Tang San straightened his back even more confidently.
In his past life, he had secretly studied the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, convincing himself it was to prove his worth—something he had no choice but to do, perhaps even forgivable... But in this life, he could stand tall, act openly and honorably.
How should one put it?
At this moment, Tang San's mindset resembled that of a prostitute who had bought her freedom, or a gangster who had gone clean trying to draw a clear line between who he was now and the things he did in his past life.
And truth be told, from a certain perspective, that was fair. After all, the Tang San from his previous life was already dead—he had paid the price for his theft with his life.
If only Tang San knew that the elders of the Tang Sect from his past life had long since forgiven him, and were even planning to name him as the sole successor to the next Sect Master... he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Zhou Qing and Tang San's resolute attitudes left Yu Xiaogang momentarily at a loss.
But after so many years of hardship, he'd long since trained himself to have thick skin. With a sigh, he said, "I didn't think this through. But I've already brought the bedding it wouldn't feel right taking it back, would it?"
Yu Xiaogang was clearly determined to have Zhou Qing and Tang San accept the two bedding sets.
The reason was simple:
These two boys had fiery, upright personalities. If they accepted his kindness now, they would surely remember it. And in the future, with a few more favors, he could subtly influence them, gradually drawing them closer.
He also realized that suddenly offering them bedding might've raised suspicions after all, they were just two kids from the countryside.
And sure enough, Tang San, who now had no worries about food and clothing, did indeed harbor such a thought:
"Showing kindness for no reason—there's got to be something fishy."
"This is a problem," Zhou Qing mused after a moment, his gaze falling on the bedding of Wang Sheng and the others. "Teacher, why not give the bedding to the other working students here? Some of their bedding is torn or too thin. Summer's ending, and colder weather is coming. It might be better for them to have it."
Wang Sheng and the others widened their eyes in surprise.
They had thought this had nothing to do with them, and were just watching from the sidelines. Who would've thought the new bedding would be given to them?
"Eh?"
Yu Xiaogang hadn't expected things to develop this way, but he didn't think Zhou Qing had any ulterior motives. He just thought the boy was being overly cautious, and said, "Very well."
There was no way he could really take the bedding back—it would be beneath his dignity.
Wang Sheng, the former leader of Dorm Seven, still carried himself like one. Instead of keeping the bedding for himself, he gave it to the two students with the thinnest and most worn-out bedding.
"Thank you, Boss Wang!"
The two boys were deeply moved.
Even though Dorm Seven had a new leader, Wang Sheng still held that position in their hearts. They just knew they couldn't call him "boss" in front of Xiao Wu anymore.
"Thank you, Master!"
The two also thanked Yu Xiaogang after all, the bedding had come from him.
"Hm."
Yu Xiaogang's expression remained indifferent. His attitude toward these two boys was completely different from how he acted with Zhou Qing and Tang San. After a moment of silence, he decided to be more direct:
"Zhou Qing, Tang San. I'll be frank I want to take you two as my disciples. Cultivating one's martial soul is extremely difficult. A good teacher can save you years of effort. If you're interested, come find me in the building by the woods on the south side of the academy."
With that, Yu Xiaogang left Dorm Seven.
He knew his reputation in Nuoding Primary Soul Master Academy wasn't great, but after this brief encounter, he could tell that both Zhou Qing and Tang San were mature for their age. They likely wouldn't believe idle gossip and might come to him to verify it themselves.
And even if they didn't, he could still walk around the academy more often in the coming years and occasionally drop hints about martial soul cultivation. Who knows he might pique their interest.
Why was he so focused on Zhou Qing and Tang San?
The reason was simple: they were both born with full innate soul power. If he missed this chance, who knew how many more years he'd have to wait for another like them?
And if you counted that Soft-Boned Rabbit martial soul girl that was three!
If possible, he wanted to take all three as his disciples, using them to validate his theories. The more disciples he had, the greater his chances of achieving fame and recognition…
"Zhou Qing, Tang San, about this Master Yu… this guy…"
Wang Sheng didn't know how to finish.
Yu Xiaogang's reputation in the academy was terrible, but still—he had just brought two sets of bedding. Even if he originally intended them for Zhou Qing and Tang San, the working students had benefitted. It felt wrong to badmouth him now.
"Is his reputation really that bad?"
Zhou Qing asked.
Of course, he already knew the answer—but this was to cement Yu Xiaogang's impression in Tang San's mind.
Maybe Yu Xiaogang thought he was using a strategy of "playing hard to get." But as a transmigrator, Tang San had no interest in people or things he wasn't already invested in.
Especially when it came to people—once someone gave him a bad impression, he had no intention of engaging further.
Yu Xiaogang's sudden generosity, his stark difference in attitude between them and the other working students—it was all noticed by Tang San.
An average child might overlook these things, but not a disciple of the Tang Sect.
Yu Xiaogang definitely had more in mind than just taking in disciples!
"Yeah, his reputation's not great," Wang Sheng said honestly. "He only stays here because of his ties with the academy's headmaster. He freeloads off the academy, and though he's called a 'theoretical master' in martial soul studies, the Soul Master community considers him a joke… He's never taught a single class here. I heard even the headmaster advised him to do so, but he said the students here are too untalented to deserve his teachings."
Wang Sheng tried to be as objective as possible in his explanation.
"Arrogant and incompetent," Tang San concluded coldly.
With his first impression already ruined, Tang San's opinion of Yu Xiaogang instantly dropped to outright dislike.
"He's never given you guys bedding before?" Zhou Qing asked, feigning ignorance.
"Of course not. He looks down on us working students why would he try to please us?" Wang Sheng shook his head, then changed the subject. "By the way, your martial souls must be amazing, right? And you've got high innate soul power too?"
"My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass but I was born with full innate soul power."
Tang San extended his right hand and released his martial soul.
"Blue Silver Grass can be cultivated? And with full innate soul power?!"
Wang Sheng looked utterly shocked. Then he turned to Zhou Qing.
"My martial soul is a heart." Zhou Qing showed his Martial Soul Certificate to Wang Sheng. "Also full innate soul power."
"Your martial soul is… a heart?"
Wang Sheng was dumbfounded.
Sure, a heart was vital to life but as a martial soul? That didn't sound promising at all. Could it be used for offense, defense, or support?
None of the above, as far as he could tell.
Wang Sheng couldn't think of any real use for a heart as a martial soul.
Surely it couldn't replace your own heart if something went wrong with it, right?