Chapter 4: Tang San's Anger
"Strange… where did that brat from our village run off to? Why didn't I see him come out?
Master Su Yuntao, did you see our brat?"
Old Tom turned to Su Yuntao and asked.
Su Yuntao's mouth twitched. He was still shocked by Zu Zong. He pointed at the fair-skinned, blue-haired boy standing beside Old Tom.
"Old Tom, you must be going blind. Isn't your brat standing right next to you?" — Damn, almost bit my tongue there… I nearly called him 'ancestor.' This name is seriously asking for a beating.
Zu Zong tugged on Old Tom's sleeve and complained, "Grandpa Tom, I've been standing here next to you for ages!"
Old Tom rubbed his cloudy eyes with both hands. Yeah, that voice definitely belonged to his brat—no one else was that annoying. He looked closely at Zu Zong.
Whoa!
It really was his brat!
His hair had turned blue—and longer.
He'd grown taller too, from 1.2 meters to 1.3. His long-term malnourished, scrawny body had filled out—now lean and upright. His once-loose hemp clothes were tight against his frame, outlining faint muscle lines.
The pitch-black little face had turned creamy white, like jade. If not for some lingering traces of his old features, Old Tom would've suspected Su Yuntao of playing tricks on him.
Old Tom sighed with emotion, "So turning from a wild chicken to a phoenix really is possible, huh?"
He patted his nearly bald head, puffed out his chest, and loudly declared, "Aiya! Turns out this is our brat from Di Hun Village! Kid, how did you end up like this? Grandpa barely recognized you. This is way better than that boy from Sheng Hun Village. Quick, tell Grandpa what martial soul you awakened."
That tone and those gestures—look at him! Compared to Old Jack earlier, he was even more smug. Old Jack was so furious he nearly passed out.
Zu Zong crossed his arms over his chest and raised his chin slightly, striking a classic smug pose.
[Ding. Tang San feels jealous of the host. Hatred level increased to 9%. Hatred points +100.]
Why is it that we both awakened Blue Silver Grass, but he got a complete makeover, and I'm still just an ugly loser?
Zu Zong's eyes shifted, glancing at Tang San. Looks like it's time to harvest some more points—hatred was his ticket to traveling the heavens.
Zu Zong said with a wicked grin, "Grandpa Tom, I'm not like that little San who awakened a useless martial soul. Master Su Yuntao said mine mutated—it's now the emperor among Blue Silver Grass. A positive mutation! My body changed too—I became more handsome and stronger. Oh, and I have innate full soul power too!"
He even struck a muscle-flexing pose and summoned his Blue Silver Emperor. The surrounding villagers gasped in admiration.
Did I say all that? What even is a positive mutation???
Little San? What am I, a concubine?
Looks like Sheng Hun Village really lost to Di Hun Village this time… this sucks.
Good job, brat.
Zu Zong cast a sidelong glance at Tang San.
Come on, hit me already. Just take one swing. I'll dive behind Su Yuntao—I don't believe you can beat a Grand Soul Master barehanded.
Sure enough, Tang San, already burning with envy at Zu Zong's awakening of the Blue Silver Emperor, now felt an even heavier frustration pressing on him. His breathing quickened.
It was as if the fate that should've belonged to him had been snatched away—and the feeling only grew stronger and more real.
Finally, Tang San couldn't take it anymore—he was about to attack Zu Zong.
[Ding. Tang San feels envious, jealous, and develops hatred. He wants to beat the host up. Hatred level increased to 10%. Hatred points +100.]
Hearing the system prompt, Zu Zong knew—he's finally snapping. He immediately edged closer to Su Yuntao.
Meanwhile, Old Jack, who was holding Tang San's hand, noticed something was off.
Old Jack:
Why has this kid's face been red, breathing heavy, and grinding his teeth ever since he came out? He looks furious.
Hmm? He's staring at Master Su Yuntao's direction… (where Zu Zong is hiding, grinning)
Could it be… he's blaming Master Su Yuntao for not giving him a good martial soul?
No, no, that won't do. Master Su Yuntao is from the Spirit Hall, a noble soul master—you can't offend someone like him.
Chapter 5: The Rage Within
Can't believe this kid usually seems so well-behaved, but his hatred runs so deep.
Although Old Jack was still bitter over Sheng Hun Village losing to Di Hun Village, he stayed firm in preventing Tang San from doing something foolish. He tightened his grip on Tang San's arm. Caught off guard, Tang San couldn't shake free immediately, but his rage was boiling over—he wasn't about to give up. He struggled violently.
Tang San: Zu Zong, that bastard—I'm beating him up today. Even Xiao Wu couldn't stop me. Huh? Who's Xiao Wu?
Old Jack: So the kid really was about to attack Master Su Yuntao! Thank goodness I was paying attention and stopped him in time. Otherwise, that would've been a huge mistake.
Old Jack was always gentle with good kids. He'd often helped out Tang San's family in the past, because Tang San was obedient and kind.
But when it came to troublemakers, he never went easy.
And now, when Tang San tried to lay hands on Master Su Yuntao (Zu Zong), Old Jack was the first to act. He summoned his martial soul—a massive ten-jin white radish—and smacked Tang San square on the head as he thrashed.
Caught by surprise, Tang San tumbled to the ground.
"You brat, what's gotten into you? Master Su Yuntao awakened your martial soul for free and you blame him just because it turned out bad? If you want to blame someone, blame that worthless Tang Hao!"
Hearing Old Jack's words, Old Tom instantly understood what was going on. Seeing that Old Jack alone couldn't hold Tang San down, he rushed forward to help. Together, they pinned Tang San to the ground.
—Yeah! When it really matters, Old Tom still has Old Jack's back.
Su Yuntao watched in stunned confusion as Tang San struggled, thinking it was just a childish tantrum. But when he heard Tang San was blaming him for not awakening a good martial soul—
Uncle can tolerate, but auntie can't!
Su Yuntao immediately exploded in anger. "You little brat! You look decent on the outside—I thought you were a good kid! I traveled all the way here just to awaken your martial soul for free, and not only do you not show any gratitude, you want to attack me?! I've never met such a wild kid!"
Zu Zong, hiding behind Su Yuntao, hadn't expected things to escalate so far. He nearly laughed out loud like a pig but held it in. Instead, he added fuel to the fire.
"Yeah! Xiao San, how can you blame Master Su Yuntao? That's just too unreasonable. Everyone's martial soul is innate. Dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes, and rats… well, rats' sons know how to dig. Of course, I'm not saying you were born from a rat—wait, I am—no, I'm not… ah, now I'm confused!"
Tang San, face pressed against the ground, stared at Zu Zong with bloodshot eyes, like a beast ready to tear someone apart. He was so furious he could hardly speak. After a long pause, he managed to growl:
"I'll kill you."
[Ding. Tang San's hatred toward the host intensifies. He wants to bite off a chunk of the protagonist. Hatred level increased to 11%. Hatred points +100.]
[Ding. Tang San's hatred intensifies further. He wants to craft a Silent Sleeve Dart on the spot to shoot off the host's xxx. Hatred level increased to 12%. Hatred points +100.]
Hearing the system messages, Zu Zong—still hiding behind Su Yuntao—broke into a cold sweat.
Damn, he's serious! He actually wants to cripple me for life! Thank heavens he hasn't made that Silent Sleeve Dart yet. Otherwise, I'd be screwed. Well then… might as well go all the way and throw in more fuel.
(End of Chapter)