Tang Hao lay beneath a tree, his left arm dangling at an unnatural angle.
Clearly, his left arm was broken.
He also felt that several of his ribs had snapped.
Now, the aftereffects of Ring Detonation struck as well.
He could barely move a muscle.
Fortunately, their battle had driven away all the nearby Soul Beasts.
Otherwise, any Soul Beast that happened along could have taken his life.
He had no idea how long he lay there.
Only then could Tang Hao barely move again.
Enduring his injuries, Tang Hao made his way out of the Star Dou Forest, one step at a time.
Yet he had barely made it out when he ran into several Soul Masters in their thirties.
They stared at Tang Hao with vicious grins. "Old man, hand over your money!"
Tang Hao looked up at them. Before, he would already have struck.
Now, he was gravely wounded, with little Soul Power remaining.
If they actually fought, he probably couldn't beat them.
So he decided to go around them.
He turned and headed back the way he had come.
One of them immediately came forward and kicked him straight to the ground.
Another started searching him.
"Pah! Broke bastard! This handful of Gold Soul Coins is all you've got? You think we're beggars?"
"Let's go. Find the next one."
Before leaving, they made sure to give Tang Hao a few more kicks.
The killing intent in Tang Hao's eyes almost took solid form.
If he hadn't been so badly injured, he would already have attacked.
He gritted his teeth and endured the agonizing pain.
Several of his bones had already been broken, and now he had taken several more kicks.
He felt as though the broken bones had pierced his organs. The pain was unbearable.
It took a long while before Tang Hao could barely stand.
He shuffled forward, one step at a time.
He found an abandoned Soul Hunting camp and lay there for several days before he could barely circulate his Soul Power.
"I was careless. I should have prepared more."
Feeling the state of his injuries, Tang Hao gave a bitter smile.
These wounds would probably take months to heal.
He went to the town nearest the Star Dou Great Forest and begged for a little money.
Then he found a stable and asked the horse dealer, "How much for this horse?"
The dealer looked Tang Hao up and down, then asked, "You'll be riding it?"
"What's wrong?" Tang Hao frowned.
"Nothing. I'd just advise you not to buy this one. He's called Stubborn Donkey, and he loves kicking people. Just last month, he broke a burly man's ribs."
The dealer patted the horse beside him. "I'd suggest this one instead. This one's gentler."
Tang Hao glanced at the large brown horse he had chosen and snorted. "That's exactly the one I want!"
He refused to believe that a mighty Titled Douluo like himself couldn't tame a horse.
The more the dealer tried to dissuade him, the more he wanted to try.
The dealer shook his head helplessly. He had said all he should. Whatever happened afterward had nothing to do with him.
He was only a horse dealer. Giving a friendly warning was already more than enough kindness.
He took the money and said again, "Just so we're clear, don't come looking for me if you fall off or get kicked."
What the dealer feared most were people who ignored his warnings, then came back to make trouble when something went wrong.
So, just to be safe, he warned Tang Hao once more.
Tang Hao ignored him and swung himself straight into the saddle.
Unfortunately, his injured leg struck the saddle, and the pain nearly made him cry out.
With other people watching, he forced himself to hold it in.
Still, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
The dealer glanced at him and shook his head helplessly. He had never seen anyone so stubborn.
He only hoped Tang Hao wouldn't come making trouble if something really happened.
Sitting on the horse's back, Tang Hao tugged the reins. "Giddyup!"
The horse didn't budge.
He froze for a moment, then pulled the reins taut again. "Giddyup! Giddyup!"
The horse still didn't budge.
Refusing to give up, Tang Hao kicked the horse's belly.
The horse beneath him suddenly bucked, launching Tang Hao into the air.
His head landed squarely in a feed trough.
When he raised his head, he found himself staring into the eyes of the horse eating hay there.
The horse seemed to be saying, You're trying to steal my food?
Tang Hao had no time for that horse. The fall seemed to have worsened the injuries that had only just begun to heal.
All he could feel was the pain throughout his body intensifying.
Beside him, the dealer kept his head lowered, his shoulders shaking. Clearly, holding back his laughter was a struggle.
It was the first time the dealer had ever seen someone thrown into a feed trough, too.
Tang Hao struggled to his feet and brushed the hay off his head.
He looked again at the horse he had just bought.
The horse looked back at him, his gaze utterly haughty, as though saying, What? Got a problem?
Tang Hao took a deep breath and mounted again. This time, he neither kicked the horse's belly nor pulled the reins taut.
Instead, he patted the horse's neck.
This time, the horse actually moved.
Tang Hao thought he had succeeded, only to discover that the horse's pace was absurdly slow.
It was even slower than walking himself.
But Tang Hao had no choice. Surely he couldn't go back and exchange the horse?
He felt he couldn't bear that humiliation.
Slow as it was, it was still much better than walking.
He could only ride along at that leisurely pace.
A long while later.
Tang Hao's backside had begun to ache, so he found a roadside tea stall and tied the horse to a nearby tree.
Then he ordered himself something to eat.
Before long, several cracking sounds came from outside.
Tang Hao looked up. His horse had actually gnawed all the way around the tree, and now the tree was beginning to fall toward him.
Without thinking, Tang Hao stood up to dodge.
But the tree landed right on him.
"Hiss!" Tang Hao felt as though several more ribs had broken.
Luckily, the people nearby helped in time and pulled him out.
Looking at the smashed seating, Tang Hao had no choice but to pay for the damage.
He was in no mood to eat anymore and led the horse away.
They hadn't gone far before the horse stopped again, this time to defecate.
Tang Hao assumed he would keep walking once he was finished, but the fellow stopped to defecate every couple of steps.
Growing impatient, he dismounted and faced the horse.
"Are you doing this on purpose?" He stared fixedly at the horse.
The horse snorted, spraying a large glob of saliva straight into Tang Hao's face.
Tang Hao's expression darkened instantly, and he was about to summon the Clear Sky Hammer and kill the horse.
He had had enough.
He didn't want to waste any more time on this horse.
He admitted that he regretted it. He should have listened to the dealer.
Instead, he had bought this wretched creature.
He had spent the entire day inviting misery upon himself.
As though knowing what he intended, the horse spun around and kicked at Tang Hao.
Whether Tang Hao was truly cursed with terrible luck or not, he landed facedown, squarely in the pile of manure the horse had just left.
"I swear... urgh!" Tang Hao had just started to threaten him, but the moment he opened his mouth, horse manure fell inside.
He hastily shut his mouth, then accidentally swallowed.
Forgetting all about the horse, he crouched on the ground and began dry-heaving.
The horse had long since run off.
Tang Hao felt that his luck lately had hit rock bottom.
Meanwhile.
Tang San had been unable to sleep for several days.
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