With Tang Sui’s persuasion, the tension in everyone’s hearts eased slightly. The Grandmaster, whose nerves were also taut, relaxed a bit as well, but he could also tell that Tang Sui wasn’t telling the whole truth.
Titled Douluo were all willful individuals, especially the eccentric Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo. The details of this certainly weren't as simple as Sui Sui made them out to be.
With his mind made up, the Grandmaster briefly instructed Dai Mubai and the others, then pulled Tang Sui outside the teaching building to talk.
“Sui Sui, what exactly happened? Dugu Bo wouldn't have such a good temper,” the Grandmaster stated with certainty, looking at Tang Sui.
Tang Sui’s eyes curved, and specks of light flickered within them, like stars scattered across the sea, twinkling and full of spirit. “Actually, it was Dad who came.”
“Your father… Hao…” The Grandmaster was startled, instinctively wanting to say Tang Hao’s title, but then he realized Tang Sui might not know, and immediately stopped himself. However, Tang Sui smiled as if nothing were amiss and continued,
“Are you trying to say Dad is the Titled Douluo, the Titled Haotian?”
The Grandmaster blinked. “You knew?”
“Mhm, but Brother probably doesn’t know yet.” Tang Sui’s expression was natural, her smile not faltering in the slightest. “Actually, after ‘she’ appeared, the memories I was always inexplicably missing have also come back to me. It’s because our memories are shared that I realized, when I first entered Shrek Academy, that ‘I’ had actually already seen Dad in his Titled Douluo form.”
Understanding flashed in the Grandmaster’s eyes. Looking at Tang Sui, who was neither arrogant nor impatient after learning of Tang Hao’s identity, he sighed, “Since you already know, Sui Sui, what are your thoughts on it?”
Tang Sui pondered seriously and said, “Originally, I thought I’d have more confidence when beating people up. But Dad told me that he wouldn’t always be able to rush to my aid to protect me, and that I must become truly strong myself. I think Dad is very right.”
“And if Dad didn’t confess at first, I think there must have been some unavoidable reason. Besides, I’ve hardly heard any news about Dad. I suppose Dad has also intentionally kept a low profile all these years, as if trying to avoid something.”
“I can tell Dad doesn’t want his identity exposed, so I will also help Dad keep this identity a secret.”
The Grandmaster looked at Tang Sui’s pure, cloudless blue eyes, and his heart trembled slightly. He exhaled a long breath, reached out, and stroked Tang Sui’s head. “I am truly relieved that you have these thoughts, Sui Sui.”
While relieved, he also felt heartache for her excessive maturity and caution.
Whether it was before meeting the siblings or after, he had never heard them mention any memories of living with Tang Hao.
Thinking back now… it was probably much more difficult than he had guessed.
He truly wondered how Haotian Douluo raised these two children…
The Grandmaster sighed inwardly and lowered his hand, meeting Tang Sui’s clear eyes. The stern lines on his face softened. “If your brother stays with Dugu Bo, what are your plans next, Sui Sui?”
“Oh right, I didn’t just come back to report my safety. It’s also because Dad will come to pick me up tomorrow to temporarily leave the academy for a while,” Tang Sui remembered another reason for her return.
The Grandmaster’s brows furrowed. “Pick you up to leave? To do what?”
“I don’t know, Dad didn’t say. But I think it’s a good time, because I feel the bottleneck in my spirit power seems to be loosening as well. I’m about to reach level 40, so I can have Dad help me hunt a suitable spirit ring!” Tang Sui’s tone became cheerful when talking about leveling up, and a gleam appeared in the Grandmaster’s eyes as well.
“In that case, then go with your father. I will speak to Flanders and the others.”
It had only been a day since she advanced to level 39, and Sui Sui’s spirit power bottleneck was already loosening again!
It seemed that growth under pressure wasn’t without reason.
He could also appropriately strengthen the special training for the other six individuals later.
As the Grandmaster pondered, a chill suddenly rose behind the backs of the other Shrek Six Devils in the VIP room within the teaching building.
…
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Tang Sui woke up in the single dormitory assigned to her.
Looking at the luxurious and tidy facilities of the dormitory, Tang Sui looked regretfully at the comfortable, soft bed, thinking she wouldn't be able to sleep in it for a while.
She tidied up briefly. Few people were around at this hour, so she didn’t need to be particularly careful. She summoned the Ape Mask and Fox Mask, stepped on them, and sped towards the academy entrance.
At the academy gate, Tang Hao, clad in a black robe, was already waiting silently.
“Dad, I’m here!”
His youngest daughter’s voice rang out from above. Tang Hao looked up, watching his daughter leap down towards him, her feet leaving the masks. Tang Hao instinctively reached out and caught his daughter.
Tang Sui spontaneously hugged Tang Hao’s neck and looked up at his rugged face expectantly. “Dad, where are you taking me to advance?”
Tang Hao adjusted his stance, tapped his foot, and his figure had already moved hundreds of meters away.
The surrounding scenery blurred past rapidly, and Tang Hao’s hoarse voice was scattered in the cool morning mist—
“To where your mother is.”
Tang Sui’s blue eyes widened slightly, and she froze, a difficult-to-describe sour emotion rising in her heart.
Mom…?
— Author’s Notes —
Although today’s mini-update isn’t as much as before, there will be mini-updates for the next few days, and evenly distributed is still a lot!
[PS: I recommend my good friend’s novel 《碎冰月季》 — s Suantang.
My friend writes a story about a substitute’s pain literature + a scumbag chasing his wife’s crematorium. Following the story is very enjoyable. Mo Li is reading her friend’s novel today, and after sitting in the same position for too long, her neck feels even worse. That’s all for today~]