"Strange."
Yu Xiaogang absentmindedly rubbed his nose and refocused his eager gaze on the skeletal specimen on the table.
After thinking about it all afternoon, he had finally selected several shops with healing soul masters and scheduled appointments for two days, five days, and eight days later, to set his bones and treat him.
He had even decided on the order: first the left arm, then the right leg, and finally the right hand. This way, if something went wrong during the process, he could minimize the damage and make adjustments in time.
The next two days were reserved for selecting the bones and planning the appropriate injuries.
Yes, when faced with the possibility of life-threatening danger or even irreversible disability from Tang Hao, Yu Xiaogang, who had been timid most of his life, had finally made up his mind.
He thought it would be much better to create controlled injuries himself than experience something like yesterday, where his left leg had been reduced to bone fragments. He didn't want to go through that pain again.
It had to be said that when it came to organizing and analyzing simple models, Yu Xiaogang had a certain talent.
As Tang San watched, wide-eyed, Yu Xiaogang took off his clothes and began using a pen to mark his body, comparing it to a diagram of a human skeleton and the skeletal specimen of the stray dog on the table.
Unlike his previous random attempts, this time Yu Xiaogang needed a perfect replacement. Time was running out, and he needed quick results.
Furthermore, as a local, Yu Xiaogang knew very well that the healing soul masters in Heaven Dou City couldn't compare to those at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. They weren't even close in terms of skill and the extent to which they could heal.
So, he had to be well-prepared. He needed to accept relatively decent treatment at the lowest possible cost and, at the very least, avoid any long-term aftereffects.
Unlike before, when he was resigned to his condition, he could now continue his cultivation, and he absolutely couldn't sacrifice his future progress just to survive this immediate crisis.
In the adjacent room, after his initial shock, Tang San's eyes began to sparkle.
As expected, just as he thought, the method wasn't perfected yet, and Yu Xiaogang was using himself as a test subject to figure it out.
However, after watching a while longer, Tang San couldn't help but shake his head.
Yu Xiaogang's foundation was too weak. Even with the diagrams and physical bones as references, he was only halfway competent. At a glance, Tang San could already see several planned procedures that could easily cost Yu Xiaogang his life—ones that could cause massive bleeding.
Forget it, teacher. Since you didn't deceive me and are willing to experiment on yourself, I'll help you out.
Tang San pulled out a specially sealed bamboo tube from his belt, a reluctant expression on his face. This was his top-quality sleeping incense, made from rare herbs he had collected over the years.
Based on his calculations, in a confined space and with an unprepared target, it could even knock out a Soul Emperor. Unfortunately, it would be wasted here today.
But considering the potential rewards if this succeeded, Tang San quickly steeled his resolve. There was no doubt—now was the perfect time to use it.
Silently, he inserted the bamboo tube through the hole in the wall, and a faint white smoke wafted into Yu Xiaogang's room.
Gradually, Yu Xiaogang became drowsy, stumbling before collapsing to the ground.
After a while, once he was sure that Yu Xiaogang was completely unconscious, Tang San left the adjacent room, pushed the door open, and entered.
Holding his breath, he circulated his soul power to replace the air in the room, then turned to look at the unconscious Yu Xiaogang on the floor.
"Sorry, teacher. This is for your good."
Tang San quickly walked to the table, his Purple Demon Eye glowing as he carefully scanned the stray dog bones for the first time.
As for the human skeleton diagram and Yu Xiaogang's body lying on the floor, Tang San didn't need them. He had long since memorized these things.
He had more than once considered killing Yu Xiaogang, and as a disciple of the Tang Sect, understanding the enemy's weaknesses and knowing where to strike was a basic skill.
He could proudly say that he understood Yu Xiaogang's body better than Yu Xiaogang himself.
After memorizing the layout of the stray dog bones, Tang San quickly picked up a pen and, imitating Yu Xiaogang's handwriting and style, marked the appropriate areas on the diagram. He even thoughtfully folded the related materials.
Then, he flipped Yu Xiaogang onto his back, casually covered him with some nearby clothes, and began correcting the inaccurate marks Yu Xiaogang had drawn earlier.
Perhaps because this task was somewhat similar to working with hidden weapon blueprints and assembling them, Tang San felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
He treated the task like modifying and assembling hidden weapons, his pen moving faster and faster until he had finished. He even felt a little reluctant to stop.
Standing up, Tang San looked at the body art-covered Yu Xiaogang with satisfaction, replaced the pen in its original position, and began setting the scene.
Though the setup was somewhat flimsy, it was the best plan he could devise. He hoped that Yu Xiaogang would believe that this was a perfect design he had unconsciously drawn in a state of intense focus.
Given Yu Xiaogang's personality, it wasn't impossible.
After all, Tang San had seen it before, back when Yu Xiaogang was holding his precious Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls and lecturing him. Yu Xiaogang had ignored everything around him until he snapped out of it.
Moreover, the lingering effects of Tang San's sleeping incense would leave Yu Xiaogang slightly dazed when he woke up, which would serve as the perfect cover.
Of course, this was because Tang San still saw Yu Xiaogang through a somewhat idealized lens. He didn't realize that, in other people's eyes, Yu Xiaogang's behavior would be called obsessive madness.
Tang San placed several mirrors around Yu Xiaogang. After a moment of thought, he grabbed a nearby blank notebook and wrote down detailed instructions on how to inflict specific injuries, including the required force and precise locations to hit. He then slipped the notes into Yu Xiaogang's hand.
Afterward, he removed Yu Xiaogang's clothes again, took out a small bottle, and waved it under Yu Xiaogang's nose before quickly retreating to the adjacent room.
About a minute later, Tang San heard Yu Xiaogang's confused voice.
"Did I... enter that state again?"
Yu Xiaogang felt dizzy as if he had either just passed out or overexerted his mind from thinking too hard, leaving him utterly exhausted.
As he pressed his right hand on the floor to stand up, he noticed he was holding a few sheets of paper. Instinctively, he picked them up and glanced at them.
With just one look, his breathing quickened. The contents on the paper—this was exactly the plan he had been envisioning!
Realizing this, his dizziness vanished instantly. He quickly looked around and found mirrors surrounding him, while his body was covered in precise, neatly drawn lines, like a beautifully crafted blueprint. It was dazzling.
"What...?"
Yu Xiaogang felt a sense of disbelief. Aside from when he had written The Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls, he had never produced tangible results from entering this state. He had often been ridiculed for it.
He scrambled to his feet and rushed to the table, his eyes falling on the folded pages and the marked-up skeletal specimen.
After a long silence, Yu Xiaogang's mouth gradually opened wider and wider. Despite the loss of his front teeth, which made his expression somewhat unsightly, he couldn't stop grinning.
"Hahaha! I knew it! I, Yu Xiaogang, am indeed a genius! Once I enter that state, no one can compare to my wisdom!"
"Just wait! All those who laughed at me before—when my theories and strength are revealed to the continent, I'd like to see the looks on their faces!"
Yu Xiaogang laughed hysterically, tears streaming down his face, completely oblivious to the fact that he was still stark naked.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent room, Tang San quietly averted his gaze. The scene was too embarrassing to watch, and the fact that Yu Xiaogang had been so easily fooled made him question everything Yu Xiaogang had ever taught him.
Was the knowledge really this simple? Or was this the fate of those who delved too deeply into martial soul theory? Tang San couldn't help but wonder.
After a short period of euphoric madness, Yu Xiaogang finally calmed down. He immediately began recording the positions of the lines on his body, carefully marking them in his notes.
Tang San, after observing for a while longer, quietly left. For the next few days, he planned to continue monitoring Yu Xiaogang. This time, he had practically spoon-fed everything to him—surely Yu Xiaogang wouldn't mess it up again?
What Tang San didn't know was that, as he returned to his lodging, Tang Hao had been waiting for him outside. Tang Hao had also decided that, until Tang San returned to the academy, he would remain by his side, guarding him.
...
Meanwhile, in his mental space, Han Li glanced at Yu Xiaogang and noticed the father-and-son duo keeping watch over him, his expression becoming extremely odd.
When Tang Hao followed Tang San and found Yu Xiaogang's whereabouts, his original plan was to find an opportunity to kill him. He had long been fed up with this useless man.
However, after tailing Yu Xiaogang and taking a glance at his notes, Tang Hao was utterly bewildered. Was this a new path on the continent? This was something he had never even imagined.
He finally understood why Tang San had remained hidden in the shadows instead of appearing directly. As expected, his son was clever.
As a result, Tang Hao abandoned his plan to cause trouble for Yu Xiaogang, at least for the time being. Letting him blaze this new trail didn't seem like a bad idea. In the end, everything would fall into their hands.
If this worked, perhaps he and Tang San could return to the Clear Sky Sect with this achievement—a thought that filled Tang Hao with excitement.
And so, both father and son, with similar thoughts in mind, became Yu Xiaogang's unlikely protectors.
Unaware of any of this, Yu Xiaogang, having made all his preparations, was finally ready for his first bone-replacement attempt.