He Seemed to Have Led Wang Dong Astray

"A gentleman keeps his attire proper. Cultivation must be strong, but character cannot be lacking either. Of course, not everyone in this world follows the rules. If the other side resorts to dirty tricks, we cannot be rigid about it either; returning the favor appropriately is nothing to feel guilty about. But choosing to cross that line yourself and being forced onto it by someone else are two different things."

Huo Yuhao stared blankly at him. His lips moved, but he did not speak for a long while.

He lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously gripping the hem of his clothes.

He was so warm, just like Mom!

It would be great if Brother Tang were my father.

After several breaths, he finally nodded very lightly. His voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible hoarseness. "...I'll remember that, Brother Tang. Thank you for telling me this."

Tang Wulin smiled but said nothing more, turning his gaze back toward the arena.

Then his smile froze on his face.

On the arena, Wang Dong was swinging a heavy Clear Sky Hammer. Its surface gleamed with a dull metallic sheen, carrying an utterly unreasonable ferocity as it smashed, blow after blow, into the shield raised by the third-year senior opposite him.

The hammer whistled through the air in his hands. Every strike landed with a dull crash, making even the gaps between the arena's bluestone slabs tremble faintly. He had already forced the third-year senior to the edge of the arena. The senior's footing became increasingly unsteady, while the glow on his shield visibly dimmed.

Tang Wulin's mouth twitched.

He remembered it clearly: Wang Dong had never used the Clear Sky Hammer since enrolling.

Before outsiders, he had always revealed the Light Goddess Butterfly—beautiful, dazzling, and no weak attacker either. Anyone who saw it would think that was his main martial soul.

Yet here this guy was, pulling out the hammer the moment he stepped onto the arena, fighting with no restraint whatsoever—swinging the massive hammer in full arcs and smashing away as though he meant to beat his opponent to death.

Tang Wulin raised a hand to cover his face. His voice came muffled through his fingers. "This guy... hadn't he always kept his Clear Sky Sect identity hidden? Why is he smashing people with the Clear Sky Hammer the instant he gets onstage?"

Huo Yuhao beside him also looked utterly bewildered, clearly not having recovered from Wang Dong's sudden switch of martial souls.

Gu Yuena, however, watched with great interest. Her violet eyes curved into crescents as she lightly shook the hand Tang Wulin was holding, as if cheering Wang Dong on.

On the arena, the third-year senior finally could not hold on any longer. His shield shattered beneath the final hammer blow, breaking into countless specks of light that scattered through the air. He staggered back several steps, nearly tripping over the soul power pillar at the arena's edge.

After steadying himself, he cupped his hands toward Wang Dong. His face held a rueful yet admiring smile. "That hammer of yours... it's completely unreasonable. As expected of what was once the number one tool martial soul in the world. I concede."

Wang Dong stood in the middle of the arena with the Clear Sky Hammer slung over his shoulder. A few strands of his blue-pink short hair had been lifted by the wind, and his face wore the delighted expression of someone who had not expected it to work so well. He smugly raised his chin toward Tang Wulin in the stands.

Tang Wulin lowered the hand covering his face. Looking at the proud hammer-wielding fellow on the arena, he took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

He turned to Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena, his tone carrying a helpless hint of amusement. "...I seriously suspect this guy is copying me."

Huo Yuhao nodded, suppressing a laugh.

It was true. The way Wang Dong had stood in the center of the arena with the hammer over his shoulder looked exactly like Tang Wulin's stance after he had finished swinging the Clear Sky Hammer earlier.

Even the angle at which he raised his chin was almost identical. The only thing missing was tucking his hands into his sleeves.

Tang Wulin saw it too. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he ultimately said nothing, merely shaking his head lightly.

Just as he was about to turn and say something to Huo Yuhao, two brisk sets of footsteps sounded behind them. Then Bei Bei's voice drifted over from the stands' passageway, carrying the particular cheerfulness and enthusiasm of youth. "Wulin! Yuhao! You two really are here."

Tang Wulin turned around and saw Bei Bei striding toward them. A light sheen of sweat still clung to his forehead, suggesting he had jogged all the way over.

Tang Ya followed at his side, her steps light and lively. Her long black hair swayed gently as she walked, and a bright smile rested on her face as she raised a hand to wave at them.

"Wulin, Yuhao, who are these two?" Bei Bei stopped before Tang Wulin. His gaze first fell upon Gu Yuena, then shifted toward Wang Dong, his eyes filled with friendly appraisal and curiosity.

Tang Wulin turned slightly and briefly introduced both sides. "Gu Yuena and Wang Dong are both classmates from my year. This is Bei Bei, and this is Tang Ya. They're both upperclassmen from the outer court, members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. She is the sect master of the Tang Sect and an old acquaintance of mine."

He turned to Bei Bei again and added with a smile, "Why did you two have time to come to the outer court today? This isn't somewhere you usually visit."

Before Bei Bei could speak, Tang Ya had already cut in. She stepped half a pace forward, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Huo Yuhao. "I came to find Yuhao! Wulin, you don't know this, but ever since you came back from the Star Dou Great Forest last time, I've been thinking about Yuhao's grilled fish. These past few days, whenever I cultivated, that aroma was all I could think about. I really couldn't take it anymore, so I told Bei Bei to come find you."

Huo Yuhao's ears reddened again at such straightforward praise. Looking down at his toes, he responded softly and somewhat bashfully, "...Then I'll grill some more for you."

Tang Wulin laughed and clapped his hands as he stood up. "All right, then what are we waiting for? Let's go. I'm hungry too. The open space beneath the dormitory building is spacious. We can set up a grill there; it'll be much more comfortable than the cafeteria."

"Wouldn't that violate school rules?" Wang Dong asked after thinking about it.

Tang Ya said with a grin, "It's fine. We have one of the people who makes the rules here. They can't do anything to us."

As she spoke, Tang Ya glanced at Tang Wulin.

As he spoke, he headed outside. Gu Yuena naturally followed him, a few strands of her silver-white hair lifted by the wind and lightly brushing his elbow.

Wang Dong quickly followed as well, muttering under his breath about something incomprehensible, though he did not fall a single step behind.

Huo Yuhao walked at the very back, his lips pressed together and a warmth he could not suppress shining in his eyes as he quietly followed.

The group settled down in the open space behind the outer court dormitory building—a small area paved with green bricks between the dormitory and cafeteria. Several crooked locust trees grew along the side, and the afternoon shade covered half the sunlight, making it a fine place to chat and set up a stove.

Tang Wulin volunteered to catch the fish and made his way to the shore of Sea God Lake. The lakeside wind rushed toward him, carrying moist vapor and the crisp scent unique to aquatic plants.

He crouched by the shore and extended a hand toward the lake. Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm, azure vines silently slipping into the water. After several breaths, he suddenly yanked upward.