Liu Neng sighed inwardly, his gaze toward Tang San undergoing a complete transformation. He might not fully comprehend the sheer magnitude of what a thirteen-year-old Spirit Elder represented in the wider world of Spirit Masters, but he wasn't blind. Even with his limited vision, he could tell that Tang San's future was destined to be limitless. Working with a Spirit Master of such potential was an opportunity he couldn't afford to mess up. What was there to worry about?
"Spirit Elder Tang San, I apologize for my previous doubts about you," Liu Neng said, his tone dripping with newfound respect. "Our cooperation is fine. Let's proceed exactly as you suggested earlier."
Tang San secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a smile of undisguised joy finally breaking onto his face. He had succeeded. Securing this cooperation was a vital step in his plans. With the blacksmith on his side, he would have more time to cultivate his spirit power and, more importantly, create powerful Hidden Weapons to protect himself.
"Boss, I would also like to purchase a set of blacksmith's furnace equipment from you. I need it to be of the best quality," Tang San requested, his voice steady. "Please arrange for someone to deliver it to the academy. I will provide the address shortly."
Liu Neng patted his chest heartily, the sound echoing in the small shop. "No problem! From now on, whatever you need, just come to us. As long as it is within our power, we will get it done. Don't worry, I will have Liu Long and Liu Hu personally handle your orders. The quality will definitely be fine. These two boys were raised by me, and their forging skills are the best in the shop."
Hearing this assurance, Tang San nodded with satisfaction. "Then I will trouble the two of them."
After writing down the address for Lanba Academy and paying a deposit of one hundred gold coins, Tang San prepared to leave. He walked out of the blacksmith's shop, accompanied by the Tie family father and his two sons, who insisted on seeing him off.
"I will trouble you with the items," Tang San said, turning back to them. "Once they are forged, have someone notify me at the academy, and I will come to collect them personally. As for the furnace equipment and the metal materials I listed earlier, please deliver them as soon as possible."
Liu Neng nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, I will have someone deliver these items to the academy for you tomorrow. By the way, Spirit Elder Tang San, does your academy still accept students? If these two good-for-nothing sons of mine could attend your esteemed academy, I believe their strength would increase even faster."
Liu Neng had personally witnessed Tang San's strength and composure. In his mind, any academy capable of cultivating a genius Spirit Master like Tang San must be extraordinary. It was an enticing prospect for a father who wanted the best for his children.
However, hearing the Blacksmith Shop Owner's hopeful words, Tang San instantly felt a wave of uneasiness wash over him. His heart skipped a beat. He didn't even know the specific strength or enrollment requirements of Lanba Academy himself. Technically, he wasn't even a student there; he was hired as a cleaner.
He absolutely could not let the Blacksmith Shop Owner's two sons enter Lanba Academy. If they came and saw him sweeping the floors or cleaning the toilets, the mysterious and powerful image he had painstakingly built up would be instantly shattered. He would lose his leverage.
Thinking quickly, Tang San shook his head with a regretful expression. "I'm afraid not. The academy's requirements are quite strict. With their current strength, they clearly wouldn't meet the academy's standards for admission."
A heavy silence fell for a moment before Liu Long, one of the sons, sighed. "Forget it, Dad. We can still succeed without attending a Spirit Master academy. We will work hard to reach level thirty as soon as possible on our own."
Relieved that they accepted the excuse, Tang San said his final goodbyes and returned to Lanba Academy to resume his lowly duties.
Time flew by, indifferent to the struggles of men. Seven days passed in a flash.
Inside a standard, unassuming room within an inn in Heaven Dou City, the atmosphere was tense. Two figures dressed in black robes sat opposite each other at a small wooden table. They were powerful individuals from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, stationed here in Heaven Dou City for a specific mission.
They had already visited the ferocious Liu Erlong seven days prior, seeking information about a fugitive. They had left empty-handed then, but just now, they had received a new rumor. Intelligence suggested that a person remarkably similar to the one on the wanted poster had appeared at Lanba Academy.
The two men exchanged sharp glances. They didn't know if the news was true, but the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan did not ignore leads. They had to confirm it themselves. Without a word, they stood up and left the inn, heading straight for the academy.
"Are you two mistaken?" Liu Erlong looked at the newcomers with unconcealed impatience, her fingers tapping rhythmically on her desk. "I already told you that if there was any news, I would send someone to inform you."
The two men in black remained confident, unmoved by her hostility. "According to reliable intelligence, the suspect has disguised himself as a cleaner at your esteemed academy. Could you allow us to see him?"
Liu Erlong rolled her eyes and waved her hand casually. These people were persistent and annoying. To suspect a cleaner in her academy was ridiculous, but she knew they wouldn't leave until they checked. She signaled for her subordinates to bring the new staff members over.
Lanba Academy currently only had two new cleaners. Although she had seen them briefly when they were hired, she barely remembered their faces. Her subordinates had handled the details. "These family members are truly sick in the head," she thought to herself. "Suspecting the janitors?"
Two minutes later, the door creaked open. A bewildered Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were escorted directly into the office. They looked disheveled, smelling faintly of cleaning supplies and grime. They had no idea what was happening. One moment they were scrubbing the toilets, and the next, they were seized and marched here without a word of explanation.
"Who could stand this treatment?" Tang San thought, annoyed, though he kept his face neutral.
However, the moment Yu Xiaogang stepped into the room and lifted his head, he froze. His eyes locked onto the woman sitting behind the desk.
Liu Erlong's body went rigid. Her hands stopped tapping on the desk, and she began to tremble uncontrollably. The air in the room seemed to stagnate.
"Xiaogang... Xiaogang, is it really you?" Liu Erlong's voice was soft, barely a whisper. "Am I not dreaming?"
Her usually fierce and melodious voice trembled violently. Tears welled up in her eyes and flowed uncontrollably down her slightly pale, beautiful face. She stood up slowly, completely engulfed in extreme excitement and disbelief. The man she had searched for, the man she had loved for so long, was standing right there in dirt-stained clothes.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the woman he had longed for day and night. He had spent years daring not to meet her, hiding from his past. His eyes turned red as he looked at her. His lips trembled, attempting to form words, but he couldn't utter a single sound for a long time. The shame and the love warred within him.
"Xiaogang, are you just going to keep not talking to me like this?" Liu Erlong asked, her gaze fixed on his face. The initial shock had passed, and while the excitement in her eyes hadn't vanished, her voice now carried a hint of deep, aching loneliness.
Looking at the beautiful woman before him, who was as lovely as a flower and as graceful as ever, Yu Xiaogang's heart trembled. He struggled to open his mouth several times, wanting to call her name, wanting to explain. But then, the cruel reality of his situation crashed down on him.
He realized he couldn't say what he wanted. He had indeed longed for Liu Erlong. But now? He, Yu Xiaogang, was no longer considered a complete man. He was a eunuch, a cripple in the most humiliating way possible. How could he, in such a wretched state—cleaning toilets and physically broken—still hope to be with Liu Erlong again? Being with her now would only be letting her down. She deserved a dragon, not a worm.
Liu Erlong gazed deeply at him, her eyes burning with intensity. "Xiaogang, this time, I won't let you escape from my grasp again."
Yu Xiaogang felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn't tell her the truth directly. He could only force a somewhat helpless, self-deprecating smile.
"I'm old, Erlong," he said, his voice raspy. "You are still as graceful as ever. Come, let me introduce you; this is my disciple, Tang San. My disciple and I unintentionally saw the recruitment notice for your academy. I didn't expect this to be your territory. We have just come here to make a living."
He tried to deflect the attention away from their relationship and his own condition. Yu Xiaogang turned to look at the bewildered Tang San, who was watching the scene with wide eyes.
"Tang San, this is Liu Erlong. Perhaps you have heard of her," Yu Xiaogang explained. "She is one of the Golden Iron Triangle, the Slaughtering Corner, who ventured into the Spirit Master's world with me and Flender back then."
Liu Erlong. The name sounded strange to Tang San, but he dared not be negligent. He quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, senior."
Liu Erlong took a deep breath, composing herself. She wiped away the tears from her eyes and politely returned the greeting, though her eyes kept drifting back to Yu Xiaogang.
Just then, Flender, who had been quietly observing from the side after arriving to check on the situation, spoke up with a smile. "Erlong, aren't you going to invite us in properly?"
The conversation inevitably turned to why they were there. When Yu Xiaogang reluctantly mentioned that he and Tang San had been expelled from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the atmosphere in the room changed instantly.
A strong, terrifying murderous aura flashed in Liu Erlong's eyes. She slammed her hand on the desk. "Good! Good! Heaven Dou Royal Academy!" she hissed, her anger flaring on their behalf.
She looked at Yu Xiaogang, her expression softening into fierce determination. "Xiaogang, say no more. Isn't my place yours? This Lanba Academy is completely up to me! How about this: both you and your disciple stay here. This will be your place from now on. I will not let anyone drive you away again."
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