Tang Hao had not heard his muttering and continued:
"Qian Xunji, that bitch, didn't know that although Ah Yin was usually gentle, when pushed to fight for his life, he was no pushover. His cultivation was already close to that of a Titled Douluo, and with the innate abilities accumulated by the Blue Silver Emperor over a hundred thousand years, he forcibly fought his way out of the siege of three people. But two fists couldn't beat four hands, and he was badly wounded."
"When I found him, he was hiding in a cave, covered in blood. When he saw me, he was still smiling at me.
"He said, 'Ah Hao, you're here.' By then, I was crying so hard I could barely see the road. I told him I would take him away, that we would go somewhere no one could find us. He only shook his head and said we couldn't escape. Spirit Hall would never let us go."
Tang Hao's voice suddenly caught. She turned her head away, tipped back the remaining half flask of wine, and drained it in one gulp. She wiped her mouth hard, forcing that moment of lost control back down.
"Later, to protect me and the child, he chose to sacrifice himself. The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, the Soul Bone, all his cultivation—they all went to me. He said... 'Ah Hao, live well for me.'"
The wind swept across the hillside, carrying a few fallen leaves that spun down between them. Tang San stared blankly at the woman before him.
She was clearly smiling, yet her eyes were red. It was the kind of wound that, even after being dried by time, would still bleed when torn open again.
"I was already carrying you then." Tang Hao's voice became calmer.
"I fought Spirit Hall's people with my belly swollen. Those bastards all thought a pregnant woman was useless, but they didn't know how terrifying a woman driven into a corner could be."
As she said this, the corners of her mouth curled slightly, carrying a hint of pride. "Relying on the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring he left me, I forcibly raised my cultivation. One swing of the hammer at a time, I smashed those people chasing me until they fled in utter panic."
Tang San listened, his throat tightening. He could imagine how brutal that scene had been. A woman, pregnant, hunted through desolate mountains and wilderness, with only the Spirit Ring left behind by her lover at her side.
"But I was half-dead myself," Tang Hao said. "To evade Spirit Hall's pursuit, I took you to Holy Soul Village and lived under a false name from then on."
She looked down at the empty wine flask in her hand and laughed at herself. "Then I became this sorry sight you see now."
Tang San was silent for a long, long time before he finally asked hoarsely, "Do you still... want revenge?"
Tang Hao froze for a moment, then laughed. Her smile was somewhat desolate, yet somewhat open-minded.
"Why wouldn't I? But who would I take revenge on? Qian Xunji is already dead, killed by Bibi Dong. That bastard could even lay hands on his own teacher for the position of Pope." She paused.
"Bibi Dong isn't any good either. He's being crushed so hard by Qian Daoliu that he can barely breathe. In Spirit Hall, he keeps his tail tucked between his legs, but that man's ambition is enormous. Sooner or later, he'll cause a major upheaval."
Tang San frowned. "Bibi Dong... what kind of person is he?"
"A ruthless man." Tang Hao spat out the two words. "A truly ruthless man. To achieve his goals, he'll stop at nothing. He can even use his own biological daughter as a tool. For power, there's nothing he wouldn't do. If you ever encounter him in the future, stay far away. Never go up against him."
Tang San nodded. He was about to ask something else when he suddenly noticed a trace of hesitation on Tang Hao's face, as if she wanted to speak but held herself back.
Her expression was strange, as though she had something to say but felt it would be embarrassing to say it. Tang San grew curious. "What is it?"
"Um..." Tang Hao hesitated for a long time before finally seeming to make up her mind. "Um... if I tell you, you're not allowed to laugh at me."
"...Go ahead."
Tang Hao took another gulp of wine—then discovered that the flask was already empty. She could only awkwardly hold the empty flask, muttering indistinctly, "Um... Bibi Dong... he came looking for me too."
Tang San: "..."
Tang Hao's voice grew lower and lower, as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"That guy fell in love with me at first sight and insisted that I go back to Spirit Hall with him and become his woman."
Tang San's face had gone completely expressionless. "And then?"
"Then I picked up the Clear Sky Hammer and smashed his people until they ran away." Tang Hao's old face flushed red.
"He didn't fight back, though, and he didn't make things difficult for me. After that, he never came to bother me again." She coughed awkwardly. "That's... that's it. I'm done."
Tang San stood there without moving. A gust of wind blew past him, stirring the hair hanging over his forehead.
He said nothing. He merely drew in a deep breath slowly, then let it out just as slowly. The entire process lasted nearly ten breaths.
Then he raised a hand to press against his forehead, his voice carrying a weariness that seemed to rise from the depths of his soul. "Fine. I understand."
Tang Hao was somewhat embarrassed too. Anyone would feel uncomfortable telling her son about her past love life, only to end up revealing that she had once been confessed to in public. She gave a dry cough and patted his shoulder.
"All right, I've said everything that needed to be said. Cultivate properly and don't waste that talent of yours. You don't need to worry about Spirit Hall. As long as I'm alive, no one will dare touch you."
Tang Hao turned and prepared to keep walking.
Tang San stood on the hillside and watched for a long time. He lowered his head to look at his palm, slowly clenched it, then released it. A hoarse voice drifted away on the breeze. "What kind of messed-up world is this...?"
Meanwhile, behind a thicket three zhang away, Su Yang leaned against a tree trunk and slowly slid down to sit. One hand covered his mouth while his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
What he had just heard was simply far too explosive.
The private stories of these top power figures of Douluo Continent were all such melodramatic nonsense? Su Yang looked up at the sky and, after a long while, finally squeezed out one sentence.
"...This world is way too fucking absurd."
He took a deep breath and pushed himself up with his legs. He needed to go back and properly process everything he had seen and heard today.
Tang San stood on the hillside, watching Tang Hao's back completely vanish at the end of the mountain path. Mountain wind surged up from the valley, making his clothes flap loudly.
He lowered his head and looked at the letter in his hand. He had already crumpled it into wrinkles. Old Jack's crooked handwriting was still visible on it, and the words, "Where did you even get a father?" were especially glaring in the sunlight.
He stood there for a long time.
All that information was still churning through his mind. Any one of those matters alone would have taken him three days and nights to digest, yet all of it had been dumped on him at once, like someone had poured an entire cartload of stones into his head.
Tang San raised a hand and pressed at his throbbing temple.
But he knew very well that he had no time to wallow in these melodramatic stories.
P.S. Hahaha, hehehe...
Are there any like-minded readers willing to support this? Why are there so few bookmarks... Does no one really like this kind of story?
Before you continue