Chapter 102: The Miserable Tang San
"Xiao Wu brought Xiao San back, but his condition is terrible!"
Flender shook his head and quickly darted into the forest.
Moments later, he returned carrying Tang San, with Xiao Wu following behind.
She had truly rescued Tang San.
At that moment, Xiao Wu became shrouded in mystery in the eyes of Ning Rongrong and the others.
Even Flender and Zhao Wuji had been powerless against the enemy, yet Xiao Wu, after being gone for only a short while, had brought Tang San back alive.
Zhao Wuji gave her a wary look.
When school first started, he had knocked Xiao Wu unconscious. Could it be that her background was even greater than Tang San's?
But he only thought that for a brief second before focusing on Tang San's condition.
Tang San's curled posture startled Zhao Wuji.
His body looked mostly intact except for some blood on his back, but his skin was deathly pale, as if completely drained of life.
"The Seven Treasures are famed. First: Power!"
"The Seven Treasures are famed. Second: Speed!"
Ning Rongrong's crisp voice rang out, sending out two beams of light that enveloped Tang San.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda enhanced attributes. In cases of extreme weakness, its amplifying effect also aided recovery—similar to healing.
A Soul Saint like Ning Fengzhi could use it with tremendous restorative effect, even surpassing healing-type soul masters.
Though Ning Rongrong wasn't yet at that level, her skill still restored some energy to Tang San's frail body.
At that moment, Oscar crushed one of his sausages, mixed it into water, and fed it carefully to Tang San.
Flender stepped forward, channeling his soul power into Tang San and extending his spiritual sense for examination.
The result made his expression tighten instantly.
Tang San's life force was unbearably weak—like those who had squandered their vitality through excess.
Occasionally, his body twitched slightly.
It was clear that though unconscious, Tang San was trapped in a nightmare.
"Who could have done such a cruel thing!" Flender bellowed angrily.
"Boss Flender, how's Xiao San?" Zhao Wuji asked urgently.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing all turned their eyes toward him.
"When I traveled the continent, I heard of an evil soul master type—one who devours others' life force and soul power to cultivate. I suspect Xiao San encountered one of them.
He's drained, part of his life force consumed," Flender said grimly.
"Will Third Brother die?" Xiao Wu's trembling voice nearly broke into sobs.
"Xiao Wu, calm down. For now, Xiao San's life isn't in danger. Thanks to Oscar and Rongrong's treatment, he'll wake up soon.
His martial spirit is Blue Silver Grass—its vitality is strong. Once he regains consciousness and resumes cultivation, he'll recover quickly.
Rongrong, Oscar, heal him again every hour.
Everyone else, rest in shifts. Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun—find a massive tree and set up the tent above ground. No more sleeping on the ground!
Zhao Wuji, stay alert on the surface," Flender ordered.
Zhao Wuji couldn't help muttering inwardly. Wasn't this basically asking him to face that evil soul master directly?
Still, he wasn't afraid.
That enemy had only managed to capture Tang San by ambush; in a direct fight, he wouldn't stand a chance against Zhao Wuji and Flender.
Inside the tent, Oscar laid Tang San down gently and fed him a dose of Flender's nourishing and healing medicine.
After all that effort, some color finally returned to Tang San's face, and his trembling ceased.
His eyelashes fluttered as his eyes slowly opened.
They were dull, unfocused—his mind still clouded in confusion.
He couldn't yet understand what was happening.
In his mind, fragments of memory replayed.
After absorbing the spirit ring, it had mutated, producing eight spider legs—poisonous, razor-sharp, and greatly enhancing his combat ability.
Then, as he absorbed them into his body, he remembered hearing the startled cries of Flender and Xiao Wu—before everything went dark.
Now, what was this place?
"Third Brother!"
"Xiao San, how do you feel?"
Tang San's gaze slowly focused, finding Xiao Wu, Oscar, Dai Mubai, and Flender gathered around him.
He directed his senses inward.
The inner strength of his Xuan Tian Gong flowed weakly through his body, repairing his organs and slowly restoring power.
He tried to push himself up, but searing pain shot through his back.
"Ah!" He cried out, his arms collapsing lifelessly back down.
"Don't move, Xiao San. Your rib bones are fragile; they can't support you yet," Flender warned.
"What happened?"
Tang San's tone darkened, suspicion and frustration written all over his face.
No one spoke; everyone looked toward Flender.
"Xiao San, you were attacked by an evil soul master who drained part of your life force. The bones in your back became extremely fragile. There's a saying—'to heal damaged bones takes a hundred days.'
You're no longer in mortal danger, but you'll need at least a few months to recover. Don't rush it," Flender sighed, choosing honesty.
Tang San was mature and Yu Xiaogang's disciple—he could bear the truth.
Rage flickered in Tang San's eyes as he circulated his Xuan Tian Gong to examine his back.
Sure enough, his bones were weak. But that wasn't what hurt the most.
The eight spider legs from his mutated spirit ring—gone.
"The spider legs… they're gone…" Tang San's expression turned deathly pale.
He couldn't accept it.
Though untested, he had sensed their immense potential—a terrifying trump card for the future.
The toxic properties of the Human-Faced Demon Spider, its sharpness in battle—all those memories still haunted him.
He had thought he'd profited greatly from the mutation.
But now, all that energy was completely gone.
Refusing to give up, he kept probing with his internal power, searching for any trace of the Eight Spider Lances' energy—but there was nothing.
It was as if they'd never existed.
Then he noticed the small scabbed wounds on his back—eight tiny punctures.
Could the evil soul master have extracted his Eight Spider Lances from there?
A surge of fury shot through Tang San.
"Why? Why do this to me? Who was it? Dean, tell me who it was!"
Tang San's voice was icy.
He, a disciple of Tang Sect, skilled in assassinations, poison, and ambush tactics—was the one who had been outplayed and robbed.
Never had he suffered such humiliation.
The memory of those nightmarish moments, the helpless agony, still made him shiver.
Flender could only give a bitter smile. He told Tang San everything they knew—but there wasn't much.
The enemy had never shown their face.
All they knew was that the attacker possessed an earth-escape ability.
That was their only clue.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10