Higan stood still.
Every single word that escaped Tang Long’s mouth entered her ears. Hunt down until his last breath? Nemesis? No turning around?
Having grown up in darkness, she thought that all emotions had strayed away from her. In her world, Tang Long was like warm sunlight and she would never lose him. Other than him, she cared about no one and nothing else.
Therefore, the textbook explanation of ‘heartbreak’ was something she could not experience, right?
At that very moment, Higan swore she heard her heart break.
Was it because of her? If it was, Higan suddenly had the feeling like she wanted to disappear. She wanted to disappear from this world and return to eternal darkness. However, whenever she thought of that dark world, endless fear rose in her heart and wrapped her whole.
If she had never witnessed the liveliness of this world, she might not have been this afraid.
If she had never met Tang Ling, she might not have felt so scared.
If Tang Long was the sunlight in her dark world, Tang Ling’s appearance activated her emotions as a person. She was able to feel happy, secure, yearning, trust, and intimacy. She could no longer go back to that dark world.
The cold in her eyes slowly froze. She realized her heart was shackled from the moment she could feel things because she could no longer do as she wished.
She was injected with life after she met Tang Ling, but her lively self could only live for a day. The scant bit of happiness that she wished for shattered before it even got the chance to sprout.
The scant bit of happiness was her, Tang Long, and Tang Ling walking together under the sun.
On the brink of losing himself to his emotions, Tang Long could not sense Higan’s despair. Instead, he blamed himself for not being meticulous enough.
He turned around and clenched his bloody fists before he pocketed them and asked Higan softly, “What will you do now, Higan? Do you want to help me? Or Tang Ling?
“Can you abandon me? Didn’t you notice? You said you’d never change even after you met Tang Ling, but it seems like from the moment you met him, I was destined to be abandoned, am I right?”
Tang Long walked to the wine cellar and grabbed that bottle of liquor to take a big gulp from it. He endured the spiciness of the liquor before adding, “When can I stroke your hair? I’ve always wanted to. When can you stand up and face all the things you hated just so you can protect me?
“When can I be the receiving end of your smile? I don’t want to take the initiative anymore. I want you to smile at me like a normal girl. I want you to smile brightly whenever you see me like how you smiled at Tang Ling.
“How long have you known each other? A day? Or two? What about us? Higan, you aren’t being fair to me. So, please, can you abandon me?”
“Tomorrow, I’ll make a big announcement to Darkness Port. I’ll tread closer to the castle in the center of the city and I’ll officially sign the life-and-death pact to activate the Life and Death Ring of Darkness Port. You are smart, so you must know what the Life and Death Ring is. I’ve told you about it before when we first arrived in Darkness Port. It’s the one and only holistic ring in Darkness Port.
“Hmph, hmph. Look, a storm is brewing in Darkness Port! And I’m using the Life and Death Ring to stir up the storm! What do you think?
“Oh, and I’ll also go to the Desperado Ring tomorrow! I am Tang Long. I cannot sit by while others mistake Tang Ling as me.” He took a big gulp of liquor again and added, “Higan, this is it. I won’t give him a chance because I didn’t give myself one either. It’s either him or me. That is what’s going on between me and him.
“So, I am not going to give you a chance too. What do you say? I’m the one calling the shots now, the abandoned guy! And you will be free. What you have to do next is give Godfather an explanation. He’s treated you as his precious jewel. Even if you and Tang Ling get together, it won’t shake your position in his heart.
“That’s it. I’m done. From this moment onwards, I’ll acknowledge that you’ve abandoned me.” As Tang Long ended the conversation, he put the bottle down and walked out of the room.
The windy breeze made Higan’s black hair flutter. She did not stop him as she said softly, “Tang Long, I won’t lie. The feelings I have for Tang Ling are natural. They are instinctive. Can you tolerate this alone?”
It was the last question that Higan asked before she made her decision.
“It’s not about you,” Tang Long uttered bitterly after he paused, and left. He had no intention of letting Higan know that the seed of hatred had been sown from the moment he and Tang Ling were born and it was because of a man’s attitude.
On top of that, his pride and defeat had watered the seed of hatred.
Lastly, Higan had made the sprouting seed a towering tree.
It was the deepest secret hidden in Tang Long’s heart that he could never talk about with anyone, not even Higan.
Therefore, she could not believe that it was not about her. She made up her mind to balance things out and to compensate.
All emotions and feelings are despicable, aren’t they? Higan’s eyes froze.
The wind stirred the clouds while the moon was mystifying in the sky. It cast a shadow and wrapped Higan’s figure in the room whole.
…
Clang!
Tang Ling swung his hammer down heavily, refining the 20th iron blank into a shining silver brick. Considering that it had only taken him 6 hours, Tang Ling was undoubtedly a genius!
Despite wanting to dupe Tang Ling into believing that he was an idiot, when Boss Huang was called into the smithing room to see the results, he was shaken.
Is this little bastard that capable? Is Tang Feng’s son this bloody amazing?
Boss Huang cursed in his heart, but he said, “Look at you. It’s been five days and this is all you’ve achieved? You aren’t really efficient, are you?”
“Am I that stupid?” Tang Ling was only 15, so he blinked as he somehow believed Boss Huang.
“Ahem!” Boss Huang cleared his throat and added, “Of course, you aren’t the stupidest. The boy who followed you home last night, the shameless beggar who begged me to keep him in Dvesha Moha…that boy is stupider than you.”
“Han Xing? H’s still here? Why isn’t he smithing?” Grievance immediately rose in Tang Ling’s heart. Why did he have to continue smithing but not Han Xing?
Of course, Tang Ling had already fallen in love with smithing, so if Boss Huang removed him from the position, he would probably argue to stay anyway.
“Him? Oh, I told him to feed Monty since that’s all he can do!” Boss Huang shook his head.
“That simple?” Until now, Tang Ling had never seen this Monty. He did not know what Monty was, but since it sounded like a pet, it must be a cat or a dog, or even a pig or a horse. Feeding a pet was simple enough, was it not?
“Simple?” Boss Huang did not share his opinion. He chuckled slyly and added, “Anyway, from now on, you are third in Dvesha Moha and Han Xing is number four, so his position is lower than yours. Bully him as much as you can.”
Tang Ling was not a saint either, so he blurted with an evil grin, “Of course.”
As he wiped his sweat off, the subject that had been lingering in his heart popped up in his mind and he looked at Boss Huang. “Boss, I over-delivered my work today. I love smithing, and of course, I’ll work until my working hours are finished.”
“Just spill.” Boss Huang looked asquint at him. The little bastard had gone out to earn some money yesterday, so he must now be trying to ask for something.
“Hmm, why don’t we talk about it first? There’re two hours left on the clock. Can we continue when we finish talking?” Tang Ling suggested with the utmost flattery.
“Fine, I have something to discuss with you as well.” Boss Huang nodded in agreement.
In the study room on the third floor, Ding Ling served the boss a plate of pastries and some tea. She also gave Tang Ling a cup of water before sprinting away.
Boss Huang had once said that Tang Ling could enjoy the pastries, but it would be considered as extra meals on top of his daily three meals, and unless Boss Huang rewarded him, Tang Ling would have to pay to eat.
A set of pastries cost 5 Black Sea coins and was non-negotiable.
Boss Huang picked up a piece of delicate abalone biscuit and put it into his mouth. He shut his eyes and savored the texture before he took a sip of the rich and aromatic tea with complete satisfaction.
“Five Black Sea coins is actually a bargain. Think about the food in Dvesha Moha. Don’t feel cheated because you’re very lucky. Look at Han Xing. If he doesn’t work for me for at least a week, I won’t even let him eat at my table,” Boss Huang said righteously.
“Huh? Then, where is he eating now?” On second thought, Tang Ling realized he had not seen Han Xing during breakfast.
“Eating with Monty.” Boss Huang curled his lips into a mischievous smile when he mentioned Monty as if it was something funny.
Hmm? What is this Monty? A pig? Why do I feel like Boss Huang is having some wicked thoughts?
However, Tang Ling had only met Han Xing for less than 24 hours, so he did not care who Han Xing was eating with. Whether it was with a pig or a dog, it was none of his business.
Tang Ling put a bag of Black Sea coins on the desk without asking any further. He had given the boss 17 coins yesterday while the transportation fees cost him a coin, so he would still have 282 Black Sea coins left in the bag. He opened it and the shiny luster in the bag exuded the alluring scent of money.
“Giving me money to spend?” Boss Huang grinned.
“Not all of them. Before I came here, I learned something called body array.”
Boss Huang reacted unusually when Tang Ling mentioned body array, but he quickly resumed his frivolous look. He interrupted Tang Ling, “Body array is expensive stuff to learn. If you aren’t a noble, it’s best that you stay away from these kinds of games. By the way, where did you learn this?”
“It’s a long story. Boss, do you want to know?” Tang Ling glanced at Boss Huang sincerely.
“If you’re willing to talk.”
“2 Black Sea coins and I’ll tell you.” Tang Ling looked as innocent as he could. “You can also treat me to some tea and pastries.”
“Hoho?” Boss Huang smirked disdainfully. He then walked to the rack filled with books and searched for a while before he collected around 17 to 18 books in one go. All the books were about body array and formations. He simply tossed them all over the table.
“So, are you talking now?” Boss Huang squinted his eyes in joy.
Little bastard, are you trying to take advantage of me? You are still too young!
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” Tang Ling’s eyes shone like diamonds.
He had learned the body array in the Ninth Ruins and was having a hard time because he had barely touched anything regarding body array.
Now, with the books tossed on the table, his heart raced.
As expected of the all-knowing Boss Huang! Tang Ling already discarded the thought of extorting him.
