Chapter 18: Truth

Ah Yin felt like she just escaped after being trapped for a long time in a dark place, she was disoriented. She looked absentmindedly at her surroundings, an unfamiliar room and a handsome boy.

"You…who are you? Where am I?"

Ah Yin's voice was hoarse.

"Hello, sister Ah Yin. I'm Bibi Vaiss. The Holy Son of the Spirit Hall."

"Spirit…hall?"

Ah Yin took a minute before she came to her senses.

"You…are you here to hunt me again?"

Ah Yin's voice was sad and full of despair. She was sober now and knew she had regrown, but she never thought that she would die again as soon as she woke up.

She couldn't accept it, she had yet to see her son or husband but she was going to die again. Her Blue Silver Grass bent like it was wilting.

Vaiss chuckled and felt that it was enough.

"Okay, sister, I'm not here to hunt you down. I'm here to help you and the reason you can recover now is because of me."

"Don't lie to me, you humans are greedy for my soul ring and bone, I can see it in your ey…"

Ah Yin's cold voice stopped because she couldn't see any greed in Vaiss's eyes, his eyes were pure. Ah Yin couldn't believe it, she only knew two people who weren't greedy for her soul ring and bone, it was her husband, Tang Hao, and his brother, Tang Xiao.

But now, there was another one, Vaiss.

Vaiss was never greedy for soul rings and bones because he could make them himself. 

"See, I'm really here to save you."

"Save me? From what? And where is my husband, I should have left my seed to him."

Although she knew Vaiss was not here to hunt her, she didn't let her guard down and did not believe that Vaiss was there to save her.

Vaiss never expected Ah Yin to believe him, so he didn't mind her cold tone.

"I'm here to save you from your husband, Tang Hao."

"Hah! What nonsense! He is my husband!"

"Do you know how long you have slept?"

Ah Yin was taken aback by the sudden question, Vaiss gave her the answer before she could.

"8 years, give or take."

Ah Yin frowned, that's impossible, she thought. Although she was injured and had sacrificed to Tang Hao and spent all her vitality and energy, she was the Blue Silver Emperor, with her own recovery ability and the support of the whole Blue Silver Grass clan, how could she take so long to recover?

"Do you know where I rescued you from? From a cave.

Your husband should know that you need sunlight to grow but he plants you inside a cave, isn't that just killing you slowly? And there was barely any Blue Silver Grass around there, you receive so little vitality, that it was already a miracle you can regrow at all.

And don't say, he wanted to hide you. If he wants to hide you, he can just return you to your clan, although your clan is weak, they'd have no problem hiding you, and you can even recover faster with their help.

I don't believe you didn't tell him where your clan resides. 

So, why did he plant you inside a cave? He intentionally plants you there, to let you die slowly."

Ah Yin didn't know what to say, she couldn't, no, she didn't want to believe it. How could Tang Hao do this? She didn't want to believe it. Her body trembled greatly and shook repeatedly.

Vaiss saw that Ah Yin still didn't believe, so he continued.

"Sister, tell me, back then, why did you two travel to Varro city when you were pregnant and about to give birth?"

Ah Yin stayed silent, Vaiss was patient and waited for her.

"...Hao said that I should get fresh air from time to time and that his father had prepared a room and an experienced midwife in the outskirt of the city for us."

Vaiss was surprised, so the Clear Sky Clan had a hand in this? Things are getting interesting.

"But suddenly you were besieged by the Spirit Hall just after giving birth, right?

Sister, don't you think it was weird? Why did Tang Hao take you to a city near the Spirit City, where there are many titled douluo? With the Clear Sky clan power, it should be easy to arrange things in a remote village, so you would be hidden.

And you may not know but we received an anonymous letter reporting your soul beast identity just a few days before you arrive in Varro city. 

A bit too coincidental, don't you think?"

Ah Yin didn't say anything, there were only three people who knew her identity, Tang Hao, Tang Xiao, and their father Tang Chu. And there was no titled douluo in Varro city that day and she was lucky enough to never meet any titled douluo before.

If there was anyone who would report her, that would be those three. 

Vaiss could hear choked sobbing from Ah Yin, he knew it was hard to believe that her loved one betrayed her. But Vaiss would not stop aggravating their relationship, as Vaiss needed Ah Yin to hate both Tang Hao and Tang San, so it would be impossible for her to kill herself so Tang San could awaken his bloodline since there could only be one Blue Silver Emperor.

Now that Vaiss had laid the groundwork, it was time for the final show. He had determined that the sacrifice was a farce and planned by either Tang Hao or his father, this time he needed Tang Hao to say it himself, the truth of that day.

As for how to do it, he would use a little risky move.

"Sister, my words might be a little unconvincing, so why not ask Tang Hao personally?

I have a way to make him tell the truth, don't you want to know the truth?"

Ah Yin held back her tears and stayed silent for a moment.

"Yes, I want to know."

"Great, then let's wait for night to fall before we move."

"Okay."

Despite the firm voice, Vaiss saw her body still trembling and a slight crack in her voice. 

Vaiss already found Tang Hao after he covered the city with a mind scan. He saw Tang Hao in a shabby house, tempering steel. He was unkempt, with hair and beard like a chicken coop, a haggard and sad face, and many alcohol bottles scattered on the floor.

Vaiss didn't understand what he was so melancholy and sad about, he killed his wife, why did he act like his wife was murdered by someone else?

Vaiss sneered when he saw Tang Hao drink another bottle of alcohol, he wished Tang Hao would drink more and just drop dead drunk, it would make his next move a lot easier.

They waited until midnight before Tang Hao slept on the table after drinking, Vaiss called Ghost and brought Ah Yin in front of the house. He used his mind power to hypnotize Tang Hao so he would sleep deeply and won't wake up easily. With the difference in mental strength, Tang Hao didn't even realize it and was hypnotized.

"Okay, I already hypnotized Tang Hao, we can walk in boldly."

Ghost was no longer surprised by Vaiss's means, while Ah Yim was shocked. A soul King hypnotized a title douluo? The world changed too much since she fell.

The three then walked in, Ghost frowned because of the heavy alcohol and sweat smell, while Vaiss already prepared and wore a gas mask. Without it, Vaiss would suffocate since his senses were multiple times more sensitive than normal.

Ah Yin looked at Tang Hao with some joy but more confusion, she didn't know what to believe.

Vaiss hypnotized Tang Hao again, making him say the truth when asked.

"Sister, you can ask him."

Ah Yin nodded and took a deep breath.

"Hao, tell me, did you plan to take me to Varro city to force me to sacrifice? Or was it just an accident?"

Ah Yin forced herself to say it.

"No."

The sleeping Tang Hao answered, but before Ah Yin could be happy, his next word plunged her to hell.

"My father planned it, and I agreed with it.

Back then, when I told father about you, he ardently refused to acknowledge you and told me to kill you and Tang San and absorbed your soul ring and bone but I refused at first because I love you.

But in the end, I couldn't resist the temptation of power and my father was threatening to banish and erased me from the clan, so I yielded but begged my father to at least save Tang San.

I thought at least, you would want our son to survive.

So, my father planned to force you to sacrifice. First, we lied to you that my father had acknowledged you and had prepared for your childbirth at Varro city.

While we sent a letter to the Spirit Hall about you, so they would come to hunt you down and force you to sacrifice so I and Tang San had the chance to escape. And it worked perfectly, they came at just the right time, just after giving birth, when you are at your weakest.

The sacrifice was completed and I became the youngest titled douluo on the continent.

But some things go wrong.

I don't know how but I managed to kill the pope, I only intended to drive him away and escape. Because of it, the Spirit Hall launched an attack on the clan and my father and a lot of the members of the clan died.

The elders blamed me for it and banished me from the clan, they even hunted me and want to cripple me to get back the clan's soul bone.

After this incident, I was hunted by both Spirit Hall and my clan, I couldn't help but blame you and the Spirit Hall.

I hated the Spirit Hall and you, if it weren't for you two, I wouldn't be banished from the clan and would have been enjoying the glory of being the youngest title douluo.

I wanted to kill you but couldn't bring myself to because I realized I still love you, so I planted you in the cave behind the waterfall and left you to fate.

As for the Spirit Hall, I put my hope in my son, he will grow strong as a twin martial soul and destroy the Spirit Hall."

Tang Hao ended his confession with a laugh, Ghost would've killed him if weren't for Vaiss preventing him. Ah Yin was in despair and the whole plant went limped like it was going to die, she didn't scream or cry, just silent.

Vaiss looked down at Tang Hao like a bug, now he knew why Tang Hao was looking so sad, he didn't mourn for his wife, he was sad because his father died and his clan banished him.

"Let's go."

Vaiss stored Ah Yin inside the space ring, the two left the house after erasing any evidence of them being there and returned to the hotel.

"Young master, why didn't you let me kill that bastard?"

Ghost was still fuming and complained to Vaiss.

"Grandpa, dead is too good for a hypocrite like him. I want to play with him, let him see everything he cared for destroyed, and then kill him painfully. Won't it be more satisfying that way?"

Ghost was a little surprised when he heard Vaiss, he never expected that Vaiss could be so cruel but he smiled, he liked Vaiss even more. Kind to his friends and cruel to his enemy, Ghost liked people with that mindset.

Vaiss smiled coldly as he saw the sleeping Tang Hao in his mind scan. He would do what he said, he wouldn't let Tang Hao die so easily, he wanted him to die painfully after seeing everything he held dear destroyed in front of him. His son and his clan, Vaiss would play with them slowly before crushing them.