Crack!
The blue-silver Lone Bamboo snapped, knocking one man unconscious. The other two were startled and abruptly looked up, only to see a petite figure dropping from above.
"Who dares attack anyone in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion!"
One servant shouted, trying to scare her off. But who was Tang Shan? She was a country bumpkin who knew nothing about the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, so naturally, his threat did not frighten her.
She could practically be called untargetable-a textbook hothead. Tang Shan turned her palm over, producing several Blue Silver bamboo blades, and flung them out.
"Tang Sect's Hundred Hidden Weapon Methods, Upside-Down Floating Light!"
Tang Shan hurled the many bamboo blades in her hands, then immediately flipped through the air, activating Mysterious Jade Hand to grab a nearby branch and hang from it.
Feeling the sharp wind, the servants below covered their heads with both hands. The bamboo blades rained down and struck them, leaving numerous bloody marks.
Countless stinging pains made them howl in agony.
"Ah! It hurts!"
"What are these things!"
"Who did this!"
However, the attack was not lethal. Tang Shan had yet to forge any hidden weapons at this stage, so she was using blades made from Ten-Year Solitary Bamboo.
Seeing that her strike had failed, Tang Shan immediately summoned Blue Silver Grass, plucked its leaves, imbued them with internal power, and shot them out. Several more screams rang out.
"Don't just throw things. Try imagining your Blue Silver Grass as a third hand and entangle them."
Lin Huan remained stretched out leisurely on the roof, occasionally offering pointers on her fighting. Tang Shan paused briefly, then immediately tried it.
She landed on the ground. With the support of Soul Power, several stalks of Blue Silver Grass sprang up and entangled two servants.
"So it's a little brat!"
"You're courting death!"
The two servants immediately fixed their gazes on Tang Shan. Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, lit up around them. They unleashed their second Soul Skills, tore apart the Blue Silver Grass, and charged at her.
"My Blue Silver Grass is still too weak, even with its increased toughness... I'd be better off throwing hidden weapons."
Seeing the result, Tang Shan felt that her Blue Silver Grass Entanglement was pathetically weak, nowhere near as effective as plucking leaves to injure people.
The two servants attacked with their possessed Martial Souls. Her footwork turned elusive as she narrowly evaded their lunges, a blue-silver bamboo pole appearing in her hands before she lashed it into one of them.
The pole slapped the man across the face, leaving him utterly stunned. The other unleashed his first Soul Skill, his sharp claws carving a red streak as they struck.
"Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon."
Tang Shan immediately used her signature techniques while raising the Blue Silver Lone Bamboo to block. The claws slammed into the pole, denting it, but the attack was stopped.
Crack!
The next second, the pole snapped in two. Holding both halves, Tang Shan used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to retreat swiftly.
The two servants from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion immediately charged after her. They refused to believe they could not kill a Soul Master with a single hundred-year Soul Ring.
And Tang Shan had witnessed their entire act of murder, so she absolutely had to die. After all, Huo Yun'er was a woman Dai Hao had slept with.
Put harshly, she was a servant who had shared a one-night stand with Dai Hao; put nicely, she was his concubine. Huo Yutong was also Dai Hao's illegitimate daughter. They could not bear the charge of murdering the duke's concubine and illegitimate daughter, so they had to kill Tang Shan, who had witnessed everything.
Facing the two men revealing their killing intent, Tang Shan's gaze chilled. She immediately used the Hundred Hidden Weapon Methods again, aiming the pointed ends of the Blue Silver Lone Bamboo at them and shooting them out.
Splurt!
Two whistles through the air sounded almost simultaneously. Tang Shan knew her Blue Silver Lone Bamboo could not pierce a human skull, so she targeted a vulnerable area-the eyes.
The two pointed bamboo ends pierced the servants' eyes and plunged inside. Just like that, the two servants died, easily killed by Tang Shan. One enemy remained unconscious at the scene. She turned toward Lin Huan and asked.
"Brother Lin Huan, should we keep the last one alive to get information out of him?"
"No need. Collect their Storage Soul Tools. You only need to inject Soul Power to use them; they're for storing things. Toss the bodies into the woodshed and burn them. Destroy the bodies and erase the evidence."
"All right."
Having received her orders, Tang Shan immediately began looting the bodies. After taking everything useful, she kicked open the woodshed door and threw all three bodies inside to destroy them and erase the evidence.
Once she had finished, she climbed onto the roof in a few leaps and held the three Storage Soul Tools out to Lin Huan, looking eager for praise as she spoke.
"Brother Lin Huan, these are their Storage Soul Tools."
"Keep them. I don't need them. They're your rightful spoils. Also, well done. Clean and decisive."
Lin Huan reached out to pat her head and praised her. Tang Shan froze briefly. It was the first time she had ever been praised, and an unfamiliar feeling rose in her heart.
So this was what being praised felt like? My heart seems to be beating a little faster, and I can't quite keep the corners of my mouth down. What a strange feeling...
Tang Shan felt as though she had become a little strange. During the days she had spent supporting Tang Hao, she had never smiled. Back when she was in the Tang Sect, she had also often been treated coldly because she was a woman.
By now, she had almost forgotten what smiling felt like. And the feeling of having her head patted... it was so comfortable. Brother Lin Huan's hand was so warm.
Lin Huan slowly withdrew his hand and looked down at the Huo mother and daughter. With a wave of his hand, the entire woodshed began to collapse. Holding Tang Shan, he slowly descended as the surrounding flames gradually died out.
Huo Yun'er had also witnessed everything, including the unfamiliar man's action of extinguishing the flames. Once the fire dispersed, Lin Huan left directly, without lingering at all.
Only after confirming that her surroundings were safe did Huo Yun'er crawl out of the safe spot beneath the bed. Everything around her was scorched black. She tried to find that man's figure again, but could not find him anywhere.
"A powerful Lord Soul Master must have been passing by."
Huo Yun'er wondered what realm this powerful Lord Soul Master had reached. However, she had never seen a truly powerful Soul Master, so naturally, she could not guess his realm.
"Xiao Tong, we're safe."
After confirming their safety, Huo Yun'er immediately went to the water vat and called out. The tiny Huo Yutong promptly climbed out. Seeing the scorched surroundings, she threw herself into her mother's arms, still shaken.
"Mom, I was so scared..."
"Don't be afraid, Xiao Tong. Mommy's here. We're safe."
The mother and daughter had both just walked through death's gates, and neither had recovered from the fright.
Looking at the devastation around them, then at the daughter in her arms, Huo Yun'er finally resolved to get far away from this place.
For her own safety and her child's, she had to leave. Before, she had always held on to a little hope, hoping Dai Hao would return to see her and their daughter.
But the scene of the White Tiger Duchess's men trying to kill them remained vivid in her mind. She could not afford to wait anymore. For her own safety and her daughter's, they had to leave.
At the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, two figures slipped out through a dog hole. After leaving the extravagant residence, both mother and daughter looked back.
They gazed at the enormous mansion, their eyes full of complicated emotions. This place held their memories, and Dai Hao's figure flashed through Huo Yun'er's mind.
He had promised that once he returned from military service with success and fame, he would give her a proper status. He had even left behind the White Tiger Dagger, an expensive Soul Tool, as a token of love.
This place held her beautiful memories, as well as countless painful, miserable ones. Xiao Yutong had been born here, yet had few happy memories.
"Mom, you know, when I was in the water vat, I prayed to the God of Games that you'd be all right under the bed and get through this crisis. I didn't think it would really come true."
"The God of Games... is that the god who recently organized the Cosmic Grand Arena? Since He saved us, we should thank Him properly."
Listening to her daughter, Huo Yun'er grew thoughtful. She only knew that an extremely handsome, powerful Soul Master had saved her. She had never considered that the God of Games had saved her.
After all, she was merely a lowly servant. How could she deserve a deity's personal intervention?
The two slowly knelt on the ground, pressed their palms together, and silently offered thanks to the sky. Huo Yutong thanked the God of Games, while Huo Yun'er thanked the powerful Soul Master who had saved her and her daughter.
Two wisps of Power of Faith rose and were collected by Lin Huan. He lay leisurely atop the clouds, leaving a wisp of divine sense to watch over the mother and daughter before departing.
Inside Dragon Valley, two figures looked around blankly. Having awakened, Wang Dong'er and Na'er were full of questions: Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?
As they puzzled over this, a little silver-haired, purple-eyed head peeked out and addressed them with a grin.
"You're awake? Congratulations, your baby is a girl!"
Looking at the stranger, Wang Dong'er and Na'er were utterly bewildered. Both sat up and looked at Lin Xiaozi, Lin Xiaolü, and Jia Lin nearby, asking in confusion.
"Who are you?"
After spending some time introducing themselves, they became somewhat acquainted. Neither Wang Dong'er nor Na'er had any memories. As soon as Na'er woke up, she felt terribly hungry and wanted something to eat.
So Haji Zi shouted.
"Yueyue's Mom! We're hungry!"
The next second, a little catgirl with cat ears stepped out of space and snapped her fingers.
Sweet Madame, Golden Shrimp Balls, Satisfying Salad, Fisherman's Toast, and many other dishes appeared.
As the food appeared, enticing fragrances wafted toward them, making Wang Dong'er and Na'er drool. Both immediately began wolfing everything down like starving ghosts.
Soon, Wang Dong'er was full, but Na'er was still hungry and asked timidly.
"Yueyue's Mom, is there more? I'm hungry..."
"Yes. Eat as much as you like. It's all spare food from Lin Huan's backpack anyway."
Ying Yueyue nodded slightly and snapped her fingers again. Another batch of delicacies appeared, and Na'er's eyes immediately lit up.
"Thank you, Yueyue's Mom!"
With that, she resumed wolfing down the food. Watching the child before her, who was half a year younger than herself, Wang Dong'er felt abashed. How could she eat so much? Even ten of me might not finish all that.
Lin Xiaozi and Lin Xiaolü quietly sized up the voracious Na'er. Their family had gained another bottomless pit.
Originally, Jia Lin had been their family's only bottomless pit, but her true form was a dragon, so eating a lot was normal.
Now, the two were curious whether Jia Lin or the newly arrived Na'er could eat more.
While Haji Na was still chowing down, the sound of the door opening rang out. Everyone looked toward it and saw Lin Huan returning home with yet another little loli.
The little loli wore tattered clothes and looked rather like a beggar. She was also thin and small, plainly malnourished.
"Dad, welcome home!"
Lin Xiaolü and Jia Lin greeted him. He immediately smiled and nodded slightly, but another ill-timed voice rang out.
"Dad, why did you abduct another girl and bring her home? Have you become a human trafficker?"
Looking at yet another little loli, named Tang Shan, Lin Xiaozi grew thoughtful. She increasingly suspected that her dad was a human trafficker.
Look, he had gone out once and returned carrying a silver-haired, purple-eyed little loli and a pink-and-blue-haired little loli. Now he had gone out again and brought back a blue-haired little loli.
Where in the world were there so many little lolis for him to pick up? Could he be abducting other families' little lolis?
"No! Brother Lin Huan isn't a human trafficker! He saved me! He's a good person!"
Hearing Lin Xiaozi call Lin Huan a human trafficker, Tang Shan immediately grew agitated and argued her case. Anyone who slanders my Brother Lin Huan-I see you've already found your path to death!
In an instant, Tang Shan's and Lin Xiaozi's gazes met, as though gun smoke hung between them. At that moment, both felt irritated.
Tang Shan found Lin Xiaozi irritating, as though she were looking at a sworn enemy. Lin Xiaozi felt much the same. For some reason, the moment she saw Tang Shan, she wanted to punch her.
"All right, all right. No arguing. Let's have some brief introductions."
Lin Huan clapped his hands and looked at the six little lolis before him. It seemed his loli-collecting plan was already six percent complete. Kekeke! Sweet, soft little lolis! Ohohoho!
"Lin Xiaozi, my eldest daughter. Lin Xiaolü, my second daughter. Lin Jia Lin, my third daughter. And these are the children I picked up along the way: Wang Dong'er, Na'er, and Tang Shan."
"Now then, welcome to our big family, you three!"
Lin Huan clapped in welcome, and Xiaolü and Jia Lin followed suit. Xiaozi also clapped. Although she still suspected her dad was a human trafficker, she could not embarrass him in public, or she would get another spanking.
Faced with the welcome from Lin Huan's family, Wang Dong'er, Na'er, and Tang Shan all grew reserved. Afterward, Wang Dong'er became his adopted daughter, his fourth daughter.
Na'er was the youngest, so she became his fifth daughter. As for Tang Shan, she was still somewhat sensitive about the word "father" and ultimately chose to become his disciple.
"Brother Lin Huan, although you aren't my biological father, you've been more than a father to me. Today, I take you as my master, both teacher and father. A teacher for a day is a father for life."
As Tang Shan spoke, she slowly knelt and struck her head heavily against the floor with a dull thud. Lin Huan reached out to support her head.
"There's no need to kneel and kowtow. We should only kowtow to our parents. It's unnecessary."
Despite Lin Huan's attempt to stop her, Tang Shan spoke stubbornly.
"Brother Lin Huan, don't try to persuade me. In my eyes, you deserve it."
Seeing Tang Shan's stubbornness, he finally withdrew his hand. He knew she had a textbook feudal mindset, which could not possibly change in a single day.
He would slowly change her thinking later. He was rather looking forward to seeing Tang Shan's performance in the storylines involving Tang San. Just thinking about it was entertaining.
The third and fourth updates for November 2, combined into one long chapter.