Senior Brother, Dad Doesn't Know Any Better. Don't Hold It Against Him.

A miss by a hair could lead to an error of a thousand miles.

Flender's pounce, which he had been certain would protect Dai Mubai, caught nothing but air.

Bang!

Two dull thuds sounded almost simultaneously.

Tang Sanmei and Xiao Wu pressed their triggers, sending bolts from two Zhuge Repeating Crossbows straight toward Dai Mubai.

Flender could only watch as the bolts flew toward Dai Mubai, about to pierce him. His voice cracked as he shouted,

"Mubai!"

At that hairbreadth moment—

"Roar!"

A furious roar erupted. A burly figure dropped from above and landed in front of Dai Mubai.

"Third Soul Skill: Gravity Increase!"

"First Soul Skill: Immovable Bright King Body!"

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black!

Another seven dazzling Soul Rings appeared.

Zhao Wuji, the Immovable Wisdom King: a level seventy-six Power Attack System Battle Soul Saint.

Zhao Wuji had been drinking in a nearby tavern. He had rushed over after hearing the sound of Flender's Martial Soul.

One glance told him his student's life was in danger, and he hurried to intervene.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

A rapid barrage of impacts rang against Zhao Wuji's body, scattering sparks everywhere.

Bolts from the Zhuge Repeating Crossbows, powerful enough to kill an ordinary Soul Ancestor, struck his Immovable Bright King Body at full strength and bounced straight off.

Even so, their outrageous force and piercing power left Zhao Wuji trembling and numb all over.

"What a vicious weapon!"

Zhao Wuji glanced down at the bolts on the ground, his back drenched in cold sweat.

Damn it. If Dai Mubai had taken even a few of those, he would have been dead.

Did youngsters these days really carry such insane things when they went out looking for a fight?

Before Zhao Wuji could recover, he caught sight of Dai Mubai's condition from the corner of his eye.

Zhao Wuji started, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Holy shit! Mubai! How did you get flattened down there? Who the hell did this?"

"They did... and that boy too..."

Seeing that help had arrived, Ma Hongjun hurried behind Zhao Wuji. He pointed at Huo Yuhao and the two girls and burst into tears.

"Teacher Zhao! Boss Dai was crippled by that little blue-haired girl! Waaah, completely crippled!"

At those words, Zhao Wuji felt as if his head were about to explode.

Around Suotuo City, Shrek Academy had always been the one bullying others. Now someone had dared to bully Shrek.

This could not stand!

Zhao Wuji unleashed his Soul Saint-level Soul Power and glared at Huo Yuhao and the two girls.

"You lawless little curs! You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you're already this vicious!"

Zhao Wuji slammed his fists together with a dull thud and roared,

"Flender, get out of the way! I'm going to skin these sneaky little brats alive today!"

"The strong bullying the weak. Shrek has kept that tradition alive, at least."

Huo Yuhao sighed helplessly.

He had no idea how he had managed to stay at Shrek in his previous life.

Unfortunately for Dai Mubai, he wasn't the only one with someone watching his back. Tang Sanmei had someone too.

Without so much as glancing at Zhao Wuji, Huo Yuhao called out,

"Old man, that's enough. If you keep watching the show, Sanmei won't cook for you anymore."

"Little brat, even if you summon the Clear Sky Douluo today, it won't save you! Die!"

Zhao Wuji roared and charged toward them.

But before his attack could reach them, a rusty iron hammer appeared from nowhere and smashed toward his face.

"What!"

Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted, and every hair on his body stood on end.

Instinctively, he tried to dodge, but his body would not obey him.

"Immovable Wisdom King!"

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Wuji roared and concentrated all his defenses in his arms, preparing to take the blow head-on.

Clang!

The next instant, a thunderous crash shook the entire street.

Two sharp cracks of breaking bone followed.

The defense in which the level seventy-six Battle Soul Saint took such pride was as fragile as tofu before that unremarkable iron hammer.

Zhao Wuji's arms snapped on the spot. He did not last even a second before spitting blood and flying backward.

On his way, Zhao Wuji collided with Flender, who had just climbed to his feet.

"Huh?"

The two Soul Saints, each formidable in his own right, flew dozens of meters together and smashed straight through the General Store.

Amid the billowing dust,

Tang Hao emerged at an unhurried pace from the shadows at the street corner, bare-chested and with his hair in a tangle.

With a casual gesture, he recalled the great iron hammer to his hand.

Tang Hao rested the hammer on his shoulder, lowered his heavy-lidded eyes, and spat toward the wreckage.

"Whose skin were you going to peel? I'm standing right here. Come try peeling mine."

The entire street fell silent.

The onlookers' jaws nearly hit the ground.

This slovenly man, reeking of alcohol, had not even revealed his Martial Soul. With nothing but a battered iron hammer and brute strength, he had smashed a Soul Saint hard enough to make him cough blood.

Was he even human?

Tang Hao snorted, then turned and glared irritably at Huo Yuhao.

"You little brat, you use me as your weapon every time. Cause trouble again, and I'll hammer you too."

"Uncle Tang, you're mighty indeed."

Huo Yuhao answered with a perfunctory smile.

"Dad! It wasn't Senior Brother's fault. They were the ones bullying me!"

Tang Sanmei planted herself in front of Huo Yuhao, hands on her hips, and glared at Tang Hao.

"..."

Looking at the little padded jacket before him, Tang Hao felt his chest tighten. She did a poor job of keeping him warm.

"Fine, fine! It's my fault. I should've minded my own business. Happy?"

The corners of Tang Hao's mouth twitched. He turned away in a huff, all his anger gone.

Forget it, forget it. A daughter was meant to be spoiled. She was different from a son.

Tang Hao could only keep consoling himself.

But whenever he and Huo Yuhao clashed, Tang Sanmei chose Huo Yuhao without hesitation, without the slightest pause, without a second thought—firmly, decisively, and with ironclad certainty.

"Whose little padded jacket is she, anyway?"

Tang Hao howled at the sky and took a huge swig of wine.

"Senior Brother, don't blame Dad. He's still too young and doesn't know any better. Don't hold it against him."

Since ancient times, it had been hard to fulfill both loyalty and filial duty. But Tang Sanmei had received more than thirty years of teaching and care from the Tang Sect.

Tang Hao might have been her father by blood, but they had only had a scant dozen years together.

Put side by side, Tang Sanmei knew which bond mattered more.

Besides, everything she knew, she had learned from the Tang Sect.

And if she counted both her lives, it was not even clear which of them should be calling the other "Dad."

Hearing his own daughter's attempt to comfort him, Tang Hao nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Too young?

Didn't know any better?

When I was hammering the pope of Spirit Hall, you were only just born, little girl!

Hearing Tang Sanmei's outrageous remarks, Huo Yuhao marveled sincerely at the wonders of feudal thinking.

"It's all right. Uncle Tang is a rough man, after all. Senior Brother won't take it to heart."

Going along with her, Huo Yuhao patted Tang Sanmei on the head to reassure her.

Tang Sanmei narrowed her eyes in contentment. Senior Brother was so magnanimous, she thought. He truly deserved to be the Tang Sect's Orthodox Heir.