Chapter 25: The Cage
"Mmm…"
Anjila rubbed her aching forehead and took in her surroundings.
"Lan'er, you're awake! Are you alright?" Tang San smiled warmly, the picture of a caring older brother.
He'd already guessed why Tang Hao spared Anjila. A naive little girl with a super martial soul? Easy to mold—no, *easy to save from the corrupt clutches of Spirit Hall!*
As for this deviating from his original timeline? Variables were inevitable. And honestly, another genius at his side wouldn't hurt. Besides, killing her would raise questions. He couldn't risk exposing his reborn identity—not even to his own father.
Still, while Tang San had no objection to keeping her around, the idea of "genius pairing" was laughable. His heart belonged to Xiao Wu—only Xiao Wu.
"Big Brother… what happened? Where's that uncle?" Anjila asked tearfully.
She'd survived—but now she was trapped. For the foreseeable future, she'd have to stick close to this "pure and icy" Tang God King.
Beneath her acting, revulsion churned.
"I don't know," Tang San said with feigned confusion. "One moment everything went dark, and when I woke up… we were like this."
He knew Tang Hao was behind it. But since his father chose to stay hidden, filial piety demanded he play along.
"What do we do now?" Anjila pressed, still sobbing.
"Let's go back to the village."
"Okay… Big Brother, what's your name?"
Swallowing her disgust, Anjila forced herself to sound utterly dependent.
"I'm Tang San."
"Tang San-gege… should we tell Grandpa what happened?"
"We'll say the Spirit Master left with a black-cloaked stranger. That's all."
"But why not mention we passed out?"
"Better not worry Village Chief Jack."
…
The two walked back to Spirit Village, exchanging lines like actors in a wholesome play. To any observer, they were the image of childhood innocence. Only they knew the truth festering beneath.
Back in the village, Old Jack accepted their story at face value—assuming Su Yuntao had simply been called away. He showed mild disappointment they hadn't joined Spirit Hall, but as a rural elder, he didn't grasp the significance of "full innate spirit power." All he knew was that Spirit Masters were prestigious.
Since they hadn't joined Spirit Hall, he decided to enroll them in Notting City's Spirit Master Academy using the village's work-study quota.
(Here's how the work-study system actually worked: contrary to the original story's "one slot per village per year," any child with innate spirit power could attend a local academy tuition-free. Given how rare innate spirit power was—some villages went centuries without a single case—the system was designed to never waste talent. And in a feudal society like Douluo, no self-respecting family would abuse the system for cheap tuition. The policy, pioneered by Spirit Hall millennia ago, was universally adopted.)
Skipping ahead—Tang Hao began drilling Tang San in the Chaos Storm Hammer technique, while Anjila, desperate to stay alive, kept showing up at their hovel to "accidentally" bond with the reclusive blacksmith.
Now, at Notting City's Spirit Master Academy, Anjila stood outside Dormitory Seven—the work-study students' quarters—watching a "battle" unfold inside.
The combatants? Our Tang God King and his "eternal love," Xiao Wu.
Though "flirting" would be a more accurate term.
Xiao Wu wrapped her legs around Tang San's head and flipped him onto the floor. And Tang San? Not a hint of anger—only blissful surrender.
As he rose, his eyes flickered with raw, possessive adoration—gone in an instant.
"I yield. You're the boss of Dorm Seven now."
After the "fight" ended, Anjila lingered outside, replaying that fleeting look in her mind.
*That wasn't brotherly affection. That was ownership.*
Others might have missed it. But Anjila—a veteran of real-world social maneuvering—saw it clearly.
*The original story claimed he saw her as a sister at this stage. Since when do brothers look at sisters like that?*
She shook her head. *This is a real world now. The original plot is just a rough guide.*
But even by real-world logic, that gaze made no sense. No normal boy looked at a girl he'd just met with such hunger—especially not Tang San, who wasn't some lecher.
*Forget it. No use obsessing.* Better to focus on survival.
She'd already dodged the "fateful拜师" scene by faking a bathroom break. Good thing, too—she'd rather die than become Yu Xiaogang's disciple. The very idea made her skin crawl.
Stuck in the Shrek orbit for the long haul, she faced an ugly truth: Shrek wasn't a team. It was a cult of Tang San, with everyone else as disposable props to highlight his "greatness"—a greatness so absurd it bordered on parody.
*Could I seize leadership from him?*
Impossible. The entire group revolved around him. And her modern values clashed violently with Shrek's regressive ethos. She couldn't compromise—many of their actions in the original story crossed her moral lines.
*Then there's only one choice.*
Find a way to slip away—quietly, cleanly, and soon.