Buzz!
A familiar lifting force surged through the bamboo pole once again.
It worked!
A double jump in midair actually worked!
In that instant, Tang San's mind went blank.
He remembered an idea he'd once had.
A double pole-vault jump, a triple jump, eighteen jumps in a row-all the way up to the Divine Realm.
It hadn't been a pipe dream after all.
"I'm one step closer to the Divine Realm," Tang San murmured.
The next second.
The wild joy on Tang San's face vanished at a visible speed.
I'm done for.
I was so busy jumping, I forgot this thing couldn't stop.
A powerful rush of air blasted into his collar.
The last flatbread tucked against Tang San's chest flew out with a whoosh.
The flatbread traced a graceful arc through the air.
It flew with more dignity than either of them.
An eagle passing overhead swooped down and snatched it up with perfect precision.
Tang San: "..."
Behind him, the sudden acceleration jolted Yu Xiaogang until his senses reeled.
"Little San... write this down... midair relays are a new direction for your teacher's theories..."
Before he could finish.
He stuck his head out and began dry-heaving.
He retched for ages without bringing anything up.
He'd been starving for two days; his stomach held nothing but a mouthful of acid.
Meanwhile.
Luo Sanpao had been pushed in the opposite direction by Tang San.
Luo Sanpao hung from a branch with all four feet pointing skyward.
With a numb expression, Luo Sanpao glanced at the master and disciple disappearing into the distance.
Then Luo Sanpao turned into a streak of light and returned to Yu Xiaogang's body.
After flying for who knew how long.
They finally began to slow down.
"Teacher, hold on tight!"
"You're the one who needs to hold on!"
Master and disciple sailed over one last ridge and plummeted straight toward an official road below.
Thud.
Thud.
Two dull impacts rang out.
One large figure and one small figure slammed into the middle of the road in textbook face-first landing poses.
They left two shallow craters.
A good while later.
The two of them climbed out of their craters, one after the other.
Tang San looked up at Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang looked down at Tang San.
Their appearances were now remarkably consistent.
Both were scorched black, their hair standing straight up, mud plastered across their faces, and wisps of smoke still drifting from their hems.
Tang San was silent for two seconds before saying, "Teacher, you look exactly like Luo Sanpao after a lightning strike."
Yu Xiaogang: "..."
He was just about to argue.
When he suddenly felt warmth spreading across his back.
"Teacher, your back's on fire."
"Huh?"
"Aaaaaah!!"
Yu Xiaogang rolled eighteen times right where he was.
Once he'd finished, he lay sprawled in the middle of the road and made a resounding declaration.
"Little San, remember this day."
"The self-detonation style's first victory in actual combat."
Tang San stared expressionlessly at the trees lining the road. "Sure, we won."
"We also blasted ourselves more than a dozen li away."
"Details, all just details." Yu Xiaogang waved a hand. "Victory never asks about the process."
Tang San couldn't be bothered to argue.
He lowered his head and felt his utterly empty chest.
His stomach obligingly let out a growl.
Immediately afterward, Yu Xiaogang's stomach growled too.
One sang, the other chimed in.
"Little San, your teacher just remembered something." Lying on the ground, Yu Xiaogang said weakly, "I don't think we've eaten in two days."
"We went hungry all day before yesterday, then all day yesterday too."
Tang San sighed helplessly. "Teacher, you didn't have to remind me."
Master and disciple rested for ages before struggling to their feet and wandering aimlessly along the road.
What they didn't know was.
At the other end of the road.
A horse-drawn cart loaded with iron was heading their way.
A burly woman sat on the cart.
A burly man was driving.
The iron clanged and rattled as the wheels jolted along.
Yu Xiaogang was the first to stop.
He sniffed, his brows creasing slightly.
"Little San."
"What?"
"Why do I smell rust?"
Tang San paused and looked ahead.
Two figures, one large and one small, were growing clearer in the sunlight.
Tang San's pupils abruptly contracted.
I'm done for.
That was Tang San's first thought.
Mostly because he knew those two people up ahead.
Weren't they the father and daughter who had made a scene at the school, demanding that he take responsibility?
Tang San's scalp prickled. Seriously, why was my luck so rotten today?
They'd already left Nuoding City, yet somehow they'd still run into this father and daughter on the road.
He even considered simply attacking and disposing of them both.
But Yu Xiaogang was here. If he actually did that, Yu Xiaogang would never agree.
Unless he disposed of Yu Xiaogang too.
How could someone who respected his teacher and honored the way as much as he did commit such an act of betraying his master and destroying his lineage?
So Tang San could only lower his head and pretend not to know them, hoping they wouldn't notice him and his teacher.
But things went against his wishes.
He'd thought the cart would pass straight by them.
Instead, it stopped.
The Burly Woman sitting on the shaft jumped down from the cart.
When she landed, Tang San felt as though the ground had quaked, and her feet stamped two shallow pits straight into the hard-packed road.
Tang San instinctively swallowed. Just how heavy was she?
The Burly Woman walked over to them and asked, "Excuse me, do you need help?"
Tang San kept his head down, not daring to look at her for fear of being recognized.
It wasn't that he was actually afraid; it was just that Yu Xiaogang was there.
If Yu Xiaogang hadn't been there, he'd have attacked long ago.
She was the reason he'd ended up in this miserable state.
Yu Xiaogang didn't dare look at her either.
After all, the earlier incident was still fresh in his memory.
Besides, he'd indeed been somewhat in the wrong before.
Seeing that neither dared look at her, the Burly Woman grew suspicious.
She began studying them closely.
Suddenly, she shouted, "Well, well, so it's you!"
"I never thought I'd run into you two peeping toms again today."
"Dad! Come here! I've caught those two peeping toms from before!"
She shouted toward the Burly Man behind her.
Tang San's expression soured. He hadn't expected to be recognized.
He began rapidly weighing his options.
Run?
He glanced at Yu Xiaogang beside him.
His teacher had spent an entire night drenched in rain, gone nearly two days without food, been knocked unconscious by a fart for a whole night, and then personally blasted into the sky by the self-detonation style half an hour ago.
It was already a miracle that his teacher could still stand.
There was no way he could escape while taking him along.
Tang San quickly considered the situation. Running away was definitely impossible.
Unless...
His gaze instinctively flicked toward Yu Xiaogang.
If I shoved Yu Xiaogang out to stall them, couldn't I get away?
Hmm, I'll just have to use Yu Xiaogang as a sacrificial pawn.
No.
Tang San corrected himself inwardly.
I'm a Tang Sect disciple who respects his teacher and honors the way. "Sacrificial pawn" isn't in my vocabulary.
This is called splitting up.
Exactly. Splitting up.
Yu Xiaogang won't come to any real harm anyway. At worst, he'll take a beating.
He definitely won't die.
Besides, who knows? They might even give him something to eat afterward.
See how good I am to Gangzi? Knowing he hasn't eaten for two days, I'm leaving this chance to get food directly to him.
I, Tang San, truly respect my teacher and honor the way.
Tang San made his decision as quickly as ever.
The next second.
He grabbed Yu Xiaogang and shoved him hard toward the blacksmith and his daughter.
"Teacher!"
"I'm counting on you here!"
Yu Xiaogang: "???"