Chapter 75: Women’s Jealousy and Vanity

“I…”

After a moment, a strange expression appeared on Tang Jinbiao’s face as he looked at Tang Hu with disbelief.

“How about it? Brother Biao, you don’t believe me, right? Brother Biao, I tell you, if I’m lying, you can kill me with your Watermelon Cleaver!”

After discovering that Tang Jinbiao seemed not to believe him, Tang Hu said seriously.

“Fine, I believe, I believe. It’s just that I always thought it would ruin their images a bit!”

Tang Jinbiao nodded helplessly, looking a bit disappointed in his heart.

“Ah, Brother Biao, women are all like this. Besides, you haven’t been out to see the world. If you had met the disciples of the Clear Autumn Holy Land, you wouldn’t think Tang Yilin is some Goddess anymore. Of course, Tang Yilin does have a really good figure—few women can compare to her!”

Tang Hu spoke confidently.

“Clear Autumn Holy Land? What place is that?”

Tang Jinbiao was slightly stunned, having never heard of that place.

“Huh, tell me, Brother Biao, are you really a man?”

Tang Hu had an expression like he had seen a ghost.

“I…”

Tang Jinbiao was speechless at Tang Hu’s words, but suddenly recalled something. He gave Tang Hu a hit and said sternly, “Cut the nonsense! Hurry up and tell me what the Clear Autumn Holy Land actually is! It sounds like a sect full of women. On the Divine Wind Continent, isn’t there only the Divine Wind Academy? How come there’s an extra Clear Autumn Holy Land?”

“I…”

This time, Tang Hu was speechless.

“Huh? Still not talking?”

Tang Jinbiao slightly raised his hand as if about to smack Tang Hu’s head.

Seeing Tang Jinbiao glare at him angrily, Tang Hu immediately followed up, “Brother Biao, don’t hit me. I’ll talk, I’ll talk—won’t that do?”

“Are you even part of the Tang Family? How can you not know any of this?”

Tang Hu muttered softly to himself, then went on, “Actually, on the Divine Wind Continent, sects and families number not in the thousands but far more. To put it simply, just in Wuzhou alone, there are dozens of sects. It’s just that the Tang Family has the greatest influence, so when people mention Wuzhou externally, they naturally think of the Tang Family. But that doesn’t mean Wuzhou has no other powers. For instance, heading east five thousand li from our Tang Family, there’s another Corpse Dao Sect. However, the Corpse Dao Sect is unorthodox and evil, not tolerated by righteous people. Unfortunately, the Corpse Dao Sect’s Grand Elder is a Vice President of the Divine Wind Academy. So, although the Corpse Dao Sect’s strength isn’t on par with the Tang Family, the Tang Family can’t eliminate them. As for other forces, they’re all just small fry—not worth mentioning! The Divine Wind has seven territories, and just Wuzhou alone has many large and small factions. As for other places, take Suzhou for example. Suzhou is remarkable—a land of talented people and rich resources. Though small in area, it has several major powers, known as the Four Families, Three Sects, Two Factions, One Holy Land, and One Academy. The Four Families are the Feng Clan, Tang Family, Chu Clan, and Wei Clan. Each of these great families is only a second-tier force, lacking extraordinarily powerful Cultivators to guard it, but they win through their overall formidable strength. Moreover, it’s said many years ago, that Tang Family there was a branch of our Tang Family! The Three Sects refer to the Spirit Dao Sect, Sword Flight Sect, and Maple Leaf Sect. The Spirit Dao Sect and Maple Leaf Sect both focus on using Spells; they supposedly rely on a top-tier Earth-grade cultivation method for inheritance. The Sword Flight Sect excels at artifact crafting; it’s said their founding ancestor occasionally obtained a crafting technique passed down from the Immortal Realm, capable of making powerful acquired Spiritual Treasures! The Two Factions are the Southern Faction and Northern Faction. Actually, the Southern and Northern Factions refer to forces united from Suzhou’s north-south division—they’re not considered real sects! As for that Holy Land, naturally it’s the Clear Autumn Holy Land. The Clear Autumn Holy Land has a long heritage, apparently tens of thousands of years old. It’s said its founder was named Leng Qingqiu, and later generations named it in her honor. And that Academy—well, it must be the Divine Wind Academy. For the Divine Wind Academy, you can’t grasp its majesty unless you go there yourself. Of course, at this point, Brother Biao must be curious: why are there so many sects around where the Divine Wind Academy is?”

“Hmm!”

Tang Jinbiao nodded slightly. He was hearing all this for the first time. Though he read related books when he first arrived, they were mostly odd tales and myths; he hadn’t read much on the Divine Wind Continent’s power distributions.

“Haha, actually, this isn’t strange at all. Because the Divine Wind Academy transcends it all, they have no need to fight for resources—they get an endless supply naturally. Across the entire Divine Wind Continent, among any notable group, whether families or sects, nearly ninety percent of leaders are students who graduated from the Divine Wind Academy. To put it plainly, just in our Tang Family, those Elders were also Divine Wind Academy students hundreds of years ago. Even five hundred years back, it’s said one Elder served as Vice President of the Divine Wind Academy, though later he transcended a Tribulation and ascended!”

Tang Hu smiled slightly, explaining again for Tang Jinbiao.

“What? Such a thing happened?”

Tang Jinbiao was slightly startled. Though he had always heard of the Divine Wind Academy, he wasn’t clear on its true nature.

“Well, do you understand now? That’s why our Tang Family must choose three spots every year through contests to attend the Divine Wind Academy’s tests. Sadly, over the past century, our Tang Family’s talent has withered—each time, the selected disciples weren’t admitted. And besides, these years, our Tang Family hasn’t had strong pillars. If not for Vice President Wang and the Family Head Madam’s relationship, many forces would have been eyeing us greedily already. Just a few years ago, we almost came to blows—if not for that person emerging unexpectedly, who knows where we’d be now? So Brother Biao, I hope you’ll work hard. Once you become a student of the Divine Wind Academy, our Tang Family won’t face many problems for decades, since the Divine Wind Academy strongly protects its own!”

Tang Hu went on speaking, though he seemed a bit despondent when mentioning the Tang Family’s recent century of hardships.

The rise and fall of a nation rests on every citizen’s responsibility!

Clearly, despite being unwelcome in the family, Tang Hu cared deeply for this clan. It was his sense of duty that gave him a Cultivation Level at the Second Tier Advanced Stage at such a young age. If he weren’t lacking in combat experience, Tang Shan would never be his match.

“That person? That person again? My brother Tang Ni? What kind of existence are you really?”

When Tang Jinbiao heard “that person,” he immediately remembered how Little Lv hadn’t answered directly when he asked her back then, instead substituting it with “that person.” Though he muttered this question to himself, he still spoke up: “That person? Are you talking about Tang Ni?”

Thump!

“Brother Biao!”

Tang Hu and the others instantly flinched at the name “Tang Ni.” They hastily covered Tang Jinbiao’s mouth, clearly terrified he might say more.

“What’s wrong?”

The reaction of Tang Hu and his companions was identical to Little Lv’s back then, to the point where just hearing “Tang Ni” made faces turn pale.

“Brother Biao, never say that name again! That name is taboo within our Tang Family!”

Tang Hu urgently stopped Tang Jinbiao’s question.

Fearing Tang Jinbiao wouldn’t understand, he continued to explain: “Brother Biao, do you know why our Tang Family, although clearly weakened over so many years, still stands strong? Actually, it’s all thanks to Vice President Wang. Vice President Wang reached the Tribulation Transcendence cultivation level in merely a hundred years. Throughout the entire Divine Wind Continent, such a feat is near impossible to surpass. Even ancient beings who have lived for ten thousand years must show her some deference when they meet her. Plus, due to her relationship with the Family Head’s wife — that is, your mother — even though Vice President Wang isn’t a Tang by blood, she publicly claims to be part of the Tang Family. For the past century, she has been our Tang Family’s true pillar of support.”

“Sadly, twenty years ago, your elder brother, the one we refer to as ‘that person,’ was born. From the very day he was born, the world seemed to change. Countless tribulation clouds gathered over the Tang Family estate. Demon beasts surged from all directions, only to prostrate themselves on the ground, howling and begging for mercy. It was like the end of the world… I can’t even imagine that scene, because our parents only whispered it to us in secret.”

“After that person was born, his cultivation advanced at a terrifying speed. He reached the Late Core Formation Stage by just twelve years old. Yet even at just Late Core Formation, cultivators at the Nascent Soul and Soul Refinement levels couldn’t withstand a single move from him. Even the Tribulation Transcendent cultivators would instantly go pale at the mention of him. Can you imagine that? At only Late Core Formation cultivation, he thought nothing of dealing with those of the Nascent Soul and Soul Refinement levels, and Tribulation Transcendents dreaded his name! How powerful must that be?”

“But for some reason, after reaching Late Core Formation, his cultivation plateaued completely. Then, the day he turned fifteen, a Heavenly Tribulation suddenly descended. It’s said that tribulation was even more terrifying than the ascension tribulation faced by Tribulation Transcendents. It drew countless powerful cultivators to witness it. However, almost all spectators were stunned unconscious by the very first tribulation lightning strike… Whether he succeeded or failed in the end, no one knows. Because after that event, even those great Tribulation Transcendent cultivators changed personalities, becoming unwilling to speak of the matter at all…”

“What connection does that have with anything?”

Tang Jinbiao was puzzled. What was the actual link here?

“Haha, Brother Biao, be patient, let me explain. That person’s sheer defiance of the heavens should have been a good thing, a major asset to our Tang Family, right? But precisely because of that person’s fleeting brilliance, few people spoke of Vice President Wang’s genius anymore. Almost overnight, his fame completely overshadowed hers.”

“Though this might not seem like a huge matter, after that incident, Vice President Wang grew somewhat discontent with the Tang Family. Her affection and care weren’t what they once were. There was even an incident where an Elder, merely for mentioning that person’s name during a meeting, angered Vice President Wang so much that she casually annihilated him then and there. Therefore, after that event, it became forbidden! Absolutely forbidden for anyone in the Tang Family to mention that person’s affairs or his name!”

“Haha, doesn’t it sound a bit unbelievable? When I first heard it, I thought it was ridiculous too! But after hearing the explanation later, it all made sense!”

Tang Hu continued his explanation.

“Oh? What explanation?”

Tang Jinbiao became intrigued.

“Haha, a woman’s vanity and jealousy!”

Tang Hu smiled slightly as he explained.

“This… I… Alright, I suppose that’s all one can say.”

Tang Jinbiao was momentarily stunned by this explanation, but finding no better reasoning, he had to accept it with a nod. Suddenly remembering something, he asked, “Ah Hu, I just asked you about the Nirvana Pill. Why are you telling me all this? Hurry up and tell me, why am I having diarrhea?”

“I…”

Tang Hu was rendered speechless, but still explained: “Anyway, Brother Biao, you shouldn’t worry. Since it was medicine given by Vice President Wang, it must be the Nirvana Pill. Didn’t I tell you earlier? Vice President Wang has a nickname: ‘Little Annoyance.’ It’s mainly because she has a habit of playing pranks. Clearly, she added something else to your Nirvana Pill. But don’t worry too much, Brother Biao. Her pranks are usually benign. Haven’t you noticed? Even though you’ve been experiencing constant diarrhea, you don’t feel the slightest bit weak? Instead, you feel your body growing stronger? And you have no real pain?”

“Damn! Having diarrhea isn’t painful?”

Tang Jinbiao roared in anger. This bout of diarrhea had nearly cost him his little life.

If Tang Jinbiao had consumed an unaltered Nirvana Pill, he might not have made such an exclamation.

“I…”

Tang Hu was speechless again, but suddenly an idea flashed through his mind. He spoke: “Brother Biao, starting from today, shall we begin practicing?”