Twenty Levels

Tang San's question left Chu Heng's expression unchanged.

"I only got here today."

Chu Heng raised the jar of wine in his hand.

"I was just about to go see Uncle Hao."

Tang San looked at the wine and understood at once.

Back in Holy Soul Village, Chu Heng had often come over to his house, sometimes bringing wine for his father.

Beside them, Xiao Wu looked between the two with fresh curiosity.

"Brother San, you and Chu Heng really are from the same village."

Tang San had told her before, but seeing Chu Heng here still made it feel different.

"Of course. Tang San and I are hometown friends through and through."

Chu Heng smiled and stepped aside.

"Don't stand in the doorway. Let's go in."

Tang San nodded, pushed open the courtyard gate, and went in first.

"Dad, I'm back!"

His voice carried into the house, but several seconds passed without an answer.

Tang San's smile faltered. He hurried inside, with Chu Heng and Xiao Wu following behind.

The moment he entered, Tang San sensed something was wrong. The state of the house told him no one had lived here for some time. It felt painfully empty.

"Dad?"

Still no answer.

Chu Heng stood to the side. Though he knew what had happened, he looked around as if puzzled.

"Tang San, where's your dad?"

Tang San didn't know either.

Xiao Wu pointed to one side.

"Brother San! There's a letter over there!"

The two looked where she pointed. A folded letter lay beside the stove.

The instant Tang San saw it, a bad feeling rose in his chest. He strode over and snatched it up.

He unfolded the letter and read it line by line.

As he read, his expression gradually grew calm.

Tang Hao had left. He hadn't said where he was going or when he would return. He had only told Tang San that he was grown now, that he had a teacher of his own and was finally able to look after himself. As his father, Tang Hao also had things he needed to do in person.

As for when they would meet again... Tang Hao had given no answer.

The house fell unbearably quiet. Tang San held the letter and said nothing for a long time.

"Brother San..."

Xiao Wu called to him softly.

Chu Heng looked at Tang San and opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to comfort him.

He knew father and son would eventually reunite. Tang Hao might even be watching them from the shadows right now. Still, seeing Tang San hurt by his father's disappearance was hard to bear.

Only after a long while did Tang San slowly let out a breath.

"I'm fine."

He folded the letter.

"If Dad has things he needs to do, then he should go. We'll see each other again someday."

Xiao Wu looked at him, then reached out and took hold of his sleeve.

"Then I'll stay with you."

Tang San paused, and a faint smile returned to his face.

"Okay."

Standing beside them, Chu Heng added,

"You've got me too. We'll all be in Nott City. It's not as if we'll never see each other again."

Tang San looked at Chu Heng and nodded. As if something had occurred to him, he held out the letter.

"You should read it too."

Chu Heng's heart gave a jolt.

Wait, what? Is there something in it about me too?

Chu Heng had no desire to pry into someone else's family matters, so he politely declined. After all, the task only required him to be here.

Afterward, Chu Heng helped Tang San give the dusty house a quick cleaning. Once everything was in order, he said goodbye and left.

[Congratulations, host. You have completed the plot check-in task.]

[Distributing task reward...]

[Reward obtained: Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!]

A smile spread across Chu Heng's face. The next moment, a vast flood of complex information poured into his mind. He rapidly grasped the methods for cultivating Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, along with the experience of using it.

Chu Heng closed his eyes and spent a good while absorbing it all before opening them again.

"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track..."

After all those twists and turns, it was finally his turn.

And when he counted them up...

Mysterious Heaven Skill, Jade Hands, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, Purple Demon Eyes, and now Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Of the Tang Sect's six great arts, he had mastered five!

Only one remained: Hidden Weapons Encyclopedia.

Chu Heng thought for a moment.

"At this rate, if I told Tang San I was a Tang Sect disciple too, he probably wouldn't even doubt me."

He couldn't help laughing at the thought.

Of course, he would never actually say it. He had no wish to invite trouble.

"I've got more than enough."

Satisfied, Chu Heng closed the system. This trip home had given him not just half a month off, but Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track as well. However he looked at it, he had come out ahead.

Over the next half month, Chu Heng finally enjoyed a relatively easy life. He spent his days with his parents, helped around the house sometimes, and occasionally visited Old Jack. Most of his remaining time went into practicing Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, though he made sure not to neglect Mysterious Heaven Skill or his meditation technique.

Chu Heng also visited Tang San several times. On the surface, Tang San didn't seem to have changed much after Tang Hao left, but Chu Heng noticed a difference. Tang San had grown quieter, and the maturity that had always set him apart from others his age now carried a deeper weight.

There was little Chu Heng could do about it. No one else could take Tang San's place in this; he could only come to terms with it in his own time.

All Chu Heng could do was come by now and then to keep his old friend company.

The half month passed quickly. On the day before his holiday ended, Chu Heng made one more trip to Tang San's house.

"I'm heading back to Nott City tomorrow."

Tang San looked up at him.

"So soon?"

"It's been half a month already."

Chu Heng spread his hands helplessly.

"Can't help it. That's all the time off Spirit Hall gives us."

Tang San thought about it and supposed Spirit Hall would be stricter.

"Then I'll see you in Nott City."

"Sure."

Chu Heng held out a fist with a smile. Tang San raised his own and tapped it lightly.

"See you in Nott City."

Early the next morning.

Chu Heng said goodbye to his parents and set off for Nott City. His brief holiday was over, and his life settled back into its familiar rhythm.

Su Xianling showed him no mercy just because he had rested for half a month. On his first day back, she made sure he learned that missed training always caught up with him.

Time slipped quietly by through the same training, day after day.

In the blink of an eye, nearly another year had passed.

Chu Heng had grown considerably taller since he first arrived in Nott City. Long-term training had also made his once-slight frame sturdier.

The greatest change, though, was in his Soul Power. His Soul Power Level had officially reached twenty.

Next, Su Xianling would take Chu Heng to Soul Hunting Forest to hunt a Soul Beast.