Xiao Wu never expected Lin Xian to give such a reason.
Seeing him stare at her so directly, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. She quickly stepped back, putting some distance between them.
"No need to be so wary of me. I'm an honest rogue—much better than those hypocrites. At least I'm sincere."
"Alright, I won't keep you here any longer. Head back. Tang Hao should have already left, so you're safe for now."
"I imagine that compared to me, you'd much rather see Tang San right now, wouldn't you? Hahahaha!"
"I'll say it again—if you need my help, you can come find me. But the price… you should already understand."
Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment, then reached out and pulled the door open.
Before leaving, she turned back and gave Lin Xian a deep, lingering look, then quickly disappeared into the night.
She was indeed going to find Tang San.
She needed to confirm whether everything she had just heard was true.
Even though the answer was almost certain, she still clung to a sliver of hope.
What if… what if Lin Xian had only been trying to sow discord, deliberately deceiving her…
When she returned to the dormitory, she found Tang San already waiting.
"Xiao Wu, it's so late. Where did you go?"
On the way back, Xiao Wu had already forced herself to calm down. Aside from her slightly reddened eyes, the dense Tang San noticed nothing unusual.
But why was he waiting here?
Was it because she had left his sight?
If Lin Xian hadn't shown her everything, Xiao Wu wouldn't have thought much of it. But now, every action Tang San took seemed to carry hidden meaning.
"I just went out for a walk. I wasn't in a good mood."
"That's good. I've prepared—"
Before he could finish, Xiao Wu interrupted him.
"Brother, can you teach me your cultivation techniques and skills? I want to become stronger."
Tang San paused, his gaze flickering slightly as he looked into her eyes.
"Xiao Wu, you've never asked me this before. Why now?"
"There are too many monsters at Shrek Academy. I feel like I'm falling behind, so I need to improve."
Hearing this, Tang San let out a quiet breath of relief.
After all, these were the Tang Sect's ultimate techniques—he had to be cautious.
He even glanced around carefully, making sure no one was nearby before stepping closer.
"Xiao Wu, it's not that I don't want to teach you. These techniques come from an ancient sect and cannot be passed to outsiders. It's an ancestral rule. I'm sorry."
As expected…
A sharp pain stabbed through Xiao Wu's heart.
An ancient sect… one of the Upper Three Sects—the Clear Sky Sect.
So it was true. He really was Tang Hao's son.
"Then… can I at least learn how to make Hidden Weapons with you? I'll just watch when you're forging."
"No!"
The refusal came out almost instinctively.
Tang San quickly realized his tone was too harsh and hurried to soften it.
"The blacksmith shop is dirty and messy. It's not a place for you. I've already given you a Sleeve Dart—practice with that first."
What he didn't realize was that with every refusal, Xiao Wu's heart shattered a little more.
There was no longer any need to test further.
She already understood everything.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something.
"Brother, while I was walking earlier, I found a few small glowing objects. I thought they looked interesting, so I brought them back. Do you know what they are?"
She opened her palm, revealing the five Star Needles Lin Xian had given her.
At first, Tang San didn't pay much attention.
Then he took a closer look.
His entire body froze.
Dragon Beard Needles—the eighth-ranked Hidden Weapon of the Tang Sect!
He had searched for them for so long, yet never expected them to appear in Xiao Wu's hands.
"Xiao Wu! Where did you find these? Are there more? Was there a crystal nearby—something with hair-like strands inside? This is extremely important!"
"Can you take me there? Let's search again. Maybe we missed something!"
Tang San was visibly excited.
But Xiao Wu's gaze gradually turned cold.
"Tang San, do you know how to use these?"
Lost in his excitement, Tang San didn't notice the change in how she addressed him.
"These are called Dragon Beard Needles. Don't be fooled by how small they are. Once infused with spirit power, they unfold!"
As he spoke, he demonstrated.
"If you inject spirit power and shoot them into someone's body when they least expect it, they can pierce through defenses easily. Once the spirit power dissipates, they curl back up inside the flesh. Without special techniques—or cutting out the flesh—they can't be removed."
He explained in great detail.
And the more detailed his explanation became, the colder Xiao Wu's expression grew.
They were the same age.
So why did he know so much?
Whether it was from the Spirit Hall or the Clear Sky Sect… it made no difference anymore.
While Tang San was overjoyed, Xiao Wu felt only despair.
The truth was already clear.
"Xiao Wu, what's wrong? Why are you acting so strange today? You should be happy—you found such a powerful Hidden Weapon! Come on, take me there. Maybe we'll find more! I'll treat you to something delicious!"
"There aren't any more. I've forgotten where I found them."
"That's fine, just tell me roughly where you went. I'll go look myself."
Xiao Wu didn't reply.
She only felt utterly exhausted.
"Tang San… if I said I didn't want to stay at Shrek Academy anymore, and wanted to go somewhere else… what would you do?"
"Is that even a question? I'd follow you. I promised to protect you."
Xiao Wu smiled.
But the smile carried a trace of bitterness.
Protect?
More like surveillance.
How could prey ever leave the hunter's sight?
"Xiao Wu, why would you think that?"
"Nothing. Just saying."
"I knew it. Shrek Academy is a good place. Let's just focus on training here."
"…Okay."
She didn't want to say anything more.
She casually made up a location, and Tang San hurried off in excitement.
Watching the direction he left, Xiao Wu's eyes gradually turned hollow.
What should she do?
At that moment, Lin Xian's words echoed in her mind once again—
"I just lust after your body!"
(Author's Note)
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