Chapter 59: Are You Willing to Be my Little Sister?

Early the next morning, Tang San and Xiao Wu met at the entrance of Nuoding Academy, ready to leave the city and head towards Holy Spirit Village.

Tang San had made significant progress in the past year - he had not only broken through the bottleneck of the first level of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, but his technique had also improved considerably. His soul power was around rank 16, nearing rank 17, and in the Academy, there was no one who could compare to him besides Xiao Wu.

Although Xiao Wu gave him the impression that she did not like to cultivate, she always had a slight advantage over him when it came to exchanging pointers and comparing soul power.

Besides them, Xiao Chenyu and Wang Sheng also regularly joined their training. In these months, Xiao Wu had become exceptionally good with her people and used to spend a lot of time training with them.

She had even asked the Dean to help both of them in the entrance process since they were about to enter an Intermediate Academy.

Whenever Tang San exchanged pointers with Xiao Wu, he always lost more times than he won. Xiao Wu's techniques seemed to emerge in an endless stream, especially her Soft Skills, which had reached a new level since that first day at the Academy.

So, even relying on the paralyzing and binding effects of his Martial Soul, the most he could achieve when Xiao Wu got serious was to delay the inevitable. However, he certainly did not use the hidden weapons he practiced in secret.

Although they were both known as geniuses in the Academy, when the topic of the greatest genius the Academy had ever seen came up, one name always overshadowed them - Lu Yuan.

Tang San couldn't help but frown when his thoughts turned to Lu Yuan, but before he could continue thinking, he was interrupted by Xiao Wu's nonchalant voice.

"We're still far away?"

"We'll be there soon. See that hill over there? My Holy Spirit Village is at the bottom of the hill."

About to arrive home, the bad mood that had just begun to bubble up inside him evaporated, and was replaced by excitement. If it hadn't been for the Academy's rules, Tang San would have long since returned to the village to see his father.

'It's been a year since we've seen each other, Dad. Are you still well?' Tang San thought with an indescribable feeling.

Walking beside him, Xiao Wu noticed Tang San's emotions and decided to keep quiet.

Soon, they arrived at the Holy Spirit Village, and Tang San's house was at the edge of the village.

Raising his hand to point towards the roof with the dilapidated sign, Tang San smiled at Xiao Wu and said, "Look, that's my home."

With a visible excitement in his steps, he quickened his pace and arrived at his front door in a matter of seconds, which was exactly the same as when he had left.

He then called out to his father, "Dad, I'm back!"

Xiao Wu stood at the back, looking at him curiously. It was unusual for Tang San to be so excited.

After knocking a few times, Tang San decided to enter with quick steps. The inside of the house was just as he had left it, with the blacksmith looking even more disheveled than before and various objects scattered all over the place.

Seeing this from outside the house, Xiao Wu's little mouth twisted for a moment, and she sniffed before immediately turning to look elsewhere.

As Tang San continued to feel a sense of familiarity while observing the surroundings, an aged voice rang out from inside the house.

"Oh, Little San, you're back."

Turning around to see the source of the voice, Tang San was stunned.

"Grandpa Jack, it's you... ah, then my dad?"

The Village Head of Holy Spirit Village, Old Jack, came out of the house with a somewhat wry smile.

He stretched out his hand and handed a piece of paper to Tang San, saying, "Take a look, this is your father's message. Earlier, I came to find him, originally thinking that he and I would go to meet you. I didn't think you would already have returned."

An ominous feeling crept into Tang San's heart, and he quickly rushed to take the paper from Old Jack's hand.

He lowered his head to read it and found only a few simple lines with somewhat sloppy handwriting...

As Tang San finished reading his father's farewell letter, his initial excitement turned into a deep feeling of loss.

'Dad left… Dad, why did you have to leave?' he murmured to himself. He couldn't believe that his father had left without any warning.

Old Jack noticed Tang San's stunned expression and sighed, "Tang Hao left two days ago without any notice. I came to have him forge some farm tools, but now we'll have to find another blacksmith. He was always so irresponsible."

Tang San slowly came back to reality and asked, "Grandpa Jack, are you saying that Dad left only two days ago?"

Old Jack nodded.

"Yes, he left all of a sudden. But don't let it affect you, Little San. He wasn't a worthy father. How about coming to my house?"

Tang San silently shook his head. He carefully folded the letter between his hands, placing it on his chest.

"Thank you, Grandpa Jack, but I need to stay here and clean up this mess. My home needs to be put back in order."

Old Jack was stunned a moment, and with another sigh, he said, "Very well. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come find me."

With no choice but to shake his head, he turned to the outside and left.

After Old Jack left, Tang San was left alone in the messy blacksmith.

Tang San showed no emotion as he began to tidy up the messy room, picking up the thrown things.

Hearing everything from outside, Xiao Wu felt a slight headache, but she still entered the blacksmith and helped him put things away without saying a word.

...

The sunlight was in full splendor, indicating that it was already noon. In front of the blacksmith door, Xiao Wu and Tang San sat silently.

Holding a forging hammer, Tang San was the first to speak.

"Xiao Wu, thank you."

"Thank you for what?" Xiao Wu turned to look at him and asked curiously.

"Thank you for helping me clean the room and keeping me company."

Tang San lowered his head, looking down at the ground beneath his feet. The expression in his eyes was somewhat misty, also somewhat confused, but in the end, without tears falling.

Xiao Wu sighed and turned to look into the distance as she said, "Don't be sad. Your father is only gone temporarily. Inevitably, you'll find him again someday. Perhaps he left so that you would grow even stronger. If you continue to be depressed, wouldn't his efforts be wasted?"

Tang San forced a wry smile. "Maybe so, but why didn't he let me see him again? Xiao Wu, did you know that Dad is my only family? A home without Dad isn't a home."

Xiao Wu furrowed her brow at his words.

Though she had only seen a small part of the mess inside Tang San's house, it was enough to understand the kind of father he had. The lingering smell of alcohol had made her nostrils flare.

Moreover, if she recalled the first few days of school, she remembered seeing Tang San's malnourished and pale appearance. Hadn't his father been too irresponsible?

But as soon as he entered the Academy, hadn't that Grandmaster taken him under his wing and treated him like a real son? He sent him a blanket on the first day of admission, invited him to meals regularly, and even taught him all his knowledge. She wasn't very clear about the limit of what a Teacher should do for a disciple, but at least she knew that Tang San had never been alone since the first day he entered the Academy.

So what's this 'a home without Dad isn't a home'? Wasn't Tang San being too ungrateful?

She herself had been left without parents many years ago and had even parted ways with her good friends, leaving behind everything she knew in pursuit of a new life.

However, she never regretted making that decision.

She had made many new friends and was admired by everyone. Even the dean had treated her quite well.

Although she still held a grudge against him for transferring that stinky boy to another Academy, she couldn't deny everything the old man had done for her.

Sometimes, she felt like a little daughter-in-law staying at the in-laws' house, which made her very happy. Wasn't this what it meant to have a home?

At the thought of this, a shy smile appeared on her face, and her cheeks reddened a little. Feeling in a good mood, she swung her long scorpion braid back and forth as she spoke to Tang San.

"Without Dad, you still have many good friends at the Academy. You even have that Teacher of yours who treats you like his real son. But if you want to feel like you have a family, I wouldn't mind if you called me big sister. Everyone else calls me that, only you haven't."

Looking at Xiao Wu's charming and dazzling appearance, and then noticing her flushed cheeks, Tang San couldn't help but feel moved. Being comforted by a beautiful girl like Xiao Wu was something that made him extremely happy.

Tang San smiled and replied, "If you want, you can become my little sister, I won't object. I remember, although we are from the same year, it seems that compared to me, you must be a few months younger. I was born in the first month and you in the eighth, correct?"

Hearing this, Xiao Wu almost burst out laughing, younger than Tang San?

"Don't get your hopes up, that's not possible. I'll just be the big sister, I'm inadequate to be your little sister."

Tang San took it as a joke and this thought began to flood his head, making him look more and more excited, in an instant, he had already stood up and stood a few meters in front of Xiao Wu.

"Xiao Wu, follow me to the hill, I want to show you something." Tang San's expression became very serious as if he had decided something.

Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow in surprise, but after a moment's hesitation, she nodded in agreement.

It seemed that Tang San was already becoming animated again. Also, she couldn't help but feel curious about what he wanted to show her.

Tang San took the initiative and headed towards the hill. Xiao Wu stood up and dusted off her white dress. After sighing at the sight of some dirt on her clothes, she ran towards the small hill outside the village, where Tang San had headed.

Upon reaching the top of the hill, Tang San stopped, even though he had his Mysterious Heaven Skill, he couldn't help but gasp.

Turning back, he had to turn his purple eyes to see a white shadow approaching at high speed, and in a few breaths, Xiao Wu stopped a few meters away from him.

Xiao Wu did not look the least bit tired from the climb to the top of the hill. Tang San did not look surprised either, his eyes only glittered for a moment, and then he looked at the sun setting.

"Xiao Wu, this is my old practice place. Now, I want to ask you a question very seriously, and I hope you can answer me honestly."

Xiao Wu heard this and decided to keep her questions to herself, just looking at him calmly.

Tang San took a few steps closer and looked at her with utmost seriousness.

"Are you willing to be my little sister? I really hope I can have a family member again."

Before Xiao Wu could respond, Tang San spoke again, his emotions rising.

"First, listen to what I have to say. It is true that I have nothing. You have already seen my family's circumstances. I am a descendant of an impoverished commoner. I can't give you wealth or power. In terms of talent, you are not beneath me, but I feel that you and I are not the same. I can see that your life experience must have some history. But I never asked you because I was afraid that our disparity in backgrounds would be too great, and you might not even see me as a friend. But I really hope to have a little sister like you. Although I cannot provide you with everything that a noble could, I can promise to protect you and ensure that you never suffer any harm."

Tang San's eyes shone with tears as he finished his heartfelt speech. In these months, Xiao Wu's personality, charisma, and charm had captivated him. But he had never dared to think of her in any other way, partly because he feared being rejected due to his ordinary background.

He believed that Xiao Wu must come from an important background and had been forced to join the academy as a working student due to certain circumstances. After all, Xiao Wu had very advanced techniques and a low-level Martial Soul like Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, but her improvement speed was even faster than his own.

Moreover, Xiao Wu loved to buy expensive sets of clothes, seeming to have no sense of money at all. If these weren't behaviors of someone who used to be wealthy, then what were they?

As he spoke, Tang San trembled and folded his sleeve, pulling out a dart from his wrist.

"If you become my sister, I wouldn't dare not give you any present. This is for you to defend yourself. It's my first job," Tang San said, holding out the sleeve dart.

"This is called sleeve dart, it is also known as silent sleeve dart. It only requires the use of a switch, and you can control whether one or all three darts inside will fire. The throwing noise is very small, making it hard for the opponent to detect. It's effective against enemies on a par with you."

"This is a hidden weapon, even Dad doesn't know it. I just want to make you understand that I have the strength to protect you."

"Take it, it's yours now."

Seeing the tears glistening in Tang San's eyes, and then looking at the sleeve dart Tang San handed over, Xiao Wu was stunned.

What was this? Hadn't she made it clear before that she wasn't interested in being his little sister? Did he think that she would agree if he gave her something like this?

Tang San seemed to misinterpret her stunned state as a sign of being moved by his gesture, so he reached out his other hand to urge her to take the dart. He was determined to seal their big brother and little sister pact.

Quickly recovering from her stunned state, Xiao Wu skillfully dodged Tang San's hand and spoke up in an attempt to suppress her annoyance.

"Xiao San, please put that away. I thought I had already made it clear to you that I'm not fit to be your little sister. It's not about your lack of wealth or power." She took a deep breath, trying to soften her tone. "I know you're hardworking and talented, and I appreciate your sincerity. But the truth is, you don't know much about me. I'm sorry, but I won't be your little sister."

'If I were to be someone's little sister, it would only be his,' she thought to herself, her hand unconsciously moving to touch her hair tie.

This deep golden hair tie was the gift that Lu Yuan had put in her purse before he departed.

Lu Yuan used to tease her about her scorpion braid, but her parting gift had been this hair tie, which made her feel an indescribable warmth in her heart, and at least a large part of her resentment towards him diminished the instant she put it on.

Since that day, Xiao Wu had begun to prefer white or red outfits a bit more than pink ones.

After all, they combined better with the golden color, didn't they?

Compared to Tang San's sleeve dart, Xiao Wu clearly preferred this simple tie a thousand times over.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice Tang San's confusion until he spoke out loud,

"W-Why?!"

Tang San's shout caused Xiao Wu to abruptly snap out of her thoughts, and a slight blush spread across her cheeks.

Tang San noticed the blush on Xiao Wu's face and was puzzled. As he saw her hand stroking the hair tie, he finally "understood" why he had been rejected.

The next day when Lu Yuan left the Academy, Tang San had gone to his residence to ask for another exchange of pointers.

At the time, he did not intend to stop insisting until he came up with the truth of the matter.

Was Lu Yuan a reincarnator like him?

However, when the door opened, he was surprised to see Xiao Wu. She had reddened and slightly swollen eyes, indicating that she had been crying a lot.

After exchanging a few words with her, Xiao Wu closed the door again, but from this little exchange, he was able to learn that Lu Yuan had moved to another Academy.

Moreover, it was the first time he saw Xiao Wu wearing that golden hair tie.

Since then, she rarely walked without it and treated it with the utmost care during training. This proved that it was very special to her.

Tang San was not foolish enough not to put the pieces together and realize that this hair tie must have been a gift from Lu Yuan to her.

He felt a sudden pang of jealousy and couldn't help but speak with a bit of anger in his voice.

"Xiao Wu, I need to warn you. Lu Yuan is not to be trusted."

"Eh? What did you just say, Xiao San?" Xiao Wu's hand froze as she looked at Tang San in surprise, thinking she had misheard.

"That it's better if you distrust Lu Yuan. I'm sure that person must have ulterior motives. I feel it's my duty to tell you. He is not someone to be trusted." Tang San said seriously, holding his sleeve dart tightly.

Tang San had come to the conclusion that Lu Yuan must be from another world like him. If he wasn't, why would he hastily leave the Academy to run away from him?

This had to mean that his intentions were not good.

As her future big brother, he felt it was his duty to make Xiao Wu understand that she had been deceived by him.

Xiao Wu's eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you?! With what evidence do you dare to claim so?" She crossed her arms and frowned, her expression turning defensive.

"Don't you think it's too suspicious that he left the Academy so suddenly? Besides, think about his techniques, how old is he? We know he's the adopted son of the dean of a small Primary Academy, how is he able to access such a level of techniques? Even Grandmaster has never seen anything like that before." Tang San explained, hoping to make Xiao Wu see reason.

Xiao Wu's eyes narrowed, and her tone turned icy. "Dumbass, how is that any different from you?" she retorted. "You just showed me where you lived your whole life, so where did you get your techniques from? What about these hidden weapons that, according to you, even your dad doesn't know about?"

Tang San hesitated, realizing the irony of his words.

"I... I can't tell you, but Xiao Wu, you must listen to me-."

"You have a damn Blue Silver Grass as Martial Soul! But your talent is top-tier. So does that mean I should be suspicious of you too?!" Xiao Wu didn't listen and continued to reprimand him. She only felt that Tang San was a sore loser and was jealous of Lu Yuan's talent.

Xiao Wu had been Lu Yuan's training partner, and during that time, she had seen him undergo grueling training every single day, training day and night until he exceeded his limits.

She had been there to help him recover from exhaustion, and she knew firsthand just how much effort and determination he put into his training.

As for the idea that Lu Yuan couldn't be trusted, Xiao Wu found it laughable.

He had helped her improve her Soft Skills, and her physical body had become stronger and more resilient thanks to the medicinal baths that he had shared with her. How could she doubt someone who had done so much for her?

In Xiao Wu's eyes, Lu Yuan was the perfect model of talent and hard work. If she had to doubt someone like him, then she simply couldn't trust anyone!

At the same time, however, Xiao Wu was starting to feel a bit cautious of Tang San. If he could question Lu Yuan's trustworthiness, then couldn't he have been suspicious of her true identity as well?

"Uh... I..." Tang San opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.

Xiao Wu's words hit Tang San like a punch to the gut, leaving him at a loss.

He had never been good at communicating, and this time he couldn't find the words to refute her.

He couldn't tell her that he was a reincarnator, and he was almost certain that Lu Yuan was one too.

That would only make her think he was crazy.

"Sigh, Tang San," Xiao Wu said, shaking her head. "I understand the situation you just went through with your father, I'll overlook what you just said. I just hope you won't harp on the same thing again. And just to be clear, I never agreed to be your little sister." Xiao Wu said, stopping short of referring to him as Xiao San and turning around.

At this point, not to mention being Tang San's little sister, she was already regretting telling him that he could call her big sister.

She had thought it would be a way to cheer him up, but now she realized it had only made things worse.

"I will find a place to stay today," she called over her shoulder. "No need to follow me."

Tang San stood still, feeling a sense of loss as he watched Xiao Wu walk away.

'Dad, it looks like it will still be just you and me. But rest assured, I'll work hard at cultivation and become a real man. One day, I'll show Xiao Wu how blinded she is and bring her to our family.'

'No matter whether Lu Yuan is a reincarnator or not, as a Tang Sect disciple, if I think he's a threat, it's my duty to get rid of him.'