I'll Take Care of Your Wife?

After leaving Holy Soul Village, Tang Hao did not head straight for Heaven Dou City.

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lay deep within Sunset Forest, but the original story never explained just how vast the forest was or which direction Dugu Bo usually came and went from.

Charging in with only a rough idea of its location would not be using his knowledge of the plot. It would be gambling on luck.

Tang Hao decided to visit Nuoding City first.

He could buy more detailed maps, ask about the Heaven Dou Empire, and find a caravan headed in the same direction.

In his current condition, short journeys were no problem.

But running all the way from Fasinuo Province to Heaven Dou City would be putting himself through far too much.

Why use his legs when he could ride?

A Titled Douluo was not a pack animal.

By noon, Nuoding City had appeared on the horizon.

Its walls stood only a little over ten meters high, and two modest queues had formed at the gate.

Tang Hao paid the entry fee. He had barely passed through the gate when he spotted two familiar figures.

Old Jack was arguing with a guard, Tang San beside him.

"This certificate was issued by a Spirit Hall deacon himself. How could it be fake?"

The guard held the certificate and looked Tang San up and down.

"Blue Silver Grass with Innate Full Soul Power? Who are you trying to fool?"

Tang Hao stopped but did not approach.

According to the original story, Yu Xiaogang would appear next.

He would first get Tang San out of trouble, then correctly identify his Twin Martial Souls and take this child of destiny as his disciple.

Should Tang Hao stop it?

He considered it for only an instant before deciding against it.

Tang San had a mind of his own. If he insisted on following the plot, there was little Tang Hao could do.

Besides, though Yu Xiaogang's character and theories were both debatable, he knew a great deal about Soul Masters.

At the very least, he could teach a beginner like Tang San.

Whether Tang San later let himself be led into a ditch would depend on his own judgment.

Tang Hao had said everything he needed to before leaving.

If a few words could still fool the boy into going astray, it would only prove he had grown a brain but never bothered to use it.

A medium-built man with a stiff face emerged from the crowd, walked to the academy gate, and took the certificate from the guard.

Tang Hao recognized him at a glance.

Yu Xiaogang.

Forty-two years old. A level twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster.

He had been stuck at level twenty-nine for decades yet persisted in researching Martial Soul Theory. That determination did deserve credit.

But publishing conclusions everywhere under the title of Grandmaster, dressing up guesses that had yet to be fully tested as truth? That was not entirely decent.

In short, he knew a thing or two, but not much.

Worse, he was exceptionally sure of himself. Men got a bad name because of fellows like him.

Tang Hao did not stay to watch. He turned and headed into the city.

He had no intention of secretly following Tang San for twelve years as the original Tang Hao had.

The boy had school, and his father had a condition to treat. They were both busy; there was no need to watch each other all day.

Besides, Tang San was not young in mind.

Come to think of it, he might be the one person in the family who needed the least supervision.

Nuoding City was not large, but its shops were reasonably well stocked.

Tang Hao first bought a black cloak from a clothing shop, then picked up some daily necessities at a general store.

After that, he found the largest map shop in the city.

The proprietor was a man in his forties.

"What area are you looking for, sir?"

"From Fasinuo Province to Heaven Dou City. As detailed as possible."

"That route crosses the whole of Balak Kingdom. It won't be cheap."

"Show me what you have."

The proprietor quickly brought out three maps. The most expensive was priced at two Gold Soul Coins.

Tang Hao unfolded it and studied it for a moment. His brow gradually furrowed.

It marked only the major cities and official roads. Forests, villages, and dangerous areas were mostly vague outlines.

"This is your most detailed map?"

"Of course."

The proprietor thumped his chest. "You won't find another like it anywhere in Nuoding City."

"What about Sunset Forest?"

"Sunset Forest is east of Heaven Dou City. Only the locals know the area in detail."

Tang Hao nodded.

As expected, he could not hope to find a detailed map of Sunset Forest in a small border city.

"Are any caravans leaving for Heaven Dou City soon?"

"None going straight there."

The proprietor thought for a moment. "A caravan leaves for Barak City tomorrow. Once you arrive, you can join another convoy heading north."

"Where can I find it?"

"The Golden Feather Trading Company, in the west of the city."

Tang Hao paid and left.

Two Gold Soul Coins for three poorly drawn maps. In his previous life, that would have been enough to call it a consumer scam.

Unfortunately, Douluo Continent had neither satellite navigation nor a complaints hotline.

It was hard not to get taken for a ride.

The Golden Feather Trading Company's caravan would depart early the next morning.

Tang Hao paid five Silver Soul Coins for a place on a freight wagon.

There was no private carriage and no soft seat.

Its only advantage was that he would not have to walk.

That night, Tang Hao checked into an ordinary inn.

Once inside his room, he extended his spiritual power. Only after confirming that no Soul Masters were watching nearby did he take the wooden box holding Ah Yin from his Soul Tool.

He opened the lid. The slender Blue Silver Grass swayed gently.

Compared with three days earlier, Ah Yin's life force was still faint, with almost no noticeable change.

Tang Hao found a flowerpot and temporarily transplanted her into it, then fed a trace of Soul Power into the soil.

The Blue Silver Grass spread its leaves and curled gently around his finger.

A warm, affectionate feeling reached him.

Tang Hao stiffened.

That affection plainly was not meant for him.

The person Ah Yin knew was the original Tang Hao, not the outsider occupying his body.

In a sense, he had taken another man's place as her husband and inherited that man's wife and son.

That was a relationship difficult to explain anywhere.

"Stop wrapping around me."

Tang Hao pulled his finger free, his tone a little unnatural.

"I'll find a way to save you. Once you've recovered, we can talk about some things properly."

The Blue Silver Grass could not answer. Its leaves merely drooped a little.

Tang Hao felt inexplicably guilty.

He closed his eyes instead and examined his injuries.

Traveling during the day had consumed little Soul Power, but the old injury near his heart still ached faintly.

Several strands of foreign Soul Power were lodged deep in his meridians like nails. The slightest touch triggered a backlash.

The original Tang Hao had survived six years with injuries like these only because his Titled Douluo physique and the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone had kept him going.

Then again, perhaps a scourge really did live a thousand years.

Tang Hao tried to direct his Soul Power around the strand of Angel Soul Power closest to his heart.

The two forces had barely touched when a sharp pain tore through his chest.

Pfft!

A mouthful of dark-red blood splashed into the washbasin.

Tang Hao opened his eyes and wiped the blood from his lips without expression.

Wonderful.

A level ninety-five Titled Douluo had tried to treat his own injury and nearly killed himself on the spot.

He had inherited the power, but fine control would take time to learn.

The original Tang Hao's combat instincts let him swing the Clear Sky Hammer, but they did not automatically teach him how to deal with years of accumulated internal injuries.

"Looks like I really do need to find Dugu Bo."

Tang Hao suppressed the turmoil in his blood and breath.

The old poisoner might not be able to heal him, but he understood medicines and meridians.

With the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well as well, his chances would be far better than if he kept fumbling around on his own.

Early the next morning, Tang Hao went to the west of the city.

The Golden Feather Trading Company's convoy was ready. It had eight freight wagons and more than a dozen guards, including two Soul Masters.

The strongest was a Soul Elder above level thirty.

That level was nothing before a Titled Douluo, but it was enough to escort ordinary goods.

After counting everyone, the caravan manager called out, "Follow the rules on the road! Don't leave the convoy without permission, and if danger comes, follow the guards' orders!"

Tang Hao sat down on the last freight wagon and pulled his cloak over his face.

A skinny merchant beside him asked curiously, "What takes you to Barak City, friend?"

"Medical treatment."

"What illness do you have?"

Tang Hao lifted a corner of his cloak and glanced at him.

"AIDS."

"What kind of illness is that?"

"A contagious one."

The merchant shut his mouth awkwardly.

The wheels began to turn, and Nuoding City gradually disappeared behind them.

Treat his old injuries, find the medicinal garden, negotiate with Dugu Bo, then work out how to nurture Ah Yin.

There was plenty to do, and a long road ahead.

Still, it beat staying in the smithy, drinking himself to death.

Tang Hao closed his eyes.

From this moment on, the first thing he had to do was take this life he had been handed firmly into his own hands.