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Tang Yuehua, seeing Xuan Ming's stunned expression, couldn't help but smile, though her face quickly darkened again.
"The problem lies right here. You truly gave Liu Erlong the best possible arrangement. Over on the Sun Moon Continent, the Sun Moon royal family practically held her in the palm of their hand. Because she was someone sent by a god, they treated her as an honored guest, granting her the highest status and even appointing her director-general of the Sun Moon Empire's maritime trade.
At the time, Liu Erlong had just completed the first batch of sea-trade handovers with the Spirit Empire and was leading the Sun Moon imperial fleet back to the Sun Moon Continent. Out on the boundless ocean, by some freakish coincidence, she ran into Yu Xiaogang and Tang San's group—freshly exiled from Sea God Island, steering a battered ship and looking utterly wretched."
The corner of Xuan Ming's mouth twitched. "What… what kind of cursed fate is this? The World is so big, the ocean so wide, and they still bump into each other?"
"Yes, that's destiny," Tang Yuehua sighed. "Liu Erlong originally had no intention of acknowledging Yu Xiaogang. When you sent her away, it was precisely so she could cut herself off from the past. She had been living very well in the Sun Moon Empire and was slowly moving on. But… when she saw the man she once loved reduced to such destitution, along with those old familiar faces…"
"In the end, her heart softened. She figured that since Douluo Continent no longer offered them shelter and the Spirit Empire wouldn't tolerate them, she might as well bring them to the Sun Moon Continent—far from the strife, perhaps they could start anew.
So she used her authority as trade director-general to bring several hundred members of Clear Sky Sect aboard Sun Moon imperial ships."
Hearing this, Xuan Ming's brows gradually relaxed; he nodded thoughtfully.
"If it ended there, it wouldn't be a bad outcome. Though the Sun Moon Continent is advanced in spirit tool technology, its top-tier Spirit Master combat strength actually lags behind Douluo Continent's. Clear Sky Sect, though crippled, still has its heritage; both Tang Xiao and Tang Hao are apex experts. If they behaved themselves, living as wealthy men or taking posts in the Sun Moon Empire, they should have had a comfortable life."
"That was Liu Erlong's original hope," Tang Yuehua said, a flicker of pain in her eyes. "And at first, events did move in a positive direction.
After arriving in the Sun Moon Empire, Tang San—thanks to a teacher–student bond he'd formed with the imperial grand tutor Xu Hong back in Heaven Dou City—quickly secured a firm position in the Sun Moon imperial Royal spirit tool Institute with his talent.
Xu Hong greatly admired Tang San's gifts. With his matchmaking, Tang San even became engaged to a granddaughter of Xu Hong's. The girl idolized Tang San, and the two were very much in love. At the time, everyone believed Tang San was finally about to embrace a new life: marry, have children, put down roots in a foreign land, and leave old grudges behind."
Xuan Ming, listening, couldn't help but sigh.
That Tang San, who had carried deep hatred and fought all his life, had almost settled into the cozy routine of wife, kids, and a warm life.
Fate truly loved its jokes.
"But…" Xuan Ming caught the turning point.
"If so, why are you still pleading for them now? Something must have gone wrong—and I'll wager it involves Yu Xiaogang."
Tang Yuehua closed her eyes bitterly and nodded. "You're right. The one who ruined everything was Yu Xiaogang."
"He… still couldn't stay quiet?"
"Far from it." Tang Yuehua's tone carried suppressed fury.
"He was practically insane. Watching Tang San thrive in the Sun Moon Empire and about to start a family, instead of feeling happy for his disciple, he decided Tang San was 'taking the enemy for his father.'
To Yu Xiaogang, since the Sun Moon Empire traded with the Spirit Empire, they were allies. Tang San's joining the Royal spirit tool Institute meant serving the Spirit Empire's ally—something he couldn't accept.
And, as if his brain had flooded, he secretly urged Tang San to use his status as Xu Hong's future grandson-in-law to get close to the Sun Moon imperial high command. He wanted Tang San to persuade the Sun Moon Emperor to lend them troops, to use the Empire's mighty spirit tool fleets to counter-attack Douluo Continent and take revenge on the Spirit Empire!"
Xuan Ming was slack-jawed; after a long moment he managed two words: "…Brilliant."
"Does this Yu Xiaogang think everyone under heaven is as stupid as he is?"
"The Sun Moon Empire and the Spirit Empire are in a honeymoon period; their trade is frequent and interests deeply entwined. Only a mad Sun Moon Emperor would offend a mighty Empire with a god for the sake of a few exiled Spirit Masters."
"Exactly—any rational person knows it's impossible," Tang Yuehua said helplessly.
"Tang San certainly knew, so he refused. He told Yu Xiaogang that since enduring that Divine Punishment he'd grown weary of slaughter and only wanted to live quietly in the Sun Moon Empire and protect the woman he now loved.
Yet those words enraged Yu Xiaogang. He cursed Tang San as an unfilial descendant who'd forgotten Clear Sky Sect's annihilation and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's blood debt. He even… even planned to bypass Tang San and present his so-called counter-attack plan to the Sun Moon Emperor himself."
"And the result?" Xuan Ming asked.
"The result was that word quickly reached Grand Tutor Xu Hong's ears," Tang Yuehua sighed.
"How could he tolerate a ticking time-bomb in the Sun Moon Empire that might ruin relations between the two nations—especially when it was scheming right under his nose?
Xu Hong was furious. Though he admired Tang San, when national interest was at stake he immediately placed Tang San under house arrest for reflection. As for the chief culprit, Yu Xiaogang…
Xu Hong directly ordered Yu Xiaogang and the other Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon survivors who'd made trouble to be thrown into prison. And, to eliminate any future threat, within days Xu Hong secretly ordered… Yu Xiaogang's execution."
A brief, deathly hush fell over the room.
Xuan Ming shook his head, not a trace of pity in his voice: "He reaped what he sowed. Given a road to life, he charged straight toward death. Yu Xiaogang died as he had lived—by his own foolish mouth and ridiculous pride."
"Yes…" Tang Yuehua murmured. "But after all, he was Tang San's teacher, a father figure."
"News of Yu Xiaogang's death reached Tang San quickly. At that moment, Tang San collapsed.
He had been ready to embrace a new life, to be a good husband and father. But his teacher's death detonated the hatred and pain he'd kept bottled inside. He felt he'd killed the man who raised him by chasing comfort.
Amid overwhelming anguish and remorse, Tang San made the stupidest decision possible."
Tang Yuehua closed her eyes, two lines of tears slipping down: "To avenge his teacher, he assassinated Xu Hong in the dead of night."
Xuan Ming raised an eyebrow. "Is Xu Hong dead?"
"No." Tang Yuehua shook her head. "Xu Hong is, after all, a ninth-rank spirit tool master and a super Douluo. Though Tang San gravely wounded him with a sneak attack using a ninth-rank spirit tool, the Empire's consecrated experts subdued him together.
But that move had stirred up a hornet's nest. With Xu Hong severely injured, the entire Sun Moon Empire high command was enraged. What had been Yu Xiaogang's sin alone now became the treachery of the whole Clear Sky Sect.
Before slipping into a coma Xu Hong issued a final order: arrest every member of Clear Sky Sect, along with the supporting Force, Defense, Attack, and Agility clans who'd followed them. To show their stance to the Spirit Empire and clear up any misunderstanding, the Sun Moon Empire declared them all heinous traitors and shipped them back to Douluo Continent to be dealt with by the Spirit Empire."