Tang Wei stood alone at the edge of the forbidden area, his gaze fixed on the direction Tang San had disappeared into.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then, slowly, his eyes narrowed.
"He really didn't make a move…"
Tang Wei's fingers tapped lightly against the shaft of the Clear Sky Hammer, his expression dark and unreadable.
He had deliberately left Tang Xiao alive.
More precisely—he had engineered the situation so that Tang Xiao would be alive, blind, powerless, and vulnerable.
The poison.
The sealed meridians.
The isolation of the forbidden area.
All of it had been prepared for one purpose: to force Tang San's hand.
As long as Tang San struck—whether out of fear, ambition, or self-preservation—Tang Wei would have everything he needed.
Evidence of patricide.
Proof of betrayal.
A perfect justification to publicly expose Tang San, seize control of the Tang Sect, and heroically "rescue" Tang Xiao afterward.
At that point, who would dare accuse him of killing Tang Lie for personal gain?
He would be the Sect Master who had purged a traitor, protected the innocent, and upheld the Tang Clan's legacy.
But Tang San hadn't acted.
That restraint made Tang Wei's expression turn colder.
"He noticed," Tang Yuehua said calmly as she stepped forward, placing a recording stone into Tang Wei's hand. "He knew you were still nearby."
"If Tang Xiao had truly died, he would've been held responsible. Even he wouldn't dare take that risk."
Tang Wei let out a short, derisive snort.
"Hmph. Ungrateful brat. Indecisive—just like his father."
He turned the recording stone over in his palm, spirit power brushing against it briefly. Tang Xiao's testimony echoed faintly within.
Satisfied, Tang Wei tossed it back to Tang Yuehua.
"Personal testimony is enough. Make ten copies."
His voice dropped, sharp as a blade.
"I want him to live every day knowing that if he steps even slightly out of line, I can destroy him."
Tang Yuehua lowered her head obediently.
"Yes, Sect Master."
Tang Wei stroked his beard, clearly pleased.
"This time, your reminder was timely. Otherwise, I might've underestimated Tang San's ambition."
"As a Clear Sky Sect disciple, I naturally consider the Tang Clan as a whole," Tang Yuehua replied softly.
A glint of approval flashed in Tang Wei's eyes.
"Very good. Give him a few pointers later. I won't appear personally—no need to tear off the final layer of civility."
"As you command."
After Tang Wei's presence completely vanished, Tang Yuehua straightened.
Her expression did not change.
She calmly reached into the folds of her cloud-patterned skirt and took out another recording stone—one Tang Wei had never seen.
Inside it was the entire process of Tang Wei poisoning Tang Lie.
She slid it into her spirit tool without hesitation.
"Brother Xiao?!"
Ah Yin dropped the medicinal basket in her hands.
She stared in horror at the blood-soaked figure kneeling at the entrance of the garden—his eyes tightly shut, his posture rigid, his breath uneven.
"Tang Xiao, what happened?!"
As Tang San's biological mother and Tang Xiao's partner, Ah Yin had long been treated as half of the Tang Clan. With her identity as a 100,000-year Spirit Beast revealed, the Clear Sky Sect had poured enormous resources into stabilizing her human body—both to bind her to the Sect and to maintain favor with the Spirit Beast race.
But at this moment, none of that mattered.
Tang Xiao reached out and tightly clasped her trembling hands.
"Sit down first."
His voice was hoarse, stripped of its usual warmth.
Slowly—without embellishment—he told her everything.
Tang Lie's death.
Tang Wei's plot.
Tang San's involvement.
His own deductions.
When he finished, the garden was deathly silent.
"Are you willing to leave with me?" Tang Xiao asked quietly.
"No… no…" Ah Yin shook her head frantically, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Little San wouldn't… he wouldn't do this…"
"We were wrong about him," Tang Xiao said softly, with no anger left—only regret. "Before meeting us, he lived with Tang Hao for ten years."
"Some things were carved into him long before we appeared."
"I'll go ask him myself!" Ah Yin tried to stand, desperate. "He wouldn't—"
Tang Xiao suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Then we'll both die."
His voice snapped like thunder.
"He spared me today only because Tang Wei was watching. If we stay—once they fully control the Sect—we won't live."
He pulled her close, eyes burning with certainty.
"He already abandoned Tang Hao once. What makes you think he won't abandon us?"
Ah Yin's body went rigid.
Tang Xiao laughed bitterly.
"Every time he sees us, we remind him of his betrayal. Even if he still has conscience now, fear and shame will eventually turn into killing intent."
"I'm not afraid of dying," Tang Xiao whispered. "But I won't let you be betrayed again."
He rested his forehead against her shoulder.
"Ah Yin… save me."
Her resistance collapsed.
"…Okay," she whispered. "Let's go."
Then she hesitated.
"But where?"
"The Spirit Master world has no place for us anymore," Tang Xiao said. "Before we leave, I must warn Spirit Hall. If Tang San gains power, he'll use Brother Hao's death as leverage."
"Alright."
Tang San stood amid the shattered training ground, spirit power raging like a storm.
They left.
Both of them.
The closest people in his life had chosen to abandon him.
This wasn't just rejection.
It was denial of his character.
And betrayal was the thing he hated most.
After the ruins settled, Tang San forced himself to breathe.
He needed power.
Manpower.
Resources.
Shrek Academy.
Dai Mubai.
Flender.
Zhao Wuji.
If he gathered them, Haotian Academy could be secured.
But the Clear Sky Sect still loomed above him—six Titled Douluo.
An insurmountable gap.
"I can't wait," Tang San muttered. "I won't wait."
A fifth-grade cultivation technique.
He had to get one.
At that moment, Tang Yuehua's voice echoed behind him.
"I'm here to show you a clear path."
Tang San turned sharply, eyes cold.
"Why should I trust you?"
Hatred burned in Tang Yuehua's gaze.
"I want revenge."
She raised the recording stone.
"This records Tang Wei poisoning Tang Lie."
Her voice turned venomous.
"Let Spirit Beasts enter the game. Let the continent burn."
"When everyone is exhausted—you will be the final winner."
Tang San stared at the stone, eyes flickering.
The oriole had always been there.
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