At this moment, Su Cheng had already completed the final arrangement and was walking back on the path to return to the Martial Soul Hall.
Several days ago, he first visited the Holy Soul Village, and indeed, Tang Hao was residing there in seclusion.
As for his son, Tang San, as expected, he was just an ordinary, scrawny child, having grown up under the care of his neglectful father, appearing emaciated and pallid. If not for the benevolence of kind villagers, his situation would likely be even worse, just barely scraping by.
As for whether Tang San's transmigration in the original work had hidden implications, Su Cheng was unsure and currently lacked the intention to investigate. Knowing that Tang San in this world was merely an ordinary person with no other enhancements besides his twin martial souls was sufficient.
Tang Hao might have noticed him, but obviously couldn't recognize Su Cheng after his disguise. He merely regarded him as an ordinary soul master passing by, evidently not suspecting that a Soul Sage of the third rank could see through his true identity, dismissing it as inconsequential.
As for the Soul Hunting Forest, Su Cheng carefully explored the distribution of soul beasts within it. After completing this simulated return to reality, he could select soul beasts from it as the first soul ring for himself.
Furthermore, he incidentally found the current hiding place of the Blue Silver Emperor. After all, searching based on the near hundred-zhang waterfall as a landmark was too easy.
As for Yu Xiaogang, his appearance wasn't vastly different from the character sketch Su Cheng had preconceived.
In terms of ability, he couldn't be considered outstanding, but neither was he particularly incompetent, merely an ordinary waste.
However, his character was truly abysmal, easily swayed by the benefits Su Cheng offered, becoming another crucial pawn on the chessboard.
...
Several days later, Su Cheng returned to the Martial Soul Hall without a sound.
He wasn't directly under Bibi Dong's command but was under the jurisdiction of the Elder Hall's system, thus there was no need for him to report to her.
Pushing open the door to his room, he found someone standing by the window, gazing at the scenery outside motionlessly.
Her tall figure was bathed in a layer of golden light cast by the slanting sunlight, her golden hair gently swaying in the breeze blowing through the window.
It was Qian Renxue.
"Why are you lost in thought?" Su Cheng said casually, while walking to the table to pour himself a cup of tea.
With his cultivation not being high, and for the sake of convenience, he didn't use any means of transportation, hence feeling a bit parched.
In fact, Qian Renxue had already sensed Su Cheng's approach long before he neared her; his footsteps were unmistakably familiar to her. Not going out to greet him immediately was merely to calm the tumultuous emotions in her heart.
It wasn't until now that her emotions slightly settled.
Turning around with feigned calmness, a smile appeared on her face, "Teacher, you're back."
Indeed. Seeing the faint blush in Qian Renxue's eyes, Su Cheng felt a pang in his heart. He glanced at her without saying anything, then briskly walked to the table and inspected the drawer before speaking, "You know about it?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue first felt a pang of panic, then the emotions she had been trying to suppress for the past few days became uncontrollable, her eyes instantly turning red.
"I'm sorry, Teacher, truly sorry..."
"Sigh."
Su Cheng's mood was also somewhat complex at this moment.
Although he had long made plans, he wasn't made of stone.
How could he remain indifferent to using someone who wholeheartedly believed in him?
However, regardless of his emotions, with the talents of an old actor, he could always maintain a flawless facade.
"Tell me what you're thinking."
"I don't know," Qian Renxue said, looking lost.
She had only learned about this matter not long ago, and her grandfather had concealed the truth again. There was simply no one around her she could confide in.
Her previous pretense of calmness was nothing more than a mask.
Seeing this, Su Cheng didn't rush her. He poured another cup of tea and pushed it in front of Qian Renxue. "Then listen to me first.
"Your father's death may not have been your mother's intention. Although I don't know what happened back then, there may be other hidden secrets involved. The inheritance of the gods is not entirely benevolent."
"Bibi Dong... Is she going to become a god?"
"I don't know," Su Cheng shook his head, "but regardless, only when your own strength is strong enough do you have the qualifications to seek the truth, understand?"
Qian Renxue nodded thoughtfully, her complexion gradually calming down.
"So, you don't need to worry about anything else right now, just focus on improving your strength."
"Oh right, Teacher, my grandfather, why did he...?" Qian Renxue seemed to remember something and suddenly mentioned Qian Daoliu, her expression slightly hesitant.
"What about the Grand Elder?"
"He seems to know about what happened back then, but why doesn't he tell me the truth?"
A few days ago when she asked Qian Daoliu, his hesitancy and the ambiguity in his words indicated too many questions.
If Qian Renxue didn't know the truth, it would be understandable, but now that she knew more information, upon further examination, she could uncover various doubts.
"I think the Grand Elder also has his reasons..." Su Cheng took a sip of tea and comforted her.
As he spoke, Su Cheng's expression seemed somewhat complex, as if he were hiding something.
Qian Renxue paused for a moment, pondering over the term "reasons."
It could mean that his son was at fault, or perhaps he didn't want turmoil within the Martial Soul Hall, or maybe he was thinking about Qian Renxue's growth.
It all depended on how one interpreted it.
However, upon seeing Su Cheng's expression, Qian Renxue's first reaction was that her grandfather didn't want to expose the truth for the sake of the Martial Soul Hall.
Because Qian Daoliu was indeed such a person.
"...I understand," she said.
Su Cheng glanced at her and didn't say anything further.
They had reached a sufficient point; there was no need to overdo it.
At this moment, Qian Renxue harbored resentment and doubts, but she was far from the point of wanting to kill Bibi Dong. That was still a long way off.
She would need another spark in the future.
They sat there in silence, quietly drinking their tea, yet in this atmosphere, neither of them felt awkward.
Especially Qian Renxue, who had endured mental torment over the past few days, now truly settled down, even feeling a hint of enjoyment.
After about twenty minutes passed like this, Su Cheng spoke again.
"I brought you something beneficial for your cultivation this time."
With that, he took out a peculiar-looking red grass from his soul device.
At the top of the grass, it resembled a rooster's crest, with veins on the leaves displaying a golden-red color. As soon as the grass appeared, the temperature in the room rose significantly.
"This is a spirit grass called Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent , capable of purifying your fire attribute and greatly enhancing its power."
"Do I eat it now?" Qian Renxue asked with curiosity, examining the spiritual grass in front of her.
Trusting Su Cheng's words completely, she naturally had no hesitation in taking out another white flower-shaped spiritual grass.
"...Let's wait a moment," Su Cheng paused here.
Although the Phoenix Tail Crest Serpent could greatly replenish pure yang energy, it wasn't perfectly compatible with Qian Renxue. There was even a possibility that it might suppress the sacred attributes of her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul to some extent.
"Try this one first. If it doesn't work, then you can take the other one..."