We Both Have Bright Futures

The next morning, Old Jack came by early.

Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy would open in seven days, and Holy Soul Village's work-study place had gone to Tang San this year.

Tuition would be waived, but he would have to cover his own food, lodging, and other expenses.

"I'll take Little San there myself in seven days."

After saying that, Old Jack looked toward Tang Hao, who was repairing farm tools in the yard.

"Get some money ready. Don't let the boy arrive at the academy with nothing to eat."

Tang Hao did not look up. "I know."

"Pack a couple of extra changes of clothes, too."

"Bought them."

"What about bedding?"

"Got it."

Old Jack was not used to this.

In the past, he had needed to say something three times before Tang Hao would react.

Now Tang Hao answered every sentence.

"You really quit drinking?"

"Come over and smell for yourself."

"I'm afraid you won't last more than a few days."

Tang Hao set down his hammer and looked up at him. "Don't worry. I'm done drinking. Otherwise, before Little San grows up, you'll be sitting down to my funeral feast."

"What funeral feast?"

"Nothing."

Tang Hao's heart skipped a beat. He had almost forgotten that the Douluo Continent did not seem to have that expression.

Old Jack gave him a suspicious look, then turned to remind Tang San of what he needed to know before starting school.

Only when his mouth had gone dry did he leave, hands clasped behind his back.

Tang San shut the courtyard gate and turned to Tang Hao.

"Dad, what's a funeral feast?"

"Children shouldn't pry into grown-ups' business."

Tang Hao tossed the repaired farm tool aside.

The corner of Tang San's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Over the past few days, he had found his father harder and harder to understand.

Not only had Tang Hao quit drinking, but he had also begun tidying himself up, cleaning the house, and even taking forging jobs from the villagers.

The way he spoke was completely different, too. Every so often, he would use a phrase no one could make sense of.

If his appearance, voice, and habits had not all matched, Tang San might have suspected that the man before him had a different soul.

The kid isn't actually getting suspicious, is he?

Seeing Tang San stare at him, Tang Hao waved a hand in front of his face.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You've changed a lot lately, Dad."

"A man can't be a good-for-nothing his whole life."

Tang Hao answered without hesitation. "My head used to be full of liquor. Now I've poured it all out."

Tang San was silent for a moment, then said earnestly, "I like you this way, Dad."

"Mm."

Tang Hao rose and went inside. He returned with a money pouch and tossed it onto the table.

Tang San opened it and glanced inside. There were dozens of Silver Soul Coins and two Gold Soul Coins.

"This much?! I can't take it."

"If I'm giving it to you, take it."

"Work-study students don't pay tuition. Once I become a Soul Master, I can collect an allowance from the Spirit Hall, too."

"That's for later."

Tang Hao sat down at the table. "I'm your father. Listen to me."

He had no interest in his original self's trick of keeping the people he loved at a distance. He was not playing that game.

While the boy was still reasonably normal, perhaps a little guidance could save him.

Besides, it was only two Gold Soul Coins.

Tang San put the pouch back on the table. "You're still injured, Dad. You need the money for medicine more than I do."

Tang Hao raised an eyebrow.

With Tang San's powers of observation, he had probably noticed the injury in the original story, too. The two of them simply had not told each other the truth.

Now that Tang Hao was no longer deliberately hiding it, Tang San had become a little more candid as well.

"When did you figure it out?"

"Your complexion has always been poor, and sometimes your breathing is uneven. Lately, when you forge, you never put your full strength into more than ten strikes in a row."

As long as I don't hide things from him, the kid isn't so calculating after all.

"And when you're asleep, your body gives off a strange aura on its own. It's faint, but it isn't something an ordinary person would have."

Tang Hao looked at him without speaking.

Tang San's heart tightened under his gaze, but he did not look away.

"You're observant. But once you're out in the world, don't go scrutinizing people at random."

Tang Hao continued, "Knowing too much without the strength to back it up can get you into trouble."

"Mm."

Tang San nodded, then asked, "Were you a Soul Master before, Dad?"

"You could say that. But blacksmithing was my main trade."

That was not exactly a lie.

Being a Titled Douluo only counted as being a Soul Master. Swinging a hammer was his real profession.

How Tang San interpreted that was Tang San's own problem.

"Were you injured by another Soul Master?"

"You're asking a lot of questions today."

"I'm just worried about you, Dad."

"If you have time to worry about me, look after yourself first."

Tang Hao pushed the pouch back toward him. "Once you reach the academy, what you do is up to you. But I have one condition."

"What is it?"

"Use your head before you make a choice."

Tang Hao extended a finger and tapped the tabletop lightly.

"Someone being kind to you doesn't necessarily mean they want something from you. And someone pointing out your faults isn't necessarily trying to hurt you.

Don't treat a person like family just because they say a few nice things. And don't treat them like an enemy just because you disagree."

Tang San nodded thoughtfully.

"Dad, can I take a master?"

"Up to you. If someone's willing to teach you and you think he knows his stuff, go ahead."

Tang Hao did not mind.

Yu Xiaogang's cultivation was low, and he liked slipping his own agenda into his theories, but he was not without merit.

At least when it came to knowledge of Soul Beasts and teaching the fundamentals, he was better than most teachers.

If Tang San really wanted to become his disciple, Tang Hao would not stop him.

Whether they ended up a devoted master and disciple or a master and disciple all smiles while sharpening knives behind each other's backs was none of his business.

At worst, he could take a detour someday and give Yu Xiaogang a hammer blow.

"There's nothing wrong with respecting your teacher."

Tang Hao added, "But you've only got one brain. Hand that over too, and you won't have one left."

"I'll remember that, Dad."

Tang San put away the pouch, then asked, "Will you stay in the village after I leave for the academy?"

"No."

"Where are you going?"

"To get my injuries treated."

Tang Hao did not deliberately keep it from him.

Always saying half of something and hiding the rest was not being mysterious. It was acting as though he had no mouth, just to drag out the plot.

If Tang San needed to know something, Tang Hao would tell him plainly.

What kind of person Tang San became afterward could be dealt with later. He could hardly turn out worse than the hypocrite he had been before.

"Where will you get treatment?"

"In the Heaven Dou Empire."

Tang San's gaze sharpened.

Holy Soul Village lay in Fasinuo Province, which belonged to the Balak Kingdom.

The heartland of the Heaven Dou Empire was no short journey from there.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know. A few months if I'm quick, a few years if I'm not."

Finding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would be no picnic.

He knew the names of those places, but the novel had not come with a map.

He also had to work out how to approach Dugu Bo.

He could hardly barge into the old poisoner's medicinal garden and shout, "Hey, buddy, I can save you, so save me too"...

That would probably earn him a friendly exchange between Titled Douluo.

In his current condition, killing Dugu Bo would not be a problem. Beating him into submission was another matter.

It was entirely possible he would cough up blood while doing the beating.

Real life was not a novel. He could not settle an opponent with a single line of dialogue.

In short, until he recovered, he would talk whenever he could and keep his hands to himself.

Tang San was silent for a while. "Can I go with you?"

"No."

"I won't be a burden."

"A six-year-old boy and a badly injured man, crossing several provinces."

Tang Hao looked him up and down. "Doesn't that sound like the two of us would be delivering... merchandise straight to the traffickers' door?"

Tang San had no answer.

"Go to the academy first."

Tang Hao patted his shoulder. "You walk your own path, and I'll get my injuries treated. Neither of us needs to be the other's crutch."

Over the next few days, Tang San prepared to start school.

Tang Hao quietly went to Nuoding City to buy maps, provisions, and several medicines to keep his injuries in check.

On the morning of the seventh day, Old Jack arrived outside the courtyard right on time.

Tang San shouldered his luggage and stood in the doorway, looking at Tang Hao.

"Dad, I'm leaving."

"Mm."

"Isn't there anything else you want to say?"

Tang Hao thought for a moment.

"Eat when you should, drink when you should. If you win a fight, make sure your opponent stays down. If you can't win, run."

Tang San: "..."

Once Tang San and Old Jack had walked out of sight, Tang Hao went back inside and took out the detached little house that held Ah Yin.

He stored it in his Soul Tool, then took one last look at the shabby smithy.

The son was off to school. The father was off to get his injuries treated.

They both had bright futures ahead of them.