Chapter 45: Quiet show of love

Tang San was really worried that Xiao Wu might accidentally offend his father, which could lead to trouble. After all, his father's temper was quite a headache, even just thinking about it.

Soon, they entered the blacksmith shop.

"Ah, it's still as chaotic as ever," Tang San sighed, his expression filled with helplessness, as he began to tidy up the room. Qin Feng observed quietly, guessing in his heart that Tang Hao might have already left. The reason he hadn't wanted to come back was because he suspected Tang Hao wouldn't be home. If his father wasn't around, there would be no point in returning. But in the end, he was dragged along, playing the third wheel.

He was bitter!

"Dad, Brother Feng and I are back, and we brought a friend!" Tang San shouted while he continued to clean up.

But there was no response. After a moment, an elderly man slowly emerged from the back room—it was Old Jack.

"Xiao Feng? Xiao San? Why did you come back by yourselves?" Old Jack's eyes widened in surprise when he saw them.

He had planned to find Tang Hao to bring him to Notting Junior Soul Master College to pick up Tang San and Xiao Feng. However, he couldn't find Tang Hao anywhere.

"Grandpa Jack, why are you here?" Tang San asked in surprise when he saw him.

Old Jack raised his hand slightly. "I came to pick you up with your father. Well I couldn't find him, he left this note. Alas, I don't know what that blacksmith is thinking," Old Jack sighed, shaking his head helplessly. How could such a good child have such a father? He didn't care about the child when he was young, and now, even after the child had grown up, he still didn't care.

Tang San picked up the letter and read its contents. His eyes became wet. "Thank you, Grandpa Jack. If there's nothing else, I won't keep you."

Tang San's mood was very low.

Hearing this, Old Jack looked at him in surprise. He didn't expect Tang San to be so curt. "That blacksmith is truly abominable," Old Jack thought. "Such a good child, forced into this situation."

After Old Jack left, Tang San sat on a low stool, his mind filled with memories of his father. Back in the Tang Sect, he had no family. When he arrived here, he gained a father, but now, he was left with only a note. With his father gone, there was no family left here.

A wave of loneliness suddenly swept over Tang San.

"In fact, it's not a big deal. Flowers in a greenhouse can never withstand a storm. Your father probably wants you to leave him and grow independently," Qin Feng said, stepping forward to comfort him. He wasn't very good at comforting people, so he spoke plainly. He believed Tang San would understand, after all, he was not just seven years old.

"Uh, thank you, Brother Feng," Tang San said, looking at Qin Feng with a complicated expression. Perhaps his father was indeed worried that by staying by his side, Tang San wouldn't be able to grow.

That day, the usually lively and active Xiao Wu became very quiet, silently helping Tang San clean up the blacksmith shop. Before long, Qin Feng joined in as well. Under the orderly care of the three small figures, the once messy blacksmith shop became neat and tidy.

Gradually, the sun began to set. A soft red light seeped into the blacksmith shop, casting a warm glow on the old iron tools. At the entrance, the three small figures sat side by side, each lost in thought.

Suddenly, Tang San, who was sitting in the middle, stood up. "Thank you, Xiao Wu. Thank you, Brother Feng," he said, bowing deeply to the two of them. His father had left, and his only relative was gone. Today, he truly appreciated Qin Feng and Xiao Wu's efforts to help him tidy up the blacksmith shop.

"There's no need to be so formal. Did you forget what your dad said?" Qin Feng remarked, glancing at Tang San.

"Tang San, you don't have to be sad. Your dad probably just wants you to become self-reliant," Xiao Wu said, her eyes soft as she looked at him.

"Brother Feng, Xiao Wu, I want to take you both somewhere. Come with me," Tang San said, a gentle light shining in his eyes.

He remembered his father's words from when he first left. Since leaving the Holy Spirit Village, Brother Feng had been like family to him. He also believed that his father's intentions were as Xiao Wu had said—to make him stronger. Now that he understood, he was determined to become a self-reliant, upright man!

"Where are we going?" Xiao Wu asked, intrigued.

"It's a nice place. Come with me," Tang San said. He dragged Xiao Wu along by the hand, smiling happily, while Qin Feng followed behind, lost in the golden light of the setting sun.

Even though he already knew what was about to happen, Qin Feng had no choice but to go along. After all, he was Tang San's brother. When your brother is courting his girlfriend, what can you do? It's impossible to stop them! Even if it felt like being stabbed by a thousand swords, a lonely single man like him had to plaster on a bright smile and pretend to be happy.

As the evening sun painted the sky, the three small figures strolled along the mountainside, overlooking the valley below.

"Wow, what a beautiful place!" Xiao Wu exclaimed. When they finally reached the mountain, a sea of flowers stretched out before them, creating a stunning picture with the vibrant sunset. Xiao Wu couldn't tear her eyes away from the view.

"This is where I usually practice. Isn't it beautiful?" Tang San asked, looking at Xiao Wu and Qin Feng.

"It's really nice," Qin Feng agreed. He remembered watching the anime and thinking it was okay, but actually being in this sea of flowers was overwhelming. There was an inexplicable sense of peace and relaxation here, and he could see why Tang San had chosen it as his training spot. The environment was truly unique.

"Brother Feng, Xiao Wu, now that I'm on my own, I want to ask you both a very important question. I hope you can answer honestly," Tang San said, looking at them seriously.

"What is it?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled. She had never seen him so serious before.

"You don't need to ask me this question. Remember, I became your brother a year ago, and I always will be!" Qin Feng said, patting Tang San's shoulder with a heavy and firm voice.

"This...," Tang San muttered, his lips twitching slightly. Qin Feng's answer was unexpected. How did he know what he wanted to ask? Could he read minds?

Since his father was gone, Tang San wanted to ask if Brother Feng and Xiao Wu were willing to be his true family. Unexpectedly, Qin Feng had already seen through his thoughts.

Brother Feng was either too mysterious or too perceptive. If it were possible, Tang San would have loved to cut open Qin Feng's head to see what was inside. At only seven years old, Qin Feng had already figured out how to hire others, buy property, become a behind-the-scenes boss, and develop a prosperous business. To be honest, in front of Qin Feng, Tang San felt his thirty years of life experience weren't enough. It seemed that Qin Feng was the real traveler, while he was just pretending.

"If there's nothing else, I'll just go over there and lie down. I've had enough of being the third wheel," Qin Feng said, finding an excuse to slip away.

What followed would undoubtedly be a classic display of love and affection, and Qin Feng's heart couldn't handle it.

So, Qin Feng found a tree and lay down in the embrace of nature. About a minute or two later, he heard someone say, "If anyone wants to bully you, they'll have to go through me first!"

Qin Feng plucked a flower and gently held it to his nose, inhaling its faint fragrance. He stretched lazily, realizing that in the year he had been in Notting City, he had barely found time to go anywhere else. This place was so peaceful.

Time passed slowly, and he didn't know how long had gone by. Suddenly, he heard a "whoosh," and he snapped awake. A silver needle hovered above his eyes, piercing a mosquito on one side, which struggled desperately.

Qin Feng's face darkened.

Flaunt your love all you want, but what did the mosquito do to deserve this? If the mosquito could speak, it would probably shout, "What did I do wrong? I was just flying by!"

"Wow! You hit its left wing perfectly!" A cheerful voice rang out after a while. It was Xiao Wu who ran over. She saw the shiny silver needle pinning the mosquito to the tree, struggling but unable to escape.

"Brother Feng? Are you lying here?" Xiao Wu asked, only now noticing Qin Feng lying among the flowers, almost hidden from view.

"Yeah, just woke up," Qin Feng said, getting up from the flowers.

Tang San soon came over as well. The two watched quietly as Tang San pulled the silver needle out, releasing the mosquito. Despite its punctured left wing, the mosquito flew away, carried by the wind.

At this moment, the sun had completely set, and the moon's soft glow began to shine on the three small figures, slowly enveloping them in

Five Years Later

The Kingdom of Barak, located in the Heavendou Empire, is one of the four kingdoms within the empire. The king of Barak, Kundra, is a cousin to Okura, the king of the Heavendou Empire. Among all the kingdoms in the Heavendou Empire, Barak is considered one of the most powerful, situated in the southernmost part of the empire, bordering the Starluo Empire.

Within this kingdom, there are two economically developed cities. One is the capital city of Barak, where King Kundra resides. The other is the city of Soto, situated in the middle of the fertile Lima Plain, known as the granary of Barak. These two cities serve as the economic centers of the kingdom and are heavily guarded. Soto is the largest city after the capital, and its significance is highlighted by the presence of the third-level main hall of the Wuhun Temple.

On this day, around noon, under the blazing sun, two young men and a young woman entered Soto through the east gate. They all looked youthful, like teenagers, and carried no luggage. The young man on the far left stood about 1.7 meters tall, with delicate, handsome features. He wore a lilac outfit, had a ring on his hand, and an inscrutable smile on his face.

In the middle was a girl with a ponytail, dressed in a pink short dress. Her complexion was fair and delicate, and she had an attractive figure that drew envious glances from other women. On the far right was another young man, also about 1.7 meters tall, wearing a light blue outfit with a belt adorned with twenty-four jewels around his waist. This young man exuded an approachable charm.

"Tang San, Brother Feng, what do you think the master was thinking, sending us to enroll in this rundown school called Shrek College? Clearly, there are so many schools that would accept you unconditionally," the girl in the middle said, looking at the two young men beside her with an annoyed expression.

"I guess the master just wanted us to get out and see the world," replied the young man in lilac with a smile.

"Brother Feng, haven't you visited enough places already?" Xiao Wu muttered, her face slightly flushed with irritation as she glanced at Qin Feng.

The year before their graduation, Xiao Wu discovered that Feng Ge was actually the newest and wealthiest man in Notting City. His business empire had spread throughout the surrounding cities, and even the city lord treated him with great respect. At Notting Junior Soul Master College, half of the shares of the second-floor canteen belonged to him, and while others played and relaxed, he was busy conducting business and discussing projects!

It must be said that Brother Feng's secret dealings were incredibly well-concealed. If Xiao Chenyu hadn't seen Qin Feng treated as an honored guest by his father in the city's main palace, no one would have known.

"Xiao Wu, the teacher only called for Brother Feng and me. He didn't ask you to come with us," said the young man on the right, dressed in light blue, with a humble smile.

"Hmph! Xiao San, you're heartless. Do you think I came all the way here just because of you two? I don't care about you guys, but coming here has left me exhausted. I need at least two days to recover from the emotional trauma," Xiao Wu pouted, pretending to be hurt.

"Oh, really? The so-called big sister of Notting Junior Soulmaster College gets hurt? I find that a bit hard to believe," Tang San said with a meaningful look at Xiao Wu.

As the three of them walked down the bustling streets of Soto, their high profiles drew a lot of attention. The playful banter between the young man and the young woman only served to capture even more curious glances from passersby.

"Ahem, you two have been bickering for more than half an hour. Aren't you tired yet? How about we find a place to stay first, and then we can explore the city," Qin Feng said with an awkward smile, pretending to cough like a man tired of playing third wheel.