"Teacher, how did you know?"
After saying that, Li Changsheng had been quietly watching Tang San's eyes and expression.
There was confusion, shock, and even shame, but no killing intent or wariness.
That made him secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
In the original story, when Yu Xiaogang revealed this secret, Tang San had immediately wanted to kill him, even slipping a hand into his pants to pull out a hidden weapon.
Seeing that Tang San showed no such reaction now, Li Changsheng finally relaxed.
"I am well versed in many fields of theory. In fact, I noticed on the very first day."
"I'm sorry, Teacher Changsheng. I shouldn't have hidden it from you!"
Faced with Tang San's apology, Li Changsheng did not say anything like "I forgive you." Instead, he nodded and said:
"Little San, you did well. The number of people with twin martial souls on this continent is only in the single digits. Knowing to conceal yours is good, but your willingness to tell me the truth makes me just as pleased!"
"Teacher!!"
Tang San's eyes were about to redden. He had never expected Teacher Changsheng not only to refrain from blaming him, but to take the opportunity to praise him instead. This undoubtedly gave Tang San a warmth he had never felt before.
Thinking about his own father, he had only ever given him a single hug, and even that had been because he had twin martial souls.
By contrast, he had only known Teacher Changsheng for two days. First, he had bought daily necessities for him, then answered his questions and cleared up his confusion. From beginning to end, he had made him feel genuinely cared for!
"Teacher, my second martial soul is a hammer!"
As he spoke, Tang San extended his other hand. Accompanied by blue arcs of electricity, a small, jet-black hammer appeared.
"This is the Clear Sky Hammer!"
"The Clear Sky Hammer?"
"That's right. The Clear Sky Hammer is hailed as the continent's number one tool martial soul. It is the inherited martial soul of the Clear Sky Sect, foremost of the Upper Three Sects! What is your father's name?"
Li Changsheng first explained the origins of the Clear Sky Hammer, then feigned ignorance and asked for Tang San's father's name.
"My father? His name is Tang Hao. He's just an ordinary blacksmith in Holy Soul Village!"
"No, your father, Tang Hao, was once one of the Clear Sky Twin Stars. Now, he is the Clear Sky Douluo!"
Boom!
It was as though a thunderclap had sounded in Tang San's heart. His father, Tang Hao, was actually a Titled Douluo?
Clear Sky Douluo. What an imposing title. But why didn't he tell me? Why did he make me take care of him like a nanny?!
Tang San was shocked. Tang San was bewildered. Tang San was deeply shaken.
"But why did he..."
Why didn't he tell me?
Just then, a large hand settled on his head, gentle and warm.
"Little San, your father-His Excellency Haotian-may have his own difficulties that kept him from telling you the truth. But you will have to grow stronger and find out the specifics yourself!"
Li Changsheng certainly did not know whether Tang Hao had done it deliberately or deliberately by accident. He might genuinely have been using Tang San as a nanny.
That old rascal simply loved being an overgrown baby. If Tang San had not possessed twin martial souls, he might really have ended up serving as Tang Hao's nanny for life.
After all, without sufficient talent, taking revenge on Spirit Hall was nothing but a pipe dream.
"Yes! I understand, Teacher!"
Tang San wiped his already tear-bright eyes with his sleeve. He actually had many more questions, but Tang Hao's identity alone was already difficult for him to accept. If he kept asking, he feared he might faint on the spot.
"Let's put that aside for now. I'll explain how I discovered that you had twin martial souls!"
In truth, Yu Xiaogang guessing that Tang San had twin martial souls in the original story had been nothing more than a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.
He had actually managed to come up with the absurd conclusion that "Blue Silver Grass cannot withstand innate full soul power, so a second martial soul appeared."
He had spent half his life studying theory, yet he could not even figure out why twin martial souls existed.
"The condition for twin martial souls to be born is that both parents' martial souls must be close in quality. Whether they are equally high or equally low, either is possible."
"Does that help you understand why you have twin martial souls?"
Tang San extended both hands, and the Clear Sky Hammer and Blue Silver Grass appeared together.
Looking at that thin, frail little blade of blue grass, Tang San truly could not understand why it could form a twin pair with the Clear Sky Hammer. His teacher had called that the continent's number one tool martial soul.
Tang San shook his head, his face full of confusion.
"Teacher, why is that?"
"Because your Blue Silver Grass is not ordinary Blue Silver Grass. It is the emperor among Blue Silver Grass, the Blue Silver Emperor!"
Perhaps because of the [Scholar Aura] rewarded by the system, Tang San did not become bewildered despite taking in so much at once. On the contrary, he continued thinking and absorbing the information.
"There has never been a case of Blue Silver Grass having level-ten innate soul power. In other words, your Blue Silver Grass is the Blue Silver Emperor. Its bloodline simply hasn't awakened yet."
Does that mean my mother wasn't an ordinary person either?
Tang San was utterly shocked. He had never seen his mother since childhood, and even Tang Hao had never mentioned her.
"Little San, don't dwell too much on everything we've discussed today. Sometimes, piling up too many worries can cause problems instead. It's still too early to look into these matters. Why not focus on the present first?"
Seeing Tang San looking so distracted, Li Changsheng felt that he had said a little too much. He had only meant to explain twin martial souls, yet somehow the conversation had turned to his parents.
The carriage was about to reach the entrance to the Soul Hunting Forest, so Li Changsheng said no more, leaving Tang San to digest everything on his own.
The Soul Hunting Forest lay northeast of Nuoding City, very close by. Traveling by carriage, Li Changsheng and Tang San had not taken very long to get there.
This, too, was a hunting ground where beasts were raised in captivity, mainly ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts, with very few thousand-year soul beasts.
It was a good place for many of Nuoding City's junior soul masters to obtain their first and second soul rings.
Compared with the Star Dou Great Forest, the Soul Hunting Forest might not have as many varieties, but it had the advantage of being safer.
"Little San? Little San!"
As the carriage stopped, Li Changsheng realized that Tang San was still thinking with his eyes closed, so he called to him softly.
"Huh? What is it, Teacher?"
"We're here. Let's get out first."
At those words, a trace of embarrassment immediately appeared on Tang San's face. He had been thinking too much. He should listen to Teacher Changsheng and focus on doing his best at this stage. Cultivation mattered most!
The two walked toward the entrance. With the warrant rewarded by the system, the Spirit Hall Branch personnel on guard did not hinder them much. They merely checked the warrant before letting them enter the Soul Hunting Forest.
Because it was an artificially managed forest, it lacked the wildness of a primeval forest. Instead, it gave an inexplicable sense of peace and tranquility.
This was also Tang San's first visit to the Soul Hunting Forest, and for a while, he looked left and right like a curious baby.
When a lush, vividly green stalk of bamboo appeared in their path, Li Changsheng almost failed to hold back his laughter.