Tang San glanced at the zu zong with a rather complicated expression. He disliked the zuzong, a dislike that ran deep in his bones.
Although, strictly speaking, the other party didn't have much hatred for him (Author: Wrong, little brother, your hatred is much greater), the two seemed to be incompatible. Whenever he saw the clan elder, he would become irritable, his throat would become dry, and his throat would feel congested.
If it weren't for his teacher's high regard for him, and the relationship between Old Jack and Old Tom, given the Tang Clan's vengeful nature, he would have assassinated the other party long ago in the dead of night. Then
his gaze turned to Xiao Wu, his eyes becoming much gentler, even described as doting. This was the girl he had only ever watched from afar during his six years in Notting.
She was also the girl who haunted his dreams countless times.
For some reason, every time he saw Xiao Wu, he felt an inexplicable sense of closeness, a closeness that sometimes even surpassed that of his deadbeat father—no, his alcoholic father.
When he first saw her, he was still immersed in the nightmare of his first spirit ring.
Xiao Wu's figure flashed past him, yet left a deep impression. Innocent, pure, lively, and adorable—she embodied every beautiful adjective in the world. Perhaps this was what the Tang Sect members meant by "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" in his previous life!
At that moment, Tang San, who had lived two lives, blushed for the first time in front of a girl.
From the crowd, Tang San learned the girl's name—Xiao Wu! A beautiful name. From that moment on, Tang San overcame his despondency, emerged from the shadow of his "rascal snake" persona, and began to cultivate even more diligently, because he had found the first person besides his parents whom he wanted to protect.
They met again a year later. She was still the same, but with someone else by her side—the person he hated—the zuzong.
Xiao Wu, holding the zu zong arm, returned to Emperor Soul Village in a coquettish manner.
Tang San could only watch from afar, wishing at that moment that Xiao Wu was holding his hand instead. Tang San's heart shattered, as if torn into countless pieces; the pain was indescribable!
Gritting his teeth, Tang San couldn't bring himself to speak harshly to the girl before him. Not good at expressing his emotions, he could only say calmly, "Xiao Wu, this has nothing to do with you. This is between him and me!"
Xiao Wu, upon hearing this, realized she was indeed blaming her Xiao Zong! This infuriated her, who was always protective of her own. Her face flushed red with anger, her cheeks puffed out. "Hmph! That scoundrel snake was chosen by your 'good teacher,' you agreed to it yourself. Xiao Zong was just trying to help you hunt for a spirit ring, and instead of blaming your teacher, you're shifting the blame onto Xiao Zong! Hmph! I hate you so much!"
Xiao Wu's words struck Tang San like a thunderbolt. The girl he had been dreaming of had said she hated him!
Tang San's already ordinary face first turned pale, then a deep purplish-red.
That day, Tang San once again recalled the fear of being dominated by the "scoundrel snake."
Everyone suddenly realized, even the usually aloof Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling couldn't help but twitch their lips.
As top geniuses in the Soul Master world, they had some knowledge of most Soul Beasts.
Among them, the Rascal Snake was infamous, known to everyone.
However, this infamy wasn't "vicious," but rather "disgusting."
As everyone knew, the Rascal Snake was a nocturnal predator, feeding on rats; during the day, it would simply lie in the sun and sleep. Not only was its attack power low, but to protect itself, the Rascal Snake's body would automatically shed its skin, emitting a rotten and disgusting smell, thus having few natural enemies. It was disliked by most carnivorous Soul Beasts, who would avoid it at all costs; only a very few individual Soul Beasts that ate carrion would hunt it when they couldn't find any other food.
Everyone could easily imagine what the Blue Silver Grass would look like after absorbing the Rascal Snake's Soul Ring and becoming "Rascal Grass."
Dai Mubai covered his mouth, barely suppressing his laughter, and patted Tang San's shoulder, asking, "Tang San, your first spirit ring really is the Rascal Snake? Then wouldn't that mean... hahaha," at this point, Dai Mubai couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.
The zu zong also wanted to laugh out loud, but he couldn't; it wouldn't be funny if he did. Still maintaining a righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor, the clan elder feigned shame, saying, "Little San, it's all my fault for not stopping Grandmaster back then. After all, you believed his theory, so I believed it too, and the result..."
Seeing Zu Zong so "heartbroken," Xiao Wu felt bad too. She took his hand and comforted him, "ZuZong, don't mind this unreasonable guy. Blame that hypocritical, incompetent 'Master'."
Zhu Zhuqing and Ye Lingling nodded in agreement.
"You—" Tang San was speechless again, stunned by Zu Zong words. Was he playing me again? The time he awakened his martial soul, the time he went to Notting to register, the time he hunted for soul rings… and most importantly, this time he even let Xiao Wu hold his hand again!
"What 'you'? Apologize to Zu Zong right now!" Xiao Wu said angrily.
Even Ye Lingling, unusually, spoke up, defending the clan, "Don't let grudges get in the way!"
Even Zhu Zhuqing, after hearing Xiao Wu's account and "understanding" the situation, glanced at Tang San and said indifferently, "If you do something wrong, you should be willing to take responsibility."
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's opinion, Dai Mubai also felt that Tang San was wrong to hold a grudge against his "good friend" over this matter. He thought it was wrong of him to do that. What if he were in that situation? So, he adopted his authority as the leader of Shrek Academy and solemnly said, "Tang San, such friendship is hard-won, cherish it. Apologize!"
The first three girls were fine, but Dai Mubai's final comment about "friendship" almost made him vomit blood.
With a "humph," Tang San turned and left. He didn't want a teammate who didn't protect him. However, in the instant he turned, he recalled Xiao Wu's words, "It should be Grandmaster's fault," which made him waver.
Was his teacher really a fraud? With this question in mind, Tang San ran towards Shrek Academy.
A meeting between fellow townsmen, "friends," and classmates ended unhappily.
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at the clan leader with a complicated expression, and finally said, "I'm going back first."
Martial Soul Possession—Netherworld Cat.
She vanished into the darkness in a few flashes, her speed rivaling even the clan leader's normal state.
"Zhuqing, Zhuqing," Dai Mubai called out, seeing Zhu Zhuqing gone, he had no intention of staying any longer. Without even saying goodbye, he chased after her.
Watching the three leave, Xiao Wu pouted and murmured, "What strange people! Right, Lingling and Xiao Zong?"
Then she turned and jumped in front of the clan leader, sticking out her little head and glaring at him, indicating: Look how well I behaved just now, hurry up and pat my head to praise me!
The zu zong looked at the rabbit's whining again, smiled helplessly, and reached out his hand. Like petting a puppy—no, a rabbit—he stroked Xiao Wu's head.
"You!"
He secretly pondered, what exactly did Zhu Zhuqing's last look mean? The more he looked at it, the more it resembled a melodramatic soap opera from his past life!
Could it be that he had seen her before? With this question in mind, the three entered the Soto City Grand Arena.