Wang Dong stood in the secret chamber, looking at the long-haired man in the screen of light as complicated feelings welled up inside him.
This was his first formal conversation with the legendary Sea God Tang San as his "son."
To be honest, his impression of Tang San was not particularly good. After all, in the original story, this God King father had hardly ever done anything decent.
He had even split his own child's soul directly into three parts: Wang Dong, Wang Qiu'er, and Tang Wutong... utterly absurd.
Cuckolding yourself? Fighting with yourself over someone's affections.
Wasn't that fucking ridiculous?
And later, for the sake of so-called "tests," he had played Huo Yuhao like a puppet in his palm, forcibly arranging her fate. By the time he was through, he had put Huo Yuhao through a living hell.
A perfectly good child of destiny had been toyed with like a dog.
The later events in the Qiankun Asking Love Valley were even more absurd. Men turning into women, women turning into men-he simply had no humanity.
Perhaps after becoming a god, he had placed himself so far above everyone else that his entire mindset had changed.
Ever since transmigrating here, Wang Dong had remained wary of this father he had acquired out of nowhere. He had even wondered what he should do if Tang San really went after Huo Yuhao as he had in the original story, and toyed with him too...
There was no way Wang Dong would let anyone casually toy with his fate.
Not even Tang San.
Still, the Tang San in the screen of light seemed quite normal. He wore a smile and spoke gently, asking a few questions about Wang Dong's life at the academy before offering some reminders about cultivation.
His words carried an elder's concern, but Wang Dong could still sense an unconscious desire for control in them.
He was always giving pointers, always guiding him, as though he wanted Wang Dong to follow the path he had planned out.
"Your twin martial souls, the Clear Sky Hammer and the Soft Bone Rabbit, both provide excellent foundations."
Tang San spoke slowly, his gaze falling on Wang Dong through the screen of light. "Cultivate diligently, and you may well inherit my mantle someday. Even the Sea God's divine position could be passed on to you."
Wang Dong's heart lurched, but he smiled without betraying anything. "I'm still young. It's too early to talk about that."
Tang San nodded and did not pursue the subject. Just as he was about to say something else, Wang Dong suddenly mentioned something without thinking:
"Oh, right, I made a friend at the academy named Huo Yuhao. She's very talented and a very good person. Mu En also thinks highly of her."
Tang San's expression visibly stiffened for a moment, and his gaze grew somewhat strange. He glanced at Wang Dong, his lips moving as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He merely gave a quiet "Mm" and left it at that.
Xiao Wu, however, became interested. "Huo Yuhao? She's a girl, right? Is she pretty? What's her personality like?"
Wang Dong was a little embarrassed. "Mom, we're just friends right now..."
Xiao Wu looked at him with a beaming smile. "Friends are good. Friends can slowly become something else."
Tang San coughed, interrupting their conversation. "It's about time. The magic array won't hold much longer. Dong, cultivate diligently in the lower realm. If anything happens, contact us through the magic array."
The screen of light began to flicker, and the image gradually blurred. Wang Dong nodded. "I understand. Take care of yourselves."
The screen of light vanished completely, and silence returned to the secret chamber. Wang Dong stood where he was and let out a long breath. Rubbing his temples, he silently prayed:
Tang San, you'd better not mess around. Huo Yuhao is mine. If you dare torment her the way you did in the original story, I really won't mind putting righteousness before family. In this life, I don't want anyone controlling my fate, including you.
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm.
Inside the Sea God Hall, Tang San stood before the Star-Gazing Platform, gazing deeply at the star chart below as his expression gradually grew grave.
Huo Yuhao... of course he knew that name. She was the Douluo Continent's newest child of fortune, with limitless future potential.
She was the very reason he had sent his son down to the lower realm in the first place.
As a God King who governed the Divine Realm's order, he knew the shifts in the lower realm's fortune like the back of his hand. The name Huo Yuhao had long since entered the scope of his observations.
He simply had not expected his son's tone to carry an indescribable closeness and trust when he mentioned that girl. This left him somewhat uneasy.
It was not that he opposed his son making friends. It was just that... Huo Yuhao's identity was too unusual. A child of fortune whose fate was fraught with hardship, she was entangled in far too many threads of cause and effect.
Such people were often destined to endure many trials before growing into truly powerful figures. And trials were often accompanied by pain.
As a God King, he understood better than anyone that such people's destinies were often not theirs to decide.
He needed to test that girl and see whether she was worthy of his son, whether she qualified to stand by his side.
If she could not even pass the most basic test, then she was not worth his son's sincere devotion.
Yes, Tang San had instinctively begun thinking about testing her.
Tang San's fingertips tapped lightly against the Star-Gazing Platform's railing, his gaze unfathomable, his thoughts unknown. Standing behind him and watching him like this, Xiao Wu could not help sighing:
"What are you thinking about now? Our son finally managed to send us a message. Can't you be a little happier?"
Tang San came back to himself and smiled. "Nothing. I just feel a little emotional seeing that our son has grown up."
Xiao Wu pursed her lips. "Oh, spare me. You think I don't know you? You're definitely plotting something again. I'm warning you, don't use those Divine Realm schemes of yours on our son. He's not one of those divine officials under you, there for you to manipulate."
Tang San shook his head helplessly. "You're overthinking it. How could I scheme against my own son?"
Xiao Wu snorted and said nothing more. But as she looked at Tang San, a trace of barely perceptible worry lingered in her eyes.
As for Wang Dong, after finishing the conversation, he had a meal with Niu Tian and Tai Tan. At the table, Niu Tian and Tai Tan asked plenty of questions about his life at the academy, and Wang Dong answered them one by one.
He told them about the Freshman Assessment, about Mu En taking on a disciple, and about his Martial Soul Fusion with Huo Yuhao. Niu Tian and Tai Tan listened with great interest, nodding in praise from time to time.
"A hundred percent Martial Soul Fusion. That's no ordinary talent," Niu Tian said with feeling.
"Even your parents didn't have this Martial Soul Fusion Skill back then..."
Tai Tan smiled as well. "Looks like Dong'er is doing pretty well at the academy. That puts us a little more at ease."
Wang Dong scratched his head. "There's no one at Shrek Academy who can bully me... but the main reason I came back this time was still the matter of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
Niu Tian nodded. "Don't worry. Your Big Dad and Second Dad both remember. We'll set out first thing tomorrow morning."
The three talked late into the night before going their separate ways to rest. Wang Dong lay in bed, looking at the moonlight outside the window and thinking of Huo Yuhao, far away in the Far North.
I wonder how she's doing now, whether she's found the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's habitat, and whether she's successfully obtained her second martial soul. He rolled over, closed his eyes, and forced himself to sleep.
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