Shi Hao sighed with relief inside his mind, thankful that his father didn't do something reckless, like talking too much.
In this world, only one legendary figure could stand face-to-face with a titled Douluo and scold him without any fear—Old Jack, the novice village chief. No strength? No problem.
Although Tang Hao wasn't the type to explode with anger immediately, considering the situation, what if he hammered his father later? People with power tend to have a lot of arrogance.
"Ah, I see... Then, I want to make some steel cards with my name on them. Is that alright now?" Shi Hao asked innocently..
"Yes, yes… I'll have it made right away," Old Jack said.
"Tang Hao, open the door! There's business for you!" Old Jack yelled.
From inside, a voice replied, "Tang San, go see what it is." Then the speaker fell silent, too lazy to say more.
The door creaked open, and out came a malnourished four-year-old with an ordinary appearance—Buddha Tang San.
After glancing at Shi Hao and his parents, Tang San focused on Old Jack and respectfully asked, "Grandpa Jack, what's going on? Is it them?"
Old Jack hurried over to whisper in Tang San's ear. Tang San's eyes lit up when he realized that these were soul masters visiting their village.
However, even then, it wasn't until he heard they were here to have something made by his father that he stepped aside to let them in. Respecting his father's wishes was his priority... or so the Original Novel said.
The small hall was barely big enough for four people, so Shi Hao entered with Old Jack alone. He took the opportunity to size up the protagonist. "Tang San is filial, Tang San is smart, and so on," he thought positively.
He didn't dare think anything hostile. What if Tang Hao sent his corpse out to the village square?
So, Shi Hao kept a friendly face and repeated in his mind, "I'm only planning to bind Tang Hao because I want to help him. Yes, it's all for his own good." He repeated it again and again, just in case his true thoughts got the better of him.
What if his real thought—"Tang Hao, can you please die quickly?"—slipped into his mind? This would surely make Tang Hao feel the hostility.
He had to be careful, as Tang Hao was known as the "Killing God," and any hint of hostility would surely be noticed.
Even though there was a mental battle raging inside, Shi Hao kept a calm, curious exterior.
Entering the hall and noticing Tang Hao, who was drinking wine with a broken look, Shi Hao immediately willed his mind and silently planted the seal with "good intentions."
In his mind, he kept repeating that "he was helping Tang Hao become stronger."
The Devouring Seal, which Shi Hao had made invisible, left his palm silently and flew toward the sleeping Tang Hao, infiltrating his body without a sound.
Only then did Shi Hao release the invisible breath he had been holding and think, "Finally, I succeeded in making Tang Hao stronger."
Tang San, who was looking at the friendly-looking Shi Hao, asked what the latter wanted to make in place of his father with his childish voice. He acted quite sensibly.
"I want to put my name on a small steel card," Shi Hao replied.
Tang Hao's voice came from the back, lazy and uninterested. "Oh, what size, and what name do you need on the card?"
Shi Hao said, "My name is Shi Hao, so the name should be 'Hao.' The size should be 4 inches in length, 2.5 inches in width. I'll need seven cards."
Hearing the name, Tang Hao lazily opened one eye, then closed it again, thinking to himself, "Hao, huh?"
"One gold coin, and it'll be done by tonight," he said, then fell silent again, too lazy to offer more.
Shi Hao nodded slowly, took a quick look at the smithy, and then left with a sweet smile after bidding farewell to Tang San.
He didn't bother with small talk. Earning the protagonist's goodwill wasn't something you could do in a single meeting.
"I don't plan on meeting him again... at least not for a few years. No need to waste words," Shi Hao muttered as he followed Old Jack back to their temporary quarters.
---
Later that night, Shi Hao didn't go to Tang San's house himself. He just handed Old Jack the gold coin and asked him to bring the cards back.
He was afraid that if he kept talking to Tang Hao, his self-brainwashing would break, and Tang Hao might sense the hostility.
"Ugh... the world's ideas about friendliness and hostility are just so messed up," Shi Hao grumbled inwardly.
"Does no one know that 'living is suffering and death is redemption'?" he muttered, irritated. If it weren't for this world's messed-up concept of good and evil, he, a righteous man, wouldn't have to fear being misunderstood.
He was only trying to help Tang Hao by releasing him from his suffering and sending him to join his wife in the underworld.
"Oh, seems his wife isn't dead in the complete sense…" Shi Hao's thoughts twisted further, leaving his intentions a bit mysterious.
---
Soon, Old Jack returned with the steel cards. They were made neatly, with the word Hao engraved with an elegant touch.
Earlier, Hu Rong had grumbled that she was going to beat up that drunk blacksmith because he was trying to scam them by asking for a gold coin for such a simple task.
But Shi Hao stopped her from courting death—after all, that would've been a very short trip to the afterlife.
Now it seemed Tang Hao really hadn't asked for an unreasonable price.
In truth, that was the case—Tang Hao wanted to make it high quality since it was the name "Hao," and he was also a divine blacksmith. His work was truly unique, unlike those "made in the village smithy" cards.
All seven cards were made from iron of higher quality, so it really wasn't a scam. He was just too lazy to scam people—imagine the effort.
"It seems he must have used soul power to carve the name. It feels quite special..." Shi Hao touched and felt the texture of the card. The surface was smooth and cool to the touch, almost like it was made by someone who actually cared about their work.
"They're even weightless... I like it," Shi Hao continued, flipping them between his fingers.
He had learned a few tricks with poker cards back on Earth, so this was a fun distraction. A simple wish fulfilled for now.
After playing with the cards for a while, he got bored, and went to sleep while his parents meditated.
Tomorrow, they'd leave. Staying with those two Tang's was... scary.