"San, don't dwell on it. Sooner or later, I'll avenge this myself."
Tang Hao offered him reassurance.
At his words, the anger in Tang San's eyes eased a little.
Tang Hao was right. If he could not avenge himself, relying on Tang San would mean an endless wait.
"Dad, can you tell me some things now?"
Tang San looked at Tang Hao and voiced the greatest question weighing on his heart.
Ever since the day he awakened his martial souls, he had known they were extraordinary. He had also realized that Tang Hao was no ordinary man, but after all these years, he still had not managed to uncover his origins on his own.
He had even asked Yu Xiaogang about his second martial soul many times.
Yet Yu Xiaogang always kept his lips sealed on the subject.
That had left Tang San deeply frustrated.
"Ah..."
"Fine, fine. There are some things I ought to tell you sooner or later."
Tang Hao sighed and finally made his decision.
This day had come earlier than he had expected.
Far earlier, in fact.
"I'm not a down-and-out blacksmith. You must have guessed that much. In truth, I was born into the Clear Sky Sect, and our martial soul is called the Clear Sky Hammer. Certain things happened back then, forcing us into a life of wandering and hardship..."
Reminiscence filled Tang Hao's eyes as he slowly recounted those past events.
"What? It was Spirit Hall that drove you into a corner back then..."
"San's mother wasn't human, but the Blue Silver Emperor..."
Tang San and Xiao Wu were plunged into shock.
For a long time, they could not pull themselves out of it.
"What happened back then was actually my fault. If I hadn't taken Ah Yin to the bustling Spirit City, she wouldn't have caught the attention of Spirit Hall's Titled Douluos, and none of what followed would have happened. It was all my fault!"
"Ah Yin, I failed you."
As Tang Hao spoke, tears streamed down his face. His voice was filled with self-reproach and regret.
"Dad, please calm down."
"I'm sure Mom's spirit in heaven wouldn't blame you."
Tang San offered those awkward words of comfort.
Yet Tang Hao's gaze hardened, a flash of anger crossing his eyes. "What are you saying? What kind of talk is that? San, your mother isn't dead! She's merely returned to her original form. I've always believed she can regain her former appearance and reunite with our family."
Ah.
This...
Tang San was at a loss for words. Were they supposed to wait for the Blue Silver Emperor to take human form again before reuniting?
Even if he reincarnated dozens of times, he probably would not live to see it, would he?
Still, he knew that Tang Hao could not bear any further provocation in his current state and simply could not accept reality.
He could only comply. "Dad, I was wrong."
"Mm." Tang Hao nodded, then looked at Xiao Wu. "You-I've already explained my origins. Now let's talk about this little girl."
Xiao Wu? Tang San froze. "Dad, what's wrong with Xiao Wu? All these years you weren't by my side, I've always treated her as my little sister. She's my family."
As he spoke, Tang San stepped protectively in front of Xiao Wu.
Seeing this, Tang Hao sighed. "Little girl, you'd better tell him yourself."
"Ah..."
Xiao Wu sighed softly. "San, step aside. I believe the Clear Sky Douluo won't hurt me. Actually, just like your mother, I'm a hundred-thousand-year soul beast who took human form..."
What!
Tang San felt as though he had been struck by lightning.
He had never imagined this would be the truth.
Instinctively, he turned his head and looked at Xiao Wu...
He found it hard to believe that this was real.
"Is it so hard to accept?"
Xiao Wu gave a desolate smile.
"No, that's not it, Xiao Wu..."
Tang San hurriedly shook his head. "No matter what, you're still my Xiao Wu, my little sister."
A flicker of emotion crossed Xiao Wu's eyes at Tang San's words.
"All right, I know you have plenty to say to each other, but you can take your time talking on the road," Tang Hao said slowly.
By then, he had already stood up, and his aura had stabilized considerably.
Clearly, Tang San's Golden Needle Acupoint Technique had helped a great deal.
"On the road? Dad, where are we going?"
Tang San asked in confusion.
"Not us. You two."
Tang Hao said gravely, "Qin Xiao is the most talented soul master I've ever seen. An eighteen-year-old Titled Douluo-a monster capable of unleashing combat power comparable to rank ninety-seven.
"Forget me. Even Ancestor Tang Chen, who restored our Clear Sky Sect to greatness, couldn't compare to that talent. If we let him keep growing, he could become a tremendous calamity in the future."
"Dad, are you going to fight Qin Xiao again? Your injuries are so severe that you don't even have a tenth of your fighting strength left. You can't possibly beat him!" Tang San panicked.
He knew exactly what condition Tang Hao's body was in.
Going to pick a fight with Qin Xiao now would be like the God of Longevity hanging himself because he had lived too long.
Just thinking about Qin Xiao's miraculous lightning-controlling abilities sent a chill down Tang San's spine.
Simply put, if Tang Hao really wanted to die, Tang San would sooner recommend that he take his own life...
"Hahaha, San, what are you thinking?"
"I know my own condition perfectly well. Don't worry, I won't go hand Qin Xiao my head. I have my own plans."
Tang Hao smiled as he spoke. "Have you forgotten? We have a sect backing us too."
"A sect?" Tang San froze. You've already been cast out of the sect. Who would still care about you?
Tang Hao smiled. "Don't worry. There'll be a way. After all, the current sect master is your uncle."
At that, Tang San fell silent.
Tang Hao turned his gaze toward Xiao Wu beside Tang San. "Xiao Wu, I'd like to ask you to look after San for me while I'm away.
"Take him to the Star Dou Great Forest. That's your home ground. No matter how far-reaching Qin Xiao's powers are, he won't be able to find you there."
At last, Tang Hao revealed his purpose.
This was also why he had exposed Xiao Wu's identity in front of Tang San.
For what came next, he could only entrust Tang San to Xiao Wu's care.
Although he did not entirely trust this soul beast either, he had no other choice now.
"Uncle Tang, don't worry. I'll definitely protect San."
"In the Star Dou Great Forest, nobody will be able to bully him. Even if Qin Xiao comes, I'll have Da Ming and Er Ming beat him until he's scrambling for his teeth!"
As Xiao Wu spoke, she waved her little fists twice, putting on a show of might.
"Good. With your promise, I can rest easy."
"You two should set out now."
Tang Hao revealed a rare smile.
Neither Tang San nor Xiao Wu had much objection.
Tang San's heart was simply filled with reluctance to part. After all, they had not seen each other for years, yet no sooner had they reunited than they had to separate again.
The sun rose and the moon set.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Those three days finally allowed Qin Xiao to return to peak condition.
For once, he felt like going outside for some fresh air.
When he reached the square, he found Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing assembled on the training grounds, ready to depart.
Zhao Wuji stood before them with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Are you heading out to hunt soul beasts?"
Qin Xiao remembered that shortly after the term began at Shrek, Oscar had reached rank thirty, and the group had then gone soul hunting.
It was during that soul hunting operation that Tang San had obtained one of his greatest cheats, the Eight Spider Lances.
Qin Xiao was very curious. With Tang San missing this opportunity, could he still obtain the Eight Spider Lances?
Before you continue