"Ptooey. Tian Heng, you're here."
Yu Xiaochuan spat out the Blue Silver Grass he had been holding in his mouth.
He had only tried it because Caterpie seemed to be enjoying it so much. It turned out to taste like ordinary grass, not particularly good.
"To be honest, you shouldn't have come."
"Xiaochuan, what nonsense are you talking about? If I didn't come, wouldn't I have given you that hundred-year-old ginseng for nothing?"
Yu Tianheng's gaze followed the Blue Silver Grass Yu Xiaochuan spat out to the ground, then returned to the boy before him.
There wasn't a trace of worry about his impending beating on that grinning face. He really was extraordinarily optimistic.
"Let's start! I'm in a hurry to get home for dinner!"
Yu Xiaochuan held his hands behind his back, looking as though he thought nothing of Yu Tianheng.
In reality, he was secretly gauging the distance between Yu Tianheng and Caterpie.
"Xiaochuan, summon Caterpie first! I'm afraid you won't get a chance later."
Watching Yu Xiaochuan stand with his hands behind his back, Yu Tianheng felt he could charge up and kick him over in a moment.
But defeating Yu Xiaochuan before Caterpie appeared would go against his original purpose.
More than defeating Yu Xiaochuan, Yu Tianheng wanted to defeat Caterpie.
Even though a martial soul and its Soul Master were one, he wanted to use this to conquer his fear and overcome his dread of Caterpie.
Yu Tianheng thought that once Xiaochuan summoned Caterpie, he would send Caterpie flying with a kick and knock him out cold. That would count as avenging his humiliation.
"Want to see Caterpie that badly?"
A smile curled Yu Xiaochuan's lips. "How do you know I haven't summoned Caterpie yet?"
"Caterpie, now!"
"Wooo!!"
A glowing green figure streaked through the air, heading straight for Yu Tianheng's forehead.
With a whistle through the air, something green smacked down squarely on Yu Tianheng's forehead.
"Hahaha, down you go!"
Yu Xiaochuan roared with laughter. Yu Tianheng's vision went black, and he lost consciousness once again.
Before passing out, he distinctly saw the figure of a plump Caterpie.
"Ah, poor kid. Not only did you give me a hundred-year-old ginseng, but you also took a beating from me. Why put yourself through this?"
"I told you that you shouldn't have come!"
Looking at the fallen Yu Tianheng, Yu Xiaochuan clicked his tongue in wonder.
He really was an honest one!
He had taught this little brother a lesson, at least. He shouldn't foolishly walk straight into a place someone else had chosen for a fight again.
"Ah, little brother, don't blame me. Level three against level nine-what am I supposed to fight with, my head? This wasn't a fair match to begin with. I had no choice but to use a little ingenuity."
Yu Xiaochuan looked down at Caterpie, who had already crawled onto his foot, and reached down to pick him up.
"Beautifully done, Caterpie! Victory in your very first battle! Level three against level nine, defeating someone above your level-you're simply a genius!"
"Awoo-"
Caterpie held his head high and puffed out his chest. Apparently, Yu Xiaochuan's praise had hit the mark, leaving him delighted.
Looking at Yu Tianheng lying on the ground, Yu Xiaochuan was at a loss. He couldn't just leave the kid unconscious here!
Before long, a lump had already risen on Yu Tianheng's head.
"Truly, a head crowned with lofty horns! An extraordinary man bears extraordinary features. Our clan's Yu Tianheng has such lofty horns upon his head-the makings of a Titled Douluo!"
Looking at the large lump on Yu Tianheng's forehead, Yu Xiaochuan offered a few words of praise, as though he hadn't been the one to hammer it out.
Once he finished praising him, he briskly hoisted Yu Tianheng onto his back, carried him home, and handed him over to the servants.
He said he had found Yu Tianheng unconscious and kindly brought him home.
Whether Yu Tianheng's servants believed it or not, Yu Xiaochuan certainly did.
That was right. He was just a boy who liked being a good person and doing good deeds, a truly rare sight these days.
"'A head crowned with lofty horns'-that's what Xiaochuan said? What a fine 'head crowned with lofty horns'!"
The old clan leader looked at the large lump on his grandson's forehead and listened to the account of the man he had assigned to secretly guard Yu Tianheng. He was so annoyed he almost laughed.
"Clan leader, shall I bring Yu Xiaochuan here?"
"Forget it. It was only children roughhousing. After this battle, Tian Heng should understand that he mustn't underestimate the world's Soul Masters. He ought to work even harder. This will do him good, not harm."
"As for this injury, how could a Soul Master possibly avoid getting hurt?"
The old clan leader smiled and shook his head. He had confidence in his eldest grandson and believed he truly had the makings of a Titled Douluo.
This was merely a small bump along the road.
Once Yu Tianheng grew stronger, even if he only added his first soul ring, he would be sure to defeat Yu Xiaochuan.
Instead, he hoped Yu Xiaochuan could hold out a little longer and put some pressure on Yu Tianheng, helping him grow faster.
That way, he could use Yu Xiaochuan as a whetstone to hone a fine blade.
He only feared that the honing would not last very long.
Though Caterpie did have some unusual qualities, he was ultimately just a trash martial soul!
He thought of how Yu Xiaochuan had raised his soul power level to three in just a few days by letting Caterpie eat Blue Silver Grass.
Though he felt such a pace could not possibly last, he paid a little more attention to Yu Xiaochuan nonetheless.
"Hiss-"
Yu Tianheng woke up. Touching the large lump on his forehead, he practically ground his teeth.
"Xiaochuan, damn you! That was utterly despicable."
He had never imagined that Yu Xiaochuan would ambush him. Even more infuriatingly, the ambush had worked, capsizing his boat in a mere gutter.
"Grandpa!"
Seeing his grandfather sitting beside him, Yu Tianheng couldn't help calling out. He felt deeply ashamed, knowing his grandfather must have learned what had happened.
"I know everything that happened! What do you think of your match with Xiaochuan?"
"Xiaochuan was too despicable!"
When his grandfather brought it up, Yu Tianheng was utterly mortified. "It was all because Yu Xiaochuan ambushed me. Otherwise, how could I possibly have lost?"
"Yes, it was all because Xiaochuan ambushed you. Otherwise, how could you possibly have lost?"
"But, my grandson, have you considered one thing? If Yu Xiaochuan hadn't ambushed you, how could he have won?!"
"His martial soul is the trash martial soul Caterpie. His innate soul power was half a level, and even now he is only level three. Against a Soul Master like you, with innate level-nine soul power and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, he actually won despite such a vast gap. Regardless of how he won, wasn't that his ability?!"
"Among the world's Soul Masters, there are countless people of dazzling talent. Tian Heng, though you have innate level-nine soul power and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, you must never look down on others!"
"You must keep this incident firmly in mind and remind yourself of it at all times!"
"Grandpa, I understand."
At first, Yu Tianheng had been full of resentment, feeling that Yu Xiaochuan's ambush was utterly despicable. But after hearing his grandfather's words, he understood.
Yes, his advantage had been so great. If Yu Xiaochuan hadn't ambushed him, how could he have won?
For Xiaochuan to defeat him through an ambush despite such a vast gap was indeed proof of his ability.
This incident had also sounded an alarm for him.
He must never let his guard down again.
And, put another way, as long as he prevented Yu Xiaochuan's ambush from succeeding, wouldn't he have won that match?
Next time.
Yu Tianheng refused to believe he would lose again next time!