"He's here!"
Instantly, Tang San felt a sense of relief upon hearing that voice. But his happiness did not last long after hearing the following words.
"Senior, he is inside this cave."
"Go check inside the cave," an unfamiliar voice commanded, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.
Not understanding the situation, Tang San's heart started beating faster with panic. Soon, several men entered the cave. Their eyes lit up with excitement when they saw him, and one of them shouted,
"Clan leader, we found him!"
"Good. Quickly bring him out!"
"Kid, come out obediently, or I'll break your legs and drag you out," the man said with a ferocious expression, cracking his fists as he spoke.
Tang San quickly surveyed his surroundings. The cave he had chosen was narrow; if he wanted to escape, he could only run in a straight path. Even if he managed to escape this man, there were surely more people waiting outside. Finding no other way out, he gritted his teeth and said,
"I'll come with you."
"Good choice." The man smirked and turned to walk out of the cave.
Tang San followed shortly after. The first thing he saw upon exiting was his teacher standing behind a few people. Yu Xiaogang avoided Tang San's gaze. Just as Tang San was about to call out to him, a deep, commanding voice interrupted.
"Did you poison my grandson?" Tai Tan's tone was cold and sharp as his eyes locked onto Tang San's face.
Hearing this, Tang San remained calm outwardly, but inside, panic surged. That bastard Tai Long, the one he had poisoned, clearly had powerful backing. Now I can only deny it to death, Tang San thought. There's no evidence. If there were, he would've attacked me directly.
"Senior, I never poisoned anyone," Tang San lied without changing expression.
Tai Tan's expression darkened. He released a trace of his aura and pressed it toward Tang San. "Then how did Tai Long get poisoned?"
Tang San felt his body grow heavy under the pressure. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and forced himself to speak.
"Senior, I really don't know how Tai Long was poisoned. When he came to challenge me, there were many people present. I only threw stones to distract them and ran away to hide from the crowd."
He told everything except the part about the poison.
Tai Tan and Tai Nuo exchanged glances. What Tang San said matched the accounts of other children, but Tai Long had been poisoned immediately after Tang San threw the stones. The situation clearly pointed back to Tang San.
"You bastard, tell me the truth!" Tai Tan shouted and increased his pressure.
Tang San's legs trembled as he struggled to stand. Blue Silver Grass suddenly emerged from his body, reacting instinctively to protect him. But before he could even feel relief, Tai Tan intensified his pressure again.
"Tell me!"
"Senior… I already told you everything I know…" Tang San gasped, barely able to form words under the crushing weight of the aura.
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang frowned. He didn't want to lose his guinea pig...no, his disciple. So he stepped forward, trying to put on a convincing act.
"Senior, my disciple already explained what had happened, he is innocent. Please don't make things difficult for him."
Hearing that, Tang San was so touched he nearly teared up. Even now, only Teacher believes in me.
"Teacher…"
"You've done your part finding Tang San. Don't get in our way," Tai Nuo snapped at Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned pale. He hadn't expected Tai Nuo to expose him in front of Tang San so bluntly.
Hearing this, Tang San's mind went blank. He forgot to resist the pressure, his body pressing into the ground. Shock and disbelief filled his eyes as he looked at Yu Xiaogang, who didn't deny it. The teacher he had respected like a father had betrayed him. His chest tightened with pain that cut deeper than the physical pressure crushing him.
"Teacher, how could you do this to me?!" he roared in anguish. The emotional wound hurt far more than his body.
Yu Xiaogang lowered his head in shame, avoiding Tang San's gaze.
Seeing this, Tang San's hatred reached its peak. His rage burned hotter than ever. He tried to move toward Yu Xiaogang, intent on killing him, but under Tai Tan's pressure, he couldn't move at all. The helplessness only fueled his anger further.
Blinded by fury, he suddenly released his Clear Sky Hammer. The appearance of his martial spirit instantly dispelled the suppressive force, granting him the ability to move again. Ignoring everyone around him, Tang San strode toward Yu Xiaogang with killing intent radiating from every step.
"Yu Xiaogang," Tang San's voice was cold and trembling with rage. "I treated and respected you like my father. But you… you betrayed me. You deserve to die."
Tai Tan, still applying pressure moments ago, suddenly froze. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Clear Sky Hammer… Haotian Clan!"
Yu Xiaogang, seeing Tang San's expression full of murderous intent, panicked. But when he noticed the Clear Sky Hammer, he quickly recalled Tang San's background and changed his tone, pretending concern.
"Tang San, listen to me. I never intended to harm you!"
Before he could continue, Tang San's cold voice cut through the air.
"Shut up! Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe you after seeing you bring these people here to capture me?!"
"No! I just brought them to clear up the misunderstanding between you and them!" Yu Xiaogang said quickly, his words tumbling out in desperation. "This senior will never harm you after knowing your identity!"
Tang San froze, his fury momentarily disrupted by confusion.
"My identity?"
"Yes," Yu Xiaogang said with forced confidence, pointing toward Tai Tan and the others. "With your father's identity, they would never harm you."
Half believing, Tang San turned to look at Tai Tan and his group. Their faces were filled with shock and excitement. His confusion deepened.
Their reactions… Teacher's words… Does that mean my father's identity isn't ordinary blacksmith at all?
Just as he was lost in thought, a deep voice broke through the silence.
"What is your father's name?"