Yu Xiaogang's Taming Plan: Playing Hard to Get

The air fell silent!

That crisp smack sounded like a damn firecracker, startling even Flender, a Soul Saint standing nearby. It was easy to imagine how sudden Yu Xiaogang's outburst had been—and how hard he had slapped.

Tang San was stunned by the blow.

"Teacher? You... you hit me?"

His eyes stared blankly ahead. There was no anger, no challenge—only intense confusion and bewilderment.

His mind was filled with one question: Why had Yu Xiaogang hit him? What had he done to make Yu Xiaogang so angry?

Very soon, Yu Xiaogang's furious roar gave Tang San the answer.

"Who gave you permission to absorb the Lone Bamboo Spirit Ring?"

Yu Xiaogang's eyes were bloodshot, and he panted like a bull as he slapped Tang San across the other cheek.

"Do you know that the greatest taboo in Martial Soul cultivation is changing your cultivation path midway? You've already taken the poison-attribute path, so why didn't you follow it all the way to the end?"

"And now you've created such a nonsensical Millennium Spirit Skill. Are you trying to anger your teacher to death?"

Yu Xiaogang's eyes were nearly filled with fury, but if Tang San had been observant enough, he would have noticed a trace of guilt beneath that endless rage.

That guilt came from the fact that his obedient disciple was about to slip out of his control!

Was changing one's cultivation path midway taboo in Martial Soul cultivation?

It certainly was! For instance, if a Soul Master pursuing a strength-based assault path suddenly added a water-attribute Spirit Ring, that would indeed be inappropriate.

But... Tang San was not changing his cultivation path at all. He had merely recognized the innate attribute of his Martial Soul and wanted to make up for past mistakes...

Honestly! Lin Yan's choice of that Lone Bamboo for Tang San had, by pure coincidence, let Tang San taste a bit of sweetness.

If Tang San continued absorbing Spirit Rings from life-attribute Soul Beasts, perhaps... he really could have awakened his Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline ahead of time.

What a pity!

Yu Xiaogang would never allow his beloved disciple—or rather, his "test subject"—to have ideas of his own.

So what if Tang San now knew that Blue Silver Grass was suited to absorbing life-attribute Spirit Rings? Yu Xiaogang had already added Spirit Rings from a Datura Snake and a Ghost Vine to Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, so he had to follow that path to the bitter end.

Switch to the life path? Dream on!

As a test subject, just obediently listen and let yourself be manipulated!

"Tang San! You have disappointed me too much!"

"I taught you for a full six years—six years! Do you know how much effort I poured into you?"

"I thought you had inherited my will. I thought that, as master and disciple, we were each other's salvation on this continent."

"But I never expected... never expected that you couldn't even choose a Spirit Ring properly now. You... are unworthy of being my disciple."

Yu Xiaogang's eyes were filled with frustration at his failure to live up to expectations, along with the despair of betrayal. He looked as furious as could be, as miserable as could be.

Of course, he was pretending!

This was called playing hard to get, and it worked best on those who cared about him!

Back then, Liu Erlong and Bibi Dong had both been utterly smitten after he used this trick on them. As for Tang San...

Heh heh~

Tang San respected his teachers above all else and could not bear to see Yu Xiaogang suffer even the slightest insult. This tactic would definitely work even better on him than it had on those two stupid women.

Yu Xiaogang believed that after today, Tang San would never defy him in the slightest again. He might even report to him how many mouthfuls of water he drank every day!

Sure enough, when Tang San heard that Yu Xiaogang wanted to cast him out of the sect, he completely panicked!

"What?"

"Teacher! No! That's not it!"

Tang San was at a complete loss, his tongue tied as he had no idea what to say.

After stammering for a long while, finally...

"It was Lin Yan! Right! It was Lin Yan!"

"Lin Yan bewitched me—no! Lin Yan insisted that I absorb the Millennium Lone Bamboo Spirit Ring. I had originally planned to absorb a Millennium Man Faced Demon Spider."

"Lin Yan killed the Man Faced Demon Spider. Lin Yan found a Lone Bamboo for me."

"Lin Yan made me do everything."

Tang San dropped to his knees before Yu Xiaogang and hugged the man's thigh. Even though a foul, fishy stench wafted from Yu Xiaogang's crotch and made Tang San nauseous, Tang San gritted his teeth and refused to let go.

"Teacher, don't abandon me. It's all Lin Yan's fault. It isn't my fault."

"Lin Yan?" Yu Xiaogang raised an eyebrow and looked toward Flender.

"Flender? Who is Lin Yan?"

Seeing that this involved him as well, Flender gradually pulled himself out of his shock and answered.

"Oh! Lin Yan is the Healing Soul Master I brought back a few years ago."

"Xiaogang! That child isn't bad by nature. He probably only meant well."

Yu Xiaogang suddenly raised a hand.

"Say no more!"

"Ruining someone's cultivation prospects can be considered good intentions?"

"I think he was jealous of Little San's talent and wanted to destroy him with his own hands!"

Lin Yan: Although that was what I wanted, nobody would see it that way! Hehehe!

There was no helping it. Reality could be this dramatic sometimes!

Yu Xiaogang and Tang San believed Lin Yan was up to no good, and Lin Yan really was up to no good. Yet everyone who knew the truth believed Lin Yan was a good person!

When Tang San saw Yu Xiaogang directing his anger toward Lin Yan, it was as though he had found a lifesaving straw.

"Teacher, boohoohoo~"

"It's all Lin Yan's fault. It isn't my fault!"

"Please don't abandon me! You're all I have, Teacher..."

Tang San cried until his face was covered in tears and snot, while Yu Xiaogang was extremely pleased at the sight.

His goal had already been achieved. Now, all he needed to do was firmly pin this blame on that Lin Yan, and Tang San would still be his good student in the future.

"Whew~"

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, as though he had accepted a cruel reality.

"Stop crying! Your teacher will seek justice for you right now!"

Meanwhile, inside Lin Yan's dormitory.

"Mmm, hehehe..."

"Lin Yan, I love mmm mmm~"

Before Zhu Zhuqing could finish speaking, Lin Yan covered her mouth with one hand.

A muffled whimper immediately came from the girl's mouth. Zhu Zhuqing even thought Lin Yan was doing it deliberately, so she picked up the pace on her own.

Yet the more she moved about, the tighter Lin Yan covered her mouth. The tighter he covered her mouth, the more she moved about.

"Someone's here! Don't make a sound!"

Lin Yan urgently whispered the warning into Zhu Zhuqing's ear. The next second, a tremendous suction force suddenly struck, and the girl abruptly collapsed into his arms!

"Fuck? Zhuqing?"

Lin Yan's body tensed in fright, and he hurriedly held a finger beneath her nose.

"That scared me to death! I thought she had just... died."

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to treat Zhu Zhuqing, a heavy pounding suddenly came from outside the door.

"Lin Yan! Come out!"

"Come out now! I know you're in there."

Seeing this, Lin Yan could only cover the unconscious Zhu Zhuqing with the blanket, hurriedly put on a set of sleepwear, and roll out of bed.

He dressed as he walked toward the door. By the time his hand rested on the doorknob, he was fully clothed.

Whoosh~

The door was pushed open. Lin Yan had just been about to get angry, but he suddenly stopped when he saw the sobbing Tang San and a middle-aged man with a round face, crew cut, and full beard.

His expression was puzzled and confused, but Yu Xiaogang had come prepared.

"Are you Lin Yan?"

"Are you the one who stole Little San's Man Faced Demon Spider and forced Little San to absorb the Millennium Lone Bamboo Spirit Ring?"