"Brother… was caught?"
Xiao Wu's pretty face stiffened, her heart cracking as if the sky collapsed upon her.
Her mind had so long been filled with sweet fantasies—what pose to strike when she finally saw him again, what reaction to give. Would she spring forward and wrap her arms around him like before, clinging shamelessly? Or act reserved for once, as though she might refuse but secretly welcome?
All that happiness, those little worries and joys, scattered like breaking glass. Instead, resentment and heaviness surged, crushing her chest.
"Mom… who is this Tang Hao? Is he… bad?"
Her soft voice trembled at Liu Erlong's side.
"Bad?" Erlong's eyes flickered, the fire of memory burning raw.
She thought back to that night, the chaos that shook Heaven Dou to its roots seven years ago. The Pope of Spirit Hall had led an army of experts into Star Dou, chasing the legendary Blue Silver Emperor—a hundred-thousand-year soul beast who had dared to become human.
Tang Hao, genius of the Clear Sky Clan, had fallen in love with her. Together they birthed a child.
But fate was cruel. Encircled by Spirit Hall, the Blue Silver Emperor was forced to sacrifice herself, granting Tang Hao world-shattering power for a brief instant. With it, he crushed the Pope, Chihiro Ji, leaving him mortally damaged.
The Clear Sky Sect then vanished into seclusion, while Spirit Hall maintained silence. The world buzzed for a year, then forgot.
But not Liu Erlong. She remembered every word.
And now—Tang Hao kidnapped Xiaobei and Tang San? The puzzle began to click, piece by bloody piece, before her eyes.
He didn't take Subei for hatred. That didn't align with what she knew of Tang Hao. No, Xiaobei's beauty could have tempted even a recluse—but it wasn't the whole picture. Because why Tang San?
Her fists clenched.
"Blue Silver Grass… Blue Silver King… no." Her voice dropped as realization clawed at her. "Blue Silver Emperor… Tang San…"
Her pupils shook violently.
Tang San is the son of the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor. The son of Tang Hao.
The truth shocked even her hardened heart. Impossible—and yet, it explains everything.
"Mom? What is it?" Xiao Wu tugged at her sleeve, little voice anxious.
Erlong took a long breath, forcing calm into her tone. "…No danger to his life. With Xiaobei and Tang San together, none can harm them. But…" Behind her steadiness burned something darker. "…I fear less for his body, and more for his innocence. Tang Hao… without a wife for years, and with Xiaobei's face before him…" She exhaled sharply, chasing the thought from her mind, cursing it.
Unknown to her, Xiaobei was not struggling against Tang Hao's rough hands. Instead, he was sandwiched in Zi Ji's embrace while Brigitte hovered anxiously, both dragoness and swan vying for his touch.
Meanwhile, the Pope herself mobilized deeper into the forest. Bishops barked orders, platinum-armored experts poured into the shadows. The mission was clear—hunt the Titan Ape, tear it down, and seize who had taken Xiaobei.
Xiao Wu's eyes were downcast as she listened to the orders. Tremors shook her hand. Er Ming was involved…! That fool. He shouldn't have.
She pressed her lips together and made her resolve. I must find him. If he's wounded, I must heal him. And only Er Ming could tell me where Brother has gone.
And so, while Liu Erlong stormed into Spirit Hall's ranks, demanding news of her godson, Xiao Wu slipped quietly into shadow, vanishing like a rabbit into grass. Her departure went unnoticed.
When Erlong turned her head back, her pulse jolted. "…Xiao Wu? Xiao Wu!"
Her voice cracked, panic clawing her chest. The forest answered emptily.
"Don't scare me like this… Not you too. First Xiaobei, now you vanish…" Tears quivered in her eyes. "What meaning is left to my life, if all I love goes missing?"
Across the vast Star Dou, far from their cries, Tang San sat cross-legged in concentration.
His Blue Silver Grass surged upward, roots snaking firm as steel, leaves glowing faint blue-white. Its aura was divine, brimming with the resonance of royalty. This was no longer mere grass. This was the Blue Silver King.
The vines wrapped around him, pulsing with life. His eyes opened, clear and cold.
Tang Hao stood nearby, his hardened expression betraying a tremor of awe. His massive palm reached out, stroking the vines with hesitant reverence.
"…A Yin's aura." His voice quivered, rough edges softened with longing. "Xiao San… even without your mother's awakening, you've inherited her blood so purely… your martial soul has become this strong already."
Yet Tang San's gaze was icy.
"My strength is thanks to my Teacher. Without him, without his guidance, how could my Blue Silver Grass have awakened to this stage?"
Tang Hao's jaw clenched. "A boy your age… carrying such knowledge? Impossible. No—this is your bloodline. You owe it to her, to me, not that child."
But Tang San stood firm, voice iron. "The Teacher gave me what you never did. Respect. Patience. A path forward. You may be my father by blood… but you lost my heart long ago."
The words struck Tang Hao like hammered nails.
"…In appearance, you fall short of him too," Tang Hao muttered bitterly. Half envy, half helpless honesty. "That boy's beauty outshines mountains. Even if you carried half of his face, I'd be proud…"
Tang San sneered, teeth grit. "Then why do I look the way I do? Who do you think I take after? Isn't this your reflection, father?"
"Mind your tongue!" Anger flared across Tang Hao's face.
But Tang San did not flinch. The cold in his eyes deepened.
"You took me from the Teacher's side by force. You bind me in your bitterness, chasing ghosts of the past. Spirit Hall chases Xiaobei because they value him—but all you value is revenge. If that is fatherhood…" His vine-wrapped fists pulsed. "…then don't call yourself my father."
Tang Hao's frame shook.
He reached for his son's hand again, voice gruff. "Come. Your strength is still weak. You cannot survive without me. Experience more—then you'll understand."
But Tang San yanked his hand away, his gaze blazing with devotion elsewhere.
"No. I will not leave here. I will not leave the Teacher. I will wait for him."
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