If housing assignments were based on rankings, being first meant his neighbor would undoubtedly be second!
Sure enough, as Tang San was halfway to his residence, he spotted a short-haired beauty leaning against the doorway with crossed arms, clearly waiting for him.
After a week of treatment, Meng Yiran's injuries had naturally healed. Her black backless crop top accentuated her heroic bearing—though this was more necessity than choice, as her Eight Spider Lances emerged from her back. Wearing anything not backless would risk wardrobe malfunctions, which would be truly awkward.
"Tang San," Meng Yiran called out the moment she saw him approaching.
Sigh...
Suppressing an internal sigh, Tang San asked, "You're not here for revenge, are you? I'd advise against it. Even given ten thousand attempts, you'd never defeat me."
His infuriating words made Meng Yiran's chest heave with indignation, her fair skin flushing. Yet she couldn't refute him—after all, she genuinely stood no chance against him.
"Just because I can't beat you today doesn't mean I never will! Thirty—"
Tang San raised a hand to cut her off. "Understood, understood. If you have something to say, say it quickly. If you're here to declare your determination, the Simulated Training Field is that way."
Having her 'casting interrupted,' Meng Yiran resigned herself to the reality of her crushing defeat. With a fierce glare, she said, "Come inside first."
Pushing the door open, her cheeks tinged pink—this being her first time inviting a man into her private quarters, let alone being alone with one.
The sparsely furnished room contained only basic chairs and a table. After ensuring Tang San had entered, Meng Yiran closed the door and raised her right hand. A mutton-fat white jade bracelet on her wrist glowed faintly as a long cloth bundle materialized in her palm—evidently another storage-type Soul Guidance Device.
The bundle measured about two feet long and half a foot wide. Splitting it open, she revealed rows of uniformly sized and styled daggers lining the fabric.
Tang San immediately recognized them—Hidden Weapons. This must have been how Meng Yiran had ambushed him during their match a week prior.
With solemn intensity, Meng Yiran demanded, "You know what these are, don't you? How?"
Just as he'd anticipated—she wanted answers about the Hidden Weapons. This was Tang San's first encounter with someone else wielding them, employing techniques traceable to the ancient Tang Sect.
Pulling out a chair, Tang San sat leisurely and met her gaze. "Miss Meng, shouldn't you adopt a more courteous tone when questioning someone? I'm under no obligation to answer you."
Accustomed to deference under her grandmother's protection, the young mistress found herself thoroughly outmatched when facing a true scion of nobility.
Meng Yiran sat down, forcing a faint smile as she said, "Young Master Tang San~ May I ask if you know the origins of these hidden weapons?"
Tang San crossed his legs and sighed, "We've been sitting here for so long, and not even a cup of tea has been offered."
"Don't push your luck."
"Fine, fine. Who knows if you'd poison it anyway. First, tell me how you obtained these hidden weapons. Don't tell me you designed them yourself—and explain your technique while you're at it." Tang San stopped teasing; he genuinely wanted to know how Meng Yiran had acquired the hidden weapons.
Meng Yiran retrieved a box from her Soul Guidance Device and said, "The blueprints for these hidden weapons were found by my grandparents in a ruined relic. They told me they discovered them inside a corpse's Soul Guidance Device."
Tang San opened the box. Inside lay an extremely tattered book and a folded piece of parchment, both ancient and worn. Many of the words and patterns were barely visible, eroded by time, leaving only fragmented text and diagrams. No wonder Meng Yiran's skills were so messy—she was working with incomplete techniques.
After just a glance, Tang San recognized it: this was the most basic introductory manual for Tang Sect Hidden Weapons techniques, while the parchment contained blueprints for the sect's throwing daggers—both foundational materials meant for novice disciples.
Setting down the parchment, Tang San said, "These items are from the Tang Sect."
Meng Yiran looked puzzled. "Tang Sect? What kind of Soul Master sect is that? I've never heard of it."
"Strictly speaking, it wasn't a Soul Master sect," Tang San explained. "It existed in the distant ancient past and has long since vanished from history. It's no surprise you haven't heard of it."
"Then how do you know about it?"
"Because I also inherited knowledge from the Tang Sect—though mine didn't come from books but from a Soul Guidance Device." Without hiding anything, Tang San took out the Lotus Soul Guidance Device.
"It seems this Soul Guidance Device once housed the soul of a Tang Sect disciple. Through it, I witnessed that disciple's life records, which is how I recognized your items as Tang Sect artifacts. However, what you have are just the most basic introductory Soul Skills."
Meng Yiran stared intently at the Lotus Soul Guidance Device, quickly discerning that it was irreparably damaged—beyond restoration in this era.
Tang San asked, "Do your grandparents remember where they found those Tang Sect manuals?"
Meng Yiran nodded. "My grandparents discovered them over twenty years ago in a location between the outer and inner regions of the Star Dou Great Forest. But..."
"But what?"
"Now, my grandfather says that place has undergone strange changes. Not even Spirit Beasts from the Star Dou Great Forest can approach it, let alone people."
Tang San was startled. Another anomaly! And one even Spirit Beasts couldn't approach?!
"You want to go there?"
Tang San nodded. "There's something peculiar about this Tang Sect. It recorded many things, so I want to see how the sect was destroyed. Perhaps through the Tang Sect, we can uncover the secrets behind the lost techniques of Soul Guidance Devices."
Meng Yiran thought for a moment before taking out paper, brush, and ink to roughly sketch a map. "That place is quite dangerous now, but if you insist on going, I'll tell you the location. It might be helpful to you."
Tang San hadn't expected Meng Yiran to be so generous. Accepting the map with a smile, he said, "In that case, it wouldn't be right if I didn't return the favor. Let me complete these beginner-level techniques and blueprints for you. It'll make your practice sessions more effective later."
Not wanting to owe Meng Yiran a favor, Tang San filled in the damaged sections before leaving her residence.
Watching Tang San walk away without even a backward glance, Meng Yiran pouted slightly and muttered, "Leaving so soon, really..."
However, when Tang San finally reached his own residence and opened the door to enter, his eyes rolled in exasperation.
Had he stumbled into a den of women today? What was going on! Well, strictly speaking, the person before him wasn't exactly a woman.
"We meet again, Xiao San-san. Oh wait, I suppose this is our first formal meeting." A faint fragrance of chrysanthemums drifted through the air.
Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan.