"It's still too dangerous to take them into the Core area. For now, let's have them stay nearby," Tang Yin thought, his gaze lingering on Yuehua and the others.
"So… when are we heading to the Far North?" Yue'er asked restlessly. After all, she hadn't absorbed a soul ring in a year and a half. Bing'er shared the same longing to grow stronger.
"Maybe in a week or two," Tang Yin replied.
"First, I have some unfinished business inside the Star Dou Forest. Come with me—I have some explaining to do." He smiled as they made their way toward a nearby town to rest.
Later, Tang Yin guided them to lodgings in the city, invited everyone into his room, and closed the door tightly. He turned to them and asked, "Zhuqing, Rongrong… do you remember Xiao Wu? My childhood friend?"
Zhuqing and Rongrong nodded, curious why he was asking—and the next revelation made their eyes skrink in surprise.
"She's a soul beast," Tang Yin blurted casually.
Meng Yiran's eyebrows shot up. "What!? Your childhood friend was a soul beast!"
Then something about his words didn't sit right. "Wait… you said she is a soul beast, not was a soul beast?! Are you saying Xiao wu is still alive?" Zhuqing asked suspiciously.
Tang Yin smiled and nodded. "Yes. She's very much alive—and waiting for me. Previously, she was targeted by a very powerful Titled Douluo. That guy had been spying on her ever since we became friends."
"Why target her specifically when you became friends? Was it someone you knew?" Yuehua asked, her tone probing.
Tang Yin sighed. "Yes… in fact, it was my own father. He was preparing her soul ring for when my brother became strong enough to bear a hundred-thousand-year soul ring."
The girls' mouths dropped open. Rongrong leaned forward, curious. "Hey, Tang Yin—you say you love us, but you haven't shared your story yet. Tell us today." She demanded, and everyone else nodded in support.
Well… this day had to come, Tang Yin thought, sighing inwardly. He began recounting his childhood with some truth and lies mixed in.
Acting mode online—
"It all began when I was still a baby," he started. "Tang San and I were twin brothers. Our father had a terrible drinking habit. He was so lazy and decadent that he sometimes forgot to feed us as babies—according to Grandpa Jack from our village."
The girls gasped, their teeth gritted in anger. "Such a useless father! Why even have a child if you can't even feed them properly?"
"From the age of three to six, we only had two sets of clothes, which we wore until they were completely worn and tattered,"
He continued, "He was the village blacksmith, yet he drank in broad daylight even when work was pending. He didn't even make food for himself. My brother and I had to cook for him when we were just three or four years old."
"What?!" Yuehua exclaimed, incredulous. Even her refined temper couldn't comprehend that such a useless man could exist.
"But everyone in the village loved me very much," Tang Yin said with a small shrug. "I was cuter and polite compared to my brother, so they fed me properly whenever they saw me."
"My brother… well not so much. He seemed unfriendly with everyone—I don't know why. Even when I offered him my food from the villagers, he refused."
Tang yin smirked, pretending to be clueless. 'Hehe… why would the great Tang God even lower himself for the sake of food?'
Zhuqing and Meng Yiran nodded, recalling Tang Yin's aloof nature and some unpleasant memories. But Rongrong blurted out bluntly, "So Tang San—that poor guy who was tricked by his teacher into wasting his Blue Silver Grass—was even aloof as a child? I thought it was because of his teacher's teachings,"
Tang Yin nodded as he reminisced about those past memories. "Although I didn't like my useless father much, we were still family… but everything changed when we awakened our martial souls at six."
He continued, "Tang San revealed his twin martial soul to our useless father while keeping it hidden from me out of distrust. That's when I discovered that my father was a soul master."
"One of Tang San's twin wuhun was identical to my father's wuhun. Father began to train my brother and saw me, who had awakened my mother's wuhun, as inferior—neglecting me entirely from then on." He recalled Tang Hao's blatant discrimination, the sting of it still fresh in his memory.
"He was a Scumbag of a father." Said Erlong.
"But there was one thing I kept from them: a second wuhun, of the Spiritual type. Once I had discovered their distrust, I never revealed my true talent to anyone. The reason I knew of Tang San's twin wuhun was also thanks to my Spirit Brain."
"From then on, our relationship strained, and I decided to cut ties with him. I wasn't going to waste my time brooding, so I focused on my future and went to the Elementary Soul Master Academy in Nuoding City with Grandpa Jack's help. That's when I met her—Xiao Wu."
Tang Yin smiled, remembering the cute little bunny who used to snuggle up beside him when they were kids.
Tang Yin smiled, reminiscing about the rogue little rabbit. "She was a ray of light during my darkest times—her quirky attitude and cute antics always managed to lift my spirits. She was my first love, and I was hers, especially as she had just transformed into a human."
The others looked at him strangely, sensing that something was amiss in his words.
"Did you already know she was a soul beast when you met her?" Meng Yiran soon asked, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. The love story between soul beast & human was truly unique.
He nodded. "Yes, my Spiritual Wuhun is very special and can control soul beasts, so I knew she was a soul beast from the moment that we met. But I didn't reveal it right away—I didn't want to scare her away."
"But good times don't last. Tang San was also at the same academy. I thought it might have been a sheer coincidence… but I was wrong." His eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as a flicker of bitterness crossed his features.
"During that time, I uncovered a shocking truth while researching ways to use my Spiritual Wuhun. I overheard a conversation between Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and my father."
"To my disbelief, my useless father—the one who seemed lazy and decadent—was actually a famous Titled Douluo. And he had asked the grandmaster to be Tang San's teacher during that period… well, look how that turned out."
Rongrong instantly burst into uncontrollable laughter. "I bet he's really regretting that now! Haha!" Yuehua, however, didn't understand why she was laughing. Soon, Zhuqing filled her in about Tang San's horrendous wuhun.
Later, when she discovered what Yu Xiaogang had done to his students' Wuhun, she was left dumbfounded. "Just who, exactly, had given this Yu Xiaogang the title of Grandmaster?" she wondered aloud.
Tang Yin let out a short chuckle, but soon his expression darkened. "That's when I realized Xiao Wu had already been targeted by my father… and I found myself torn apart inside, not knowing how I could possibly save her from him with my meager strength."
The girls froze, their hearts tightening, all of them silently scrambling for a way—any way—to protect Xiao Wu. That was when Zhuqing and Rongrong's thoughts clicked at once.
"So… you made her die the moment you came to Shrek?" Zhuqing asked in a low, sharp tone. Rongrong's expression shifted as the pieces clicked together in her head.
Tang Yin smirked, nodding. "Exactly. I knew she was safe for the moment, but not forever. So after six years of studying and bonding with her, I finally confessed everything to Xiao Wu. We already loved each other, so she trusted me quickly… well, quickly after nearly biting me to death when I told her my useless father was the one targeting her."
The girls burst into laughter, unable to help themselves as the image popped into their minds—a fluffy bunny ferociously gnawing at Tang Yin while he flailed helplessly.
He chuckled softly at the memory before he continued, his voice steady. "So, Just when he wasn't spying on us back in Nuoding City, we fled to Shrek—before Yu Xiaogang and Tang San arrived. I had deliberately held back from absorbing my third soul ring for over a year, saving it as leverage. That way, Shrek would have no choice but to take us into the Star Dou Forest to 'help' me hunt for one… and also bear witness of Xiao Wu's untimely death."
Turning to Zhuqing and Rongrong, Tang yin's expression grew apologetic. "I'm really sorry for using you both in my plan."
Both Zhuqing and Rongrong smiled softly, their earlier edge melting away as they chose to forgive him. "It's okay to lie for the sake of love. We're not that stingy."
Meng Yiran, however, leaned forward with a playful huff. "I always suspected something. When you mourned your 'childhood friend,' and just two days later you didn't seem so heartbroken anymore—I knew something didn't add up." She stepped closer.
"And now I finally know! You fooled me as well. Bad Tang Yin!" She pouted dramatically, lips pursed like an indignant cat.
He gave her a sheepish smile and dipped his head in apology. "Sorry, Yiran. I never tried to fool you. After all, it was your grandparents who left you in my care, asking me to mourn together with you. How could I betray their trust in their future son-in-law?"
Her pout cracked into a grin, though she tried to hide it. "Hmph I know. Well… since it was such a interesting and beautiful story, I'll forgive you. But only this once."
With his confession complete and his story told, Tang Yin excused himself. He turned toward the Star Dou Forest, carrying the blessings and wholehearted support of the women who loved him.
"Xiao Wu… we can finally be together."