After placing Yu Ruyan on the bed, Tang San quietly waited for her to wake up.
At his side, the maid Xiao Lü looked nervous, pacing back and forth incessantly, her hands never stopping, her right fist punching the palm of her left hand again and again.
Tang San was made irritable by her. "Xiao Lü, stop walking around."
"Ah—I'm sorry. It's just, it's just that I'm afraid the clan will blame me. I heard that Ji Boda's new girlfriend is the illegitimate daughter of a duke in the city. What if they want to pursue the matter..."
"Xiao Lü is wrong. Xiao Lü shouldn't have let Young Master make a move. Young Master has only just arrived here, and he's already caused such big trouble. The clan will have a prejudice against Young Master."
You know that and you still say it? Do you want to make my mood even worse? He shook his head and then said, "No need to worry about retaliation. Someone will take care of it. Xiao Lü, you go to the place that brought me here just now and invite a food-system soul master from the academy. Remember, you must invite that Shao Xin."
Halfway through his sentence, Tang San hurriedly added. He really didn't want to invite Oscar. Even if Yu Ruyan was not Xiao Wu, for her, with Xiao Wu's face, to eat that sausage again would be too disgusting.
Although in his memory, the Seven Devils had eaten Oscar's sausage countless times, that was because they had gotten used to it and had no choice. Now that there was a choice, Tang San wanted the best.
The maidservant agreed and hurried out. It wasn't until Tang San's house was out of sight that the corner of her mouth hooked up.
Tang San, on the other hand, sat quietly beside the unconscious Yu Ruyan's bed, looking at her with a complicated expression. In this life, from the very beginning, he and Xiao Wu had stood on opposite sides, forming a grudge of life and death.
Even with nearly three years of compensatory measures, letting her beat and curse him, he had not gotten a single proper look from Xiao Wu in return. Sometimes, Tang San would think, should he just use his divine power to move Xiao Wu's soul after he had it, and just add a memory to her soul at that time?
Xiao Wu would understand me, right? After all, the matter of their daughter, Tang Wutong, I had split my daughter's soul and then merged it, and she had only been angry for a few days before forgiving me. Now, to do the same, to move the soul of this world's Xiao Wu a little would be no great harm.
However, what if there was a "what if"? Not to mention the success rate, what if the matter was exposed? What would be waiting for him? To lose Xiao Wu forever?
But in this life, to make Xiao Wu fall in love with him was so difficult. He couldn't see a future at all.
He closed his eyes, let out a long sigh, and helped Yu Ruyan wipe the teardrops from the corners of her eyes. Seeing this girl, whose appearance was ninety percent similar to Xiao Wu, was as if looking in a mirror.
Her wholehearted devotion to that Ji Boda was met with the other's abandonment. Ji Boda's indifferent gaze towards Yu Ruyan was something he was all too familiar with. It was the same gaze Xiao Wu had for him in this life.
"If only you were really her..."
At the same time, Xiao Lü had also arrived at the residence of Shrek Academy. It was a very spacious large courtyard, with no problem housing 20 households. There were also dedicated training grounds and simulated environments nearby. Compared to the small village in Soto City before, it was simply heaven and earth.
Of course, to be able to get such a good venue was also because the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had the intention of befriending and roping them in. Although this Shrek Academy's teaching was average, it did have several Soul Sages and Soul Emperors. Their power could not be underestimated.
"Um, excuse me, is Teacher Shao Xin here?"
Flender, who was delightedly admiring the surrounding environment, raised an eyebrow and appeared before Xiao Lü. "Are you the maidservant who left with Xiao San before? Is there something you need?"
"Young Master Tang asked me to come and find Teacher Shao Xin. We rescued a young lady, and she is still in a coma."
Ma Hongjun looked over with surprise, poked Oscar beside him, and said, "That fellow Tang San is so cold. He would actually save someone? Hey, do you think that girl is very good-looking? Tsk tsk tsk, he says he's pure and innocent, but in the end, he still can't get past a beauty~"
Oscar rolled his eyes at him. After getting along all this way, Oscar felt that Tang San was probably a person who was eccentric to the extreme.
Hearing Xiao Lü's words, Flender frowned slightly, then commanded, "Teacher Shao Xin has gone out to purchase ingredients. He is not here at the moment and will be back for a long time. How is the girl's condition?"
"Just some minor flesh wounds and she fainted from excessive sadness."
"Oh~ then it's fine. Just let Little Ao go. He's a food-system Soul Grandmaster His first soul skill has a recovery effect. Oscar, you go with her."
Xiao Lü looked at the big-bearded uncle before her, stunned for a moment, but didn't say much. Since they are both food-system soul masters, there probably isn't much difference, right?
Thus, after the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Tang San looked with a black line on his face at Oscar chanting that explosive soul mantra, creating a recovery big sausage, and was about to walk closer and send it into Yu Ruyan's mouth.
Tang San hurriedly stopped him. "Forget it, forget it, Oscar. I'll take care of her. It's just some minor flesh wounds. Having me is enough."
Oscar had a sad face. "Xiao San, it's been almost a month. Are you still disgusted with my soul skill?"
Of course I have to be disgusted! The feigning-unconsciousness Yu Ruyan was annoyed in her heart. If this good-for-nothing had dared to let this old lady eat this broken sausage just now, tomorrow I'll arrange for someone to cut off your real sausage!
Yu Ruyan, who was afraid of eating the sausage, slowly woke up. She looked at the scene before her in a daze. Her eyes darted around. She reached out and cautiously pulled at the corner of Tang San's clothes, saying weakly, "That... that, where is this? There are so many people..."
Seeing this, Tang San's heart slightly relaxed. She's afraid of people yet dares to pull on the corner of my clothes. She's treating me as her reliance! He responded gently, "This is my room. It's alright now. Don't worry."
A trace of confusion and gratitude was in Yu Ruyan's eyes. She nodded gently, seeming to want to get up, but was powerless due to her weak body. Tang San hurriedly reached out his hand and steadily supported her from behind, saying softly, "Don't move yet. Your body hasn't fully recovered."
Oscar, watching this scene from the side, a playful look flashed in his eyes. He teased, "Xiao San, it seems your iceberg image is about to melt. You're so gentle to a little girl."
Tang San glanced at him but ignored Oscar's teasing. He was more concerned about Yu Ruyan's condition. He turned to Xiao Lü and commanded, "Xiao Lü, go prepare some light food. She needs to eat something to recover her strength."
Xiao Lü agreed and left. Oscar also tactfully did not say more, turned around, and left the room, leaving Tang San and Yu Ruyan alone.
"My name is Tang San. If anything happens to you in the future, you can come and find me. The matter of Ji Boda, I believe you should have seen it clearly."
Yu Ruyan's expression dimmed. "I met him when our martial souls were awakened at the age of 6. At that time, he was still very sunny. In the academy, he was the only one willing to talk to me. I also regarded him as... who knew..."
Although Tang San felt some love and pity, he still asked, "Why was he the only one in the academy who would talk to you?"
Yu Ruyan pouted. "My father's seniority is very high, and his age is also very old; but my mother is very young... In the academy, they said I was an accident, and they mocked and excluded me..."
Tang San was silent. Does the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect have so many stories?
"What do you plan to do in the future?"
Yu Ruyan buried her head between her legs, her hands wrapped around her knees, her voice carrying a crying tone and a trace of confusion. "I don't know either. I have nothing now. Ji Boda... he doesn't want me anymore. Where else can I go?"
"They say I was the jinx that killed my mother. My father usually doesn't care about me, only giving me some gold soul coins every once in a while. I really want a real home, but Boda, he..."
Speaking of this, she began to sob in a low voice again. What Yu Ruyan said was seven parts false, three parts true. This was the correct way to fool someone.
Tang San was stunned. Aren't I the same? My father's cultivation has now been dispersed, and he's trapped in Spirit City. My mother has been abducted, and my destined wife has also gone to the Spirit Hall headquarters, leaving me all alone.
Although he would see his aunt Tang Yuehua tomorrow, what use was she? He hadn't obtained the Slaughter God Domain yet and didn't need her domain and guidance. And as for the things she had, he had them all in his memory. Her value was too low. At most, she was just a way to get some contact with the Clear Sky Sect.
Looking at her helpless appearance, Tang San couldn't help but feel an urge to protect her. He said softly, "If you are willing, you can temporarily stay here. When you have thought about where to go, you can leave then."
Hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed in Yu Ruyan's eyes. She looked up at Tang San and said gratefully, "Rea... really! Are you willing to be friends with me?"
Tang San nodded and said, "Mmm, but you have to remember, this is not a long-term solution. You still need to find your own direction and goals as soon as possible."
"Thank you."
Yu Ruyan slowly nodded and took the Kun soup that the just-entered Xiao Lü had handed her and drank it all in one gulp. She slowly sat on the edge of the bed and reached up to tie her scattered hair into a scorpion braid.
Tang San pursed his lips. "If you don't mind, can you call me 'big brother'?"
Yu Ruyan tilted her head, a look of confusion on her face. "You seem to be younger than me, right? Why make this request?"
Tang San awkwardly scratched his head. Her appearance was almost the same, her voice was similar, and now even her hairstyle was the same. He really couldn't help it. Tang San, who had suffered too many white-eyed glares and insults from the Xiao Wu of this life, urgently needed some spiritual comfort in reality.
Yu Ruyan seemed to have sensed Tang San's embarrassment. She blinked her eyes, slightly lowered her brow, and then looked up at Tang San, a gentle smile on the corner of her mouth. "But you saved me. If you don't mind, I'll just call you Third Brother. How about it?"
Tang San's heart warmed. This one "Third Brother" seemed to have touched the softest part of his heart, making him feel an unprecedented intimacy and warmth. He smiled and nodded. "Alright, then you can call me Third Brother. If anything happens in the future, you can tell me."
Yu Ruyan nodded gently, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. She knew that she had taken the right step.
"Third Brother, what is your martial soul?"
"Third Brother, you are so amazing. Can you teach me martial soul knowledge?"
"Third Brother, help me comb my hair."
In the following days, the distance between Tang San and Yu Ruyan grew closer and closer. Only when he truly began to get along with her did he know how pure and kind this ill-fated girl was.
Many times, Tang San had vaguely regarded her as the real Xiao Wu. The spiritual trauma that the Xiao Wu of this life had given him over the past nearly three years seemed to have been wiped away.
If only she were the Xiao Wu of this life, Tang San thought more than once.
He looked at Yu Ruyan, who was talking and laughing with Xiao Lü not far away, shook his head, and complained in his heart, "Unfortunately, she is just my little sister. It's fine to treat her as a substitute for Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu is so far away. She is just her shadow."
Suddenly, an idea flashed in Tang San's mind. A soul could be separated, and it could also be fused. No matter how it was operated, in the end, the independent soul was an individual, and the memories and feelings would fuse.
If Yu Ruyan falls in love with me, and then her soul and Xiao Wu's... just like my daughter Xiao Qi...
Tang San hurriedly shook his head. What on earth was I thinking just now! Even if the difficulty of pursuing Xiao Wu in this life has increased somewhat, I will definitely be able to do it! Absolutely not!
Yu Xiaogang, who had come to his side, patted his shoulder. After seeing Yu Ruyan's appearance, he understood why Tang San had gotten involved with her.
"Xiao San, I'm an experienced person. What's not suitable for you, no matter how much you pursue it, is useless. When you meet someone suitable for you, you have to grab them quickly."
Tang San frowned. "Teacher, Xiao San doesn't understand."
Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but laugh. "Ever since this Yu Ruyan arrived, you've been in a daze for a period of time every day. Do I not understand what you youths are thinking?
You're in love, Xiao San."
Tang San's pupils shrank. He shook his head as if in a panic. "No, teacher. I just feel sorry for her and have some empathy. That kind of thing is absolutely impossible."
Seeing that Tang San's expression was faintly not right, Yu Xiaogang walked away on his cane. "I'm just mentioning it. The specifics are still up to you."
Tang San did not speak. What bullshit experienced person? Can your broken emotional entanglements be compared with mine? However, looking back at the brilliant, heart-warming smile of Yu Ruyan under the sun, for the first time, Tang San was lost.
In a certain mansion of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, a secret room.
Yu Luomian looked at the Yu Ruyan before him and asked, "How is the progress?"
Yu Ruyan leaned back on the sofa brazenly, her legs crossed, a relaxed look on her face as she said, "Don't worry, Second in Command. Everything is under my control. Tang San is quite good to me now. I feel he has already started to like me a little."
"Although this boy's mind seems to be a bit more mature than his peers, it's only a little. What kind of man has this old lady not seen? I have plenty of tricks to capture his heart."
Yu Luomian nodded, a trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. "Very good, Ruyan. You must seize this opportunity. Tang San is no ordinary person. His background and abilities are by no means trivial. If we can make use of him, it will have immeasurable benefits for the future of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect."
Yu Ruyan licked her lips, revealing a slightly pathological, expectant look in her eyes as she said quietly, "Of course. The son of the Clear Sky Douluo. I must have a taste."
Yu Luomian looked at Yu Ruyan's pathological gaze and silently nodded in his heart. Although this woman was young, her mind was deep and her methods were ruthless. She was a rare talent. As long as she could successfully rope in Tang San, then the great matter could be achieved.
"Ruyan, you remember, feelings are just a means. Our goal is profit. You must make Tang San fall head over heels for you, and then use his power to help our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect."
"Understood."