Chapter 233: The Tang Sect Assassin's Showtime – Tracking and Disguise
Upon entering the city, Tang San immediately noticed that Yu Xiaogang had gotten off the carriage in a secluded area.
Yu Xiaogang scanned his surroundings, ensuring no one was watching, then removed his mask and blended into the crowd.
Tang San did not follow too closely the tracking powder would remain effective for a while, so there was no risk of losing him.
Then, he observed something odd.
Yu Xiaogang first purchased a large amount of daily necessities.
Then, after disguising himself, he began visiting several well known medical shops, inquiring about something.
Yet, he never entered or bought anything.
He would ask a few questions and then leave immediately, repeating this at multiple locations.
Tang San frowned, perplexed.
What exactly was he doing?
Finally, unable to hold back his curiosity, Tang San approached one of the shops Yu Xiaogang had just left.
"Excuse me, that man just now what was he asking about? I actually saw him at another medical shop earlier."
Feigning curiosity, Tang San gestured toward Yu Xiaogang's disappearing figure.
"Oh, that distinguished guest?" The shop attendant replied casually. "He was asking our resident spirit master about house call treatment fees and whether we have experience setting bones. He probably has an injured companion or family member who can't come to the store."
The response was nonchalant after all, this was common in Tian Dou City. Many nobles who couldn't afford personal healing spirit masters would pay for house call treatments.
The attendant then turned to Tang San with a professional smile.
"Sir, from what you're saying, it seems you've visited quite a few medical shops. Why not give ours a try?"
"Our esteemed spirit master is quite renowned in Tian Dou City! He may only be a Spirit Ancestor (Rank 40+), but he specializes in this kind of treatment. Just one skill, and satisfaction is guaranteed! How about it? Interested in checking it out?"
The way he spoke was rather explicit but this was their shop's specialty.
Their resident Spirit Ancestor often complained that, while his skills were useful, no major force wanted to recruit him publicly, so he set up this clinic as both a business and a secret contact point.
Plus, their client retention rate was incredibly high.
"…No, no thank you."
Tang San felt a chill down his spine and instinctively took two steps back, swiftly leaving the shop.
"Wait, sir "
The attendant tried to call him back, but remembering the store's policies, he reluctantly let him go.
What a shame he had lost two potential clients today.
Still, maybe they would return later?
After being delayed by the shopkeeper, Tang San quickly resumed tailing Yu Xiaogang.
He soon saw Yu Xiaogang entering the noble district.
After several twists and turns, Yu Xiaogang finally arrived at the back entrance of a mansion, took out a key, and let himself in.
Tang San remained hidden in the shadows, watching carefully.
Then, he circled the mansion, eventually arriving at the front gate.
Feigning ignorance, he approached the guards and claimed to be a student from Tian Dou Royal Academy, pretending to be lost while looking for someone.
From the patrolling guards, Tang San learned that this property belonged to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
As for the owner they had no idea.
Apparently, this mansion had been unoccupied for years.
Only servants came occasionally to clean, and besides that, no one ever entered.
With this information, Tang San politely thanked the guards and returned to the back entrance.
Now, he was certain
This mansion belonged to Yu Xiaogang.
Most likely, his clan had purchased it for him, but it had remained vacant.
Why would he suddenly leave the academy and come here?
Tang San couldn't figure it out yet.
However, he now knew Yu Xiaogang's exact location.
Glancing at the sky, he saw that it was nearing noon.
He decided to return to the academy first.
He needed to gather more information and find out what had happened.
After memorizing the location, Tang San hailed a carriage and rushed back to the academy.
Upon entering the training grounds, Tang San immediately noticed something strange.
Everyone's eyes were on him.
Their expressions varied, and among them, Flender was already there.
"Brother…"
Xiao Wu looked at him with concern, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.
But then, Flender raised his hand, stopping her.
"Tang San, come with me. I need to talk to you."
Tang San narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded knowingly before following Flender to the side.
In a secluded corner of the training field, Tang San greeted Flender as usual.
"Dean."
Even at Tian Dou Royal Academy, Tang San still habitually addressed him as 'Dean'.
Hearing the familiar title, Flender's gaze softened slightly.
His eyes drifted toward the 'Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges' pouch Tang San carried, momentarily lost in thought.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as if time had rewound to the past.
But soon, he snapped back to reality and chuckled lightly.
"From now on, just call me 'teacher'. Shrek Academy no longer exists."
Tang San, however, shook his head firmly and responded with utmost seriousness:
"A Dean once, a Dean forever. Even if Shrek Academy no longer exists, you will always be my Dean. And I will always be one of the Shrek Seven Devils."
Flender froze for a moment, then smiled faintly.
Although he was deeply moved, he had grown indifferent to words after what happened with Yu Xiaogang.
Words didn't matter anymore. Actions did.
"…Do as you like. It's just a title. It doesn't matter."
Tang San was slightly surprised as he glanced at Flender, sensing a difference from the man he remembered. He nodded but remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
Flender did not make him wait long. After adjusting his emotions briefly, he looked at Tang San once again.
"Tang San, I assume you already know?"
"Know what?"
Tang San looked at Flender in confusion, not understanding what he was referring to.
"Hmm? Weren't you just with Yu Xiaogang? Didn't he tell you he was dismissed from the academy?"
Flender seemed somewhat surprised.
"Dismissed?"
Tang San's voice rose in shock, and he immediately noticed that Flender no longer referred to Yu Xiaogang as 'teacher' but by his full name.
"Then… what about what he told me earlier?"
Despite his surprise, Tang San couldn't help but recall the task Yu Xiaogang had set out to accomplish.
Flender's eyes flickered subtly.
As expected, this disciple of his did not disappoint. Upon hearing that his teacher had been dismissed, his first reaction wasn't concern for his teacher, but for the outcome of his own affairs.
Truly master and disciple alike.
Suppressing his inner amusement, Flender maintained a neutral expression and continued, "I thought he would've told you by now. Yu Xiaogang was dismissed because of this matter."
"Before him, I also approached Qin Ming about it. But unexpectedly, Dean Zhilin was also present, and he overheard our conversation. Instead of revealing himself, he continued listening in secret until Yu Xiaogang arrived with Yu Tianheng."
"The key issue is that the control type Spirit Master in the first team is Zhilin's nephew. He felt that what we were doing was improper competition."
"Moreover, during the discussion, Yu Xiaogang said some inappropriate things. I won't go into details, but I'm sure you can guess the outcome."
At this, Flender shook his head, unable to hide his disappointment.
They had walked straight into a trap.
Even he had held some hope for this plan.
"…This…"
Tang San clenched his fists in frustration. What terrible luck!
Didn't Yu Xiaogang conduct a background check before proposing this plan?
What a failure!
Giving him hope only to ruin everything at the last moment this was even worse than having no hope at all.
Flender calmly observed Tang San's reaction, already making his judgment.
A cold hearted person.
The more Flender saw, the more convinced he was that Tang San was someone who would discard others the moment they were no longer useful.
Meanwhile, Tang San took a deep breath, barely suppressing the rage in his heart.
He quickly adjusted his expression and turned to Flender, realizing his reaction had been inappropriate.
"Thank you, Dean. Even though things didn't work out, I will always be grateful."
"And… how is my teacher? Is he alright?"
A perfect display of concern and respect for Yu Xiaogang appeared on Tang San's face.
Hah.
Flender mocked him in his heart.
Like master, like disciple.
Fine if you like to act, then I'll play along.
"You weren't just with him?"
Flender casually asked again, testing him.
"I wasn't," Tang San answered smoothly. "But I did look for him earlier. After returning, he asked me for some money, saying he needed it for bribes, then left in a hurry."
"After he left, I worried the amount wouldn't be enough, so I went after him but I couldn't find him. I thought he might return here by noon, so I came back."
Tang San deliberately withheld Yu Xiaogang's whereabouts.
His instincts told him it was best not to let Flender know.
"…Huh?"
This time, Flender was momentarily stunned.
He glanced at Tang San with some pity.
Knowing Yu Xiaogang's character, he was almost certain the man had fled.
And before leaving, he had scammed his last bit of money from his only disciple.
Even among those of the same kind, Tang San still fell short of Yu Xiaogang's level.
Why did Flender suddenly feel like laughing?
No, he had to hold it in.
After all, Tang San was still his student for now.
"Did he say anything to you before leaving?"
Flender decided to help Tang Hao track down Yu Xiaogang.
He still remembered the way Yu Xiaogang looked at him before leaving.
Flender couldn't do anything to him, but Tang Hao certainly could.
And the mastermind couldn't be allowed to escape.
"When he left, Teacher told me that no matter what happens, I should always believe in him."
Tang San answered honestly.
"…I see."
Flender gave up on further questioning.
Yu Xiaogang must have covered his tracks before leaving.
It seemed getting any useful information out of Tang San would be difficult.
"Forget it. Just focus on your training."
Flender was about to dismiss Tang San, but then he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right. There's something I should remind you of."
His gaze became unreadable as he looked at Tang San.
"Don't trust Yu Xiaogang too much."
Before Tang San could respond, Flender continued.
"Oh, and by the way I've severed all ties with him. From now on, we are strangers."
Tang San's face froze for a moment, as if about to argue, but Flender patted him on the shoulder and left the training grounds first.
He still had to find Yu Xiaogang.
Even if it was just for show, he had to do something especially to avoid Tang Hao's wrath.
As for Tang San…
Flender had already warned him.
If he refused to listen, that was his problem.
In fact, if he and Yu Xiaogang ended up fighting each other, wouldn't that be even better?
But Flender didn't see the way Tang San's expression twisted as he left.
The emotions flashing through his eyes were unreadable.
(End of Chapter)
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