Was There More to Ah Yin's Sacrifice?

Today was arguably Holy Soul Village's liveliest day, because the children who had turned six would awaken their martial souls and have their soul power levels tested. Those with exceptional talent might even be taken away by Spirit Hall to be trained personally.

For commoners, this was the fastest path to defying heaven and changing their fate.

Yet even on a day like this, Tang Hao was still fast asleep at home, much to Old Jack's fury.

"Tang Hao, are you a pig? Both your sons have already come back from awakening their martial souls, and you're still sleeping?" Old Jack was so angry that both his legs trembled.

As he called for Tang Hao, Old Jack's gaze swept around the Blacksmith Shop. Slightly stooped, he had wanted to find a chair to sit on, but looking at all the broken-down furniture, he simply could not summon the courage to sit.

He was getting on in years, after all, and had no desire to take a fall here and end up with torn tendons and broken bones.

As Holy Soul Village's only blacksmith, Tang Hao was highly skilled at forging, and the farming tools he made were both good quality and inexpensive. By rights, such an excellent blacksmith should never have fallen into such poverty.

Unfortunately, Tang Hao loved liquor as dearly as his own life. Every coin he earned at the forge went straight into the liquor sellers' pockets.

With a drunkard like that for a father, it was easy to imagine the lives Xiao Yan and Tang San led each day. Fortunately, the old village chief, Jack, was kindhearted. Over the years, he had regularly brought vegetables and grain to help the Tang family, keeping Xiao Yan and Tang San from starving to death.

Through these repeated visits, Old Jack had grown fond of the two children.

However, although Xiao Yan and Tang San were brothers by blood, their personalities were very different.

Perhaps because Old Jack had once angrily berated Tang Hao for spending his days eating and lazing around while his children suffered, Tang San had kept his distance from Old Jack ever since hearing it. Xiao Yan, on the other hand, remained very affectionate toward Old Jack, even treating him like his own grandfather.

"Grandpa Jack, have a seat first." Xiao Yan warmly dragged over a somewhat sturdier stool for Old Jack and motioned for him to sit.

Tang San rolled his eyes and said flatly, "Grandpa Jack, Dad is still sleeping. Don't shout like that. It wouldn't be good if you woke him."

Just then, Tang Hao lifted the curtain to the inner room and walked out slowly, saying with a trace of anger:

"What are you shouting for? Disturbing my peace."

Old Jack first glanced at Tang San and Xiao Yan before turning his gaze to Tang Hao. Irritably, he said, "Tang Hao! Do you even know that today was your sons' martial soul awakening? Both your sons have done you proud. Little San has soul power and can cultivate to become a soul master. I'm planning to give him the village's work-study student spot for this year."

"He has soul power?" Tang Hao glanced at Tang San and Xiao Yan out of the corner of his eye and said coldly, "If he leaves, who's going to cook for me? Old Jack, if there's nothing else, you can go."

"Tang... Hao!" Old Jack's fury flared up again. Glaring at Tang Hao, he said, "Why are you so stubborn? If you want to keep wasting your life, don't drag your two sons down with you! If Little San becomes a soul master, he might rise above the masses someday. Do you know how many years it's been since our village produced a soul master?"

"Heh." Tang Hao sneered. "You want Little San to bring glory to the village. That's your real aim, isn't it? I said no, and no means no."

"You..." Old Jack trembled with rage. He turned to Xiao Yan behind him, his expression becoming gentle again. "Hmph... Fine, you can refuse to let Little San study at the Soul Master Academy. Our village is destined to produce a soul master anyway. Little Yan has soul power too, and Spirit Hall has already taken an interest in him. Someone will naturally come to pick him up in a few days."

"Spirit Hall?" As though someone had touched a dragon's forbidden reverse scale, a cold gleam flashed through Tang Hao's eyes. He thundered, "They're my sons! I'll do whatever I want with them. I don't need you telling me what to do. Get out!"

"Tang Hao, are you trying to rebel?" Old Jack slammed his cane down, widened his eyes, and lifted his chin, angrily firing back on the spot. "When you arrived in Holy Soul Village badly wounded, you told me that you and your sons had encountered nobles on the road, and that your wife had been abducted and murdered by them. I kindly took you all in, and now you shout at me like this? You ungrateful wolf!"

"If he doesn't become a soul master, he's destined to be bullied by those noble lords in the future. Do you want your tragedy to repeat itself with Little San?"

"Enough! Little San, show our guest out!" Those words seemed to tear open Tang Hao's old wounds. His face turned livid, and he slammed a hand onto the table with an angry shout.

"Village Chief, since my dad has already said so, please leave. Being a blacksmith would suit me just fine." Seeing his only family being berated, Tang San spoke coldly to Old Jack.

"Grandpa Jack, please don't be angry." Xiao Yan came to Old Jack's side and hurriedly escorted him out of the Blacksmith Shop. "Please go. I'm afraid he'll fly into a drunken rage in a moment."

Once they were outside the Blacksmith Shop, Old Jack earnestly told Xiao Yan, "Little Yan, your father's life is already a lost cause. You're still young. Once you get to Spirit Hall, you must work hard at your cultivation. At least then you won't end up as destitute as your father, unable even to stop nobles from taking your wife."

"It's just a pity about your younger brother, Tang San."

After seeing Old Jack off, Xiao Yan slowly returned to the Blacksmith Shop. To his surprise, Tang Hao had not gone back to his room to sleep, but was sitting in a chair with his eyes closed, resting.

"You both awakened your martial souls today. Little San, you tell me first. What is your martial soul?" Tang Hao turned his gaze toward Tang San and Xiao Yan.

Tang San said, "Dad, it's Blue Silver Grass."

"Blue Silver Grass? Heh." Tang Hao gave a cold laugh. Upon hearing those words, his body trembled slightly, and a peculiar gleam appeared in his eyes.

"Dad, I also have innate full soul power," Tang San added.

"Blue Silver Grass, Blue Silver Grass... What good is innate full soul power? Do you think a trash martial soul like Blue Silver Grass can cultivate?" Tang Hao muttered, a self-mocking smile tugging at his lips.

"Dad, I have another martial soul, though." Tang San slowly raised his left hand. A faint black glow surged from his palm, instantly condensing into a pitch-black hammer.

At the same time, black light also stirred in Xiao Yan's left hand, and a black ruler covered in strange patterns flickered in and out of sight in his palm.

"This is... this is..." Tang Hao seized Tang San's hammer-bearing hand. As he stared at the little black hammer, excitement flashed in his eyes.

"You have twin martial souls. My son, my son." As though he had glimpsed hope for revenge, Tang Hao suddenly spread his powerful arms and pulled Tang San tightly into his embrace.

Tang Hao's attitude toward Tang San had taken a complete turn. In just a few seconds, his indifference and cold mockery had become a tight embrace.

In Tang San's memory, this was the first time Tang Hao had ever hugged him.

Watching the scene before him, Xiao Yan was baffled. What madness had gotten into this drunkard now? Why had his attitude changed so drastically?

Could twin martial souls be incredibly powerful in this world?

In the original story, Tang San's growth had relied on nothing more than talent and hatred. One of his driving forces had been avenging his mother, and Xiao Wu's later sacrifice had also marked a major turning point in his explosive growth.

Tang Hao's attitude toward Tang San had changed so dramatically now simply because he valued Tang San's talent for twin martial souls. His purpose was obvious: he wanted to use Tang San to take revenge on Spirit Hall.

Put plainly, he was treating Tang San as a tool for revenge, waiting until Tang San grew powerful enough to wipe out Spirit Hall completely and avenge Ah Yin.

When his son had no use, he ignored him. When his son became useful, he embraced him tightly. Double standards were truly the Tang family's ancestral inheritance!

Setting aside whether Spirit Hall had been right or wrong to force Ah Yin to sacrifice herself, hunting soul beasts was, after all, as natural and rightful as heaven and earth.

Ah Yin's sacrifice alone had torn Tang Hao's family apart. Had that hatred not spurred him to avenge her? Instead, he had sunk into drink and never recovered.

The youngest Titled Douluo had turned around and become a blacksmith in a tiny mountain village. Such a move was incomprehensible. Had Ah Yin's death not deserved greater effort from him?

Why did he have to wait until his son achieved something before taking revenge on Spirit Hall?

Or was there more to it? Could Tang Hao have deliberately brought about Ah Yin's sacrifice for him back then?

If the deceased Ah Yin could see Tang Hao treating their two children this way, her heart would probably turn cold with disappointment.

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