"Year after year passed, and I didn't even dare to ask about Erlong anymore, afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself from going to find her. Lost in a daze, I could only pour all my energy into researching Martial Souls. It wasn't until I met you that the spark of life rekindled in my heart. I placed my hope in you, and these years have been a little easier because of that. I know Flandre must have known Erlong was here. He's not the type to act rashly—if he hadn't known beforehand, why would he choose another academy right after being humiliated at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy? I just wasn't thinking clearly at the time. Seeing Erlong again would only bring me more pain. Erlong's strength far surpasses mine. This time, even if I wanted to escape this vortex of suffering, I probably can't."
Tang San looked at the Great Master, his eyes already reddening. Yes, how unfair heaven had been to his teacher—stripping him of the powerful Martial Soul he should have inherited was one thing, but to also destroy his union with the one he loved was something else entirely.
"Teacher, are the eyes of the world really that important? Who says you're worthless? In my heart, you are the greatest Soul Master there is. Knowledge is power too. Who dares claim to know more about Martial Souls than you? No one. Teacher, you're the best. Aunt Erlong has waited all these years for you and never chose anyone else—how deep her feelings must be! If you keep running away like this, you'll only make both of you suffer. Even if you truly care about what the world thinks, you could take her far away and start a new life!"
The Great Master shook his head in pain. "No, that would be too unfair to Erlong. Little San, loving someone doesn't necessarily mean you have to be with them. I'd rather she live happily and joyfully."
Tang San had forgotten his role as a student. Seeing the Great Master's gloomy despair, he couldn't help but speak up. "Running away like this—will that make Aunt Erlong happy? If she were happy, would she sing such sorrowful songs? Would she burst into tears the moment she sees you? She doesn't even dare test you with words, afraid of hurting you. Teacher, it's your heart that's too fragile. What does it matter what the world thinks? Aunt Erlong, a woman, isn't afraid—so what are you afraid of? You should stand with her, bravely face everything, break through every obstacle to be together, and prove to your clan, to everyone, that being together isn't wrong. The blood relation between cousins may be close, but has there truly never been such a union? Teacher, you're not just afraid that Erlong would suffer by your side—you also can't accept this reality. It's self-loathing!"
The Great Master stared blankly at Tang San, his lips trembling, unable to speak. Though he was as proud as Flandre, deep in his heart, possessing a low-level Martial Soul had always left him with an inferiority complex. Neither Flandre nor Erlong had ever dared touch that wound. Now Tang San, carried away by emotion, had struck it dead center.
"He's right. Why should you feel inferior? Let millions call you worthless—as long as I, Liu Erlong, believe you're the best, that's enough. Xiao Gang, don't you understand? If I cared about the blood relation between us, would I have kept searching for you like this? Would I have been this miserable?"
Liu Erlong emerged slowly from behind Tang San and Xiao Gang, tears streaming endlessly down her face. She gazed at the Great Master and approached step by step, her resolve unwavering. Her beautiful face was radiant with splendor.
This time, the Great Master finally did not look away from Liu Erlong's gaze. Watching her draw closer with every step, his heart pounded noticeably faster. The demons inside him were cracking under the onslaught of surging emotion—twenty years of suppression could no longer barrier the gold-pure devotion buried deep within.
Tang San quietly retreated, gradually slipping into the woods. He knew that at a moment like this, no one should disturb them. He silently wished the Great Master happiness in his heart. How could he not have noticed the loneliness his teacher so often let slip?
Now the source of the pain had finally been found. If it could be resolved—if the Great Master and Liu Erlong could truly come together—then it would be the best possible ending for them both.
The forest was dim and quiet. Tang San wasn't in a hurry to go back, simply walking quietly among the trees. For some reason, after hearing the story between the Great Master and Liu Erlong, Xiao Wu suddenly came to mind. His mindset wasn't that of a thirteen-year-old child—he carried the emotions of a middle-aged man.
Xiao Wu was his sister as well. What place did she truly hold in his heart? Since meeting her, it was the first time Tang San had truly examined this question deep within himself.
If the situation between the Great Master and Liu Erlong appeared between himself and Xiao Wu, how would he handle it? Tang San found that his emotions in this moment were confused and uncertain.
The air around him suddenly turned cold. Tang San shivered involuntarily and frowned in puzzlement.
His Soul Power had broken through level thirty, and his Mysterious Heaven Skill had already reached the fourth stage—he had reached the point where heat and cold could no longer affect him. It was summer, so why did he feel cold?
At that very moment, Tang San stopped abruptly in shock. Three meters ahead, at some point, a person had appeared—a figure entirely in green.
Green hair, green eyes, green fingernails, and a gaze as cold and venomous as a serpent's. The one who had suddenly appeared before Tang San was none other than the Titled Douluo they had seen during the day—the one whose title was Poison: Dugu Bo.
Tang San instinctively tried to activate his Martial Soul, but in the next instant, Dugu Bo had already closed the distance. Without any visible movement, Tang San felt a wave of dizziness wash through his brain, and everything went dark.
But the brief pulse of Soul Power was enough to wake Erlong, who had just melted into the Great Master's embrace nearby.
"Who goes there?" Liu Erlong's eyes blazed with sharp light as she shot upright from the Great Master's arms, her gaze snapping toward the source of the disturbance. She could clearly sense the terrifying aura concealed within that faint pulse of Soul Power. Her figure flickered, and she had already placed herself in front of the Great Master.
The Great Master froze for a moment, then his face changed drastically. "No good—something may have happened to Little San. Hurry, we need to check!"
Liu Erlong instinctively grabbed the Great Master's hand, burst into accelerated movement, and following the trace of Soul Power, quickly arrived at the spot where the incident had occurred. But apart from the lingering chill in the air, they found no clues. Liu Erlong poured her Soul Power into a full search, yet she could not locate a trace of Tang San's aura.
The Great Master made an immediate decision. "Let's go—find Flandre first. This cold aura feels familiar. If it's who I think it is, this will be difficult to handle." Though the Great Master's strength was not great, his powers of observation and judgment far exceeded those of ordinary people.
That thread of icy aura instantly brought to mind Dugu Bo, whom they had seen at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy that day, and later the Emerald Serpent Soul Master Dugu Yan, whom they had encountered as Dugu Bo's granddaughter.
His head felt heavy and muddled. When Tang San finally regained consciousness from the blackout, he found himself surrounded by complete darkness.
Only two points of green light glowed eerily in the void.
Tang San silently circulated his Mysterious Heaven Skill. The Soul Power within his body gradually coalesced, and strength returned to his limbs. But he didn't move. The Great Master had taught him—the more dangerous the situation, the calmer one must remain. One must never fall into peril through reckless action.
"No need to pretend once you're awake. Are you really only thirteen? You carry yourself like a seasoned veteran." A hoarse voice came from nearby. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Tang San could just make out, by the glow of those two sickly green points, that Dugu Bo was sitting not far from him—and those two green lights were Dugu Bo's eyes.
Tang San sat up but said nothing, staring coldly at Dugu Bo, his heart already turning to ice. He didn't need to ask why Dugu Bo had brought him here. It was clearly revenge on behalf of Dugu Yan. Falling into the hands of this Titled Douluo known for his poison—what good end could he possibly expect?
"Kid, your name is Tang San?" Dugu Bo leaned back against the stone wall and asked casually.
"That's right." Tang San's answer was simple. He certainly didn't intend to simply sit there and wait for death. Seated as he was, he was quietly gathering his own Soul Power.
Though he knew that with his level-thirty Soul Power he stood absolutely no chance against a Titled Douluo at level ninety or beyond, if he didn't make one final fight, he would never be at peace.
The green light in Dugu Bo's eyes flickered. "I hear you broke through my granddaughter's third Soul Skill and used poison to subdue her. How did you neutralize her serpent venom? Surely mere strong liquor wouldn't be enough?"
Tang San replied flatly, "And you call yourself a Poison Douluo, old monster? Don't you even know that realgar counters serpent venom? Realgar combined with strong liquor allows the realgar's properties to activate fully, supplemented by the scorching of flame. Your granddaughter's third Soul Skill is potent, but it's far from unbreakable."
Dugu Bo suddenly let out a cackling laugh. "How many years has it been—let me count how many years since anyone dared speak to me like that. Kid, aren't you afraid of death? You dare question my poison? Don't you know that even other Titled Douluo turn pale when my poison is mentioned?"
Tang San snorted with contempt. "Your poison? It's nothing but garbage."
"What did you say?" The green light in Dugu Bo's eyes blazed violently. With a mere flick of his hand, Tang San's body was hurled away by an irresistible force, slamming hard against the stone wall behind him. The searing pain nearly made him black out again.
(End of chapter)