Kong Deming

The Imperial Worship Hall was even quieter than Bao Liang had imagined.

How quiet was it? The moment the three of them stepped through the doors, even their footsteps were swallowed whole by the thick carpet, leaving only the sound of their own heartbeats.

The offering guarding the door checked their token and stepped aside. No one else gave them a second glance-as though the great hall had never needed guards at all.

Meng Hongchen instinctively tightened her hold on Bao Liang's arm. Xiao Hongchen coughed lightly and made his steps especially proper.

Deep within the hall, an old man stood with his back to the entrance.

His figure was imposing as a mountain. Even standing motionless, he gave off a pressure as steady and deep as an abyss.

His long black-and-gold robe was woven from dark silk and golden thread. Against its black base, golden patterns formed a totem of the sun and moon shining together. Runic golden trim edged the cuffs and collar, shimmering in ripples with the breathing-like fluctuations of his Soul Power.

His white hair reached his waist, falling loose without a crown or binding. Now and then, silver-blue threads of Soul Power flashed between the strands.

He was exceptionally tall, perhaps over two meters, yet he also carried an enormous circular Soul Tool device on his back, nearly three meters across. Seven ring-shaped structures nested within one another, and a silvery-white membrane of energy flowed over the outer layer. Within it, the faint image of a silver moon could be seen rising and sinking as it slowly revolved.

The Silver Moon Divine Light Shield.

It was one of the finest Level 9 Soul Tools in the world, and the old man's signature creation, into which he had poured the efforts of his entire life.

In private, people in the Soul Tool world had long said that it was the closest thing in the world to the legendary "Level 10 Soul Tool."

The old man leaned on a scepter of silver-white from end to end. Its shaft was covered in intricate script, and a tiny miniature of the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield floated at its tip, flickering faintly with his breathing.

This man was none other than the master of the Sun Moon Empire's Offering Hall, the "Father of Soul Tool"-Kong Deming.

He was also Jing Hongchen's revered teacher.

In Bao Liang's right eye, Dragon Fang quietly poked half his head out, sniffed at the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, then quickly drew back.

His meaning was clear: this old fellow was not to be trifled with.

If even Dragon Fang could see that, Jing Hongchen naturally understood it all the more clearly.

So from the moment he stepped through the doors, his back had not been dry.

"Teacher Kong! Your disciple has brought his grandson and granddaughter to pay their respects-"

Jing Hongchen hurried forward, but before he was halfway through the sentence, a hand as large as a palm-leaf fan shot out like lightning and seized him precisely by the ear.

"Hiss-! Teacher Kong! Teacher Kong, I was wrong! Ow, ow, ow-!"

Only then did Kong Deming slowly turn around.

Up close, the old man's features became clear: a sharply angular face, high cheekbones, deeply set brow bones, and eyes as sharp as cold stars.

A crescent-shaped metal monocle sat over his left eye. Its silver-gray lens was fitted with bone-like patterns, and a faint light flowed within it. It was hard to tell whether he used it to look at things or to look at people.

At this moment, however, the face that commanded awe without anger wore an unmistakably fierce grin.

"Well, well~~~"

Kong Deming drew out the words, keeping a tight grip on the ear as he spoke in a mocking tone:

"Isn't this the Sun Moon Empire's great Duke Hongchen, the master of Mingde Hall, the dean of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, the esteemed Jing. Hong. Chen?"

"How could you possibly have the time to grace my humble Offering Hall with your presence? And how could you possibly be wrong?"

"It must be that I've grown old and muddleheaded, hard of hearing and dim of sight, no longer worthy of being called your teacher."

"Your wings have grown strong now, and your schemes run deep. You even dare to pull the wool over His Majesty's eyes. How could a man like you still have any regard for an old teacher like me?"

"I thought you'd simply run wild out there and forgotten you still had a teacher at home.

But now it seems-" Kong Deming narrowed his eyes. "Your heart has turned black, and your guts have grown fat."

"Teacher Kong! I really didn't mean it like that-hiss! Please, not so hard!"

"Not so hard?" Kong Deming twisted another notch harder. "In my lifetime, I've taught if not a thousand Soul Engineers, then eight hundred. Which one of them didn't I pour my heart and soul into? But look at you. A treasure beyond compare comes into your family, and you hide him away, keeping him under wraps all these years without sending your teacher so much as a word?"

"If I hadn't summoned you to the palace today, were you planning to take this matter to your grave?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! Your disciple will tell you everything right now, right now-"

But for all his pleas for mercy, when the time came to speak, Jing Hongchen still reached first for the same explanation he had used on Xu Tianran. After all, the man before him was an imperial offering, and everything he did was for the Sun Moon Empire. That devotion was genuine, but it was hard to fathom how deep it ran.

What if he too turned around and sent word back to the palace, or even took action himself...

"Teacher Kong, please listen. The circumstances were unusual at the time. The risk of the child's Martial Soul running wild was too great. Your disciple thought he should keep it under wraps for now and protect him for a few years first. In a moment of oversight, I forgot to report it.

I've already admitted my mistake to His Highness as well..."

"Smack!"

The other hand came up and seized his other ear.

"You still dare try that on me?" Kong Deming sneered.

There was no telling how many Soul Engineers in the entire Sun Moon Empire Kong Deming had taught.

Others might not know, but the moment Jing Hongchen tilted his backside or turned his eyes, Kong Deming knew what thoughts were turning in the boy's head and what kind of fart he was about to let out next.

Protecting his young?

That part was true.

But "forgot to report it" would only fool those few people in the palace.

When it came right down to it, inside the palace or out, there was no one besides Kong Deming himself who could play the game of "protecting one's young" with such flair.

He cursed away, his hands twisting ever harder, until Jing Hongchen begged for mercy again and again, squealing like a slaughtered pig.

The three children stared at the scene, dumbfounded.

Xiao Hongchen in particular.

Of the two men before him, one was the grandfather he respected most, while the other was the figure all Soul Engineers in the Sun Moon Empire looked up to-a legend whom countless Soul Engineers dreamed of having a chance to hear teach in person.

And now, that very legend was twisting his grandfather's ears with both hands as though he were picking up a chick, while his grandfather howled his heart out, each cry more wretched than the last.

Crack.

Xiao Hongchen heard perfectly clearly as something shattered inside his heart.

Meng Hongchen, meanwhile, widened her eyes, tugged Bao Liang's sleeve, and whispered, "So Grandpa has a side like this too..."

Bao Liang didn't answer. He was simply curious.

Curious how the legendary old man could be so strong.

"Little Baozi," Meng Hongchen whispered, standing on tiptoe, "will Grandpa get beaten?"

"Don't worry. I've heard a little about this old man's reputation too," Bao Liang whispered back. "He knows his limits... probably.

Besides, if he really wanted to hit him, he wouldn't have stopped at twisting his ears just now. He'd probably have kicked him straightaway."

No one knew how long passed before Kong Deming finally cursed to his heart's content. He let go and brushed off his sleeves.

When he looked back at the three children, his imposing face instantly softened. All the sharpness vanished from his features, replaced by an undisguised warmth-genuine kindness and gentleness, utterly unlike Xu Tianran's.

Perhaps that was what people meant when they said grandparents were especially fond of their grandchildren.

"Xiao, boy, come here." Kong Deming beckoned to Xiao Hongchen. "How has your cultivation been progressing lately? Have you run into any problems with Soul Tools?"

"Everything has gone smoothly, Grandteacher," Xiao Hongchen replied respectfully. "I've also obtained my Third Soul Ring.

As for Soul Tools, a little while ago, Grandpa, Bao Liang and I got stuck on the circuit sequence for the Magnetic Attraction Array, but we solved it afterward.

Oh, and Grandteacher, the Magnetic Attraction Array was Bao Liang's idea."

"The Magnetic Attraction Array?" Kong Deming raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jing Hongchen. "A good approach, and an even better idea. You're both good children.

Send the design plans to the Offering Hall later. I'll look them over for you myself."

"Yes! Thank you, Grandteacher!" Xiao Hongchen's eyes lit up, and he pulled Bao Liang along to accept.

Beside them, Jing Hongchen had just opened his mouth when his ear was tugged again. "What are you looking at? I was praising these two grandsons of yours, not your Mingde Hall."

"Mm, good." Kong Deming nodded with satisfaction. When his gaze turned to Meng Hongchen, his voice softened further. "Meng, girl, how is your health? Are you feeling any better?"

"Much better! Thank you for asking, Grandteacher Grandpa." Meng Hongchen blinked and answered obediently.

Jing Hongchen had never concealed the matter of the cold poison in Meng Hongchen's body from Kong Deming.

When he had discovered the cold poison in her body years ago, he had told his revered teacher at once-partly out of trust, and partly in the hope that the imperial family might have a solution.

Of course, that was before Bao Liang appeared.

Unfortunately, even with all the imperial family's efforts, they had been unable to find a way to eliminate it.

Fortunately, Bao Liang was there now.

"By the way, did you gain anything on your trip to Star Dou?"

"Grandteacher, my Third Soul Ring came from a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear over two thousand years old," Xiao Hongchen answered respectfully, though the pride in his eyes was impossible to hide. "I also obtained a right palm External Soul Bone along the way."

"Oh?" Kong Deming raised an eyebrow and looked him over again. "An external bone from a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, paired with your Three-Legged Golden Toad. They complement each other nicely.

That's some good luck."

Jing Hongchen stood to the side, stroking his beard in silence, pride on his face as well.

Finally, Kong Deming's gaze fell on Bao Liang.

He looked him up and down several times, finding the child more pleasing to the eye the longer he looked. "You're Bao Liang? Mm, good. Full of spirit.

What level are you now? What is your Martial Soul talent like? How are your Soul Tool studies going? Have you run into any problems?"

Bao Liang answered each question in turn.

After listening, Kong Deming nodded with satisfaction. Then his eyelids drooped, and he turned to Jing Hongchen.

"Speak."

"Huh?"

"Tell me everything you've been hiding from me." Kong Deming's tone remained gentle, but his words made Jing Hongchen's scalp tingle. "Don't make me twist your ears again.

Do you think I don't know what sort of person you are, Jing Hongchen?"

"Just look at how stingy you are-would a mere case of Innate Full Soul Power make you hide it, even at the risk of offending me and the imperial family?"

"Speak. What exactly is that child's background?"

Sweat immediately broke out on Jing Hongchen's forehead.

He and Bao Liang met each other's eyes.

The grown man and the child stared at each other, eyes wide, for a full three breaths.

In the end, Jing Hongchen gave up thinking.

"Teacher Kong," he said, swallowing, "perhaps... you could first put some measures in place, so no one outside can learn anything about what happens here."

At those words, the warmth vanished from Kong Deming's face in an instant.

Anything that could make the boy Jing Hongchen this serious and cautious was no small matter.

Without another word, the old man struck his scepter against the floor-hum!

Layer upon layer of Soul Power barriers rose within the hall. The Silver Moon Divine Light Shield slowly lit up behind him, its seven ring-shaped structures rotating one after another. Soul Tool arrays around the hall's walls activated in succession, blocking sight and sound, shielding against detection, and distorting traces of presence. No fewer than ten layers sealed the hall inside and out; not even a fly could get in.

After doing all this, Kong Deming turned around and stared fixedly at Jing Hongchen.

"Now, you can speak, can't you?"