What a Helpless Tang San

The moment those ten pounds of weight landed on his back,

Tang San's back sank sharply. His knees buckled, and he stumbled forward a step, nearly falling.

Oscar immediately reached out to steady him by the arm, his voice full of just the right amount of concern.

"Oh, Tang San, what happened?"

"We're both support-type Soul Masters. I can't make you carry my share."

"If you can't manage it, forget I asked."

He said to forget it,

but the ten pounds of stones stayed firmly in Tang San's basket. Oscar made no move to take them back.

Tang San gritted his teeth, steadied himself, and straightened up. He forced a stiff smile.

"It's fine. We're a team, so we should help each other. I'll carry it for you."

As he spoke, the muscles in his jaw tightened, as though he were biting down on something with all his strength.

His unspoken words practically came out through clenched teeth.

Oscar, you fucking bastard! We're both support-type Soul Masters, so why the hell do I have to help you? Why don't you help me?

The people around him heard every word of that thought.

The laughter they had barely managed to suppress surged back up.

Their heavy mood instantly lifted.

Tang San, you dumbass.

That's what you get for putting on an act.

I love seeing you do it when you clearly don't want to but can't do a damn thing about it.

What a helpless Tang San!

Ye Lin walked at the front of the group with a hundred pounds in his bamboo basket, yet his steps were steadier than anyone else's.

He glanced back at the other seven, checking how each of them was holding up.

"Let's all keep the same pace."

"We're a team. No one gets left behind."

"I'm strong and have plenty of stamina. If any of you can't carry your load, hand some to me for now. We should try to keep our strength at about the same level. That's what being a team means."

Dai Mubai, walking near the front, turned to look at Ye Lin and nodded.

Xiao Wu nodded too. Her steps were still fairly light; twenty pounds remained within what she could handle.

The group pressed on.

The mountain path wound through dense woodland. Sunlight broke through the canopy in scattered patches, dappling the trail. Loose stones grew more plentiful underfoot, and the slope rose and fell.

Ye Lin stayed at the front, his stride steady and even, like a machine that never tired.

After about ten kilometers, he looked back. His gaze settled on Ning Rongrong.

She had slowed considerably. The bamboo basket swayed from side to side on her back, and she held her shoulders awkwardly. She was clearly pushing on through sheer willpower.

Ye Lin slowed until Ning Rongrong drew level with him. Then he reached into her basket, took out a stone, and placed it in his own.

A few more pounds were added to the hundred he already carried. His shoulders dipped slightly, then steadied.

Ning Rongrong's steps grew lighter at once. Startled, she turned toward Ye Lin and was about to speak, but he spoke first.

"I know you can do it."

"But you need to recover some strength. Our goal is to make it to the end, not to prove who can go fastest right now."

"Once you've recovered, I'll give it back."

Ning Rongrong's lips moved, but the words caught in her throat.

It was the first time she had heard someone say they believed in her. Growing up, all she had heard was that she was a little witch and things like that.

Even here, Tang San had told her how awful she had been in her previous life. She had gritted her teeth and endured it all.

No one had ever told her, I know you can do it.

She lowered her head and watched the path beneath her feet. Her steps grew a little lighter, while that feeling she couldn't quite name slowly settled inside her,

turning into an emotion she couldn't describe even to herself.

The group kept moving.

Tang San trudged along at the very back, taking one step after another through gritted teeth.

His breathing was heavy, but he did not stop.

He had spent years swinging a hammer in a blacksmith's shop. His shoulders and core were sturdier than those of most Soul Masters.

The stones weighed on him so heavily he could barely breathe, but they were not enough to bring him down.

And after becoming a God King in his previous life, his willpower was far stronger than that of an ordinary person.

He kept his head down. He did not look at how far they had left to go or think about the weight on his back. He simply took one step, then another.

The group covered another forty kilometers.

The mountain path wound over a low rise, then dipped into a valley half-hidden by wild grass.

The sun had shifted westward. They were past the halfway point, with fifty kilometers still to go before Suotuo City.

Ma Hongjun could barely drag his feet forward. His legs felt like lead, and every step left him panting for ages.

The bamboo basket hung crookedly on his back. Its twenty pounds of stones had him nearly doubled over.

Dai Mubai walked beside him. After one glance, he silently moved twenty pounds of stones from Ma Hongjun's basket into his own.

Fifty pounds now pressed down on his shoulders.

Dai Mubai's steps grew heavier, but he said nothing. He gritted his teeth and kept walking.

Ye Lin, now toward the back of the group, glanced over at Zhu Zhuqing.

She had slowed considerably. Sweat had soaked the back of her black leather outfit, and her breathing was rapid, but she was still forcing herself onward.

Without hesitation, Ye Lin went to her side, took twenty pounds of stones from her basket, and put them in his own.

Zhu Zhuqing realized what he had done and reached to take them back.

Ye Lin caught her wrist. "You need to recover your strength. I'll give them back once you have."

She tried to pull her hand free, but he held it fast. She stopped struggling and said quietly, "I can manage on my own."

Dai Mubai smiled when he saw that.

That's Ye Lin for you. Always helping people. He really has a good heart.

Ye Lin released her wrist. Without another word, he continued walking.

Xiao Wu walked nearby, the bamboo basket rising and falling steadily on her back.

Ye Lin glanced at her. She happened to turn and smiled at him, shaking her head. "Brother Lin, I can keep going. Don't forget, I'm one of the few here with a third Spirit Ring."

Her tone was light. Ye Lin nodded and did not press the matter.

They walked another twenty kilometers.

The sun hung above the western ridge. Light slanted across the mountain path, making the loose stones gleam.

Ning Rongrong walked in the middle of the group. Her steps grew slower and heavier. Her vision began to blur, and the path wavered before her eyes as though she were looking at it through water.

She gritted her teeth and managed a few more steps. Then her knees gave way, and she pitched forward.

Ye Lin reacted instantly, catching her by the arm and steadying her.

Ning Rongrong's forehead rested against his arm. Her lips moved slightly as she tried to speak, but she could not force out a single word.