I Want to Join the Spirit Pagoda!

"Wulin, I'm already fine." Sitting on the hospital bed with a frail smile, Lang Yue looked at the worried Tang Wulin before her. "It seems becoming a Soul Master really makes you sturdy. You recovered in no time at all." "..." Tang Wulin glanced at Lang Yue and then at Tang Ziran, whose face was still slightly pale though he wore a smile as well. Tang Wulin sniffled and forced a faint smile. "Of course I'm sturdy. I eat a ton of food every single day." He had come so close. Today, he had come so close to losing his parents and losing his home... Lang Yue smiled. "A hearty appetite is a blessing, as long as it doesn't turn our Wulin into a little butterball." From his hospital bed by the window, Guang Long watched the family exchange warm words and rolled his eyes. "You brat, not even a word of concern for your savior?" Hearing this, Tang Wulin looked at him solemnly. Without a word, he walked over to Guang Long and, under the man's astonished gaze, dropped straight to his knees with a thud. "Thank you! Thank you for saving my mom and dad, and thank you for keeping my home together! I don't have anything to repay you with right now, but I will make it up to you in the future! I swear!" Lang Yue and Tang Ziran exchanged a look and moved to climb out of bed to express their gratitude as well. Without the Guang brothers, they would have been torn away from Wulin today. Falling into the hands of an Evil Soul Master, they likely... would never have had a chance to return. "You... hey!" Guang Long was caught completely off guard by Tang Wulin. Seeing the two patients looking ready to pull the same stunt, he barked, "Are you trying to make an injured man like me get up and help you up too?!" Tang Ziran and his wife froze. Tang Wulin, seeing Guang Long's seemingly furious expression, could only blankly stand back up, keeping his head down in silence. Seeing that, Guang Long's tone softened. "I don't have parents. Watching your family fuss over each other just made me a little... envious. I didn't actually want your thanks." "..." Tang Wulin and his parents said no more words of thanks, but quietly engraved his kindness into their hearts. *Click.* The sound of the door opening broke the silence as two figures walked into the room. One of them Tang Wulin and his family already knew—Guang Long's older brother and their savior, Guang Biao. The other was a youthful, attractive woman in her twenties. Upon entering, Guang Biao first shot a fierce glare at Guang Long, who turned his head away in embarrassment, before nodding with a serious expression toward Tang Ziran and his wife. "You were attacked by an Evil Soul Master. Being treated by a healing Soul Master alone isn't foolproof. Let the lady beside me give you a thorough examination." With that, Guang Biao nodded to the woman. "I'm Gong Lingyao. My Martial Soul is somewhat unique, so please don't be scared when you see it," Gong Lingyao said with a gentle smile as she stepped forward. Five Spirit Rings in the standard configuration appeared around her, and a pitch-black shadow split from her body, drifting through Tang Ziran's family and Guang Long one after another. A black vapor lingered on the four of them. Tang Wulin reached out curiously to touch it, feeling no fear at all. Though this older sister's Martial Soul looked just as strange as the Evil Soul Master's, it lacked any of that sinister, frigid chill. Instead, it gave off a comforting warmth. Gong Lingyao closed her eyes to sense for a moment, then opened them and shook her head at Guang Biao. "No issues. That Evil Soul Master's cultivation was lower than mine, and his Martial Soul isn't the soul-affecting type. There won't be any mistakes." "Thank you, Miss Gong Lingyao." Guang Biao let out a breath of relief. He had brought her here primarily out of concern for his brother; checking Tang Ziran's family was just an incidental courtesy. "Don't mention it. It's my duty." Gong Lingyao offered a small smile, accepted their thanks, and took her leave. Once the door clicked shut, Guang Biao looked at Tang Wulin. "Little guy, wait outside for a moment. I have something to discuss with your parents." Tang Wulin looked toward his father. Seeing Tang Ziran nod, he obediently walked out of the room. Seeing him leave, Guang Biao ignored Guang Long's frantic winking and asked Tang Ziran and his wife directly, "Do you know why the Evil Soul Master attacked you? If you don't get to the bottom of this, your family will be in danger again." After what happened to Guang Long this time, Guang Biao had no intention of letting him stay out in the open any longer. He would use overhearing confidential information as an excuse to keep him in the Mecha Battalion! Tang Ziran and Lang Yue looked at each other. Tang Ziran took a deep breath and began, "It might... be related to a set of mecha blueprints..." Guang Biao listened without interrupting, though something felt strangely off. The two before him did not have remarkable achievements in mecha design. Did the Holy Spirit Cult really send people to capture them over that? Were Evil Soul Masters looking to build mechas too? When Tang Ziran finished speaking, Guang Biao pondered for a moment before asking, "Can you tell me what kind of research you were conducting regarding pharmaceuticals?" Tang Ziran was not surprised that Guang Biao knew their backgrounds. His and his wife's identities were in the Federation's records; they were hardly super-powerful figures, so someone of Guang Biao's status could easily find out with a quick check. "Regarding pharmaceuticals... our research focused on psychiatric drugs." Having heard this, Guang Biao finally reached a conclusion. Whether it was for mecha blueprints or for psychiatric drugs, targeting two ordinary researchers was enough to prove that the Holy Spirit Cult... was out of its mind! There were so many exceptional researchers out there, yet you Evil Soul Masters singled out these two and seemingly pursued them for years. What is wrong with you? There wasn't anything special about them either, was there? Aside from their child, whom the Spirit Pagoda held in high regard... Though such thoughts ran through his mind, Guang Biao did not show it on his face. After all, the way Evil Soul Masters thought was beyond the logic of normal people. Moreover, the two before him were merely ordinary people with limited perspective; perhaps they had overlooked some crucial piece of information. For now, investigating along the lines of the blueprints and psychiatric drugs would suffice. Before leaving, Guang Biao glanced at Guang Long, who was burying his head like an ostrich, let out a cold snort, and offered a piece of advice to Tang Ziran and his wife: "You two had better rejoin an official institution or see if your abilities can earn you entry into a major faction. Those people might strike again, and I can't guarantee I'll arrive in time every single time." Tang Ziran pressed his lips together, nodded, and thanked him. "I understand!" ... Tang Wulin waited outside the hospital room for a while, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. When Guang Biao emerged, Tang Wulin moved to go back in, but suddenly heard a voice transmitted into his ears from Guang Biao: "These words may sound harsh, but speaking from experience, I must tell you: when you have talent and opportunity, don't squander them. There is no medicine for regret in this world." Tang Wulin paused, nodded, and entered the room, walking up to his parents' bedside. Tang Ziran looked at him in silence for a moment before suddenly saying: "Wulin, do you remember what I once told you? In this world, the only person you can truly trust and rely on is yourself." Tang Wulin nodded silently. Since he was little, his father had taught him that only when you yourself are strong are you truly strong. Tang Ziran offered a gratified smile and was about to speak further when Tang Wulin interrupted him. "But I'm your child. You can rely on me forever!" With that, as if having made up his mind, Tang Wulin turned and walked out of the hospital room without looking back, leaving behind only one sentence: "Mom, Dad, wait for me to come back!" Time flowed on, things quietly slipped away. Yet at this moment, the weight of the past pressed down upon him, drawn forth by the future. ... As Tang Wulin ran down the street, memories surfaced in his mind one after another. The Spirit Pagoda Master placing the storage bracelet into his hands: "Put on your best performance and show me that my judgment wasn't wrong!" "Wulin, accept it. I believe you'll be able to repay this kindness." "Little Tang Wulin, you have great talent in forging. Would you... like to join the Spirit Pagoda?" Guang Long patting him on the shoulder with a smile: "Don't let your forging talent go to waste." Xie Xie speaking with a solemn face: "The bracelet on your wrist represents the Spirit Pagoda's recognition." "I don't have parents. Watching your family fuss over each other just made me a little... envious." "Speaking from experience, I want to tell you: when you have talent and opportunity, don't squander them. There is no medicine for regret in this world." And finally, the aspiration that had risen within him before: To become someone like Captain Guang Biao, possessing the strength to protect his family... Could he do it too? ... The warning not to seek out major factions vanished from Tang Wulin's mind at this moment. By the time his racing thoughts came to a halt, he was already standing inside the Spirit Pagoda, saying to the astonished young woman: "I want to... join the Spirit Pagoda!" He chose to trust the people he had met along the way.