Grandpa Jack kindly reassured Tang San, "You don't need to worry too much, Tang San. Your father is a grown man; nothing will happen to him. The real question is, how will you manage once he's gone?"
Tang San tucked the letter away, calming his emotions before replying, "Don't worry, Grandpa Jack. I can take care of myself, and besides, I have Su Ming and Xiao Wu. We'll support each other and grow together."
He then added, "As for money, Grandpa Jack, I'm now a Spirit Master. I receive a gold spirit coin every month as a stipend from the Spirit Hall!"
Grandpa Jack nodded, smiling, "Good, good. Then, continue getting along well with Su Ming and Xiao Wu. You three are the pride of Holy Spirit Village!"
With that, Grandpa Jack left, allowing Su Ming, Xiao Wu, and Tang San to chat freely. With his father gone, having Su Ming and Xiao Wu by his side would surely help Tang San feel better.
After Jack had left, Tang San hesitated for a moment before turning to Su Ming. "Su Ming, can I borrow Xiao Wu for a moment? There's something I need to talk to her about."
Su Ming frowned slightly at this request. What's Tang San planning? Could it be that, like in the original story, he was going to use the absence of his father to get closer to Xiao Wu, asking her to be his sister?
But now, Xiao Wu was Su Ming's sister, not related to Tang San at all! Su Ming decided to let Xiao Wu make her own decision. He was confident she wouldn't agree to become Tang San's sister.
Turning to Xiao Wu, Su Ming gave her a knowing look. Xiao Wu understood immediately—Su Ming was leaving the decision to her. She had a pretty good idea of what Tang San wanted to discuss.
However, she wasn't about to give Tang San that chance. There was no way she'd become his sister, especially after seeing how miserable things turned out in the original story. She already had Su Ming; she didn't need anyone else.
Xiao Wu replied firmly, "Tang San, if there's something you need to say, just say it. There's no need to avoid Su Ming. He's not an outsider, and there's nothing you can't say in front of him!"
Hearing this warmed Su Ming's heart. Looks like all the care I've given her this past year wasn't in vain!
Su Ming recalled the time when he had first received the Soul Power Body Refinement Technique as a reward from the system. He had tried it out himself for a few days and, once he saw its effects, he passed it on to Xiao Wu. Since Xiao Wu was originally a 100,000-year-old spirit beast in human form, her soul power control was excellent, and she only needed to practice refining her body.
Just to be safe, Su Ming also gave her the Soul Power Guidance Technique and personally trained her. Xiao Wu's talent, as expected of a 100,000-year-old spirit beast, was outstanding. She quickly mastered the techniques.
However, Su Ming had one lingering concern: due to the intense body training and the use of special tempering liquids, Xiao Wu's second spirit ring would likely be at least 2,000 years old, making it hard to conceal. If anyone found out, it would attract unwanted attention. After all, they had no strong backing right now.
Fortunately, the system had recently granted Su Ming a disguise item that could alter the aura and appearance of spirit rings. He was safe, but how could Xiao Wu hide hers?
System: Don't worry, Xiao Wu has her own disguise item too! Bet you didn't see that coming! Still, I guess I'll give you a little tool to ease your mind. Heh, heh, heh!
If the other girls knew what the system was up to, they'd probably call it a mischievous trickster!
Tang San's face stiffened at Xiao Wu's response. Still, he knew he needed Su Ming's approval, or else he would be seen as disrespectful.
"Alright then."
Tang San led them to the back of the mountain. Once there, he turned to Su Ming and said, "Su Ming, I want Xiao Wu to be my sister. Please give me your permission!"
Hearing this, Su Ming's face darkened. Has it been too long since I gave you a good thrashing? Was this Tang San's way of trying to steal his sister?
Suppressing his anger, Su Ming decided to play along for now and see what Tang San would say. "Explain your reason. If I'm not satisfied, you can bet I'll give you a beating!"
Feeling a bit awkward, Tang San replied, "I only just thought of it. With my father gone, I'm alone, and I admire the sibling bond you share with Xiao Wu. I thought it would be nice to have her as my sister too. That way, if she ever encounters danger, we can both protect her together!"
Su Ming's face turned even darker. As expected, it's exactly what I thought!
Xiao Wu, unable to hold back any longer, retorted, "Tang San, I already have Su Ming as my brother, and that's enough for me! What makes you think you can protect me as well as Su Ming can?"
"At best, you're my equal in strength right now, and you can't even let me get close to you in a fight. If we were to battle, you'd struggle to win! As for Su Ming, you're nowhere near his level. His control abilities are far superior to your Blue Silver Bind!"
Tang San wasn't offended by Xiao Wu's words; after all, they were true. He explained, "Xiao Wu, that's only because I haven't used my full strength yet. Recently, I've forged some new tools that will make a big difference."
He turned to Su Ming and proposed, "Su Ming, if I can prove that I'm stronger than you, would you let Xiao Wu become my sister?"
Su Ming clenched his fist, barely holding back his anger. Looks like Tang San's gotten cocky since forging his hidden weapons. He needs a reminder of who's in charge!
Su Ming chuckled darkly, "If you can defeat me, I'll consider it. But whether Xiao Wu agrees is up to her."
Xiao Wu could clearly see that Su Ming was angry—very angry. Tang San was about to have a rough time!
Tang San nodded and looked to Xiao Wu for her thoughts.
With a sly smile, Xiao Wu responded, "Since Su Ming doesn't mind, I don't either. But I doubt you'll win. What you're doing right now is dangerous. Try not to get beaten too badly!"
Tang San, confident in his abilities, said, "Don't worry, I've got this."
He then added seriously, "When I show you my strength, I'll be using certain items. I hope you both can keep it a secret. I don't want anyone else to know about these tools just yet. I'm only revealing them to you two to prove myself."