottleneck of the mid-Nascent Soul stage was as thin as a sheet of paper, breaking with a single poke.

Tang Ling's aura began to rise uncontrollably. Azure spiritual power surged from his body like a tide, forming a visible vortex of spiritual energy above the courtyard.

There was no heavenly tribulation, nor were there any earth-shaking phenomena, but that invisible pressure was still felt throughout all of Holy Soul Village.

Tang Hao's pupils abruptly contracted. The soul power within his body began circulating on its own, beyond his control. It was the instinct of the Clear Sky Douluo—the muscle memory that automatically put him into a combat state when faced with someone stronger.

But in only an instant, he forcibly suppressed that instinct.

Standing where he was, feeling that aura far beyond that of a Titled Douluo, his heart swelled with not only awe, but also a trace of relief.

Letting Little San acknowledge him as his godfather had indeed been the right decision.

Tang San's tiny body also trembled involuntarily. It was an instinctive fear from the depths of his soul, the uncontrollable shudder of a lower life-form before a higher existence.

Tang Ling slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The mid-Nascent Soul stage was achieved.

The spiritual power racing through his body surged like rivers, at least thirty percent stronger than before the breakthrough. He could feel his divine sense expand once more, its range now easily covering the Star Dou Forest for thousands of li around.

He withdrew his spiritual power, and the vortex of spiritual energy above the courtyard gradually dissipated.

Tang Ling lowered his head and looked at Tang San in Tang Hao's arms. Having broken through, he was in a good mood. Looking again at this cheap godson of his, he suddenly found him much more pleasing to the eye.

"Little San." He reached out and pinched the infant's cheek, a teasing glint flashing through his eyes. "You really are my lucky star."

Tang Hao did not understand what he meant, merely assuming Tang Ling liked Little San. He became even happier. Ah Yin also came over and copied Tang Ling by poking the infant's cheek, then raised her head and smiled at Tang Ling.

Tang San looked at Tang Ling's face so close before him, and an indescribable feeling rose within him.

By all rights, he should have been happy now.

Yet for some reason, whenever he saw that faint smile at the corner of Tang Ling's lips, he had the illusion that he was standing in the center of an invisible net.

He shook his head hard, forcing himself to suppress the thought.