Chapter 191 — Section 193: Alive [Second Update]

The sound of the steel sword being bitten through rang out like a crisp cracker snapping, audible to the entire hall. The severed half of the blade tumbling down and the flying splinters seemed to move in slow motion, so clear was every detail.

Clang!

The bright, clear note of the broken blade striking the ground was piercingly loud in the dead silence. But no one spoke; everyone was frozen by the sheer impact of the scene before them. Even the Marquis of Wu and the Marquis of Ming were, for a moment, stunned out of their senses.

The three soul generals behind the Gate of Light stood like three neatly arranged puppets, their faces equally blank.

"Should we perhaps consider raising his food allowance?" Bing murmured. He had trained so many recruits, but never one who would bite through an opponent's sword with his teeth.

And all for the sake of a single steamed bun...

Modiz, usually so gentle and refined, wore an utterly vacant expression.

Guizhao blurted out without warning, "Never underestimate a glutton's devotion to food!"

Swish—Bing and Modiz turned their eyes in unison, staring at Guizhao in astonishment.

Guizhao remained utterly unruffled.

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An eerie silence fell; both elders seemed shaken to the core by Tang Tang.

Just then, Qingluan came panting up, hauling a huge bundle. She had rushed to the kitchen like a wildfire, swept up practically everything edible, and then run all the way here with the great bundle on her shoulders, utterly unaware of what had just happened.

The cloth bundle was bigger than she was; it looked as though she were sprinting along with a small mountain on her back.

Thud!

The bundle hit the ground, and Qingluan gasped for breath. "Is this enough, do you think?"

In the dead silence, her voice sounded startlingly loud.

The bundle was opened, and a hill made entirely of food appeared before everyone—meats and fruits and vegetables piled mountain-high, taller than she was.

Tang Tang, still chewing his steamed bun, saw his pupils dilate abruptly; the green glow in his eyes flared up wildly, and with a roar he charged at the food mountain like a wild beast.

He wolfed it down, sweeping through it like a gale stripping fallen leaves, and the horrifying sound of his chewing carried clearly through the whole hall. His cavernous mouth was like a star gate to another planet—things went in and never came out; one never saw Tang Tang spit out a bone or a pit.

Crunch, crunch!

Everyone could not help but recall the instant the steel sword had been bitten through, and their scalps tingled.

Only now did Qingluan notice how unnaturally quiet it was around her. Tang Tang crouched on the ground devouring his food as if no one else existed, and she suddenly felt at a loss.

When had Qingluan ever encountered such a situation?

The scene before her was so bizarre she was on the verge of tears.

Every eye was fixed on her, yet not a single person said a word—not even the slightest sound.

Qingluan looked to the little girl for help, but the girl was in no better state; her eyes were wide, and she stared, dumbfounded, at the ravenous Tang Tang.

The girl had been utterly stunned by the sight of Tang Tang biting through Xia An's steel sword.

She stood frozen for a long while, then suddenly snapped to her senses. Her eyes burst with dazzling light, and she was overcome with excitement—her little teacher was so... so domineering!

Domineering indeed.

The two most powerful marquis lords of the Thirteen Prefectures and the two elders of the Council of Elders all stood in silent unison, watching Tang Tang eat. Such a scene was, in itself, full of domineering majesty.

Gradually, people shook off their shock, and a buzzing murmur began to rise around them.

And then everyone suddenly noticed that the food mountain before Tang Tang had vanished completely. Tang Tang lay on the ground, his belly visibly round and distended, both arms spread wide.

The little girl snapped to her senses, and her expression changed at once. Oh no—he's about to fall asleep...

Last time she had watched helplessly as he fell asleep right in front of her.

Panic seized the little girl. This was no time to be falling asleep!

She was about to rush over.

Suddenly three beams of light flared beside Tang Tang, and the three soul generals appeared out of thin air at his side.

Modiz said gently to the little girl, "Please, let him sleep a while. He is far too exhausted."

Guizhao kept his face cold, eyes lowered. Bing controlled the saber-toothed tiger, which glared hungrily around.

The moment the three soul generals appeared, their aura swept the entire hall. The retainers, who had been itching to make a move, immediately shrank back. The Marquis of Wu and the Marquis of Ming both changed color slightly, and the two elders simultaneously showed astonishment.

They were knowledgeable people, and they recognized Li Tang at once.

What formidable presence!

Even Modiz, who had just gently restrained Princess Mingzhu, possessed extraordinary bearing. And the mechanism puppet used by this mechanism warrior was actually the standard-issue mechanism puppet of the Southern Cross Legion!

The only unremarkable one was Guizhao—a gaunt, withered old man, the least conspicuous of the three. Yet for some inexplicable reason, this seemingly ordinary, skinny old man, with his cold face, gave everyone a sense of austere dignity that inspired awe without his ever showing anger.

Wait...

This household... actually had three soul generals!

Many faces changed color at that.

Xia An's face still bore traces of shame and fury. From childhood to now, he had never suffered such humiliation, in front of so many people...

He could almost imagine how, by tomorrow, every version of the rumor would spread on wings. Xia An's sword, bitten through by a madman with his teeth! And that madman had then devoured an entire mountain of meat in front of everyone and fallen asleep!

At the thought, rage and shame gnawed at his heart like worms.

Bastard!

Xia An's eyes went blood-red. His body blurred, and he lunged at the Tang Tang on the ground.

"Die!"

Xia An's roar echoed through the hall. In his towering fury, every ounce of his true essence surged to the utmost; he was swift as a bolt of lightning. Though he held only a broken sword, this all-out strike carried the might of thunder and lightning!

The Marquis of Wu's expression changed. Not good!

But he was too far from Tang Duo, with the Marquis of Ming between them, and powerless to stop it.

"Leave this to me."

Eyes closed, Guizhao spoke up without warning, and the other two were not in the least surprised. Guizhao was unlike Bing and Modiz; his injuries were the gravest of Li Tang's, and every manifestation required the consumption of a soul core. Bing had not originally intended to summon Guizhao this time, but when Guizhao spoke of his own accord, Bing understood at once—Guizhao's fighting spirit had awoken!

So Bing, without hesitation, spent a soul core to summon Guizhao forth.

Modiz smiled faintly and deliberately stepped back half a pace in deference. Bing likewise stepped back half a pace, his poker face wearing an expression of one settling in to watch a good show.

Guizhao, who had kept his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

A cold gleam flickered in those gray eyes; today his fighting spirit burned more fiercely than ever before. Tang Duo's diligence and dedication were such that even he had to admit the boy surpassed his own past self by a measure.

Though he usually said nothing, he had seen it all.

For a crippled soul general like him, knowing that his life's work had an heir meant even more than the meaning of his own "existence." It was his life's work, and besides...

He had one small, selfish wish.