The Confident Tang Hao and the Deadliest Poison-Hydrogen Cyanide

Flender assigned dorm rooms to the new students.

Then he clasped his hands behind his back and strolled leisurely toward his courtyard.

Dai Mubai clapped his hands and said to Tang San,

"Come on. I'll take you to your dorm."

Xiao Wu carefully supported Tang San by his right arm.

The bleeding from Tang San's left arm had stopped, but his entire forearm remained swollen and bruised.

Dai Mubai took two steps, then turned back. His gaze swept over the crowd before settling on Zhu Zhuqing.

His eyes lingered on her cool face.

His lips moved as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed silent.

Meanwhile, Qin Yun was saying something to Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing's attention was entirely on him.

She seemed not to notice Dai Mubai's intent gaze at all.

An emotion Dai Mubai couldn't quite name stirred in his chest.

"Come on, let's get Little San back so he can rest," Xiao Wu urged.

Dai Mubai nodded and led the way.

Xiao Wu followed, supporting Tang San.

As she passed Qin Yun, she puffed out her cheeks and gave him a loud "hmph."

Qin Yun made nothing of it and ignored her.

Then he turned to Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.

"Your dorm is over there. I'll show you the way."

He pointed toward a drab building on the west side of the training ground.

Ning Rongrong had some reservations when she saw how shabby the dorm was, but she kept them to herself.

Zhu Zhuqing, on the other hand, looked calm. She had known hardship since childhood and wasn't particular about where she lived. She simply followed Qin Yun in silence.

After showing them to their dorm, Qin Yun didn't linger.

He soon returned to his own room.

It was small but neatly kept. A desk stood beside the window, with several handwritten notebooks and tightly sealed glass bottles on top.

He sat down at the desk and began working, guiding his Soul Power through his hands.

His fingers were slender, and his movements perfectly steady.

First, he used a trace of Soul Power to separate certain carbon and nitrogen compounds from the air. Then, with exacting control, he combined them with a specific solvent in carefully measured proportions.

Soon, a few drops of colorless liquid fell slowly from a ceramic tube into a prepared glass dish.

The liquid was as clear as water, almost impossible to distinguish by color. Only the faintest chill mist hovered above its surface.

Hydrogen Cyanide.

Of all the elemental combinations he could currently control, this was the most poisonous.

Inhaled through the respiratory tract, it could stop a person's heart and lungs within ten seconds;

Even contact with the skin could be enough. At high concentrations, it could pass through the outer layer and enter the capillaries, causing systemic poisoning in very little time.

He carefully sealed the glass dish and slipped it into a hidden pocket in his sleeve. Then he poured the remaining Hydrogen Cyanide solution into a smaller ceramic bottle and sealed its mouth with wax.

Once everything was done, he leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. He closed his eyes, allowing the nerves that had been taut all day to relax a little.

In the fight earlier that day, he had injured Tang San.

The Dragon Whisker Needle belonged to Tang San. In that respect, Tang San had brought the injury on himself.

But Qin Yun wasn't worried about Tang San. He was worried about Tang Hao, who lurked out of sight.

Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo, was one of the few Titled Douluo on the continent.

At that very moment, he was somewhere in Suotuo City, watching Shrek Academy's every move.

Qin Yun guessed that Tang Hao still needed Flender to teach Tang San.

As Flender's prized pupil, Qin Yun had defeated Tang San in a fair fight. Tang Hao probably wouldn't come looking for trouble over it.

Even so, he had made preparations.

If Tang Hao truly decided to act against him, meeting him head-on would be hopeless.

A level-forty Soul Ancestor facing a level-ninety-five Titled Douluo wouldn't even have a chance to fight back.

But with his mysterious Martial Soul and Hydrogen Cyanide, a poison gas utterly foreign to Douluo Continent, he believed he could at least create an opening to escape if Tang Hao let his guard down.

He only needed to hinder him briefly and seize the chance to flee.

That much, Qin Yun was confident he could do.

Qin Yun's guess was close to the truth.

Tang Hao was indeed outside Shrek Academy.

He stood at the edge of a small grove beyond the city. The night wind whipped his worn black robe around his broad frame, and his back was turned toward the academy.

He gripped a rough wine flask but had not raised it to his lips for some time.

Tang San had lost to Qin Yun and been wounded by his own hidden weapon.

Tang Hao had hesitated again and again, but he had not intervened.

As a Titled Douluo, how could he charge into the academy and attack a level-forty youth? If word got out, how could he ever show his face on the continent again?

Besides, he still intended to leave Tang San here in Flender's care.

If he gave in to impulse and attacked Flender's disciple now, Tang San would be the one left in the most difficult position.

He slowly unclenched his fist and tipped back his head for a swallow of cheap liquor. The harsh liquid burned down his throat, dampening some of the agitation in his chest.

Leaning against a tree trunk, he looked up at the few cold stars scattered across the night sky and muttered hoarsely to himself.

"Little San, consider this Qin Yun your rival."

"With your Twin Martial Souls, once you start cultivating the Clear Sky Hammer, it's only a matter of time before you defeat him."

Tang Hao had an inexplicable faith in his own Martial Soul.

Having said that, he seemed finally to reach a decision. He hung the flask at his waist and strode toward the academy.

But he wasn't going to see Qin Yun. He headed straight for Flender's residence.

Lamplight flickered inside. Flender was clearly still awake, working something out by its light.

After the door closed, a few hushed words could faintly be heard from within.

About the time it took to drink half a cup of tea passed before the door opened again.

Tang Hao stepped over the threshold.

He paused in the doorway and turned his head slightly. His gaze passed through the layers of darkness to where Tang San's dorm stood in the distance.

Tang Hao looked that way for several breaths.

Then he turned and strode away, vanishing into the darkness beyond the academy.

Zhao Wuji and Flender stood with their arms folded, then cupped their hands toward the direction Tang Hao had gone.

"Farewell, Your Excellency!"

"Who would've thought that Tang San was his son!"

"I heard Spirit Hall hunted him years ago. Then he vanished for more than a decade, only to show up here."

Flender straightened his sleeves but did not go back inside.

Instead, he crossed the training ground toward Qin Yun's room.

A sliver of light showed through Qin Yun's window. The boy was still awake, just as he expected.

Flender reached the door and knocked twice, neither too hard nor too softly.

"Who is it?"

Qin Yun's voice came from inside.

"It's me."

Flender kept his voice low. There was a seriousness in it that Qin Yun rarely heard.

The room fell silent for a moment. Then came the soft scrape of a chair being moved.

The door bolt slid back.

Qin Yun stepped aside. "Headmaster, come in."

"What brings you here so late?"

Flender said, "Of the new students who arrived today, there's one named Tang San. Don't get into any more conflicts with him if you can help it."

Qin Yun's brow shifted slightly. Understanding flashed through his eyes.

Flender was afraid Tang Hao might still take offense and make Qin Yun pay for it.

Qin Yun lowered his eyes and asked no questions.

He nodded solemnly.

"Don't worry, Headmaster. I know what I'm doing."