"Forget it, forget it, I'm not writing anymore. If it were me, I wouldn't even give Xiao Wu the chance to sacrifice herself!"
The women were all skeptical of such a "coincidence." Could there really be something this coincidental in the world?
Moreover, Tang San had claimed he would never use Xiao Wu's hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and spirit bones, yet later on, he repeatedly relied on them. Skills like Void, Eight-Stage Throw, Teleportation, and Invincible Golden Body—all of Xiao Wu's abilities were primarily life-saving techniques!
The women speculated that Tang San must have used these skills on his own initiative later on, especially the two spirit bone skills!
However, Bibi Dong took a more rational view of the matter. She had once been purely driven by love, so she could guess the situation.
First of all, since Xiao Wu's soul resided in both the spirit ring and the spirit bones, and she still had her own consciousness, it's highly likely that when Tang San faced danger, Xiao Wu would not hesitate to consume her soul's power to activate the spirit ring and spirit bone skills to protect Tang San's life.
So, Su Ming's diary wasn't entirely objective, as it carried some personal emotion, but even so, its accuracy was still around seventy to eighty percent!
Teleportation and Invincible Golden Body were two of the Soft Bone Rabbit's signature skills, extremely practical. Bibi Dong didn't believe that Tang San hadn't actively used them later on—and quite frequently too!
[Ding! Since the host didn't mention any female leads today, there will be no reward.]
[Since the host conducted a live stream today, each female lead receives a reward: Camouflage Color, Spirit Power increased by one level.]
The one most excited about the spirit power level-up was none other than Bibi Dong. Since she was taking the Rakshasa God Trial, her power had been restricted. Now, with this one level boost in spirit power, she was one step closer to her peak strength!
Of course, the other female leads were also thrilled. After all, gaining free spirit power was always a treat!
Then, immediately after, they eagerly checked the description of the Camouflage Color skill.
[Camouflage Color: Allows the user to change the color of their spirit rings and alter the aura emitted by them. However, this aura cannot exceed the original strength of the spirit ring.]
Seeing this description, the women quickly understood what the system meant. It implied that in the future, they might receive rewards that could increase the age of their spirit rings, thereby improving their quality. But this change could not be allowed to be discovered by Su Ming!
This system was certainly being "kind" to Su Ming!
However, some of them were puzzled—why did the system work so hard to increase their strength, yet didn't want Su Ming to know? What was it after?
System: Heh heh heh... Since you've accepted my gifts, you'll all eventually become Su Ming's women. Heh heh heh!
Su Ming: Thank you so much, system!
If Su Ming knew what the system had been doing, he couldn't possibly be upset. After all, they were all beauties—who wouldn't enjoy that? Su Ming was no exception.
The only thing he worried about was whether having so many women around would lead to a chaotic situation—a "harem drama." Would he end up getting stabbed in the back? He really didn't want to end up like Makoto from School Days, no way!
System: Don't worry! I've prepared everything for you, heh heh heh!
Time passed quickly, and before long, a year had gone by. The academy was on break, and Su Ming planned to return to Holy Soul Village with Xiao Wu. After all, Xiao Wu didn't really have anywhere else to go—it's not like she could return to the Star Dou Forest.
At the same time, Su Ming was feeling curious. Tang Hao should have known about Xiao Wu's identity as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, so why hadn't he made any moves?
Su Ming speculated that maybe it was because, over the past year, while his relationship with Tang San couldn't exactly be called a friendship, they had become somewhat close.
Even Xiao Wu had her reservations, telling Su Ming that they didn't have to become friends with Tang San.
Su Ming could only reassure her, saying it was temporary. After all, there was still Tang Hao lurking in the shadows, and Su Ming's current strength wasn't enough to ensure his own safety. His Sharingan was still far from evolving into the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Though the system had provided a mental cultivation technique to strengthen his spiritual power, the process was excruciatingly painful. Each time he cultivated, he had to rest for several days afterward to allow his mental strength to recover and solidify, ensuring he didn't cause any permanent damage to himself.
Because of this, while the technique yielded decent results after each session, the overall progress was slower than he'd hoped. At this point, his Sharingan had only evolved to the second tomoe. If only he had some kind of treasure to restore his spiritual power!
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had plenty of precious herbs, some of which could help with eye cultivation, but unfortunately, now wasn't the time to go there.
Even though he and Xiao Wu had become "friends" with Tang San, Su Ming still sparred with him regularly. After all, if he didn't fight Tang San for too long, his hands would get itchy.
Tang San, on the other hand, was always frustrated whenever he lost. His strength wasn't bad, so why did he keep losing to Su Ming?
As for his sparring with Xiao Wu, since Su Ming was a control-type spirit master and Xiao Wu was a power-attack type, once he got familiar with Xiao Wu's combat style, he wouldn't let her get close to him so easily. So, their strength was pretty evenly matched.
Xiao Wu, however, wasn't discouraged. After all, control-types naturally restrained power-attack types, but once she obtained her third spirit ring... Heh heh!
In Dorm Seven...
Tang San asked Su Ming, "Su Ming, are you going back to Holy Soul Village too?"
Su Ming smiled and nodded. "Of course! I haven't seen Grandpa Jack in a long time—I miss him."
Tang San hesitated before asking, "What about Xiao Wu?"
Before Su Ming could respond, Xiao Wu chimed in, "Of course, I'm going back with my brother Su Ming! It would be so boring if I stayed here all by myself!"
Su Ming narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Tang San. So this was his real intention, Su Ming thought. Tang San clearly had feelings for Xiao Wu!
At the same time, Su Ming wondered if the original plot, where Tang San made Xiao Wu his sister during their return to Holy Soul Village, would still happen.
After all, my presence has changed things this time. Xiao Wu had become his sister, and her attitude towards Tang San was different from the original story—there were quite a few discrepancies now!
If it weren't for Su Ming convincing Xiao Wu to temporarily become friends with Tang San, she might have already beaten him up by now. Though, to be fair, she probably wouldn't win—they'd likely just end in a draw.
After all, Tang San's Tang Sect techniques weren't a joke. After some time spent training, his skills had undoubtedly improved, especially Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Purple Demon Eye. Right now, Xiao Wu might not even be able to get close to him!
After packing up their things, Su Ming, Xiao Wu, and Tang San prepared to head back to Holy Soul Village together.
Holy Soul Village.
As they arrived at the village entrance, Su Ming and Xiao Wu bid farewell to Tang San for the time being. They planned to visit Grandpa Jack first, while Tang San went to see his father and tell him about everything he had experienced and accomplished over the past year.
Unfortunately, Tang Hao was long gone.
"Grandpa Jack, I'm back! Are you home?" Su Ming called out as he approached the house.
"Su Ming! You've come back for the holidays, have you? Good, good, good!" Grandpa Jack's voice rang out as he walked out of the house. When he saw the small, cute girl standing next to Su Ming, he couldn't help but ask, "Su Ming, who is this adorable little girl beside you?"
Before Su Ming could answer, Xiao Wu eagerly introduced herself. "Hello, Grandpa Jack! My name is Xiao Wu, like the 'dance' in 'dancing.' I'm now Su Ming's little sister."
"Good, good, that's wonderful!" Grandpa Jack was genuinely happy for Su Ming. In his heart, it seemed Su Ming had already found a future wife. With his years of experience, he could tell that Su Ming and Xiao Wu definitely weren't just ordinary brother and sister!
He suspected that their relationship might change in the future.
If Su Ming knew what Grandpa Jack was thinking, he would definitely marvel at how sharp the old man's eyes were! After all, that was exactly his plan. Considering their age right now, being her "brother" for the time being wasn't a problem at all.
Then Grandpa Jack asked, "Su Ming, didn't Tang San come back with you?"
Su Ming replied, "Tang San went home first to see his father."
"Is that so? You two should come with me to Tang San's house. I have something to give him. His father left a while ago, and no one knows where he went. Having a father like that... well, it's Tang San's misfortune. What an irresponsible man!" Grandpa Jack grumbled as he went back into his house to retrieve a letter left behind by Tang Hao.
Su Ming, on the other hand, thought to himself, There's no need for you to worry about Tang San. His father is one of the most formidable Title Douluo on the continent. Even though he's injured now, his strength is still considerable. Besides, he hasn't truly left—he's secretly watching over Tang San. If you keep badmouthing him like this, he might hear you!
Meanwhile, Tang San returned home in high spirits. He called out to his father a few times, but there was no response. As he walked inside, he noticed a thin layer of dust had settled on the furniture—his father hadn't been home in a while.
A sense of panic surged within Tang San. Where did Father go? Why didn't he stay in the village? What if he ran into danger?
Although Tang Hao often drank excessively and needed Tang San to take care of him, Tang San never really complained. In his previous life, he had been alone and had never experienced familial love, so in this life, he treasured it deeply.
But little did Tang San know, his father was incredibly strong and didn't need his protection at all.
At this moment, Su Ming, Xiao Wu, and Grandpa Jack arrived at Tang San's house.
Su Ming called out, "Tang San, come out quickly! Your father left you a letter before he left."
Tang San, upon hearing this, rushed out in a hurry, exclaiming, "Where?"
Seeing Tang San's worried expression, Grandpa Jack sighed internally. Tang Hao really isn't a good father. He then handed the letter to Tang San.
Without hesitation, Tang San tore open the envelope. The letter inside was short, merely stating that his father was safe but had some matters he needed to attend to, which required him to leave for a while. He urged Tang San to take care of himself until he returned.
From the letter, Tang San realized that his father might not be as simple as he had once thought.