Chapter 212: Doubt (Part Two)

Well, since Young Master had lost his memory, Little Lv had better tell him about his past, otherwise he might be ambushed without even realizing when.

Especially now that Young Master had no cultivation base, those who had been bullied or oppressed by him before would certainly not let go of this chance. Did Young Master recall that person we saw yesterday?

Little Lv seemed to realize the severity of the problem, and her tone naturally became several shades graver.

Mhm, I remembered, but from his attitude, he seemed quite disdainful toward me. Wang Feng frowned as he spoke.

Tang Shan, that person is named Tang Shan!

Although Wang Feng claimed not to know, a name inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

Mhm, the person outside your door yesterday was Tang Shan. He used to be one of our Tang Family’s geniuses too, succeeded in Foundation Building at fifteen—even across the entire Divine Wind Continent, that counted as an extraordinary talent. But during the last family martial competition, he was defeated by Young Master and lost his chance to study at the Divine Wind Academy. He secretly held quite a grudge against you for that. Little Lv said.

Tang Shan, Tang Shan, it really is named Tang Shan—could this be a coincidence?

Wang Feng paid no attention to what Little Lv said at all; merely hearing the name Tang Shan was shock enough.

But Wang Feng tried his best to stay calm, frowning as he asked: Mhm? Foundation Building at fifteen? Didn’t you say earlier that many people couldn’t even succeed at Foundation Building their whole lives? How did he achieve it so young?

Well, what else would mark him as a genius? But Young Master was even more of a genius before—you succeeded at Foundation Building at a mere twelve, reached Late Foundation Building Stage by fifteen, had immensely deep cultivation, and didn’t hold back even against ordinary Core Formation Cultivators. But tall trees catch much wind… cough!

When Little Lv spoke of Wang Feng, she sounded quite proud, but toward the end, it only turned into a sigh.

After all, she had heard the entire conversation between Tang Zhantian and the person from the Divine Wind Academy with her own ears. Plus, with her own status at Qi Condensation Fourth Layer, she naturally sensed whether Wang Feng had any spiritual energy left.

Heh heh, it’s fine—if the cultivation level is lost, it can be rebuilt; it’s no big deal!

Wang Feng said with utter indifference.

Truly, the loss of cultivation base didn’t bother him—what concerned him now was that terrifying sense of déjà vu. If it were just occasional, he might have brushed it off as over-tiredness, but too many déjà vu flashes brought a creeping fear.

Heh heh, yes, cultivation can be rebuilt if lost—but what about when the spiritual root has vanished too? How do you cultivate then? Are you, such a genius as Young Master, destined to train only in such lowly arts from now on?

Little Lv mumbled softly, as if talking to herself or to Wang Feng, particularly when she mentioned “lowly arts,” she clearly pointed to Body Refining techniques.

Wang Feng naturally knew what Little Lv referred to by “lowly arts,” for on the Divine Wind Continent, everyone pursued cultivation—those with spiritual roots sought immortality through cultivation, while those without could only undertake Body Refining. But Body Refining was far too arduous, especially in the early stage when the entire body faced all kinds of battering and torment. To Cultivators, it was naturally viewed as a lowly art.

By the way, you said earlier that Tang Shan originally had a chance to enter the Divine Wind Academy, but after I defeated him, he lost it. That means I too had a chance to enter the Divine Wind Academy, but later just didn’t go—is that what it means? Wang Feng appeared utterly unbothered, instead asking this.

Mhm, that’s exactly it. But Young Master rejected the Divine Wind Academy back then, and your decision caused quite a stir in the family. Lots of people muttered behind your back, calling you arrogant!

Recalling this, Little Lv still sounded as if she were in a dream.

Then what was the reason for that?

Wang Feng seemed more curious now about the original owner of this body.

After you won the family martial competition championship, you just walked away, saying you’d head to the Eastern Sea to hunt dragons to prove you were worthy of long travels. But right after you left, you were ambushed and assassinated by the Wuzhou Three Evils. Even though you killed them all in the end, you yourself barely survived, and afterward, you ended up like this. Little Lv said.

Mhm, enough about that. If I’m not mistaken, my original name should be Tang Jinbiao, right? Such a mighty and imposing name—whoever came up with it, I’ve no choice but to use it!

Wang Feng seemed unwilling to dwell further, as it was all in the past—the future was his own.

Heh heh, Young Master is truly clever!

Hearing Wang Feng say that, Little Lv couldn’t help covering her mouth as she laughed.

Er…

Wang Feng was speechless, his face flushing with embarrassment.

“He he…”

Seeing Wang Feng’s speechless appearance, Little Lv laughed even more happily.

“All right, I’ll stop teasing you. Actually, the Young Master’s name was given by the Old Master. The Old Master said that in his youth, he once encountered a remarkable man whose name contained ‘biao’, so he gave you this name!” Little Lv added.

“He he, it seems this whole family is full of eccentrics! Why not just call him Huang Biaozi with that ‘biao’ in the name? Huh? Wait, who is Huang Biaozi? Why do I recall such a person?” Wang Feng thought silently to himself, but then spoke aloud: “Can members of the Tang family change their own names?”

“Uh, Young Master, what do you want? You don’t mean…?” Little Lv didn’t dare finish her sentence; betraying the family was too terrible for her to utter, as it was a grave crime, one that couldn’t be washed away even by dying a thousand times.

“You’re overthinking this. I didn’t mean that at all. In fact, I really like this name! How high-end, grand, and premium, low-key, luxurious, and meaningful it is! I like it, I truly like it! Haha, Tang Jinbiao—so heroic and domineering, it’d be downright shameful not to keep it!” Wang Feng seemed to be muttering to himself, yet also addressing Little Lv in a way.

However, from that moment on, he sincerely resolved to forget the past, to forget everything from before, even going so far as to erase his name from his memory entirely, forgetting it deep in his heart. That is to say, from then onward, there was no longer a Wang Feng in the world; there was only Tang Jinbiao!

Although Wang Feng had the intention to forget the past, his entire mindset hadn’t shifted; he still thought of himself as someone who had crossed over, though his mind retained a few faint fragments of other memories.

Then, neither of them spoke another word; Little Lv seemed to feel she had talked too much today and fell quiet involuntarily.

They wandered around the courtyard for a while, and Tang Jinbiao discovered that though this place differed greatly from where he had lived before, it didn’t feel entirely strange to him.

He even mused that after spending so long in an era of technology, living temporarily in such a locale might just be the perfect way to unwind.

After some idle strolling, Tang Jinbiao felt there was nothing more to see and returned to his room. Perhaps because each courtyard was self-contained, he encountered not a single person, not even the little boy who had called him “brother” the day before. Recalling that boy, Tang Jinbiao couldn’t help but speak up: “Little Lv, do I have a younger brother?”

“Hmm, didn’t Young Master meet him yesterday?” Little Lv asked, a look of confusion on her face, but quickly understood and explained: “Yes, Young Master has a younger brother named Tang Song. He’s eight years old this year. But don’t underestimate him—not long ago, he broke through to Qi Condensation Fourth Layer and is now a little cultivator at Qi Condensation Fifth Layer. His cultivation level’s even higher than mine, making him a rare prodigy who might one day outshine you.”

“Uh… this… this isn’t at all like the stories I read? Did I land in a nest of freaks by bad luck? Yeah, that must be it.” Tang Jinbiao couldn’t help muttering inside. According to all the novels he’d read, cultivation involved countless hardships—not like this, where even an eight-year-old kid could casually reach Qi Condensation Fifth Layer.

Of course, Tang Jinbiao had just arrived in this world and wasn’t fully accustomed yet, so misunderstandings were natural. To start with, Tang Zhantian was a master alchemist. Though cultivators in Qi Condensation couldn’t rely on elixirs to boost their cultivation, Tang Zhantian himself was a Core Formation cultivator, and grooming a mere Qi Condensation practitioner was hardly a challenge for him.

Moreover, the Tang family wasn’t limited to Tang Zhantian alone. As a proper clan, its numbers weren’t small; if this branch could produce a genius like Tang Jinbiao, others naturally weren’t far behind. Otherwise, hoping to stand firm on the vast Divine Wind Continent would be nothing but a foolish fantasy.

“He he, Young Master must find it bewildering, right?” Little Lv asked, smiling as she noticed Tang Jinbiao’s expression.

“Hmm, in theory, the path of immortal cultivation is fraught with obstacles. Someone so young shouldn’t have such an advanced cultivation level.” Tang Jinbiao voiced his confusion.

“He he, if that’s what you believe, Young Master, you couldn’t be more wrong! Do you know? Little Master Tang Song is eight years old and at Qi Condensation Fifth Layer. Placed outside, he’d be considered a talent, but have you ever questioned it? Master himself is a master alchemist; raising a student like him shouldn’t pose any problem. And do you know? It’s said that beyond the boundless Eastern Sea, far away, lies the Floating-Sinking Continent. People there are born with Foundation Building cultivation levels! Compared to them, the term ‘genius’ doesn’t even come close for the little master—he’s not even on par with a mortal!” Little Lv countered, her voice carrying a hint of longing when she mentioned the Floating-Sinking Continent.

“Uh…” Tang Jinbiao felt a bit tongue-tied.

“Alright, it’s really not that strange for you, Young Master! With guidance and limitless resources, cultivation isn’t that tough!” Little Lv said cheerfully.

“If you put it that way, it makes some sense. After all, having a teacher versus cultivating alone are totally different experiences.” Tang Jinbiao grasped it a bit better internally; having guidance was like treading a familiar path easily, while self-reliance felt like stumbling through the dark—they were worlds apart. But in his heart, he cursed: “Damn it! Seems like everywhere’s the same—a world run by the rich!” Tang Jinbiao nodded, seeing the logic upon reflection. Then another thought crossed his mind, and he asked aloud: “By the way, after all this chatter, you never explained that earlier warning about being wary of assassination—what’s that about?”