A/N: Sorry I couldn't post yesterday. I had to go out yesterday for a family thing and by the time i came back I was too tired to edit and post the chapter. I'll be posting yesterday's chapters and today's at once.
=============================
Just as the two were desperately hoping for Tang San in the Divine Realm to give them some advice, there was no response from him, as if no one had just instructed them to speak at all.
"Big Dad? Second Dad?"
Wang Dong'er's puzzled voice rang in their ears, pulling their thoughts back to the present.
Da Ming sighed inwardly. He knew that Tang San must have been pinned down again by those old rivals in the Divine Realm.
The Divine Realm might seem glorious, but it was filled with undercurrents. Although current Tang San held a dual Divine Origin, he was also being closely monitored. Those fellows in the God Realm Committee would never allow him to interfere with the Douluo Continent so unscrupulously.
Tang San had only managed to sneak a peek at the lower world and give them instructions by hiding from that group of people for a brief moment.
But the problem was...you, Tang San, had a great time saying "Tang Sect Hidden Weapons are the most powerful," but then you just dumped this mess on us brothers. How are we supposed to make this sound plausible?
Who didn't already know the truth about what had happened to the current Tang Sect?
Er Ming's brain worked frantically, his coarse eyebrows nearly twisting into a knot. He opened his mouth, somewhat wanting to tell the truth.
In his view, since the Tang Sect had already rotted to that extent, why not just tell Wang Dong'er directly?
"How about..."
Er Ming lowered his voice and leaned toward Da Ming's ear, muttering somewhat foolishly.
"Should we just tell her straight? Let's say the current Tang Sect lost its glory from ten thousand years ago because its disciples were a mixed bag of good and bad, and basically... it's already gone extinct."
"Shut up!"
Da Ming was startled and glared fiercely at Er Ming.
Did this fool Er Ming have nothing but muscles in his head?
"Saying that is absolutely out of the question!"
Da Ming's gaze became extremely solemn.
"Have you forgotten Tang San's personality? He cares about face more than anything. Tang San just said the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons are the strongest, but then in the next breath, we say the Tang Sect is extinct? Even with the excuse of the disciples being a mixed bag, Tang San wouldn't be able to accept that."
He clearly cared so much about the Tang Sect's reputation, yet he hadn't passed down any heirloom treasures or techniques. Every generation's Sect Master still had the Blue Silver Grass Spirit, even though Tang San's own Spirit was the Blue Silver Emperor. Forcing those with Blue Silver Grass Spirits to be the Sect Master—wasn't that just leading them astray?
Of course, the two of them only thought these things in their hearts. In short, the story had to be artistically processed.
Wang Dong'er's pink-blue eyes were full of curiosity. Seeing her Big Dad and Second Dad huddled together muttering incessantly with such strange expressions, she couldn't help but ask.
"Big Dad, Second Dad, what are you two talking about? Did something happen to the Tang Sect?"
"Cough... No, how could that be?"
Da Ming waved his hand awkwardly, his serious expression doing an excellent job of masking his embarrassment.
He took a deep breath, straightened his face, and looked at Wang Dong'er, his tone becoming profound.
"Xiao Qi, actually... the Tang Sect's situation is quite special. Like our Clear Sky Sect, it is indeed a Hidden Sect. However, the difference between the Tang Sect and our Sect is that it has branches."
"Branches?"
Wang Dong'er blinked; this was the first time she had heard such a claim.
"That's right."
Without blinking or his heart skipping a beat, Da Ming entered "bluffing mode."
"After the Sea God Tang San ascended, the Tang Sect gradually split into two branches because it was too large. One branch was responsible for worldly affairs, managing the Sect's properties and reputation on the continent. The other branch consisted of the most core direct descendants, responsible for inheriting Lord Sea God's top-secret Hidden Weapons. That is the so-called 'Hidden Branch'."
Da Ming paused, his tone becoming somewhat wistful.
"The information you read in books or heard about the Tang Sect's decline actually refers to that 'Worldly Branch.' The disciples of that branch were indeed of varying quality and lacked focus, even reaching the point of near extinction. But..."
"That most core, Hidden Branch has always existed in the world! Their strength has not declined; instead, it is terrifyingly powerful. It's only because of their strict Sect rules that they never show themselves to the mundane world. No matter how powerful these so-called Spirit Tools are today, they are nothing compared to the true Hidden Weapons of that branch of the Tang Sect."
Sitting to the side, Er Ming was completely dumbfounded by what he heard.
His large, bell-like eyes stared fixedly at Da Ming, his gaze filled with shock and admiration.
"Hiss..."
Er Ming shouted inwardly, almost unable to resist giving his big brother a thumbs up.
Big brother! You are truly brilliant! Simply too brilliant!
This move of "fictional branches" was a stroke of genius.
As long as he claimed two branches existed, the logic became a closed loop. The useless branch was known to everyone and could be used as a shield, while the powerful branch had never been seen by anyone, so they could brag about it however they liked!
Since it was fictional, who could prove whether it was true or false?
Anyway, Tang San definitely wanted his precious daughter to join the Tang Sect, otherwise he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of transmitting his voice down earlier. Now, with these words from Da Ming, not only was Tang San's face saved, but the path for Wang Dong'er to join the Tang Sect was also paved.
The two of them had already done more than enough!
Hearing Da Ming's plausible explanation, Wang Dong'er's simple little head nodded seriously, an expression of realization dawning on her face.
"So that's how it is... No wonder I felt that those legendary Hidden Weapons shouldn't have declined so quickly. It turns out the powerful ones were all hidden away."
Wang Dong'er patted her chest, and that inexplicable good feeling she had toward Tang Sect Hidden Weapons seemed to grow a bit stronger.
Then, she thought of something and asked curiously.
"Then Big Dad, Second Dad, do you know where that other powerful branch of the Tang Sect is? If I can encounter them outside Shrek Academy, I'd like to go and see for myself."
"Well..."
Da Ming gave two dry laughs and spread his hands, acting as if he couldn't help.
"We aren't aware of that. You should know that there is a certain tacit understanding between Hidden Sects; they don't inquire about each other's specific locations to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. This is also to protect their respective peace."
"I see... alright then."
Although Wang Dong'er felt a bit of regret, she expressed her understanding.
Seeing this, Da Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Wang Dong'er, a smile appearing on his face, and struck while the iron was hot.
"Xiao Qi, if you have the chance to meet a descendant of the Tang Sect in the future, or if you can join the Tang Sect to learn, it would actually be a very good choice. Our Clear Sky Sect has always been open-minded and won't stop you from joining other Sects. After all, being able to learn more skills will be of great benefit to your future growth."
"In fact, your Second Dad and I both hope you can learn from many sources, acquire more skills, and become a true powerhouse."
These words were spoken with great righteousness.
Wang Dong'er nodded heavily, her eyes filled with emotion.
"Big Dad, Second Dad, you guys are so kind! I definitely won't let your expectations down!"
Watching Wang Dong'er's cheerful figure, Da Ming and Er Ming looked at each other; they had finally managed to bluff their way through this ordeal.
---------------------------------------------
A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.