The Little Scumbag was still the same little scumbag! [Please support me, thank you!]

"Divine Dogs!"

Hei Ranbai snapped out of his daze and formed a hand seal, summoning Xiao Hei from the shadows again. Xiao Bai had only just died; there was no way he could immediately learn how to summon [Divine Dog: Totality].

Just as the Mandala Snake lunged to bite Tang San, and Tang San transformed his hands with Mysterious Jade Hand to meet the attack, Xiao Hei slammed into the snake's head and knocked it aside.

Tang San's eyes lit up. He drew the one-foot-two-inch sword Gangzi had given him earlier.

Purple Demon Eye activated.

With deft precision, he seized the instant when the Divine Dog's blow left the Mandala Snake reeling and dazed. He thrust his short sword hard, driving it into the snake's mouth just as its jaws closed.

Tang San put all his strength into the thrust, then dodged away using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

The Mandala Snake writhed in agony and soon stopped breathing.

"Xiao San, are you all right?" Hei Ranbai came over with a look of "concern." Nothing could happen to his most precious emotion point cash cow.

Tang San took a few ragged breaths. Seeing Hei Ranbai approach to check on him, he said he was fine, but his heart suddenly felt heavy.

When he had seen Hei Ranbai volunteer to cover their retreat, he had remembered a friend who had cared deeply about him back when he was an outer disciple of the Tang Sect in his previous life. They had gone on an assassination mission together, only to be ambushed, and that companion had died saving him.

Seeing Hei Ranbai's resolute back had reminded him of that person. Besides, Hei Ranbai had gotten along very well with him lately, which was why Tang San had rushed over to help in his anxiety.

Now that I think about it, did Ranbai notice anything when I used the Tang Sect Techniques and the Silent Sleeve Sword just now...? If he really did see something, should I kill him to silence him?

Hei Ranbai sensed the murderous intent flash through Tang San's eyes, and his expression instantly darkened.

Fuck, I was actually a little touched just now, and this is what I get?

The Little Scumbag is still the same little scumbag!

Come to think of it, didn't Tang San want to kill Gangzi over this in the original story too...?

Fuck, if you weren't the protagonist who could farm emotion points for me, and if I didn't need your hidden weapons to subjugate shikigami later, I'd slap you twice right now.

Though Hei Ranbai had already "praised" Ah Yin countless times inwardly, he still wore a concerned expression. "I'm glad you're all right. Were you so nervous just now that you suddenly ducked under the Mandala Snake? Good thing you acted decisively and had luck on your side, or you wouldn't have finished it off."

Hearing this, Tang San secretly sighed in relief and lowered his half-raised hand.

"Yeah, I was scared to death." Tang San looked shaken.

Because Luo Sanpao had been bitten on the rear, Gangzi had run especially fast. Only now did he finally arrive to check on Tang San.

"Xiao San, Ranbai, are you two all right?"

Concern that came too late wasn't worth shit.

Hei Ranbai couldn't be bothered with Gangzi and merely shook his head perfunctorily, deliberately making himself look too exhausted to speak.

He crooked a finger, calling Bruce back to his side, then rubbed the dog's head. Only then did his mood improve a little.

"Teacher, I was swinging the short sword you gave me wildly, and I think I hit the Mandala Snake's vital spot."

"Excellent! To think you managed to kill this beast by accident, Xiao San. It's tough and venomous—perfect for your Blue Silver Grass!" Gangzi's eyes brightened, gleaming with wisdom.

When Tang San questioned whether a plant martial soul could absorb an animal soul ring, Grandmaster once again brought up his Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul.

In plain English, he wanted Tang San to be his guinea pig and see how it worked.

Still, there wasn't really much wrong with Gangzi's idea. If Tang San's martial soul had been nothing more than ordinary Blue Silver Grass, absorbing the Mandala Snake's soul ring would indeed have been viable.

Tang San obediently absorbed the Mandala Snake's soul ring and gained the soul skill Entanglement.

As for Gangzi, because Luo Sanpao had been bitten on the rear, he had been bitten there too. He collapsed from the poison on the spot.

Hei Ranbai was the only one left to stand guard. Faced with Gangzi's wound, he acted as though he had no idea what to do, caught in the predicament of wanting to find medicinal herbs but needing to protect Tang San.

Crouched in a large tree nearby, Tang Hao thought it over carefully. He couldn't care less whether Gangzi lived or died. What concerned him was this child who was so close to Xiao San.

"Hmm, such a unique martial soul. It could even be considered an unconventional form of twin martial souls." Tang Hao stroked his chin.

When Gangzi and Hei Ranbai had discovered the secret of Tang San's twin martial souls, he had considered killing them.

But Gangzi had become Xiao San's teacher, so killing him immediately would have been inappropriate. As for Hei Ranbai, his talent was quite impressive, making him well worth taking into the Tang family. In any case, he was just a lowly Soul Scholar who didn't even have a soul ring. Tang Hao was confident he could kill him before he exposed Xiao San's secret.

Now that the two had been through life and death together, there was really no need to kill him.

Come to think of it, didn't I happen across a shadow-type soul beast around four hundred years old earlier?

With that thought, Tang Hao vanished. The immense mental power of a rank ninety-five Titled Douluo swept through this Soul Hunting Forest, and he soon caught the Shadow Soul Beast.

Having learned his lesson from Gangzi's earlier inability to defeat even a hundred-year soul beast, he severely wounded the Shadow Soul Beast this time.

Then he drove the soul beast toward Hei Ranbai.

Xiao Hei immediately sensed an approaching enemy and barked, baring his teeth.

Hei Ranbai's heart skipped a beat. Has something deviated from the original plot? Am I about to run into a hundred-year soul beast? That can't be right. If a soul beast came to interfere now, shouldn't Tang Hao hammer it to death?

Before Hei Ranbai could figure it out, a dying soul beast wreathed in a dark aura crawled out.

Before Xiao Hei could even pounce, the soul beast collapsed on its own, panting heavily.

Hei Ranbai's expression turned odd. He quickly realized this was a gift from Tang Hao.

Naturally, he saw no reason to stand on ceremony. After sending Xiao Hei over to confirm that the soul beast was completely unable to resist, Hei Ranbai picked up the short sword Tang San had used earlier and killed the Shadow-Type Soul Beast.

After a while, Tang San finally finished absorbing his soul ring.

He was just about to share the news with his teacher and friend, only to find his friend pacing back and forth while his teacher lay on the ground, utterly drained and looking a little dead.

"Ranbai, what happened?" Tang San sprang to his feet and asked anxiously, bewildered.

"Grandmaster seems to have been poisoned by the Mandala Snake. I don't know what to do." Hei Ranbai sounded anxious, then pointed at the yellow soul ring still flickering nearby. "But this badly injured soul beast suddenly appeared, and I killed it. I can sense that it's a very good match for my martial soul. Based on the method Grandmaster explained earlier for judging a soul beast's age, it should be around four hundred years old. Xiao San, I'm going to absorb this soul ring. Sorry for the trouble, but could you stand guard for me?"

What Hei Ranbai didn't say was that, if Tang Hao hadn't been watching nearby, he would have made sure Tang San "accidentally" helped suck some poison out of Gangzi while absorbing his soul ring.

"Sure." Tang San agreed at once.

But then he suddenly felt a chill. He didn't think much of it, putting it down to some peculiar sensation after absorbing a soul ring.