"Wulin, I'm fine now."
Lang Yue sat on the hospital bed, a weak smile on her face as she looked at the worried Tang Wulin.
"Becoming a soul master really makes you strong. I recovered in no time."
"..."
Tang Wulin glanced at Lang Yue and then at Tang Ziran, who was also pale but smiling.
He sniffled and forced a smile.
"Of course, I'm strong. I eat a lot every day."
He had almost lost his parents today, almost lost his home...
Lang Yue chuckled, "Eating well is a blessing, as long as you don't turn into a little chubby kid."
By the window, Guang Long, lying on the hospital bed, rolled his eyes at the family's warm exchange.
"Kid, aren't you going to thank your savior here?"
Hearing this, Tang Wulin turned to him with a serious expression.
Without a word, he walked up to Guang Long and, to the latter's shock, knelt down with a thud.
"Thank you! Thank you for saving my parents, thank you for keeping my family together! I don't have anything to repay you with right now, but I will in the future! I promise!"
Lang Yue and Tang Ziran exchanged glances and tried to get up from their beds to express their gratitude as well.
If it weren't for Guang Long, they would have been separated from Wulin today.
Falling into the hands of an evil soul master, they might never have returned.
"You... this..."
Guang Long was momentarily stunned by Tang Wulin's gesture, but when he saw the two patients about to do the same, he shouted, "Do you want me, a wounded man, to get up and help you?!"
Tang Ziran and Lang Yue froze, and Tang Wulin, seeing Guang Long's angry expression, could only stand up awkwardly, bowing his head in silence.
Seeing this, Guang Long's tone softened. "I don't have parents. Seeing your family like this... I'm just a little envious. I didn't really want your thanks."
"..."
The Tang family didn't say anything more, but they silently etched their gratitude in their hearts.
Click.
At that moment, the door opened, and two figures walked in, breaking the silence.
One of them was someone the Tang family already knew, Guang Long's older brother, Guang Biao, their savior.
The other was a young, cheerful woman in her twenties.
As he entered, Guang Biao first shot a stern look at Guang Long, who awkwardly turned his head away.
Then he nodded at Tang Ziran and his wife, his expression serious.
"You were attacked by an evil soul master. Just being treated by a healing soul master isn't enough. Let my colleague here examine you again to be safe."
With that, Guang Biao turned to the woman and nodded.
"My name is Gong Lingyao. My martial soul is a bit special, so don't be scared when you see it," she said with a gentle smile.
Five standard soul rings appeared around her, and a dark shadow split from her body, floating over Tang Ziran's family and Guang Long.
A dark mist lingered on the four of them. Tang Wulin curiously touched it but felt no fear.
This sister's martial soul looked strange, just like that evil soul master's, but she didn't have that cold, sinister aura.
Instead, she felt warm.
After a moment of concentration, Gong Lingyao opened her eyes and shook her head at Guang Biao.
"They're fine. That evil soul master's cultivation was lower than mine, and his martial soul wasn't related to the soul. There's no issue."
"Thank you, Miss Gong Lingyao."
Guang Biao let out a sigh of relief.
He had brought her here mainly out of concern for his brother. The Tang family was just a secondary consideration.
"It's nothing. It's my duty."
Gong Lingyao smiled, accepted their thanks, and then left.
When the door closed, Guang Biao turned to Tang Wulin.
"Kid, could you step out for a moment? I need to talk to your parents."
Tang Wulin looked at his father, who nodded, so he obediently left the room.
Ignoring Guang Long's frantic eye signals, Guang Biao asked Tang Ziran and his wife directly, "Do you know why the evil soul master attacked you? If we don't figure this out, your family might be in danger again."
Guang Long had gotten himself into this mess, and there was no way Guang Biao would let him stay outside anymore.
Using the excuse that Guang Long had overheard confidential information, he decided to keep him within the Mecha Brigade!
Hearing this, Tang Ziran and his wife exchanged glances. Tang Ziran took a deep breath and spoke up, "It might be related to a mecha design blueprint..."
Guang Biao listened without interrupting, but he couldn't shake a strange feeling.
The couple's achievements in mecha design weren't particularly outstanding.
Was the Holy Spirit Church really after them for this?
Did evil soul masters want to build mechas too?
After Tang Ziran finished speaking, Guang Biao pondered for a moment before asking, "Can you tell me what kind of research you were conducting in the field of pharmaceuticals?"
Tang Ziran wasn't surprised that Guang Biao knew about their background.
He and his wife's identities were recorded in the Federation's database.
They weren't top-tier experts, so someone of Guang Biao's status could easily investigate them.
"In pharmaceuticals... we were researching psychotropic drugs."
After hearing this, Guang Biao finally reached a conclusion.
Whether it was for the mecha design blueprint or the psychotropic drugs, targeting two ordinary researchers was enough to prove that the Holy Spirit Church... might have some serious issues!
There are so many talented researchers out there, and you evil soul masters had to pick these two?
And it seems like you've been chasing them for years. What's wrong with you?
These two don't seem particularly special, do they?
Except for their child, who has caught the attention of the Spirit Pagoda...
Though he thought this, Guang Biao didn't show it on his face.
After all, the thought processes of evil soul masters were indeed hard to understand from a normal person's perspective.
Moreover, the couple in front of him were just ordinary people with limited vision.
They might have missed some crucial information.
For now, he would investigate both the blueprint and the psychotropic drugs.
Before leaving, Guang Biao glanced at Guang Long, who was pretending to be an ostrich, and snorted.
He then turned to Tang Ziran and his wife with a warning.
"You two should consider rejoining an official organization or see if you can join a major faction based on your abilities. Those people might come after you again, and I can't guarantee I'll always arrive in time."
Tang Ziran pursed his lips and nodded in gratitude. "I understand!"
...
Tang Wulin waited outside the hospital room for a while, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
When Guang Biao walked out, Tang Wulin was about to enter the room but suddenly heard Guang Biao's voice transmitted to him.
"This might sound harsh, but as someone who's been through it, I want to tell you: if you have talent and opportunities, don't waste them. There are no second chances in life."
Tang Wulin paused, then nodded and entered the room, walking up to his parents' beds.
Tang Ziran looked at him silently for a moment before suddenly saying, "Wulin, do you remember what I once told you? In this world, the only person you can completely trust and rely on is yourself."
Tang Wulin nodded silently.
His father had told him this when he was young, only by being strong yourself can you truly be strong.
Tang Ziran smiled with relief and was about to continue when Tang Wulin interrupted him, "But I'm your child. You can always rely on me!"
With that, Tang Wulin seemed to have made up his mind.
Without looking back, he turned and walked out of the hospital room, leaving only one sentence behind.
"Mom, Dad, wait for me to come back!"
Time flows, and things slip away unnoticed.
But in this moment, the weight of the past pressed down on him because of the future.
...
Tang Wulin ran down the road, countless memories flooding his mind.
The Spirit Master uncle handed him the storage bracelet, saying, "Show me your best performance, so I know I didn't misjudge you!"
"Wulin, take it. I believe you can repay this favor."
"Little friend Tang Wulin, you have great talent in forging. Would you like to join the Spirit Pagoda?"
Guang Long patted his shoulder and smiled, "Don't waste your talent in forging."
Xie Xie looked at him seriously, "The bracelet on your hand represents the Spirit Pagoda's recognition."
"I don't have parents. Seeing your family like this... I'm just a little envious."
"As someone who's been through it, I want to tell you: if you have talent and opportunities, don't waste them. There are no second chances in life."
Finally, a thought that had been brewing in his mind resurfaced.
To become someone like Captain Guang Biao, to have the power to protect his family... Could he do it?
...
The warning about not seeking out major factions vanished from Tang Wulin's mind.
By the time his thoughts settled, he was already standing inside the Spirit Pagoda, facing a surprised young woman.
"I want... to join the Spirit Pagoda!"
He trusted the people he had met along the way.
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