Chapter 5: Tang San Breaks Down in Tears
Zu Zong grabbed Su Yuntao's arm and forced a few teardrops from the corners of his eyes, pleading, "Master Su Yuntao, although my admiration for you is like the unending flow of a great river, continuous and unstoppable—like a flood that can no longer be contained—please, just leave for now. Xiao San has already been consumed by anger.
He's no match for you, of course, but if word got out that a noble soul master attacked a rural village kid, it would surely damage your image. How would you ever find a girlfriend—or Sisi—for that matter?"
Su Yuntao was first caught off guard by the flood of compliments, and then stunned at the mention of not being able to find a girlfriend (specifically Sisi). On impulse, he nodded and agreed.
As a seasoned romantic—cough, devoted admirer—enduring a little humiliation was nothing. But not being able to win over Sisi? That was serious.
Su Yuntao snorted coldly. "Hmph! That kid called Tang San—I'll let you off this time, for your friend's sake. But Old Jack, when you get home, make sure his family disciplines him properly. He's far too arrogant. Others might not be as easygoing as I am."
Old Jack, hearing that Su Yuntao wouldn't pursue it further, quickly bowed in thanks.
"Thank you, Master Su Yuntao! Thank you! And thank you too, uh… that kid from your village, what's his name again? Can't remember. Anyway, that brat was very sensible. Tang San's drunkard father never disciplined him—no wonder the boy went astray."
Old Tom chimed in,
"Exactly! I've always said that brat was a sensible one."
Zu Zong: If I'm so sensible, why do you always hit me with that shoulder pole?
Tang San looked around. Everyone was criticizing him. Even the background extras—the peanut gallery—were pointing fingers.
A certain onlooker uncle: "I thought that kid was so well-behaved. Who knew…"
A little girl nearby: "Tang San, shameless!"
Tang San's gaze returned to Zu Zong—he was laughing, a mocking, gloating laugh, full of undisguised ridicule.
By now, Tang San understood fully that everyone had misunderstood him. He was frustrated and humiliated, but didn't even know Zu Zong's name—he sure wasn't going to call him 'ancestor'. He'd rather die than do that.
All he could do was mimic Old Tom and Old Jack's way of addressing him and roar,
"You brat, I'll kill you!"
Su Yuntao froze. Did this kid just say he'd kill him? And call him—a man in his twenties—a brat? No respect for elders at all!
He was going to let it slide for Sisi's sake, but if the boy was this ungrateful, well, death might be off the table, but punishment was not.
He scolded sternly,
"Unrepentant! In that case, forget about your martial soul certificate. If you still want to attend Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy, you'll have to come to Nuoding City and apologize to me in person!"
Then Su Yuntao turned to Zu Zong and handed him his martial soul certificate, his tone much gentler.
"This is your martial soul certificate. You're a true genius. If you ever want to join the Spirit Hall, you're welcome anytime."
Zu Zong glanced at Tang San, whose state now resembled that scene in the original story when Xiao Wu was injured.
[Ding. Tang San now harbors killing intent toward the host. Hatred level increased to 80%. Hatred points +6800.]
Zu Zong thought to himself,
Holy crap! He actually wants to kill me? Sure, I've gotten physically stronger, but I still can't fight. If I don't leave now, when will I?
He took the martial soul certificate from Su Yuntao and threw in another round of compliments before suggesting to the crowd that they escort Master Su Yuntao away.
No one dared object—no one wanted to risk Tang San doing anything stupid again.
After Su Yuntao and Zu Zong left—
Tang San finally snapped out of his rage. A blank expression overtook his face, and tears streamed silently down both cheeks.
He murmured,
"What… what happened to me just now?"
The farce came to an end. The spectators all returned home, back to their daily lives.
Old Jack held Tang San's hand. His face no longer carried the gentle expression from earlier—his expression was grim.
Tang San's face was contorted with sorrow. He gasped for breath, his vision blurred by tears, and his nose stung with sourness. He couldn't believe it—he, a [transmigrator + Tang Sect prodigy + twin martial soul genius], had cried in front of all those people.
What a disgrace. And it was all that brat with the surname "Zu"'s fault.
Tang San blinked. "Huh? That's right, I still have another spirit, and it seems way stronger than the useless grass in my right hand. Why should I be jealous of that brat?" At this thought, he felt much better.
Old Jack brought Tang San to Tang Hao's house, kicked open the broken wooden door with one foot, and started cursing loudly.
"Tang Hao, you useless bum! All you do is eat and sleep all day, drinking like a deadbeat! Do you even know that little San is picking up bad habits now?! @#￥%..." In short, the scolding was as harsh as it could possibly be.
Tang Hao had just finished drinking some cheap barley wine and was feeling groggy, ready to sleep. Who would've thought Old Jack would start yelling the moment he opened his mouth? Tang Hao was stunned for a moment, but he was an old hand at this — after all, he'd been scolded by Old Jack for six years. He filtered out all the foul words automatically. But that one line — "Little San is picking up bad habits" — rang crystal clear in his ears.
Unacceptable. Who was he? The one and only "youngest ever" Titled Douluo in history, Tang Ritian, the man who dared to hammer the Pope of Spirit Hall just for the sake of a grass spirit.
"The mighty Clear Sky Clan, the trembling Clear Sky Hammer" — and his silly zero-ringed son dared to go astray? Ridiculous.
How could he face A Yin in the afterlife like this?
Take this! A mighty Clear Sky Palm — Raging Wind Slap!
Tang Hao leapt up and slapped Tang San hard across the face.
Smack! The sound was deafening!
Tang Hao scolded, "You lost your mother at a young age, and your father raised you all by himself through thick and thin — and you dare to pick up bad habits?" (Let's be real, Tang Hao, cut the drama. "Through thick and thin"? Seriously?)
A red handprint was clearly visible on Tang San's face.
Tang San was stunned, his mind buzzing.
Grievance. Pure grievance. Tang San had lived two lifetimes, and not even jumping into Hell's Abyss in his past life to prove his resolve had made him feel this wronged.
With a loud wail, Tang San burst into tears.
"Dad, even you're bullying me now! Wuwuwu…"
Tang Hao: Who am I? What am I doing?
After sending Su Yuntao out of Saint Soul Village, Zu Zong went straight back to Emperor Soul Village.
As soon as he entered the village, the usual appearance-obsessed girls who normally didn't give him the time of day rushed over wagging their tails.
Fangirl A: "Whose boy is that? He's so good-looking."
Fangirl B: "And his vibe is amazing. His skin's even fairer than my Xiaohua's."
Fangirl C: "That blue hair's gotta be dyed, right? So yasashii~"
Random Auntie: "Finally, I've found my daughter's future husband."
Listening to all the chatter around him, Zu Zong's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Peh! A bunch of looks-obsessed fools. All you want is my body. Shameless."
Back in his rundown shack — ahem, thatched hut — Zu Zong locked the door tightly. Time to make his move.
[Beep. After Tang Hao's guidance, Tang San has come to understand the power of the Clear Sky Hammer. Hatred towards the host has dropped to 20%. Tang San has given up on killing the host but still wants to beat him up.]
Hearing the system notification, Zu Zong gave himself a light slap. (Tch! Didn't even make a sound. Fake.)
"Come on then. I'll let him use one hand."
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(End of Chapter)