A Father's Love Is Like a Mountain (Tang Hao's Version)

"You little brat! Watch your mouth!"

Old Jack immediately scolded him, then bent down and rubbed Tang San's head.

"Don't be afraid, Xiao San. Grandpa Village Chief will stand up for you. I gave Little Chen a beating just before I came. We're all neighbors here; there's no grudge we can't settle. Just tell Grandpa what you want!"

"Really?"

Only then did Tang San raise his head and look at Old Jack.

"Then I want to go to that Soul Master Academy. I want to become a Soul Master!"

The smile froze on Old Jack's face. Tang San gave a derisive laugh.

"Just as I thought. Village Chief, you're no different from the rest of them. None of you ever considered our family part of this village..."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Before Tang San could finish, Chu Chen cursed, dropped his bamboo basket of wild fruit, and strode forward to haul Tang San up by the collar.

"Watch what you say, Tang!"

"Your family has the only blacksmith in the whole village. You know better than anyone why you're living like this."

"And those years when your family couldn't make ends meet? If my grandpa hadn't helped you, you'd have starved to death!"

"You didn't say any of this while you were eating our food. Now you claim we never treated your family like villagers? Have you got no shame?"

"I..."

Tang San opened his mouth, but he had no answer. His eyes reddening, he could only stare back at Chu Chen.

Old Jack couldn't bear to watch anymore.

Until then, Old Jack had always thought Tang San was the most sensible child in the village after Chu Chen. He had lost his mother young and had to look after his unreliable father. The sight had always pained Old Jack.

Kindhearted as he was, Old Jack had even considered adopting Tang San. But though the boy's father might as well have been dead, he was still breathing, so Old Jack had given up on the idea.

While struggling to raise Chu Chen, Old Jack had scraped together what little food he could spare to help Tang San and his father.

He had never expected anything in return, but hearing Tang San judge him this way still left him heartsick.

Even so, Old Jack was too kind to stand by while Chu Chen kept manhandling the boy.

He hurriedly pulled Chu Chen's hand from Tang San's collar and forced a strained smile.

"Xiao San, don't listen to Little Chen. And you, child—how could Grandpa ever consider your family outsiders?"

"I came here to have Little Chen apologize to you. As for the Soul Master Academy..."

Old Jack hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth.

"That's a big decision. You children shouldn't get involved. I'll go talk to your father in a little while..."

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

Old Jack had barely finished speaking when a hoarse middle-aged man's voice reached them.

The old man and the two boys turned toward it and saw Tang Hao.

Tang Hao looked drunk. He leaned crookedly against the doorframe with an empty wine bottle in his hand.

Before anyone could speak, Tang Hao roared and hurled the bottle.

"I told you to come home early and make lunch! Where the hell have you been?"

The bottle struck the ground right at Tang San's feet. Glass shards flew everywhere, leaving several bloody cuts on his legs.

"Dad, I..."

Whether from pain or fear of Tang Hao, Tang San was trembling so badly he couldn't get a full sentence out.

Only then did Tang Hao seem to notice that Tang San's face was swollen and red as a monkey's backside. His brows drew together slightly.

"Someone hit you?"

"Uncle Tang, I did!"

Chu Chen stepped forward before Tang San could answer.

He kept both hands behind his back, his right hand resting on the Flame Ji Ring, ready to take out a Fire Thunder Seed at any moment.

"When we awakened our Martial Souls this morning, I and Little Scum... Tang San both awakened Blue Silver Grass, and we both have the potential to become Soul Masters. The other kids came over to congratulate me. Xiao San might have been a little jealous, because he insisted on fighting me and insulted me. That's how things ended up."

Chu Chen calmly laid out the "objective facts." Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he added:

"Oh, and Tang San attacked first. Every kid in the village saw it!"

"So you beat my son into this state?"

Tang Hao's voice was icy as he walked toward Chu Chen, his face dark.

Chu Chen wanted to throw the Fire Thunder Seed immediately, but Old Jack was right beside him. He hesitated.

In that brief moment, Tang Hao reached them. He suddenly lifted his leg and kicked... Tang San!

"Useless brat! You can't even beat a fool. What good are you?"

"Get back inside and make lunch. I'm still hungry!"

Even Chu Chen was shaken as he watched Tang Hao's kick send Little Scumbag flying several meters into the wall, blood spilling from his mouth.

Damn... Is this what fatherly love looks like in the Tang family?

Does "a father's love is like a mountain" mean crushing your child with the force of one?

So moved was Chu Chen by this overwhelming fatherly love that he had to draw on the Soul Force of a Fifth-Rank Alchemist just to suppress the laughter rising in his chest.

"Tang Hao!"

Old Jack finally snapped. He hurried over to help Tang San up, then turned and unleashed a torrent of abuse at Tang Hao.

"How can you be so cruel? Xiao San is your son! What kind of father treats his child like that?"

"He's my son. How I treat him is my business!"

Tang Hao snorted and turned away, his expression cold.

"The most useful thing he can do right now is cook for me. If he can't even manage that, what do I need him for?"

"Tang Hao, stop right there!"

Seeing Tang Hao act like this only made Old Jack angrier.

"Do you know that both my Little Chen and your Xiao San have the talent to become Soul Masters? But there's only one work-study place at Notting City Junior Soul Master Academy. I was going to discuss it with you properly and see what we could do about that place, but now I think..."

Old Jack raised his thin arm and pointed at Tang Hao.

"Now I think you don't deserve to be a father at all! Rather than leave Xiao San with you, we should send him to the Soul Master Academy. At least he'd get away from a bastard like you!"

"As for Little Chen's place, I'd rather swallow my pride and go to another village to borrow one, to beg for one. Whatever it takes, I won't let this child suffer because of an irresponsible father like you!"

Old Jack's voice rang out. Villagers nearby heard him and gathered to watch, pointing at Tang Hao and murmuring among themselves.

Tang Hao paid their comments no mind. But at the words "Soul Master Academy," he stopped walking.

He was silent for a long while. Then he suddenly scoffed.

"What academy? Who'll cook for me if he leaves?"

"We don't want some lousy place!"