Fortunately, the village didn't have many residents left; most of the younger people had already left due to the village's poverty. After this matter is resolved, Su Ming would need to return to the village, relocate Grandpa Jack and the remaining villagers, and find them a safe place to stay.
After all, Tang Hao had left the village for many years, and during that time, the villagers had dispersed. It would be reasonable to make the village appear deserted. Even if Tang Hao saw through it, it wouldn't matter as long as Grandpa Jack and the villagers were safe.
Hearing all this, Tang San was shocked. These two people were enemies of his father. He had always suspected that his father was not an ordinary man, but now it was confirmed!
Tang San, enduring the pain in his body, asked, "My father? Do you know something about my father?"
Su Ming smirked. The fish had taken the bait. "Oh? You don't know what kind of man your father is?"
"Well, let me tell you. Your father was a legend on this continent. At the age of 44, he became a Titled Douluo, the youngest ever on the continent."
"However, your father was in possession of a priceless treasure, which attracted the attention of the previous Spirit Hall Pope, Qian Xunji, who sent numerous spirit masters to hunt him down."
"The result? Your father, Tang Hao, severely wounded the Pope, who later died from his injuries. Because of this, your father had to go into hiding, or rather, avoid further pursuit."
"Spirit Hall couldn't find your father, so they went after his sect—Haotian Sect—and blamed them. Because of your father, the Haotian Sect was forced into seclusion."
"I must say, your father is truly powerful. Even though he was only level 89 at the time, he managed to fatally injure a Titled Douluo. And now, even though the current Pope, Bibi Dong, holds no personal grudge against him, your father still goes around challenging the Spirit Hall, killing their strong members. So, should we come after you?"
"Originally, the Pope had no intention of hunting down your father, but your father just had to keep stirring trouble for her!"
Dugu Bo was astonished by Su Ming's knowledge. It seemed Su Ming knew more than he did!
"Anyway, we can't take on Tang Hao directly, but since we can't find him, we'll just deal with his son. And look at that—an unexpected bonus! You've got an external spirit bone. We'll be taking that!"
Without hesitation, Su Ming moved behind Tang San and, gathering spirit power in his hands, snap! broke off two of the spider legs.
"Aaaargh!"
Although the Eight Spider Lances hadn't fully fused with Tang San, the pain of having them broken was excruciating.
"Does it hurt? Don't worry, there are still six more. Remember, this is the price you pay for your father's sins! This is what you deserve!"
Inwardly, Su Ming was amused. Bibi Dong, he thought, in the original story, Tang Hao and Tang San were going to be your enemies anyway, so I'll just borrow the name of your Spirit Hall for now. There shouldn't be any issue with that.
Su Ming didn't feel guilty at all. He was using the Spirit Hall's name for now, but in the future, his ambitions would require him to join Spirit Hall to make them a reality.
Bibi Dong:
Su Ming, feeling done with his fun, methodically broke the rest of the spider legs. Tang San's face showed pure hatred, but Su Ming couldn't care less—Tang San didn't know who he was anyway.
Finally, Su Ming plunged his hand into Tang San's back, pulled out the spirit bone, and tossed him out of the Kamui space. Tang San was no longer of any use.
Now, Su Ming's thoughts turned to Yu Xiaogang. Perhaps he would contact Tang Hao, or maybe Tang Hao would find out about Tang San's condition himself. Either way, it would lead to Tang Hao absorbing that spirit bone earlier than expected—what fun!
Dugu Bo and Su Ming then removed their masks. Dugu Bo sighed, "Little monster, I didn't expect you to be so ruthless. Not only did you take his spirit bone, but you also tortured him. He must really hate the Spirit Hall now. You're quite devious... I like it!"
Su Ming glanced at the purplish-red blood on his hands with disgust. "Here, take this spirit bone and give it to Dugu Yan. The blood is poisonous, but that shouldn't be a problem for you, Old Monster."
Dugu Bo ignored Su Ming's comment. He pulled out a clean cloth and some water from his storage tool and began carefully cleaning the spirit bone. This bone was incredibly valuable. With it, Yan Yan's strength would undoubtedly take a significant leap forward.
However, Dugu Bo had a question. "Su Ming, why did you suddenly start saying all those things? Tang San probably thinks we're from the Spirit Hall now, right?"
Su Ming replied calmly, "It was a last-minute decision. We needed a legitimate reason for why we came after him and then let him go after taking his spirit bone. The explanation is simple: we're from Spirit Hall, and we fear his father's strength."
Dugu Bo chuckled, "Haha, you crafty little monster. Your plans are always so devious."
"Now, should we head back?" Dugu Bo asked.
Su Ming shook his head. "There's one more thing I need your help with, Old Monster. I want to go back to my birthplace, Holy Spirit Village. My grandfather is still there, and I want to bring him and the villagers closer to Heaven Dou City for their safety."
"I've already fallen out with Tang San, and if Tang Hao finds out, who knows what he might do. I need to be prepared for the worst."
"We'll move the villagers and make the village look abandoned, so Tang Hao will think they've all left."
Dugu Bo listened carefully, impressed by Su Ming's thoughtful and meticulous nature. He knew he hadn't misjudged Su Ming; his character was top-notch, and he always planned ahead.
"Alright, I'll accompany you. But most of the villagers are ordinary people with no spirit power. It won't be easy to move them, right? Are you planning to put them in this space?"
Su Ming shook his head. "This space is my secret, so it's best if not too many people know about it. However, I have this!" He said, showing his storage ring. "This ring can store living things. It might be a bit cramped for the villagers, but it'll work."
Dugu Bo was shocked once again. "Then why did you still accept the Ruyi Treasure Pouch I gave you? You obviously have something even better!"
It was clear that any soul tool capable of storing living beings had to have an unimaginably large space!
Su Ming smiled and replied, "You don't understand. When an elder offers a gift, it should not be refused. Even if I already have something better, why wouldn't I still use the one you gave me?"
Dugu Bo felt comforted by Su Ming's response, nodding in approval. "Good, good!"
However, Su Ming still had one concern: although his soul tool could store living beings, would his grandfather and the villagers be able to tolerate staying inside? But he remembered that, in the original story, Tang San had even let Xiao Wu's true form reside in the Ruyi Treasure Pouch, so it should be manageable, right?
To be cautious, Su Ming decided to place a few wooden houses inside the storage. That way, the villagers would at least have a more comfortable place to stay.
Meanwhile, Tang San was found by Dai Mubai and the others after being thrown out of the Kamui space.
As it was already getting late and they couldn't find Tang San anywhere in the academy, Grandmaster had instructed them to search the area. Suddenly, they noticed Tang San appearing out of nowhere, covered in blood and unconscious.
After an unknown amount of time passed, Tang San slowly opened his eyes, still dazed. He saw his surroundings—his dorm room, and his friends, including Dai Mubai.
Grandmaster, seeing Tang San awake, immediately rushed over, supporting him. With a grim expression, he asked, "Xiao San, what happened? How did you get so badly hurt inside the academy? And... your external spirit bone was forcibly removed!"
The only reason Grandmaster had managed to persuade his father to make an exception and allow them into Thunderclap Academy wasn't just because of the impressive talent of Dai Mubai and the others, but largely because of Tang San's external spirit bone.
Now that Tang San's external spirit bone was gone, how would Grandmaster explain this to the academy and his father? If all else failed, he might have to reveal that Tang San had twin spirits. But that wasn't a decision he could make on his own. He would need to find a way to contact Tang Hao!
What a headache!
Tang San, filled with sorrow, recounted everything that had happened. His eyes were brimming with hatred.
"Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong, I will never forgive you! The hatred of having my bone ripped out will be repaid a thousand times over!"
Bibi Dong: ...
If Bibi Dong knew about Tang San's growing hatred toward her and Spirit Hall, she might not know how to react.
Even if she did know, she wouldn't bother to explain anything. It had always been Tang Hao who caused trouble for Spirit Hall. The mastermind behind everything, Qian Xunji, was long dead, but Tang Hao never let it go. He continued to target Spirit Hall, killing their elders and even talented students from the sub-halls.
The room fell into silence after hearing Tang San's story. Grandmaster, for his part, hadn't expected Spirit Hall to know Tang San's identity so soon.
If Su Ming knew what Grandmaster was thinking, he would certainly make a snide remark. Spirit Hall sends spirit masters across the land to help awaken people's spirits, and whenever they encounter commoners with innate spirit power, they record the details and report them to Spirit Hall. Those with exceptional talent are directly recruited into Spirit Academy if they wish to join.
Tang San's situation, having innate full spirit power, was incredibly rare, nearly unheard of within Spirit Hall. Naturally, he would be under special observation. Even Su Yuntao, the nearly blind spirit master who awakened Tang San's spirit, wouldn't dare ignore such a prodigy. He would have immediately reported Tang San to Spirit Hall.
Su Yuntao might have been blind, but Bibi Dong certainly wasn't. A boy with a Blue Silver Grass spirit but innate full spirit power, and his last name was Tang. Of course, she would know who he was!
As one of the victims of that event, Bibi Dong knew all too well who Tang San's mother was. However, she chose not to act, wanting to give Tang Hao and Tang San a chance. If Tang Hao didn't cause any further trouble, they could all live in peace.
After all, Bibi Dong owed Tang Hao in a way. He had given her the opportunity to kill Qian Xunji.
Grandmaster sighed. "Xiao San, you'd better check your condition. We've already treated you, but I'm worried about the damage."
It was common for spirit power to drop after a spirit bone was forcibly removed. Grandmaster feared that Tang San's strength had significantly diminished.
Tang San checked his body and said grimly, "Teacher, my spirit power has dropped to level 34. I lost more than a level."
Unlike Tang San, Grandmaster felt somewhat relieved. "At least it's just one level. Considering you hadn't had the spirit bone for long, this result is acceptable."
There was still nearly a year before the Spirit Master Tournament. Thunderclap Academy had plenty of resources. With some extra help from his father, perhaps they could accelerate Tang San's recovery.
Tang San then looked at Grandmaster, asking, "Teacher, tell me the truth. Was my father really that powerful? Can you tell me everything you know about him?"
Grandmaster sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you what I know. I hadn't said anything earlier because your father's situation is unique. I didn't want to put pressure on you, and your father likely felt the same."
Half an hour later, Tang San understood the basics.
He sighed in awe. "I didn't expect my father to be such a formidable figure. If it weren't for Spirit Hall, my father wouldn't be in his current state, and I wouldn't have lost my mother!"
Tang San's expression darkened as he swore, "Spirit Hall! Bibi Dong! Just wait. One day, I'll use all my power to wipe you out and bring peace to the continent!"
Tang San silently vowed to endure for now. When his strength was sufficient, he would eradicate Spirit Hall from existence.
Why should Spirit Hall get away with murdering his mother? His hatred for them was eternal!
At that moment, Tang San's heart was consumed by hatred. He didn't stop to consider that the current Pope of Spirit Hall was Bibi Dong, not Qian Xunji. Hadn't his father already avenged their family?
Moreover, Tang San had received Spirit Hall's financial support for many years. Bibi Dong knew he was Tang Hao's son and still hadn't cut off his stipend. What did that indicate?
Grandmaster patted Tang San's shoulder. "Alright, Xiao San, take the next two days to rest. I'll try to contact your father. It's time for you two to meet."
With that, Grandmaster left the room along with the others.
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT