Chapter 20: Estrangement
The others in the dorm followed Lin Mo's gaze and also turned their eyes to Tang San.
When they recalled that Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and Dean Wang Zongchang had gone to find Lin Mo together this afternoon, and that Yu Xiaogang was Tang San's teacher, understanding dawned on their faces at once. Their looks toward Tang San grew complicated.
Wang Sheng's eyes widened even more. He stared at Tang San and asked uncertainly, "Tang San… it couldn't be you…"
Under everyone's gaze, Tang San finally could not sit still.
He took a deep breath and stood up from the bed. He tried to keep his expression calm, but his eyes flickered, not daring to meet Lin Mo's gaze.
"I told my teacher," Tang San admitted. His voice sounded steady, but if one listened closely, there was a hint of nervousness.
He paused, then added, "I… I was also worried about you, Lin Mo."
"Your Martial Soul underwent such a strange change. I was afraid there might be hidden risks."
Tang San looked at Lin Mo, forcing his eyes to appear sincere.
"My teacher, Grandmaster Yu, is a titan in the Spirit Master theoretical world. He's very knowledgeable."
"I thought that if I let him take a look for you, he might be able to clarify the cause of your Martial Soul's change, and that would help your future development."
"I really had no ill intent. I just wanted to help you, out of kindness."
His explanation sounded reasonable on the surface, as if he was doing it purely for a classmate.
But Lin Mo's expression remained calm, as deep and still as a pond. Only his gaze changed.
The way he looked at Tang San carried undisguised scrutiny, as if he were quietly asking a single question.
Do you even believe your own excuse?
That gaze was so sharp it felt like it could pierce through any mask.
Under it, Tang San felt his face burn. The guilt in his heart was dragged into the open, with nowhere to hide.
He subconsciously avoided Lin Mo's eyes and lowered his head slightly.
Only Tang San knew the real reason.
He had long seen that because of the flaws in Luo San Pao, Yu Xiaogang had been stuck at the Rank 29 bottleneck for most of his life.
If there were no special opportunities or variables, there was a high chance Yu Xiaogang would remain at Rank 29 forever, unable to break through to the Spirit Elder realm.
But this morning, when Tang San saw Lin Mo's hatched Charmander, and witnessed its terrifying combat strength, a thought immediately surfaced.
Lin Mo's Charmander and his teacher's Luo San Pao were both extremely rare external Beast Martial Souls.
Tang San believed this could be an opportunity that could not be missed.
An opportunity for his teacher to find a way, through Lin Mo's Charmander, to help Luo San Pao break through to the Spirit Elder realm.
It was because of that hope that Tang San chose to violate the agreement he had made with Lin Mo and everyone in Dormitory Seven only this morning.
Without hesitation, he told Yu Xiaogang everything he knew about Lin Mo's Martial Soul.
In Tang San's heart, a teacher for a day, a father for life, was a principle he had always followed.
For his teacher's future, he felt that breaking a promise was acceptable. He even believed it was worth it.
So while he showed apology to Lin Mo on the surface, deep down, he did not truly think he had done anything wrong.
In the end, his starting point was never Lin Mo.
It was Yu Xiaogang.
Lin Mo looked at Tang San, silent and head bowed, then slowly nodded.
At last, his tone revealed a trace of clear mockery.
"So that's how it is. Then I really must… thank you for your kindness."
He deliberately stressed the word "thank," and the sentence instantly carried a different meaning.
"However, I'm afraid I can't afford that kind of kindness, and I won't need it in the future." Lin Mo's voice returned to a flat calm. "This time, I suppose I trusted the wrong person."
Hearing Lin Mo's distance and irony, Tang San's body stiffened.
His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out.
Seeing the atmosphere turn stiff, Wang Sheng hurried out to smooth things over. He slapped his chest with a loud thud and spoke boldly.
"Lin Mo, don't worry. I, Wang Sheng, am not the type to break my word. Since I promised to keep it secret, I definitely will. You can trust me completely!"
Wang Sheng meant to ease the tension and make his stance clear.
But when Lin Mo heard it, he turned his head and looked at him with a faint, knowing smile, teasing lightly.
"Wang Sheng, why does that sound… a bit off?"
The moment Lin Mo spoke, the tense air in the dorm loosened.
A few work study students burst out laughing. Even Xiao Wu curled her lips, a small smile appearing.
Everyone looked lighter, as if the unpleasantness had been brushed aside.
However, if one looked closely, it was easy to notice that after laughing, many of them looked at Tang San with a quiet wariness that had not been there before.
Xiao Wu walked over as well. She patted Tang San's shoulder, her dissatisfaction obvious.
"Tang San, I'm not trying to pick on you, but you really didn't act honorably this time."
"When everyone was together this morning, we all agreed to keep Lin Mo's secret."
"How could you decide to tell Grandmaster on your own without even asking Lin Mo?"
Xiao Wu's mind was simple and direct. To her, a promise was a promise. Tang San taking matters into his own hands made her uncomfortable, even repulsed.
His actions had damaged the goodwill he had built up in Dormitory Seven over the past 6 months.
Even Xiao Wu, who usually got along well with him, could not stop a crack from forming in her heart.
After all, they were still children. Their thoughts were straightforward, their view of right and wrong often black and white.
On an issue that looked so clear to them, Tang San's betrayal of their agreement was obviously labeled wrong.
Feeling the gazes around him and hearing Xiao Wu's blunt criticism, Tang San's face burned, his heart tangled with mixed emotions.
He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but in the face of the facts, every word felt pale and powerless.
In the end, he lowered his head silently, sat back down on his bed, and stopped looking at anyone.
.....
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