Although Jiang Chen no longer blamed Tang San, the resentment from being beaten by Tang San still lingered in his heart.
Now that he had finally won against Tang San once, he was able to vent all that frustration, and his whole body felt relaxed.
"I'm heading back first. You should go home soon, too. Your dad is still waiting for you to call him for breakfast." Jiang Chen hummed a tune as he went down the mountain, leaving Tang San standing there in a daze.
Half an hour later, Tang San returned home.
His face was still covered in bruises, with a black eye and even the corner of his mouth swollen.
"Jiang Chen really hit too hard… hiss…" Tang San touched his swollen lip and immediately sucked in a breath of cold air.
In that close-quarters brawl, he had no chance to use hidden weapons at all. Once he lost his speed advantage, how could he possibly be a match for Jiang Chen? After just a few exchanges, he was completely dazed by that monstrous strength.
After the fight ended, he sat there circulating his spirit power to heal for a while, but the effect was minimal. With no other choice, he could only brace himself and return home.
"Dad, time to get up for breakfast… hiss…" Tang San called out, accidentally pulling at the corner of his mouth again.
Tang Hao yawned as he came out of the inner room. The moment he saw Tang San's bruised and swollen face, his brows furrowed.
"Hm? What happened to you?"
"Nothing… I just accidentally fell," Tang San said, his eyes dodging slightly.
After all, in his opinion, losing to Jiang Chen was an extremely embarrassing matter. How could he possibly say it out loud?
Tang Hao took a sip of porridge and shook his head. How could such a clumsy lie fool someone as experienced as him?
Those injuries on the face were clearly caused by fists.
"You got into a fight with someone, right?"
Tang San remained silent.
"Jiang Chen?"
Tang San still lowered his head without speaking.
Tang Hao finished the porridge in a few gulps, put down the bowl, and said, "Losing a fight isn't something shameful. Just win it back next time."
There was a trace of nostalgia in his expression. Back in his childhood, he had been the little overlord of the Clear Sky Sect. In his generation, not a single one of the dozens of children escaped being beaten by him.
He never expected that his own son would actually be beaten up by someone of the same age. But when he thought about the fact that it was Jiang Chen, Tang Hao felt relieved. That kid was indeed somewhat monstrous.
Not only did he possess terrifying strength, but he had also already obtained his first spirit ring. It would be strange if the current Tang San could beat him.
Hearing Tang Hao's words, Tang San was somewhat surprised. He had thought his father would scold him.
"Understood, Dad." Tang San nodded, firmly remembering Tang Hao's words. He would definitely get his revenge.
"Next time, I must use hidden weapons and absolutely cannot let him get close." He secretly thought to himself.
"You don't need to forge today. Pack your clothes, rest a bit, and tomorrow you'll head to the academy." After saying this, Tang Hao walked into the bedroom, planning to catch a bit more sleep.
Watching Tang Hao's departing back, Tang San felt an inexplicable pang of sadness.
…
The next day, early in the morning, Jiang Chen got up to prepare breakfast. After eating, he and Old Jack went to Tang San's house.
Because they were heading into the city today, Old Jack had specially put on a new set of clothes and looked much more spirited.
At Old Jack's request, Jiang Chen had also changed into a relatively new set of clothes.
"Little San, let's go. That lazy father of yours definitely won't get up to see you off." Old Jack went inside and called out.
Tang San made a shushing gesture, picked up a piece of charcoal, and wrote a few words on the ground. Only then did he grab his bundle and reluctantly walk out.
Old Jack saw the bruises still visible on Tang San's face and couldn't help asking, "What happened to you, child?"
Tang San glanced at Jiang Chen and subtly shook his head. "Nothing, I just accidentally fell."
"Your child, how can you be so careless? Come on, let's get going."
"Mm."
Inside the house, Tang Hao rushed out and looked through the window at the three departing figures, feeling a sense of reluctance.
On the ground was written a sentence:
"Dad, I'm leaving. Please take good care of yourself. Drink less. The porridge is in the pot, don't forget to drink it."
"This kid…" Tang Hao shook his head with a smile, his eyes slightly moist.
…
The old man and two children walked along the road toward Notting City. The morning sunlight was very warm, and the sadness of parting in Tang San's heart gradually faded. Like Jiang Chen, he was filled with anticipation for academy life.
Tang San was very curious about soul masters and academy matters, and he kept asking Old Jack questions along the way.
Jiang Chen, who had read Douluo Dalu not long before crossing over, was already very familiar with everything Old Jack was saying.
"Little San, Little Chen, we are all country folk. When we get to the academy, you must study hard and not let others look down on us, understand?"
"Understood, Grandpa," both of them answered at the same time.
"Especially you, Little Chen. Your talent is better than Little San's. You must take good care of Little San at the academy and not let others bully him. Got it?"
Jiang Chen was a bit speechless. With Tang San's abilities, the only one who could bully others was him; who could bully him?
"Alright, Grandpa, no one dares to bully Little San."
Old Jack nodded in satisfaction. Looking up, he could already see the thick city walls of Notting City.
"We're here," Old Jack said with a smile.
Both Jiang Chen and Tang San looked curiously toward the city ahead. This was their first time coming to Notting City.
"Ma Xiunuo… you didn't expect me to still be alive, did you? I, Jiang Chen, have come to collect your life!" A murderous intent rose in Jiang Chen's heart.
After the three of them passed the city gate guards' inspection, they smoothly entered the city.
Notting Junior Soul Master Academy was located in the western part of Notting City. After asking for directions several times along the way, Old Jack finally led the two children to the front of the academy.
Although it was only a junior academy in a small city, Notting Academy was built very grandly, and this could already be seen from the main gate.
The entire gate was twenty meters wide and ten meters tall, constructed from solid granite. The more than twenty-meter-wide iron gate was entirely forged from fine iron.
Through the iron bars, one could see tall trees inside and the faintly visible majestic buildings.
Above the center of the gate were four large characters: Notting Academy.
Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised because he suddenly sensed Jing Wuming's aura inside Notting Academy.
"Could it be that the assassin organization is hidden inside Notting Academy?" he wondered inwardly. However, from the memories Jing Wuming had before, he found no information indicating this.
More than two months ago, Jing Wuming had already reached level 20. By now, he should have obtained his second spirit ring and become a Great Soul Master.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but smile. Perhaps life at Notting Academy was going to be quite interesting.
But he knew that Jing Wuming was inside, while Jing Wuming had no idea that he had already arrived.
Just as Old Jack brought Jiang Chen and Tang San to the front of the gate, they were stopped by a young gatekeeper.
"What are you doing here? This is Notting Academy, not a place for you country bumpkins to come!"
The young man's eyes were filled with disdain, but there was also a flash of excitement. These country bumpkins were the easiest to bully; maybe this time, he could even earn some money.
Old Jack hurriedly spoke humbly with the young man, but the young man's tone became increasingly arrogant.
Seeing this familiar scene, Jiang Chen frowned slightly. When he had read the book before, he hadn't felt much about it since it was happening to other people. But now, seeing the young man's ugly expression with his own eyes, he immediately felt a surge of anger.
Also… that so-called "Great Master" should be arriving soon, right?
Jiang Chen turned his head and looked behind them.