Chapter 16: Qin Clan?

Only a few individuals had spoken about the delights of the second floor being some of the finest in all of Notting City. Xiaowu, too, was eager to give them a try. However, her financial constraints meant that this desire remained a distant dream.

Since arriving at the college, Xiao Wu had begun to grasp the significance of money. Without it, accomplishing anything was a daunting challenge, and even securing enough food was a struggle.

On this particular day, Notting College found itself abuzz with news. Surprisingly, the financially strapped work-study students were dining in droves on the second floor of the cafeteria, indulging in the most expensive meal packages. It was a rare sight at the Notting Soul Master Junior College.

...

In a high-ranking office within the college, a man in his fifties clad in black robes was engrossed in reading. Suddenly, there came a knock at the door.

"Come in," Master said calmly. He assumed it was the two children. After all, few others ventured to meet him here on regular days. These kids, he thought, must be behaving oddly quiet, perhaps out of consideration not to disturb him.

"It's been a while," as the door creaked open, it wasn't the anticipated youthful voices that greeted Master, but one marked by the vicissitudes of life.

Master raised his head slightly, and upon seeing the visitor, his pupils contracted.

"Hao, Haotian..."

"Let's not dwell on the past," Tang Hao responded as the master struggled to continue speaking.

"So, are you here for a reason this time?" Master inquired, observing Tang Hao in his worn cloak and rugged appearance.

"I have one purpose for coming here—to ask you to look after Xiaosan and Xiaofeng," Tang Hao's voice grew raspy.

"You don't care about these two children?" Master inquired with surprise, detecting a hint of melchony in Tang Hao's words.

"You're much better suited than me. I trust you would provide them both with care. I'm just an incapable father," Tang Hao's voice grew heavy.

"This token is for you. I hope you'll take good care of these two children." Tang Hao produced a token—the highest-ranking pope token from the Martial Soul Temple. However, it held no value to him anymore. The previous Pope, Chihiro, had been gravely injured by his hand, and Tang Hao had since become a fugitive. Holding this token was practically impossible for him.

Although it held no value for him, the token was immensely significant to the master. Tang Hao's gift amounted to a rare treasure in the Douluo Continent, and it symbolized his sincere desire for the master to mentor the two children.

"This..." The master was visibly surprised by the token.

"Thank you" the master finally said.

Tang Hao placed the token on the table and turned to leave. However, the master stopped him with one last question.

"Wait. I have one final question.

  What is it?"

Tang Hao stopped but didn't turn around.

"Is your wife's surname Qin?" The master's eyes glinted with curiosity. The mysterious identity of the person Tang Hao had married had always been a subject of intrigue. No one had been able to uncover the true identity of Tang Hao's wife over the years. Now, with Tang Hao having two children, one named Tang and the other named Qin, if Qin Feng's surname was attributed to his wife, it would imply a connection to the Qin Clan.

This would explain the heightened activity of the Martial Soul Temple. The Qin Clan was an enigmatic entity in the Douluo Continent, a sealed secret for all soul masters.

"Xiaofeng, it's not from my side," Tang Hao replied, his voice husky.

With those words, Tang Hao transformed into a shadow and vanished, leaving the master standing there.

After a long while, the master breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Feng wasn't from the Qin Clan, which put his mind at ease. Many people bore the Qin surname in the Douluo Continent, and they had no ties to the Qin Clan. The mystery of how a person with that surname possessed a soul weapon like a hammer still perplexed him.

...

Tang San patted his swollen belly. They had been eating since sunset, and now the moon hung high in the sky. He couldn't help but acknowledge the unprecedented deliciousness of the food on the second-floor cafeteria. It was the first time in his six years at the college that he had savored such a meal.

"Yeah, that Pi Feng guy sure knows how to deliver," Qin Feng chimed in with a laugh and a hiccup.

"Deliver? What does that mean?" Tang San inquired, looking puzzled. He was starting to realize that Feng Brother used a lot of vocabulary he didn't understand.

"Oh... you know, someone who brings us what we need," Qin Feng explained, touching the back of his head. He couldn't help but echo the words of the Earth, a habit he hadn't shaken off despite his years at the college.

"Oh..." Tang San nodded, scratching his head slightly in understanding.

As they headed toward the master's room, a shadow suddenly darted past them.

"Who's there?!" The two of them immediately stood up and gave chase.

However, the shadow was incredibly swift, and despite their efforts, it disappeared into the night. It left behind only a faint scent of wine.

"Who's in such a hurry?!" Tang San was prepared to continue the pursuit but was held back by Qin Feng.

"Xiao san, let's check on the master first," Qin Feng suggested.

In truth, Qin Feng had already taken notice of the scent and deduced that Tang Hao had been there. Pursuing Tang Hao with Tang San's Ghost Shadow Technique was an exercise in futility; after all, he was still Tang San's father.

"Yes, let's see if the teacher is okay!" Tang San immediately agreed. He couldn't bear the thought of the dark shadow potentially posing a threat to their teacher.

They rushed into the office. At that moment, the master was sitting at his desk, engrossed in a book.

The sudden entrance startled the master.

"Why did you barge in so abruptly?" Though taken aback, there was no hint of reproach on the master's face. Instead, he appeared somewhat surprised.

"Teacher, just now Brother Feng and I saw a black shadow darting from here outside. We thought it might be coming for you, so we hurried..." Tang San explained, his apology evident in his words.

The master nodded understandingly. It appeared that Tang Hao had not disclosed his identity to these two children.

"It's alright that you came in like this. I noticed that both of you have reached Level 10. I know that Xiao san is innately gifted with soul power. I'd like to ask Xiao feng if you are also innately full of soul power?" the master inquired, turning to Qin Feng.

He had observed Qin Feng as a ninth-level Soul Warrior at the school gates earlier. However, tonight, Qin Feng had seemingly advanced to the tenth level. It raised questions about whether Qin Feng had been concealing his true strength all along.