By a small river outside Suotuo City.
Stars glittered in the night sky, insects chirped pleasantly in the woods, and everything looked peaceful and serene.
But someone felt utterly out of place in this world.
Tang San sat bare-chested and drenched beside a campfire.
His eyes were vacant, as though he had lost all meaning in life.
The drug Bu Le had given him had already worn off, and he had not used the antidote...
Beside the campfire.
Tang Hao kept washing his hands by the riverbank, his face darker than the bottom of a pot.
Neither father nor son said a word, and no one knew what they had gone through.
Tang Hao returned from the river with two grilled fish in hand and passed one of them to Tang San.
"Eat some fish. Replenish your protein."
Tang San did not take it immediately. Instead, he pursed his lips as he stared at Tang Hao's hand.
After a few seconds, he slowly spoke.
"Dad, did you wash your hands clean?"
It would have been better if he had said nothing. The moment he spoke, Tang Hao bristled as though his fur had been raised, every strand of hair standing on end.
"Are you eating it or not?!"
Tang San jumped in fright and hurriedly took the grilled fish.
Under Tang Hao's bloodshot glare, he took a bite, forced himself to swallow it, then quickly gulped down water so he would not have the chance to throw up.
Only then did Tang Hao's expression improve somewhat.
The campfire crackled, and Tang Hao occasionally added more firewood.
He and Tang San looked at each other in silence. In the end, Tang Hao spoke first.
"What exactly happened to you?"
"Getting beaten up is one thing, but you were even drugged!"
"And where's that Soul... that little girl who was with you?"
He nearly let it slip, but corrected himself in time and did not let Tang San notice anything unusual.
Tang Hao's expression was gloomy. He had not expected that after leaving for only one day, the plans he had laid out for so many years would instantly slip out of his control.
The Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had run away. How was Tang San supposed to obtain a sacrificial Soul Ring and Soul Bone in the future?
How was he supposed to help him take revenge on Spirit Hall?
At the mention of Xiao Wu, Tang San's unfocused eyes filled with hatred, and his expression twisted slightly.
The sight of Qin Jiuxiao utterly crushing him and Xiao Wu calling Qin Jiuxiao her beloved brother still lingered vividly in his mind.
The pain of being betrayed by someone close to him remained seared into his bones.
"Xiao Wu... she was tricked away."
As soon as Tang San finished speaking, Tang Hao flew into a rage. Unable to restrain himself, he kicked Tang San and sent him flying several meters away.
"Useless trash!"
That disappointing brat could not even keep hold of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast practically handed to him on a platter.
At that age, Tang Hao had already become a man.
He had deliberately left to give him such a perfect opportunity to be alone with her, yet after all these years, he had still been acting like a eunuch.
Not like Tang Hao's son at all.
Tang San, who had been kicked away for no reason, was utterly stunned. Why was his father reacting so strongly to Xiao Wu leaving?
And this was not even Tang San's fault. Who could have imagined that Qin Jiuxiao would turn Xiao Wu against him with just a few words, making her look at him coldly?
Tang San's heart was filled with grievance.
Realizing that he had overreacted, Tang Hao took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.
He asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened?"
"Who took that little girl away?"
A bad feeling rose in Tang Hao's heart.
Only Soul Douluo and Titled Douluo could see through a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
There were only a handful of Titled Douluo who frequently appeared within the Heaven Dou Empire.
Apart from the elusive Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, there were only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's two guardian Douluo, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.
Both were Super Douluo above level 95. Sword Douluo might even be stronger than Tang Hao now.
If they had discovered Xiao Wu's whereabouts, it would not be easy for him to take her back.
He looked at Tang San, already prepared to fight his way to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Yet Tang San merely gritted his teeth, as though he wanted to bite a chunk of flesh off someone.
"It was Qin Jiuxiao, the young master of the Qin Family in Suotuo City."
"He sweet-talked Xiao Wu, and that was why she left with him."
Tang Hao froze. He had thought it was some Titled Douluo, or at worst a force led by a Soul Douluo.
He had not expected it to be nothing more than some little brat.
He had some impression of the Qin Family. Its head, Qin Yuntian, was merely a Soul Saint and was not worth mentioning before him.
One hammer blow from Tang Hao could kill a whole group of Soul Saints.
But the way Tang Hao looked at Tang San became even more disdainful.
"Couldn't you beat him?"
"He's around your age. You're a level 29 control-type Soul Master, and you have all those strange tricks. You still weren't his match?"
Tang Hao had protected Tang San for so long that he naturally knew about his hidden weapons.
But from Tang Hao's perspective, he had no regard for such things.
Only petty people with impure intentions would study techniques for sneak attacks like that.
For the strong, only one's own strength was fundamental.
"Against ordinary people, of course I'm unbeatable. But that guy isn't ordinary at all."
"His body is incredibly strong, and he's so fast that I can barely see him. I couldn't hit him at all."
"And that guy is already at level 39 Soul Power."
Tang San gritted his teeth, his face filled with unwillingness. Why was that guy's Soul Power Level so high? Why was he so strong?
Tang San was someone who had been reborn, reincarnated with the Mysterious Heaven Skill and his memories.
He should have been the chosen one, damn it!
Tang Hao was shocked when he heard Qin Jiuxiao's level.
Qin Jiuxiao's Innate Full Soul Power was no secret in Suotuo City, but level 39 at twelve years old was far too outrageous.
Tang Hao had been hailed as the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent, yet he had not reached such a level at twelve.
In an instant, Tang Hao's eyes flickered uncertainly.
He had wanted to mold Tang San into a Titled Douluo even younger than himself, further enhancing the fame of their father-son pair across the continent.
That way, they could rally more allies when the time came to wage war against Spirit Hall.
Yet now, such a monstrous genius had appeared.
If this Qin Jiuxiao became the leading figure of the younger generation, would Tang Hao and Tang San not become a joke?
He would never allow that to happen.
Someone like that either had to become Tang San's foil and his dog, or he could only die!
Only a genius who grew up deserved to be called a genius.
Tang Hao had already made his decision. He would go seize that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast later. Otherwise, another Titled Douluo might discover her at any time.
Qin Jiuxiao probably had not yet discovered that rabbit's identity.
He needed to act quickly before something changed.
As for Qin Jiuxiao, if he was willing to submit to Tang San and serve as a foil in the future, Tang Hao could let him live as a lackey.
After all, they would need manpower to fight Spirit Hall in the future.
But if he refused, Tang Hao would not mind bullying the young and personally nipping him in the bud.
He had done plenty of that back in the Clear Sky Sect.
"I'll bring Xiao Wu back. Stay here and wait obediently."
"Also, if I haven't returned by dawn, go find your teacher first."
Tang Hao stood up, and nine Soul Rings appeared around him. Especially the final red Soul Ring, which nearly blinded Tang San's eyes.
"Dad, you really are a Titled Douluo! You even have a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"
Tang Hao felt immensely pleased by Tang San's shock.
He had also put on this display to salvage some of his image after all these years.
"There's still plenty you don't know."
"You'll be even more shocked once you learn of my great reputation."
"Alright, I'm leaving."
Tang San nodded, his heart filled with excitement.
He had not expected Qin Jiuxiao to be telling the truth. His father really was a Titled Douluo.
Did that not mean he also had an impressive background? How many people could he scare in the future by saying, "My dad is a Titled Douluo"?
In an instant, the gloom in Tang San's heart vanished completely.
He opened his mouth, air constantly leaking through the gap left by his missing front tooth.
"Dad, make sure you give that Qin Jiuxiao a good beating. It'd be best if you knocked out his front tooth too."
Tang Hao waved his hand, leaving Tang San with a very dashing silhouette before disappearing into the night.
But what he did not know was that when father and son met again later, they would both see the gap in the other's front teeth, leaking air.
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