Tang San: Yu Xiaogang, You Wretch, You've Already Chosen the Road to Death

"What do you know? Bibi Dong and I were truly in love back then. Ah, if only fate hadn't played its tricks!"

Yu Xiaogang raised his head to the sky. Memories of those days stirred in him, and he could not help sighing.

Whether it was true or not, the Seven-Ring Soul Sage did not want Yu Xiaogang to say another word.

"You men, arrest Yu Xiaogang and take him back to Spirit Hall."

"Yes, sir."

"What are you doing? I'm an Honorary Elder of Spirit Hall! Let me go! You can't treat me like this! Once I see Bibi Dong, you're finished!"

Several Soul Elder deacons from Spirit Hall gripped Yu Xiaogang by the shoulders, leaving him unable to move. All he could do was invoke Bibi Dong's name and threaten them.

Unfortunately for him, none of them believed that Spirit Hall's former Saintess, now His Holiness the Pope, would fall for a fame-hungry good-for-nothing like him.

"What do you know? Bibi Dong and I understood each other perfectly. We were kindred spirits, two hearts beating as one. What we had was true love!"

"Cover his mouth."

"Yes, sir."

"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."

How many Soul Masters of Spirit Hall dreamed of Bibi Dong?

The Seven-Ring Soul Sage swore inwardly that he would never allow anyone to insult her—the Saintess of Spirit Hall—like this.

His gaze grew colder as he looked at Yu Xiaogang. A trace of killing intent lurked beneath it. This was no longer how he looked at an ordinary man, but how he looked at a criminal.

A criminal who tarnished His Holiness the Pope's reputation had to be punished without mercy!

The Spirit Hall party departed in a great procession, leaving only a mess behind.

The academy director paid a cleaner a decent sum to clean the ground.

The students and teachers nearby had feasted on the spectacle until their mouths were practically dripping with gossip.

They were all flushed and brimming with excitement.

Even those who had feared Jin Yang's reputation as the so-called "Blood-Drinking Demon Sunflower" now crowded around him with everyone else, talking over one another.

Most of their chatter concerned the details of the clash between Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.

Then there were the romantic tales of Yu Xiaogang and His Holiness the Pope of Spirit Hall.

And on and on it went.

Tang San had recovered by then. This time, he did not act rashly.

His whole bearing seemed to have returned to what it had been in his previous life.

When he looked at Xiao Wu, none of his former warmth remained.

There was only cold silence.

"Tang San, what's wrong?" The way he looked at her made Xiao Wu uneasy.

There was no warmth in Tang San's eyes.

"Nothing. Come on, Xiao Wu. Let's go back."

Tang San took Xiao Wu by the hand and led her away.

Wang Sheng and the others had long since slipped into the crowd. Noticing Tang San and Xiao Wu leave, they only watched from afar and did not follow.

Who knew what they were thinking?

Perhaps they were wondering whether they should go on slaving away for Tang San and Xiao Wu.

Tang San and Xiao Wu walked away from the crowd.

Jin Yang glanced back.

He paid them no mind.

The next time they met, they would surely be mortal enemies.

So what was there for Jin Yang to say?

He had not wanted things to turn out this way, but he had no choice.

Tang San and Xiao Wu had chosen the least friendly way possible to deal with him.

Given the conflict between them, the academy director had arranged a new dorm room for Jin Yang.

That evening, when Jin Yang returned to collect the last of his belongings, Xiao Wu called out to him.

"...Jin Yang, I'm sorry. About what happened earlier, I want to apologize..."

"If you're apologizing for yourself, I'll gladly accept it. But if you're apologizing to me on someone else's behalf, then get out of my sight."

Xiao Wu's face went pale. Her eyes drifted involuntarily toward Tang San.

Tang San betrayed nothing, though his fist tightened.

"Tang San, I don't need your apology." With that, Jin Yang took his remaining belongings, opened the door, and left Dorm Seven.

Of course Jin Yang did not need Tang San's apology. An apology would do no good.

What was coming would come.

Jin Yang's expression did not change when he saw Tang Hao standing at the far end of the corridor, though he had no idea when the man had appeared.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Tang Hao. I'm Tang San's father."

"Oh? Are you here to take revenge on me because Tang San couldn't beat me?"

"Hahaha. No." Tang Hao's laugh was as cold as his voice, enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.

"I ought to thank you, in fact. You were right: there are no worthless students, only worthless teachers.

"If a student really is worthless, then his teacher must be an even bigger waste."

Tang Hao fixed his eyes on Jin Yang and delivered that last sentence one word at a time.

Seeing the fear in Jin Yang's eyes, Tang Hao nodded in satisfaction.

He wanted to kill Jin Yang right then, but he could not.

Jin Yang was now a celebrated figure at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

And if Tang Hao killed him, everyone would assume Tang San had done it.

After all, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and their friends were the only ones who had a grudge against Jin Yang.

Little San had just been dealt a heavy blow by his painful separation from his beloved teacher. Who knew what would happen if he was accused of killing Jin Yang now?

Tang Hao did not care what the people at the academy thought of him.

But if they frightened away that hundred-thousand-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit, the loss would be too great.

That hundred-thousand-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit had to belong to Tang San.

He would make her willingly sacrifice herself for Tang San.

Just like Ah Yin.

Only then could he avenge the Clear Sky Sect.

Tang Hao had originally intended to kill Jin Yang outright. But after seeing Tang San in Dorm Seven looking so utterly beaten down, he changed his mind.

Tang San's state of mind was not suited to bearing any more pressure.

In an instant, Tang Hao was before Jin Yang. He set a hand on Jin Yang's shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and snarled, "Listen, brat. You get this one chance. Stay far away from Tang San from now on, or you'll answer for the consequences. Understand?"

Jin Yang swallowed and nodded repeatedly. "I understand. I understand."

Tang Hao nodded in satisfaction and left. Jin Yang stood alone in the dormitory corridor before hauling his luggage, bags and all, toward his new room.

He had never expected Tang Hao to be so uncharacteristically restrained today.

He had thought he was about to die. Cold sweat ran down his back, soaking his clothes until they clung to him uncomfortably.

Jin Yang's new room was a single dormitory room.

It was not large, though.

There was only a bed and a wardrobe, and nothing else.

It looked as though a storage room had been hastily converted for him.

At least there was no strange smell.

It also had a window he could open, so the air circulated and the light was decent.

Temporarily free of danger, Jin Yang made his bed and collapsed onto it.

At least he would not have to worry about Tang Hao coming after him for the next few years.

After graduating from the junior Soul Master Academy in a few years, he would probably go to the Plant Academy.

Most of the students at the Plant Advanced Soul Master Academy possessed plant Martial Souls, after all.

Perhaps studying there would give him a newer, deeper understanding of plant Martial Souls.

Having experienced people show him the way was far better than following the vines alone in search of answers.

Most important of all was obtaining Soul Rings. Hunting for them on his own would be far too difficult.

Many high-age Plant-type Soul Beasts were no less formidable than animal Soul Beasts, and some were even more dangerous.

Take the Ghost Vine, the Second Soul Ring Yu Xiaogang had originally planned for Tang San.

It was an extremely dangerous Plant-type Soul Beast.

Not only did Ghost Vine possess a powerful neurotoxin, but one successful strike could release enough poison to reduce an enemy to a puddle of pus.

It also bore even more terrifying Parasitic Seeds. During an attack, it released seeds that began to parasitize an enemy as soon as they touched the skin, growing new vines from the victim's body.

This insidious Plant-type Soul Beast was difficult to spot.

It was also easy to underestimate.

If Jin Yang hunted Soul Beasts alone, things could easily go horribly wrong.

With the academy's teachers helping him, it would be much safer.

Plant-type Soul Beasts could also be cultivated.

The Plant Academy surely had plenty of them in reserve.

With the stone finally lifted from his heart, Jin Yang slept soundly.

Tang San and Xiao Wu, meanwhile, lay together with their thoughts worlds apart.

They were still curled up close to each other, but Xiao Wu felt that something was wrong.

"Tang San..."

"Do you blame me?"

"Of course not. How could I blame you, Xiao Wu?"

The bloodshot tint had not entirely left Tang San's eyes. He looked at Xiao Wu with exhaustion in his gaze.

"I just want to sleep early. You should sleep too, Xiao Wu."

Did Tang San blame Xiao Wu? Of course not.

This was only a conflict between him and Jin Yang.

He simply felt, all at once, that something was meaningless.

Was a life without "love" really the life I want?

Thinking back on how Yu Xiaogang had treated him, Tang San questioned himself for the first time.

And as a genius the Tang Sect might see only once in a thousand years, Tang San was no fool.

Now that the warm glow he had cast over their master-disciple bond was gone, he quickly saw Yu Xiaogang's true face.

Yu Xiaogang, you worthless fool. You've already chosen the road to death.

You dared use me as a test subject?

Tang San seethed.

Yu Xiaogang had wasted his First Soul Ring.

Tang San finally remembered that he himself was a master of herbalism.

His knowledge of plants and living things was hardly shallow.

If Yu Xiaogang had not told Tang San to absorb a Snake-type Soul Ring,

why would Tang San ever have chosen one?

Blue Silver Entanglement?

Tang San covered his face in anguish. Blue Silver Grass could already wrap around things on its own.

A snake Martial Soul can make Blue Silver Grass tougher?

No matter how tough snakeskin is, could it be tougher than bamboo?

Gangzi, you led me astray!

A Century-Old Mandala Snake truly isn't as good as a Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo!

To sever someone's path of cultivation was like killing their parents.

Tang San had already cursed Gangzi bloody in his heart.

Their bond as master and disciple had shattered beyond repair.

At that very moment, Yu Xiaogang was undergoing a harsh interrogation by the Seven-Ring Soul Sage inside Spirit Hall.

"Who gave you permission to say such things?"

"You dared sully the name of His Holiness the Pope of Spirit Hall! That deserves death!"

"You maliciously attacked a civilian student under Spirit Hall's protection. You violated every duty of a teacher. That cannot be forgiven!"

"You falsely claimed to be an Honorary Elder of Spirit Hall and showed us no respect whatsoever. Yu Xiaogang, even ten thousand deaths would not be enough for your crimes!"

Having risen from humble origins to become a Seven-Ring Soul Sage, the man loathed Yu Xiaogang's bullying of a student from a common family.

If Yu Xiaogang's father had not been Yu Yuanzhen,

there might not have been a scrap of him left by now.

The whip fell again and again. Screams rang without end through the sealed chamber.

"You! You're beating a confession out of me! I won't accept this! I want to see Bibi Dong! I'll have Bibi Dong kill you!"

The Seven-Ring Soul Sage had whipped Yu Xiaogang until he was covered in blood, his torn flesh turned outward.

It was a gruesome sight.

Yet the Seven-Ring Soul Sage found little satisfaction in it. Yu Xiaogang's cultivation was simply too low.

As a Soul Saint, he did not dare put much strength into the blows. One hard lash might kill Yu Xiaogang outright.

Then he would have no way to answer to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

At the thought, the Seven-Ring Soul Sage spat viciously, landing a gob of phlegm on Yu Xiaogang's face before striding away.

He still had to negotiate with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. What a nuisance.

Only Yu Xiaogang remained in the secret chamber. Bound to a pillar and unable to move, he struggled to stay alive in the dark.

"So my Martial Soul wasn't the Mandala Snake after all."

"What Yu Xiaogang taught me really was wrong."

As the rosy sun rose over the horizon, the purple mist between heaven and earth slowly dispersed.

Only then did Tang San finish his cultivation and open his eyes. A violet gleam flashed beneath his brows: the Tang Sect Secret Art, the Purple Demon Eye.

Tang San stood and stretched. Looking at Xiao Wu, still fast asleep, the curve of his mouth dipped slightly.

It seemed Tang San had always been alone.

In his previous life, and in this one too.

All warmth and love were lies.

Tang Hao had been no different. Yu Xiaogang was even worse.

Tang San let out a weary sigh.

He walked to the window and closed it again. The chill morning air had left a film of white mist on the glass.

The view outside was unchanged, but Tang San's future would never be what it had once been.

Nearly seven days had passed since he had severed his master-disciple bond with Yu Xiaogang.

In those seven days, Tang San had not seen Yu Xiaogang once.

He had even asked a Spirit Hall Deacon about him.

Unfortunately, the Deacon had refused to answer, citing Spirit Hall secrets.

But whenever Tang San recalled what Yu Xiaogang had said that day,

he had already sentenced Yu Xiaogang to death in his heart.

Slandering Spirit Hall's Pope in public and tarnishing the Pope's reputation was no minor offense.

At the very least, it would cost Yu Xiaogang a layer of skin.

A strange flicker of delight rose in Tang San's heart.

Yu Xiaogang's suffering could serve as a prayer for his Soul Ring.

Yu Xiaogang, the pain you suffer today isn't half of what I felt when my future was cut short.

Tang San pulled back the covers and slipped into bed again.

Xiao Wu gave a soft murmur and nestled closer, as though searching for warmth.

Tang San wrapped an arm around Xiao Wu and buried his nose and mouth in her hair, breathing in greedily.