Little San, Little San...

No, I can't. I can't die.

He thought of the hope in his heart, of Tang San, who could fulfill his Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul step by step. Tang San was the disciple he had only just taken in, and he still needed Tang San to vindicate him. And there was also Han Yu, the genius who made his mouth water.

Color gradually returned to Yu Xiaogang's despairing, vacant eyes. He could not die like this now. No matter how difficult things became, no matter how people pointed fingers at him, he had to keep fighting to live. He had to see the day his name shook the continent.

In his mind, he seemed to see Tang San and Han Yu, both under his tutelage, making names that shook the continent. Then he "accidentally" let it slip that the two were his disciples, and countless Soul Masters came to pay homage to him. A smile actually curled at the corners of Yu Xiaogang's mouth.

By the time Tang San returned to Dorm Seven, everyone had long since gone to bed. Even those awakened by Yu Xiaogang's shouting were merely a few students who gathered to curse the man under their breath, without the slightest idea who he was.

The next day, Tang San rose early and completed his daily cultivation before heading to the cafeteria to wait for Yu Xiaogang. He waited a long time, until everyone had left the cafeteria, but Yu Xiaogang still did not appear. Tang San wondered why his teacher had not come after so long, but it was already time for class, so he could only head to the classroom.

During class, students sitting some distance from Tang San whispered among themselves and kept looking him over. Every teacher who saw him, in particular, wore a look of surprise and amusement, leaving him all the more puzzled.

This continued until classes ended. Nuoding Academy only held classes in the morning; the afternoon was free for activities and cultivation. The work-study students also had to complete their tasks to earn a meager income.

And so it was not until evening that Tang San found time to visit his teacher. Standing outside Yu Xiaogang's dormitory, he gently knocked twice on the wooden door.

There was no answer.

Tang San stood outside and softly called out twice.

Still no answer.

People passed him in the corridor in groups of twos and threes, all watching him with strange looks. Tang San could hardly bear it. He gently pushed the door open, and the next moment, he was stunned.

You old fellow! You kept such a good thing all to yourself. No wonder you sent me away.

Yu Xiaogang was in the same position as he had been the night before. Even the dean, who was on good terms with him, had not come to the dormitory all day, for fear of disturbing him. As for why he had not seen Yu Xiaogang all day...

The venerable five-star dean had explained it like this:

"When someone is discovered doing that sort of thing, naturally they'd be overcome with shame. So it's perfectly reasonable for him to hide alone in an empty dormitory and spend the day coming to terms with it."

And so, to avoid the intense pain, Yu Xiaogang had remained in that position for an entire day.

By now, people were standing at the doorway peering inside, some even chattering about it with their companions. Only then did Tang San come to his senses. He hurried into the room and turned to shut the wooden door, afraid someone would compete with him for it.

The heavy slam of the door startled Yu Xiaogang awake as he lay on his stomach. A look of pain immediately crossed his face. He opened his eyes and saw that it was his beloved, good disciple.

At this point, he could no longer concern himself with shame or dignity. He hurriedly beckoned Tang San over and spoke haltingly.

"L-Little San, quick... quick, help me... help me..."

"Teacher, has your cultivation speed increased?"

Tang San did not help him. Instead, he asked with a curious look on his face. He urgently needed to know whether it was true, since it concerned whether he could cultivate his Soul Power faster.

"Th-that's not... help me first..."

Curious, Tang San reached out and knocked on the thing, making Yu Xiaogang grimace in pain.

You can't even bear this little bit of pain, and you still talk about cultivation?

Tang San sneered inwardly. He somewhat regretted taking Yu Xiaogang as his teacher.

But Yu Xiaogang kept urging him, so Tang San had no choice but to reach out, grab it, and yank it away.

The thing was tossed aside, and a torrent of yellow stuff immediately gushed out, spraying Tang San's face, hands, and head. It even began trickling slowly downward.

Yu Xiaogang did indeed wear a look of relief, but Tang San stood frozen. Wave after wave of foul stench filled his nose and mouth, and his stomach churned. Clapping a hand over his mouth, he pulled open the door and began vomiting.

"It stinks!"

"Th-th-this... Tang San eats shit!!!"

"Ah!!! This is insane!! Why does it stink so badly?!"

The corridor lay just outside the door, where some students were gathered, chatting. When they saw Tang San come out, they were about to greet him, but the foul smell on him and the vomit he brought up immediately filled the air with a terrible stench. One by one, they covered their noses and mouths and took a few steps back.

The urge to watch a spectacle was carved into everyone's bones, and these students were no exception. They simply kept their distance from Tang San, frowning and covering their noses and mouths as they whispered to their companions.

Tang San was going mad. He could not understand why he had rushed out the door instead of going to the bathroom to vomit. His head, face, neck, and clothes were all smeared with yellow stuff, and other people had witnessed every bit of it.

After vomiting for a while, Tang San wiped his mouth with his hand. But then he suddenly remembered something. He raised his hand tremblingly and looked. Sure enough, it was on his hand too, and he promptly vomited again.

Some of the students also saw what was inside the room: Yu Xiaogang's expression of relief and the stuff gushing out. The smell Tang San had brought out mingled with the smell of his vomit. Like a chain reaction, more than a dozen nearby students began retching at once, throwing up everything they had eaten that evening.

So he would not become a laughingstock again, Tang San strode back into the room with a dark face. Ignoring Yu Xiaogang, who lay on the bed, he shut the wooden door and went into the bathroom, where he scrubbed himself vigorously. Tears were even welling up in his eyes.

He was the dignified Tang Sect's Third Young Master. When had he ever been treated like this? As he thought about it, a hot tear fell from his eye to the floor.

"Little San, Little San... help your teacher wash this bedding. Teacher is a little too weak."

Yu Xiaogang, lying on his stomach in the outer room, kept making demands. He had gone without food all day and had just soiled the bedding. He intended to get up and go outside to find something to eat. As for what other people thought?

What do I have to fear? In ten or twenty years, they'll all come to pay homage to me, Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang narrowed his eyes. His body had found a long-awaited moment of relaxation, and the scenes he had imagined earlier appeared before his eyes one after another. He could not help laughing aloud.

Still in the bathroom, Tang San heard that Yu Xiaogang could actually laugh, and anger flared up inside him. He clenched his fists, even wanting to go out and give Yu Xiaogang a thorough lesson.

But remembering that this was his teacher, someone on the same footing as his father, Tang San could only swallow his broken teeth. He gave a word of acknowledgment and said nothing more.

(Children, don't imitate this.)