Inside a grand, imposing hall—the Pope's personal chamber—sunlight filtered through the crystal windows, casting holy light over sacred scrolls and golden emblems.
Bibi Dong sat with elegance behind her expansive desk, a report in hand. Her violet eyes narrowed slightly with contemplation.
"Holy Soul Village. Tang San. Blue Silver Grass. Innate full soul power?"
She quietly repeated the report's key details to herself. It had just arrived from the team of soul masters responsible for overseeing Martial Soul awakenings across the continent.
The moment she saw those few lines, Bibi Dong knew—this boy's Martial Soul couldn't possibly be just ordinary Blue Silver Grass.
According to years of research within Spirit Hall, there was a well-established principle: innate soul power was directly proportional to Martial Soul quality. The higher the soul power, the stronger the Martial Soul. Under that logic, a child with inherently full soul power simply couldn't possess a low-grade trash spirit like Blue Silver Grass.
She immediately inferred two possibilities:
First, the so-called Blue Silver Grass might not be Blue Silver Grass at all—just a rare, powerful spirit in disguise. A superior variant.
Second... this child might possess twin Martial Souls.
And once she saw the surname "Tang," the associated Martial Soul, and the child's age, Bibi Dong was almost completely certain—
This boy named Tang San had to be Yunchuan's twin brother.
"Incredible. Two brothers, born of the same mother… both awakened with twin Martial Souls."
An almost surreal thought. What kind of karmic luck had Tang Hao racked up in his past life to father two children so monstrously gifted?
Just then, rapid footsteps echoed from outside the hall.
"Mom~~~"
With a sweet, playful cry, Yunchuan came running into the hall, leaping directly into Bibi Dong's arms. He squeezed tightly and nuzzled into her warm embrace... then covertly took a deep, luxurious breath—her unique feminine fragrance mingled with the comforting scent of milk, sending waves of pure bliss through him.
Bibi Dong gently set aside the document and hugged her little boy close, affectionately running her fingers through his long, inky-black hair—stroking it straight down like she would a spoiled kitten.
"What were you reading, Mom?" he asked.
Still nestled in her arms, his bruised little heart was bathed in motherly warmth. But when he glanced at the nearby document scattered on the table... his smile froze.
His gaze locked on the paper.
"Holy Soul Village. Tang San. Blue Silver Grass. Innate full soul power."
Yunchuan's heart sank slightly, rare hesitation flickering across his usually calm mind.
He found himself tangled in a dilemma—should he tell Bibi Dong about Tang Hao and Tang San's whereabouts? Should he act now and nip the problem in the bud, eliminating this future threat before it evolved?
If he had no blood relation to them, and was simply a loyal member of the Spirit Hall, the choice would've been instant. He would've reported it immediately and let Bibi Dong take out the father and son. It was the smart move.
But fate had played a trick on him.
In this life, he was Tang Hao's son. Tang San's biological twin.
Blood ties weren't something you could easily sever.
Still, it wasn't sentimentality that tripped him up. He'd long since accepted that the people of Spirit Hall—Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue especially—were his real family. Raised and nurtured here, to him they were everything. The mother who raised you was closer than the one who birthed you.
Tang Hao? Tang San?
What were they to him?
If they dared endanger his family's life, he wouldn't hesitate—blood ties or not. Even if it was his so-called father or twin, he'd hammer them into paste with his own hands.
No... the problem now wasn't pity or weakness. It was guilt.
He owed Tang Hao his life—that much couldn't be denied. Killing him now, preemptively, felt like crossing a line in his personal code. It didn't sit right with his conscience.
"Forget it…" Yunchuan finally exhaled and made up his mind. "Let things play out naturally."
"With my talent, reaching the peak is only a matter of time. Tang Hao and Tang San? They're not even worth worrying about."
"If they dare come for revenge, I'll smash them flat—simple as that."
"If I keep growing stronger, so strong no one can challenge me—"
"Then I'll protect Mom. Protect Xue'er. Protect everyone I care about."
"As for Tang San?"
"Hah. A shady schemer who relies on poison and concealed weapons? Just a two-bit trickster. If he thinks he's going to destroy Spirit Hall like in the original story, kill Mom and Xue'er? He'll have to come through me first!"
The more he thought about it, the calmer he felt. A knot in his heart quietly unraveled.
"It's nothing," Bibi Dong said casually, gently brushing the page aside without so much as glancing at him. "Just something about an interesting little child."
Her voice was soft, her expression unreadable. But Yunchuan could see it—she had no intention of investigating further. She was letting it go.
He blinked in surprise.
Then understanding flickered in his eyes.
Of course Mom knew.
With her intelligence, how could she possibly miss the clues? That garbage "Grandmaster" Yu Xiaogang had supposedly deduced the truth from basic observations… like hell Bibi Dong couldn't do the same.
There were too many giveaways.
First of all: surname "Tang."
Then the Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass—linked directly to Ah Yin, the Blue Silver Empress.
Add innate full soul power to the mix? Anyone sharp would immediately suspect the child came from Tang Hao and his soul beast wife.
It all pointed to one conclusion.
There was no way Bibi Dong hadn't realized it.
And yet, she was choosing to turn a blind eye.
Yunchuan quickly pieced it together.
Chances were… even in the original timeline, this was what happened. Bibi Dong had likely known all along who Tang San was—yet chose not to act out of some rare generosity.
"Looks like Mom already gave Tang San his chance once," Yunchuan murmured in his heart. "And how did he repay her?"
"With betrayal."
It was that reluctance to kill early—that single moment of goodwill—that allowed a nightmare to grow. That mercy cost her everything in the end.
He clenched his tiny fists, gaze hardening.
Not this time.
"I will protect her. No matter what."
"Power… I need more power."
"Only by becoming truly invincible—can I shield the people I love."
(End of Chapter)