"Father, elders... I will accept any decision you make. My only request is that nothing happens to my beloved..."
"Foolish son, what nonsense are you speaking... This entire disaster began because of you... If you hadn't roamed among the populace with that... ah, with this wife of yours, none of this would have happened..."
Although Tang Zhen and the other elders had already reached a decision regarding Ah Yin and Tang Hao, Tang Zhen, still wishing to uphold his dignity, spoke with a cold tone. Yet, his words carried no true blame toward Tang Hao for marrying Ah Yin. He and the elders knew well enough not to voice such things openly, not when the person involved stood right before them...
Besides, what was done could not be undone. Tang Hao and Ah Yin were already wed. Anyone could see that Tang Hao's love for this soul beast ran deep... There was no point in lecturing him further, nor in scolding him alone for what had already become fact...
"Yes, Ah Hao... You acted rashly. You should have come to us first with the truth. Not only did you wander the cities with her, but you even allowed Spirit Hall to discover her... Worse still, instead of returning to us to find a solution together, you chose to go into hiding... Do you realize how worried we have been?" The First Elder's words struck directly at Tang Zhen's intent. He scolded Tang Hao's recklessness, yet his tone overflowed with concern—revealing the warmth they still held toward him...
The other elders, though slower to respond, echoed in the same tone of admonition.
"Yes, Ah Hao, you were reckless."
"Truly reckless."
"..."
"..."
Hearing the elders' words, Tang Xiao—who usually preferred to remain silent in such moments—couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
"Last time, each of these old dogs cursed Ah Yin more filthily than the last, calling her a whore and a slut... I'm certain in their minds they even imagined Ah Yin lying naked with countless men. And now, they act as though nothing happened, putting on a righteous front before Tang Hao... I wonder what Tang Hao would do if he ever learned how these elders defiled his wife with their tongues?" Tang Xiao's heart stirred with amusement.
But he was also sure the chances of Tang Hao learning about that day were slim... Unless Tang Yuehua herself revealed it. Yet, knowing her nature, she never would.
Even so, while Tang Xiao had room to feel amused and listen to the exchanges in the hall, most of his mind was already occupied—pondering what steps he should take from this point forward... The blow he suffered in his heart from the return of Tang Hao and Ah Yin was far too great to recover from so easily...
…
Hearing the elders' words, Tang Hao was deeply moved. Though their voices sounded like reproach, the concern within was unmistakable...
"My clan is still the home I can return to..." With such a thought, Tang Hao remained kneeling. He knew this was not the time to speak further. His father still had to give a direct answer regarding Ah Yin. Only then would he rise to his feet.
"Alright, alright..." Finally, Tang Zhen, seeing Tang Hao kneeling, relented with a fatherly tone.
"Since you have returned, it is enough... As for your wife, I and the elders have already decided on a solution... Cough, cough—"
Suddenly, Tang Zhen's words were cut short by a violent cough. As he covered his mouth, thick black blood spilled between his fingers, staining his robes a dreadful red.
"Father!"
"Father!"
"Clan leader!"
"..."
"..."
Tang Xiao was the first to move. He vanished from his spot and appeared at Tang Zhen's side, steadying his body.
Although his voice carried doubt, his reaction was swift:
"Father, what has happened to you?! How could you have accumulated so many hidden injuries..." Spreading his soul power through Tang Zhen's body, Tang Xiao was shaken. Shock, a trace of joy, and even annoyance flickered within him, but outwardly he only spoke with concern and care toward his so-called father.
One after another, Tang Hao and the seven elders rushed to Tang Zhen's side.
Tang Yuehua hurried forward, flustered and pale, while Ah Yin followed closely behind.
Tang Hao and the other elders, filled with worry, seized Tang Zhen's wrist to examine his condition—only to find his body completely hollowed, riddled with hidden injuries. All of them were stunned.
That single cough had stripped away Tang Zhen's healthy appearance. His body shriveled, his face sagged, his skin wrinkled—he seemed to have aged decades in mere moments.
A barrage of anxious voices flooded the hall like a rising tide, overwhelming him.
"Enough... everyone, enough... It's nothing serious." With Tang Xiao's support stabilizing his soul power, Tang Zhen regained enough strength to speak. Nevertheless, it was clear he was at the end of his rope.
"How can you say that, Father? With such grave hidden injuries... Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Tang Hao could not hold back his voice.
The others echoed his concern with another torrent of worried cries... Only the First Elder remained silent, which Tang Xiao keenly noticed.
"Alas... I hadn't expected this day to arrive so soon."
"I was injured in my early years... No matter what method I tried, I could not cure it. The injury worsened year after year, but I suppressed it with my soul power so as not to worry anyone. Father also searched tirelessly for a cure, yet nothing could be done. Until, ten years ago, I realized this body of mine would not last much longer... And so—"
"....."
Under the weight of everyone's concern, and with his hidden injuries now exposed, Tang Zhen had no choice but to reveal the truth of his condition.
As Tang Zhen spoke, Tang Xiao's mind stirred, as if recalling something forgotten...
"So that's how it is... Because of Tang Zhen's youthful, healthy appearance, even I overlooked this detail..." Tang Xiao mused, remembering fragments from the novel.
It was exactly as Tang Zhen had said...
Because of his injury, knowing his life was nearing its end, he wanted to leave behind a successor for the sect. Thus, he sent Tang Xiao and Tang Hao on a ten-year experience in the outside world. After all, how could one lead the sect without first gaining worldly experience and understanding human complexities?
Of course, the next sect leader had long been chosen, even before Tang Zhen sent his sons away...
"If I recall correctly, the Clear Sky Sect possessed three inheritance spirit bones... The first was given to Tang Hao at the age of twenty. I, Tang Xiao, received one at thirty-five... And before we departed nine years ago, Tang Zhen bestowed the final one upon Tang Hao... For him to receive two of the three inheritance bones made it clear—they had already chosen Tang Hao as the next sect leader."
"Hmm... If I remember right, when Tang Hao later recounted his life to Tang San, he said the reason I was not chosen as successor was because I was overly calm, lacking in ambition? Heh..." With Tang Zhen's words as the trigger, Tang Xiao recalled many such details from the novel.
The impression he initially had of Tang Zhen upon returning to the sect after transmigration was, in fact, false...
Behind that seemingly vigorous appearance was already a hollowed body, one that could no longer endure.
It had to be said... Tang Zhen truly possessed a formidable will.
"That's right... Otherwise, how could a Titled Douluo die merely from anger? Haha" Tang Xiao laughed bitterly in his heart. Even he had overlooked such an obvious flaw.
Had he known—or remembered—Tang Zhen's condition earlier, he might have found some way to exploit it... What a wasted opportunity.
"Now that Ah Yin—the healing parasite—is here... this old dog of a father probably won't die anytime soon..." At the thought, Tang Xiao felt his chest sink with disheartenment.
The reason he felt only fleeting joy and far more annoyance while examining Tang Zhen earlier was precisely because of Ah Yin's presence... With her here, Tang Zhen's survival was all but assured.
Now, not only had Tang Hao returned to contend for the position of clan leader... even Tang Zhen himself still stood in the way.
Even if Tang Hao were disqualified by scandal, so long as Tang Zhen remained alive, Tang Xiao's hopes of inheriting the sect were crushed—at least for the next several decades...