NOVEL WEB Chapter 172: Chapter 174: Rabbit Mother and Daughter (Part 3)
Chapter 174: Rabbit Mother and Daughter (Part 3)
Although Ye Wen's tone was gentle, Tang Hao couldn't relax. He sensed that if he refused this conversation, he would certainly meet a dire end. Yet as the Clear Sky Douluo, he couldn't allow his pride to falter, so he kept his grip on the massive, thunder wreathed Clear Sky Hammer and asked coldly, "How exactly do you propose we talk?"
Ye Wen didn't immediately answer. Instead, he turned with a calm smile toward Ah Rou, who stood silently, ready to strike at any moment.
"Madam, there's no need to be so tense," Ye Wen said smoothly. "I came here to stop this fight, not to cause you harm."
"Spare me your sweet words. You soul masters are only interested in hunting us high level soul beasts for our rings. I won't let you lure me into some false sense of security just to kill me," Ah Rou replied coldly, distrust etched in every line of her face.
The deep seated animosity between humans and soul beasts was something Ye Wen knew would take more than a few words to resolve.
Ye Wen turned to Xiao Wu, still trembling from the encounter. "Now, little one, you'd best go back to your mother. But let her know that trying to run would only force me to take...harsher measures. I believe you've seen enough to understand my capabilities."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu hesitated. She dared not flee, remembering his unnerving spatial abilities that had brought her here in an instant. Knowing that such power would easily overpower any attempt to escape, she nodded reluctantly.
Ah Rou, watching her daughter's reaction, felt her heart race with anxiety. She couldn't deny the strength this man commanded she'd witnessed his spatial mastery and knew well that escape was impossible.
Ye Wen turned to Tang Hao. "Tang Hao, I'd like to ask you to spare this mother and daughter. Given that your own wife was once a soul beast, I assume you wouldn't be inclined to slaughter one of her kin?"
The words struck Tang Hao to his core. Ye Wen had brought up his greatest secret one that had led to the fall of the Clear Sky Clan. Remembering the emotions he had felt when Ah Yin sacrificed herself, Tang Hao's resolve wavered.
Seeing his uncertainty, Ah Rou and Xiao Wu glanced at each other in shock. They had never imagined that the rough looking man who'd attacked them was someone who had fallen in love with a soul beast himself. This revelation added yet another twist to their situation.
Ye Wen pressed on, sensing the opening. "Tang Hao, I doubt you'd want this secret exposed."
Tang Hao's eyes narrowed. He assumed Ye Wen was referring to Tang San. Glaring menacingly, he replied, "If you touch a hair on Little San, I'll come and level Tianxing Academy."
Ye Wen's expression hardened. Tianxing Academy was his life's work, and Tang Hao's careless threat showed a profound lack of respect. Soul power radiated from him, creating an intense pressure that forced Tang Hao, Ah Rou, and Xiao Wu to catch their breath. Then, Ye Wen slowly revealed his soul rings six black and three red, an arrangement that sent a chill down Tang Hao's spine. This was the terrifying soul ring configuration he had only seen before on the powerful Level 98 Heavenly Path Douluo.
Ye Wen's gaze was deep and calm. "As it happens, I'm merely a humble Level 95 Titled Douluo, here to ask the Clear Sky Douluo for a favor. I assume you wouldn't dare refuse me, would you?"
The look in Ye Wen's eyes was enough for Tang Hao to recognize the futility of resistance. Here was someone whose soul rings and abilities left no doubt about his strength. All he could do was comply.
Once Ye Wen saw that Tang Hao had surrendered, he retracted his rings and eased the oppressive aura. "Well then, let this matter be settled here and now. And Tang Hao, remember that Tianxing Academy is a neutral institution. Don't think you can go around threatening other people's factions at will. One day, you might just hit the wrong mark."
Tang Hao's pride stung at the reprimand, but with his options limited, he had no choice but to endure it. More than anything, he was relieved that his son's secret hadn't been exposed.
He made up his mind then and there. As soon as he was able, he would move Tang San and that useless Yu Xiaogang to another location. Neutral as Ye Wen claimed his institution to be, Tang Hao wasn't willing to take the risk of staying near such a powerful and unpredictable man. His plans had turned sour; what he had hoped would be an opportunity had instead become a defeat he'd be forced to live with. His injuries flared painfully as he dismissed his Clear Sky Hammer, leaving him with no choice but to withdraw for now and tend to his wounds.
Ye Wen watched Tang Hao retreat before shifting his attention back to Ah Rou and Xiao Wu. Now came the more complicated question of what to do with these two. He had intervened to prevent Xiao Wu from becoming a tool for Tang San's future evolution. But with Ah Rou also present, Ye Wen found himself momentarily uncertain. Their existence complicated matters.
"Come with me," he said finally, "I mean you no harm. I've no intention of letting Tang Hao take your lives. One of my wives was once a soul beast as well, and I'm offering you shelter, not a cage."
The relief on Ah Rou's face was palpable. While she knew the human world could be treacherous, this man's intentions seemed rooted in something more profound.
Yet despite her relief, Ah Rou's instincts were sharp. She couldn't fully trust someone with power as vast and mysterious as Ye Wen's, whose aura had depths she couldn't discern.
Ah Rou and Xiao Wu followed Ye Wen, but little did they realize that in confiding in him, they had surrendered their freedom. By revealing Ah Yin's identity, Ye Wen had bound them to his sphere of influence. As Ah Rou came to learn over time, however, life around Ye Wen was unexpectedly fulfilling. They were free to roam within the bounds of his territories, and Xiao Wu's cultivation progressed at a pace that astonished her.
Under Ye Wen's guidance, the once reckless and carefree Xiao Wu was molded into a refined, disciplined young soul master, shedding the impulsive "wild rabbit" persona she had embodied.
Meanwhile, on the other side of things, Yu Xiaogang was anxiously preparing his training materials for Tang San. Despite his inclination to slack off, he knew that failing Tang Hao's son would mean certain death. Fortunately, his obsessive memorization of soul master theories, while hardly groundbreaking, had equipped him with enough knowledge to construct a rigorous training plan. He planned to take Tang San to acquire his first soul ring the next day.
Yu Xiaogang had inspected Tang San's physical limits and was unimpressed. With his constitution, Tang San could only handle a soul ring of roughly 420 years a figure shockingly low for someone of his innate full soul power and twin martial spirits. Yu Xiaogang frowned, silently questioning whether Tang San was truly the prodigy he seemed. After all, among top tier talents, 500 years was now the bare minimum for a first soul ring.
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