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Yu Xiaogang let out a sharp, miserable cry, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he shouted to the heavens, "Why was I born if there are people like Tian and Qing?"
Desperate, he lunged toward the wall, trying to end his life. All his drive to live had vanished.
"Xiaogang, what are you doing? Don't be stupid!" Flender rushed forward, grabbing him.
"Yes, Xiaogang," Liu Erlong added, her voice thick with worry. "Even if the world doesn't see it, to us, you'll always be that unbeatable theorist."
But Yu Xiaogang wouldn't listen. "Let me go! Let me die! I'm nothing but a total failure now, my name dragged through the mud. What's the point of living? Just let me die!"
Nearby, Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar watched with quiet scorn. 'Better to keep living than give up,' they thought. To them, Yu Xiaogang's breakdown over this setback was pitiful.
In the end, Flender had no choice. With a quick strike, he knocked Yu Xiaogang out, silencing the frantic man.
Liu Erlong's eyes welled up as she whispered, "What do we do now that Xiaogang's like this?"
Flender rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of it all. He turned to Tang San, his tone softer now. "Little San, I was too harsh earlier. But seeing Xiaogang this way….Do you have any ideas to help him pull through?"
Liu Erlong looked at Tang San too, hope flickering in her gaze.
Tang San paused, thinking it over. He still needed this broken man to get the Twin Martial Soul cultivation method from Spirit Hall. "Teacher's like this for two reasons," he said. "First, he's banned for life from leading a team in the Soul Master Competition. Second, my martial soul's side effects got out, ruining his reputation. If we fix those, he might bounce back."
Liu Erlong's face lit up. "That's it! How did I miss that? You're pretty sharp for a scumbag, huh? Worthy of being Xiaogang's disciple."
Tang San's brow twitched at the nickname, but he held his tongue.
Flender gave a wry smile. "It's not that easy. The ban came straight from Emperor Xue Ye. And the side effects? Even if Little San explains, no one's going to buy it."
Liu Erlong waved that off. "Didn't Ning Tian blab about those side effects? We'll just make him clear it up. As for the ban, Emperor Xue Ye only rules the Heaven Dou Empire. He's got no say in Spirit City. We take Xiaogang there, and I bet that woman won't turn him away."
Flender nodded slowly. "That could work. But will Ning Tian agree?"
Liu Erlong snorted. "Hmph, Xiaogang's mess is partly his fault. If he says no, I'll knock some sense into him."
"Fine," Flender sighed, turning to Tang San. "Little San, you and the others stay at Blue Tyrant Academy for now and keep an eye on Xiaogang. When he wakes, let him guide you. Tomorrow morning, I'll take Erlong to find Ning Tian."
Liu Erlong chimed in, "Scumbag, Xiaogang's in your hands. If he's hurt even a little, you're answering to me."
"Who're you calling scumbag?" Tang San snapped, his eyes flashing red, his breath heavy with anger. He wasn't one to take insults lightly.
Liu Erlong shrugged. "Just called you scumbag. No need to blow up over it."
"Last time Ning Tian called you 'auntie,' you lost it," Tang San shot back. "What if he called you 'tyrannosaurus' or called Teacher a 'failure' or an 'eunuch'? Wouldn't you snap then?"
"You little!" Liu Erlong's fists clenched, her glare sharpening.
Flender coughed, stepping in. "Erlong, Tang San's got a name, use it. And Tang San, show some respect to your elders."
"Hmph!" Both turned away, fuming.
"Enough, Erlong," Flender said. "We're not kids anymore. Stop arguing. It's late, go set up a place for us to stay. Tomorrow, we'll find Ning Tian."
Liu Erlong's expression softened, but she threw Tang San one last hard look before walking off.
Meanwhile, not far from where the Shrek group stood, a crowd of Blue Tyrant Academy students had gathered in a quiet corner. At the center lay a ragged, skeletal old man, unconscious on the ground. If Tang San were there, he'd recognize him instantly. He was Tang Hao, his father.
During Ning Tian's clash with Qian Renxue, Ning Tian had shifted the backlash from losing most of his Golden Devouring Insects along with the drain on his soul power and mental strength onto Tang Hao. Already battered from years of strain, Tang Hao couldn't handle it. After the fight ended, he collapsed.
Soon, a teacher from the academy arrived. "What's going on here? Why's there a beggar?"
A student answered, "Teacher Sanshui, we don't know. This beggar just dropped out of the sky."
"Dropped from the sky?" Sanshui glanced at the nearby buildings and walls. 'Probably climbed over to steal food and fell,' he figured.
Just then, Liu Erlong walked by, sorting out rooms for Shrek. "What's this about?" she asked.
Sanshui explained, "Dean, some old beggar climbed the wall and fell. He must have wanted some food but he fell down and fainted."
Liu Erlong might've been lovesick, but she wasn't cruel. "If he's just a beggar, don't embarrass him. Give him some food when he wakes and send him off. Oh, and make sure our guests are settled comfortably."
With that, she headed back to watch over Yu Xiaogang through the night.
But not everyone shared her kindness. To most soul masters, regular folks, especially beggars were beneath them. A student grabbed a couple of steamed buns from the cafeteria, and two others carried Tang Hao outside the academy, dumping him in an empty corner.
...
Later, beggars lurking nearby spotted the buns on Tang Hao and swarmed him. They didn't just take the food, but they stripped him bare, snatching his clothes and soul tool, leaving him with nothing, not even his underwear.
When Tang Hao finally woke, he was stark naked.
But that's a story for later.
......…
Night deepened.
Outside Heaven Dou City, on a hill under a darkened sky, two figures stood, one cloaked in black, the other in gold. Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo, sent by Bibi Dong to kill Tang San. They'd been waiting for a while.
Their plan was simple: catch Tang San once he left the city and finish him off far from prying eyes. But then an old beggar showed up. The beggar turned out to be Yu Xiaogang. Right after, Tang San headed back into Heaven Dou City with the Shrek group, ruining their chance.
"Old Ghost," Chrysanthemum Douluo said, "looks like that scum's kid isn't leaving the city tonight. Talk about bad luck, just when he was almost out, that beggar pops up. Why don't we sneak in and handle it? With our strength, no one would notice."
Ghost Douluo shook his head. "The Pope said to do it outside the city. Plus, if word gets out that we killed a contestant inside Heaven Dou, it'd look bad for Spirit Hall. That Yu Xiaogang, though, caught me off guard. From what he said, it sounds like Tang San or Tang Hao ruined him."
Chrysanthemum Douluo scoffed. "What's surprising about that? Yu Xiaogang's a fraud. He turned a Twin Martial Soul genius into a mess. With Tang Hao's temper, who else would he beat?"
Ghost Douluo nodded, agreeing. Then they sensed someone nearing and asked in unison, "Who's there?"
A figure stepped from the shadows. Seeing him, the two Douluos straightened, looking down at him.
The man spoke respectfully. "Elder Yue Guan, Elder Ghost. The young master sent me with a message: Tang Hao's hiding close by, guarding Tang San. Be careful. Also, here's a letter from the young master for the Pope. Please take it."
He handed the letter to Ghost Douluo.
'Tang Hao!' Upon hearing that name, both of their expressions instantly become serious.
After the messenger left, Chrysanthemum Douluo frowned. "Old Ghost, with Tang Hao around, this just got tricky."
Ghost Douluo eyed the letter, sensing it held something big. "This is out of our hands now. We need to report to the Pope and let her decide."
Both remembered Tang Hao's clash with the last Pope and his guards, leaving one dead, two badly hurt and one never recovering.
So, they left Heaven Dou City behind.
Thanks to Yu Xiaogang's unexpected arrival, Tang San had dodged their trap without knowing it.
......…
Ning Tian, meanwhile, had no clue about Bibi Dong's orders to kill Tang San. Even if he did, he wouldn't care.
An hour earlier, after patching up Qian Renxue's wounds, the two sat atop the Crown Prince's mansion like old friends, talking under the moonlight.
Once they bonded, Qian Renxue opened up, sharing stories of her childhood and the rift with her mother. Her voice broke as she asked, "Do you think there's really a mother that cruel out there?"
"No idea," Ning Tian said, leaning back, hands behind his head.
"You don't know something?" Qian Renxue blinked, surprised. She'd thought he knew it all.
"I've never had parents, so how would I?" Ning Tian rolled his eyes. No matter in his past life or this life, he had never felt the love of a mother. That's why he'd fallen for Zhu Qing, part teacher, part mother and part lover.
Qian Renxue's face fell, guilty for asking. But his next words sparked hope. "Still, I'm sure your mother loves you."
"How can you tell?" she asked, nervous but eager.
"You said it yourself," Ning Tian replied. "Your mother, the Pope of Spirit Hall, treats Hu Liena like a daughter. She's not heartless….just odd, maybe. There's got to be some reason she's distant with you."
"So what do I do?" Qian Renxue looked lost.
"First, do you hate her?" Ning Tian asked.
"Yes," she said fast. Years of being ignored left a mark.
"Do you love her? Think it over," he pressed.
She went quiet, searching inside. Finally, she nodded. "Yes."
"And do you want her love? Do you want to fix things?" Ning Tian sat up, meeting her stunning gaze.
"Yes," she answered, unflinching.
He lay back, staring at the stars. "Then stop digging for answers or chasing the past. You just need to understand one thing: she's your mother, you're her daughter. That blood tie's unbreakable. My advice to you is, if you love her, drop the grudges and all her 'mother'. Act like a daughter who wants her care. Simple as that."
Qian Renxue pictured it and shook her head hard. "No way. That's too weird, I can't."
"Then write to her," Ning Tian said. "Pour out your feelings in letters. Keep at it, and even a wall of ice will crack someday."
Qian Renxue's cheeks flushed. "I don't know how to write it."
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