The next morning, after breakfast—and after washing all the dishes—Lin Yang took some gifts and went to visit the neighbors around the village.
While he'd been away, those neighbors had frequently come by to help Grandma Su Xi.
Now that he was back, paying them a visit with small return gifts was only proper.
The gifts weren't expensive—just some common pastries from Nuoding City.
But for the children of Red Maple Village, they were rare treats.
Night fell.
After making sure Grandma Su Xi was already asleep, Lin Yang slipped silently toward Red Maple Mountain behind the village.
Red Maple Village was named after this mountain. Come autumn, the whole slope turned red with maple leaves—like a burning sea of clouds, breathtakingly beautiful.
Today, though, Lin Yang wasn't there to admire the scenery.
Once he'd confirmed there was no one around, he summoned his Demon Blood Spirit.
"Spirit, possess."
With a low shout, the pigeon-egg-sized, mercury-heavy drop of blood instantly sank into his palm.
The aura around Lin Yang turned cold and sinister, his skin taking on a slightly unnatural pallor.
This was his "Demonification" state.
In his usual form, he looked no different from an ordinary person, but he could further unleash his power and become a true Demon.
A yellow soul ring rose from beneath his feet and shone brightly.
First soul skill: Blindfold.
Lin Yang closed his eyes, then snapped them open again.
His originally dark pupils turned blood-red; his irises narrowed into vertical slits like a snake's, and fine blood vessels spread out around them.
In that instant, his gaze pierced through layers of mountains, landing directly on Holy Soul Village, dozens of li away.
"Clang, clang, clang…"
Though it was late, loud hammering still rang from a tattered-looking hut.
Lin Yang knew that was Tang San practicing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.
Ever since Tang San awakened his Spirit, he'd been doing this daily.
The one he really had his eye on, though, was Tang Hao, whose daily routine was extremely simple and regular.
He only did three things: eat, sleep, and beat Tang San.
No—teach Tang San how to forge.
If Lin Yang didn't know Tang Hao's true identity, he would have taken him for a depressed middle-aged man, not the famed Clear Sky Douluo.
Just then, Tang San, tired of hammering, set down the hammer to rest and casually glanced out the window.
He saw a pure black crow, feathers without a single speck of mixed color, quietly standing atop a grass nest on a branch.
"Already built its nest, huh…"
Tang San frowned slightly but didn't pay it much mind. It was just an ordinary crow.
At the same time, Lin Yang switched views to several other perspectives.
If one combined all those views, they'd see them spreading outward from Holy Soul Village as the center.
Yes—Lin Yang was searching for the cave that hid the Blue Silver Emperor soul bone.
He only remembered that the cave was behind a waterfall, but he didn't know exactly where the waterfall was.
All he could do was use the crows he'd hypnotized, having them search inch by inch.
Of course, something as important as a hundred-thousand-year soul bone would be kept under Tang Hao's nose.
So the area around Holy Soul Village was undoubtedly where he should search.
He'd already let one hundred-thousand-year soul bone slip by. He absolutely wouldn't miss this one.
Besides, he was confident that with the vast life force contained in the Blue Silver Emperor soul bone, he could completely overcome the Demon Blood Spirit's weakness of fearing sunlight.
…
Vacation time always slipped by quickly. Before he knew it, it was almost over.
Under Lin Yang's meticulous care, Grandma Su Xi's health gradually improved. She no longer needed a cane and could walk freely.
With better nutrition, the color in her face was far better than before.
At the same time, Heaven rewarded persistence. After Lin Yang's inch-by-inch mountain search, he really did find the cave that held the soul bone.
It lay only a few dozen li from Holy Soul Village.
For a Titled Douluo, that distance could be covered in just a few breaths.
Suppressing his excitement, Lin Yang firmly memorized the location, then left only one crow as a lookout to watch the cave entrance, releasing the rest.
Soon, the last day of vacation arrived. Lin Yang said his goodbyes to Grandma Su Xi and set off back to Nuoding City.
As soon as he reached the academy, his eyes fell on a very "classic" scene at the school gate.
A plainly dressed boy knelt on both knees, kowtowing "bang, bang" to Yu Xiaogang while calling him "teacher" with utmost reverence.
This iconic scene—who else could it be but Tang San?
Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San, his usually stiff face pulled into an awkward smile.
His burning gaze made Lin Yang's skin crawl with goosebumps.
He really couldn't bear to watch.
Unfortunately, Yu Xiaogang also noticed Lin Yang.
His smile vanished instantly, replaced by a mixture of disdain and pride.
This disciple he had taken in—Tang San—was innately full of soul power.
In terms of talent, he far outstripped Lin Yang, not to mention being one of the rare twin Spirit bearers.
Either of those traits alone was enough to crush Lin Yang into dust.
Hmph. Just wait, Lin Yang. Soon you'll know what you missed out on before.
Lin Yang merely muttered in his heart, "He's got a screw loose," and headed straight toward the teaching building.
He needed to apply for day-student status. With a voyeuristic maniac on campus, he had no mood to cultivate here.
Tang San had also noticed Yu Xiaogang's change of expression. Following his teacher's line of sight, he glanced at Lin Yang.
"Teacher, you know that person?"
"His name is Lin Yang. He has some talent," Yu Xiaogang said with a contemptuous smile.
"But in my eyes, he's just an arrogant fool. I kindly tried to guide him before, and he responded by being rude to me."
He patted Tang San's shoulder, speaking solemnly.
"Xiao San, you were born with full soul power. Under my guidance, your goal is rank ninety-nine, a Titled Douluo. Someone like Lin Yang has limited prospects. He isn't worth your attention."
A cold light flashed in Tang San's eyes. His favorability toward Lin Yang plummeted to rock bottom in an instant.
Anyone who dared be rude to his respected teacher couldn't be a good person.
…
Before long, Lin Yang came out of the academic office.
His application to become a day-student went smoothly and took almost no effort.
When he returned to Dorm Seven to pack, he found the other students crowded together.
As he walked closer, he saw Wang Sheng pinned to the ground, unable to move—Tang San was sitting on his back.
"You admit defeat or not?"
"I don't," Wang Sheng choked out through gritted teeth, his face flushed.
Lin Yang frowned. With him as Dorm Seven's boss, how had Wang Sheng and Tang San ended up fighting?
"What's going on?"
Seeing Lin Yang arrive, the other students quickly made way.
At his question, someone gave a quick explanation, laying out the whole story in a few sentences.
It turned out that when the new work-study student arrived, Wang Sheng—who fancied himself Lin Yang's number one underling—wanted Tang San to recognize who the real boss of Dorm Seven was.
Instead, he ended up being pinned to the ground by Tang San in just a few moves.
Amazing.
Lin Yang was speechless. Why did this scene feel so familiar?
So in the end… he was the one playing the villain?
Though he thought that, his face remained unchanged as he said to Tang San,
"You've won. Can you let him go now?"
Tang San looked up. "You're the boss of Dorm Seven?"
Lin Yang nodded. "For now."
"The rule in Dorm Seven… is that the strongest is the boss?"
"That's right."
"Then I challenge you," Tang San said directly, a hint of hostility in his eyes.