"Mmmm—"
With his mouth gagged, Yu Xiaogang twisted his body in panic. The voice coming from the soul guide made him feel as though he had been stripped bare and thrown onto the street.
Liu Erlong's face turned pale. She covered her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Yu Xiaowei's questioning and Yu Xiaogang's evasive answers made her heart grow cold, as if she had fallen into an abyss.
Especially the last part of his mumbling—those words completely shattered the strong woman's composure.
She couldn't believe that the love she had nurtured for nearly thirty years was merely a replacement for someone else.
As for Tang San and the others, they had already been driven away by Flender when Yu Xiaowei played the recording. Distraught, she didn't even realize the force of her grip, nor where she had thrown it.
"Xiaowei, tell your sister this isn't true, that it's all a lie—please, okay?"
Liu Erlong bit her lip hard, grabbed Yu Xiaowei's shoulders, and shook him while pleading, hoping to hear him say "it's fake."
Yu Xiaowei looked at his sister with pain in his eyes. He raised the soul guide in his hand and glared at the pale-faced Yu Xiaogang with hatred.
"Sister, don't you know what our family's inventions are for?"
"I brought this specifically so you could hear someone's voice."
After hearing Yu Xiaowei's explanation, Liu Erlong completely lost hope.
She had never cared much for family matters, but this device had been proposed by Yu Xiaowei, and later developed by the clan based on the structure of certain soul beasts. Yu Xiaowei had even proudly demonstrated the final product to her many times.
The sole function of this soul guide was to record and store voices for up to one month.
Which meant what Yu Xiaogang said—was real.
Liu Erlong couldn't accept this. She unconsciously stepped back two paces and collapsed to the ground. Then she curled up, hugging her knees and sobbing.
"So you still love that b*tch."
"So I was just a replacement."
Yu Xiaogang had already given up resisting and lay stiffly on the ground, staring at the clear sky above.
Flender, standing beside him, looked at the devastated Liu Erlong and felt heartbroken. He wanted to go comfort her, but didn't know what to say.
"Go on, idiot. It's a golden opportunity."
At that moment, a mosquito-like voice whispered in his ear, startling Flender. Fortunately, Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang were lost in their own world, so no one noticed his reaction.
Compressing one's voice into a line—
This required precise soul power control, a skill only Soul Sages possessed.
Flender looked at Yu Xiaowei, who kept signaling at him. He was surprised, yet also a bit tempted.
"What are you waiting for? What my sister needs most right now is a warm hug. Go, you fool."
"Yu Xiaogang is finished. If you don't comfort my sister, you'll never forgive yourself."
Yu Xiaowei's insistent whisper echoed in Flender's ears, and his breathing grew heavier.
He glanced at Yu Xiaogang's limp body, then at the weeping Liu Erlong who looked like she might faint. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward, gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and softly said:
"Erlong, I'm here…"
With tears in her eyes, Liu Erlong immediately clung to him like she had found an emotional outlet. She grabbed his clothes, buried her face in his chest, and cried.
Yu Xiaogang's body trembled violently. He looked at Flender and Liu Erlong in disbelief, eyes wide as lanterns.
He wanted to scream something, but with socks stuffed in his mouth, he couldn't make a sound. He could only twist his body in despair.
Yu Xiaowei nodded in satisfaction, gave Flender a thumbs-up, then walked toward Yu Xiaogang, who now looked like a giant wriggling worm, with a strange smile on his face.
The two crying Soul Sages didn't even notice as they left.
Yu Xiaowei walked out of the city.
He had carefully chosen this route—one that passed through several of Heaven Dou City's busiest streets.
Pedestrians stared at him curiously. In his arms was Yu Xiaogang, face flushed and struggling in panic.
An hour later, Yu Xiaowei carried him into a small forest outside the city and untied the ropes.
After stretching his limbs, Yu Xiaogang took several deep breaths, and his ashen face gradually returned to its usual stoic expression.
He spoke flatly:
"You did this on purpose."
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Why?"
Yu Xiaowei didn't answer. He stared at him without blinking, and Yu Xiaogang stared back.
The two held this pose for a long time, until Yu Xiaowei suddenly burst out laughing.
"Honestly, sometimes I really can't tell if you're actually stupid or just pretending to be."
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Yu Xiaogang's face remained expressionless.
Even his underwear had been stripped off by Yu Xiaowei. His lover and his friend were now embracing, and he had been paraded through Heaven Dou City for public humiliation.
Yet none of it seemed to matter to him.
But Yu Xiaowei's next sentence—spoken softly—finally cracked his calm expression.
"You've survived all these years. At first, I pitied you. But there's nothing I can do. It's your fault for provoking me."
Yu Xiaogang frowned and said hoarsely:
"You sound like you know me better than my own father."
"Even though we've never met."
Yu Xiaowei laughed and waved his hand.
"For your uncle's sake, I'll let you off this time."
"But next time, if I find out you've gone against me—"
"I will kill you."
"Not even your uncle can save you. Remember what I said."
Yu Xiaogang did not respond to Yu Xiaowei's death threat. He turned and walked away without hesitation.
He no longer had any attachments—to his students or to his former lover.
Watching his suddenly hunched back, Yu Xiaowei shook his head.
Yu Xiaogang was a pitiful man.
As weak as a pig, yet with ambition as high as the heavens.
He had tried so hard to prove himself to the world, only to keep running into walls. Bruised and bloodied, he still pressed forward.
Did Yu Xiaogang love Liu Erlong?
Maybe. But Yu Xiaowei didn't believe it. He was more inclined to think Yu Xiaogang had used Liu Erlong to regain the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's recognition and have them accept his theories.
After all, even though Liu Erlong's Fire Dragon Martial Spirit had mutated, it still clearly carried traits of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
Unless Yu Xiaogang was blind, it was impossible that he only realized she was from the clan after Yu Luomian exposed it.
So he had to separate Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.
Why train Tang San?
Simple: twin spirits, innate full soul power—a genius who might not appear in a hundred years.
As long as Tang San earned a title, Yu Xiaogang, his teacher, would gain fame across the continent, and his theories would gain recognition.
But now Tang San held power in his own hands, and Yu Xiaogang could no longer stir up trouble.
Did Yu Xiaogang love Bibi Dong?
Fine, let's say he did. No matter what he did, at least that's what the original story said.
Maybe he only intended to use Bibi Dong at first, but eventually, he really fell for her.
But no matter what Yu Xiaogang thought, that crazy woman truly loved him.
Which is why it would be a huge problem—if he killed or crippled him now, Spirit Hall would come crashing down on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
It's unbearable—
Yu Xiaowei sighed and muttered something seemingly to no one:
"Uncle, are you satisfied with how I handled this?"
No one was seen, only a sigh echoed from afar.
"This was the best way. Thank you, Xiaowei."