novelbin Chapter 23 Give it to me!
Chapter 23 Give it to me!
Please advise.
As Tang San finished speaking, a faint purple glint flashed in his once clear eyes. Purple Demon Eye, activated!
In his eyes, the world seemed to slow down, and Li Fulan's seemingly casual stance instantly became full of flaws. Tang San shifted his feet, unleashing the Ghost Shadow Step, transforming himself into an elusive afterimage, instantly cutting into Li Fulan's side and rear.
This combo would be considered divine skill by the natives of Douluo Continent. But in Li Fulan's eyes...
"Too flashy."
Li Fulan shook his head inwardly. Although this footwork was exquisite, it was like doing calisthenics in the face of absolute physical rules and modern fighting concepts.
Just as Tang San's palm was about to touch the hem of Li Fulan's clothes, Li Fulan moved.
He didn't turn around or dodge, but instead took a small step back abruptly, his shoulder jerking backward. This seemingly ordinary step was precisely timed to the point where Tang San's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet arisen.
"Iron Mountain Lean".
boom!
A muffled thud.
Tang San felt as if a wild bull had crashed into his arms. His chest tightened, and his Ghost Shadow Step was instantly interrupted, causing him to fall backward involuntarily.
But having lived two lives, he reacted extremely quickly. In the instant he lost his balance, he formed claws with his hands, activating the Crane Control and Dragon Capture technique, attempting to grab Li Fulan's shoulders for leverage to stabilize himself.
"Oh, you think you can catch me?" Li Fulan grinned. "Young man, if you want to capture this guy, I'm your ancestor."
Li Fulan's wrist was like a slippery eel, instantly breaking free from Tang San's control and grabbing Tang San's wrist joint with his own. Then, he pressed down and rotated his body, executing a standard over-the-shoulder throw.
"Get out of here!"
The world spun around.
Tang San didn't even see what happened before he felt the world turn upside down. Then, a sharp pain shot through his back, and the air in his lungs was forced out.
"cough……"
Tang San lay on the grass, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.
The ultimate techniques in the Xuan Tian Bao Lu... have actually failed?
The opponent wasn't using any soul skill at all; even the fluctuations in soul power were extremely weak. Their movements were simple, direct, and utterly devoid of beauty, yet infuriatingly effective. Every strike landed precisely on his center of gravity and weak points in his joints, as if… as if they knew exactly how he was going to move!
"Is this the practical combat you're going to teach me?" Li Fulan dusted off her hands, looking down at Tang San with the same gaze she'd given a toddler trying to do parkour after just learning to walk. "Too many unnecessary movements, too many openings. In a real fight, no one will wait for you to finish that fancy footwork."
Whispers and low laughter came from the students around them.
"My God, was Tang San dancing just now?"
"Teacher Li threw me out so hard, it was awful."
"It seems that innate full soul power is nothing special after all."
These voices were like poisonous thorns, piercing Tang San's ears. Shame, anger, resentment... all sorts of emotions surged in his chest, eventually converging into an impulse.
He's a disciple of the Tang Sect! How could he possibly lose to an ordinary teaching assistant who's only level 15!
Tang San sprang to his feet, the purple light in his eyes intensifying. This time, his hands were no longer empty.
His left hand hung slightly, hidden in his sleeve, his muscles taut. That was the starting stance for Tang Clan hidden weapons. Although he didn't have a powerful hidden weapon like the bone-piercing nail, the sleeve dart hidden in his sleeve was still enough to pierce through wooden boards at short distances.
"Since you look down on my skills..." Tang San gritted his teeth, his heart hardening, "then I'll show you the true terror of the Tang Sect!"
Whoosh!
A flash of cold light.
It was an extremely faint sound of something cutting through the air, so fast that it was almost impossible to react.
But in Li Fulan's eyes, it was like a slow-motion replay. As a well-read and powerful person who had read the original work thoroughly, he had long been prepared for this move.
"This is exactly what I've been waiting for."
Li Fulan's pupils contracted slightly, and his right hand, which had been poised to strike, suddenly shot out. But instead of catching the flying sleeve arrow, he grabbed directly at Tang San's left arm, which hadn't yet retracted.
Click.
A crisp click of a mechanism rang out.
Li Fulan's fingers precisely gripped the mechanism switch on Tang San's forearm, forcefully stopping the second sleeve arrow from being fired. Immediately afterwards, his other hand swiftly cut into Tang San's sleeve, his movements as practiced as if he had handled it hundreds of times, and in no time at all, he disassembled the simple sleeve arrow device.
"Give it to me!"
When that cold, hard metal tube landed in Li Fulan's hands, Tang San was completely stunned.
How...how is this possible?
How did he know the structure of the hidden arrow? How did he know where the mechanism was?
"Tsk tsk tsk." Li Fulan played with the hidden arrow in her hand, her expression instantly changing from playful to serious. "Tang San, that's not right of you."
He raised the hidden dart and waved it in the sunlight so everyone could see it clearly.
"It was just a friendly spar, nothing more. You actually carry around a weapon that can kill?" Li Fulan's voice rose a few decibels, filled with a sense of righteousness. "What if this thing misses and hits the flowers and grass? Even if it doesn't hit the flowers and grass, what if it hits a classmate? At the very least, it'll hurt me, okay?"
"I..." Tang San opened his mouth, his face turning bright red.
"Don't explain." Li Fulan waved her hand, looking like she wasn't listening. "As your teacher, it's my responsibility to correct your wrong thinking. I'll keep this dangerous toy for you for now. Come back to me when you've learned how to respect life and how to control your emotions."
As he spoke, right in front of Tang San, he very naturally stuffed the hidden arrow into his pocket (actually, he put it into the system space), and even patted his chest. The movement was as smooth as confiscating a primary school student's spicy snack.
"This is for your own good." Li Fulan patted Tang San's shoulder earnestly, his eyes filled with a fatherly light. "Young man, don't always think about taking shortcuts, and don't rely on external things. True strength comes from within. Do you understand?"
Tang San stared intently at Li Fulan, his eyes practically spitting fire.
"Give me back my...things!"
Tang San's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with suppressed anger.
His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and he trembled like a wolf cub cornered against a wall. The trembling wasn't from fear, but from anger—pure, overwhelming anger.
Tang Clan's hidden weapons were the culmination of his life's work in his previous life, and his only trump card in this world!
Now, in front of so many people, it was taken away as easily as confiscating a primary school student's toy!
"Give it back to you?"
Li Fulan raised an eyebrow, her expression as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Tang San, are you not getting the situation right?"
He held up the intricately crafted hidden arrow device in his hand and waved it in the sunlight. The metallic surface reflected a cold light, causing the surrounding students to gasp involuntarily.
"This thing is a murder weapon."
Li Fulan's tone became serious, even tinged with heartache.
"You're just a child, carrying a weapon that could kill someone to school? Do you know what that means?"
He shook his head and sighed, his expression resembling that of a homeroom teacher who had witnessed a student going astray.
"It means you have a psychological problem."
"A big problem."
"I..." Tang San was about to explain.
"Don't rush to explain." Li Fulan waved her hand. "I know what you're trying to say. You're trying to say this is your family heirloom, left to you by your father, something that saves your life, right?"
Tang San was stunned.
He really meant to say that.
"But have you ever considered," Li Fulan crouched down to align her gaze with Tang San's, her tone softening, "why would a six-year-old child need a weapon to save his life?"
"It's because you're weak."
"It's because you have nothing but these external things."
These words were like a knife, precisely stabbing Tang San in his most vulnerable spot.
His Blue Silver Grass martial soul is useless.
His level 10 soul power is at the bottom.
His prized Tang Clan martial arts were completely ineffective in the previous exchange.
Without hidden weapons... he really is nothing.
"Look at yourself," Li Fulan stood up, looking down at Tang San, "when faced with a problem you can't solve, your first reaction is to pull out a hidden weapon. What does that show? It shows you don't believe in your own strength; you only believe in these cold, hard metal objects."
"If this continues, you'll become a useless person who only relies on external things."
"Without these hidden weapons, you are nothing."
Tang San's body stiffened.
He wanted to argue, but he found that he couldn't find a reason to do so.
Because what Li Fulan said... seems to make some sense.
In his past life, he did indeed rely on Tang Clan's hidden weapons to gain a foothold in the martial arts world. His martial arts skills weren't the strongest, nor was his internal energy the deepest, but he had hidden weapons.
Hidden weapons were his mainstay.
That's his trump card.
Is it also his... Achilles' heel?
"Of course, I'm not saying hidden weapons are bad." Li Fulan's tone softened as she changed the subject. "Hidden weapons are good; used well, they can help you overcome a stronger opponent. But the problem is, you're now treating them as your only lifeline."
"This is dangerous."
"Because once the hidden weapon fails, once it's cracked, once you encounter someone who knows more about hidden weapons than you..."
He pointed to himself and smiled.
"You'll end up like today, losing everything, down to your last pair of pants."
Tang San stared intently at Li Fulan, the anger in his eyes gradually being replaced by another emotion.
That was... confusion.
There was also a hint of unwillingness to admit... a sense of agreement.
"So, I'll keep this for you for now." Li Fulan patted the hidden dart in his pocket. "Come back to me when you're truly strong enough to protect yourself without relying on hidden weapons."
"By then, hidden weapons will be a bonus for you, not a necessity."
"Do you understand?"
Tang San fell silent.
He didn't want to admit it, but he found himself surprisingly convinced.
No, it wasn't that I was persuaded, it was that I was... enlightened?
From childhood to adulthood, whether in his past life or this one, no one has ever said these words to him.
Everyone only marvels at how exquisite his hidden weapons are and how skillful his technique is, but no one ever tells him—what would he have left without hidden weapons?
"Teacher Li..."
Tang San opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end he just lowered his head.
"I see."
His voice was soft, tinged with a hint of resentment, but more so with an indescribable... sense of relief?
Li Fulan looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Alright, PUA successful.
Tang San stood there, watching Li Fulan's departing figure with a complex expression.
Who exactly is this person?
Despite having only level 15 soul power, he was able to easily decipher the ultimate techniques in the Xuan Tian Treasure Record.
He may have looked like just an ordinary teaching assistant, but he knew the structure of Tang Clan's hidden weapons like the back of his hand.
Most importantly, what he said...
Although it was jarring, it was like a bucket of cold water, waking Tang San from his self-satisfied dream.
"Third Brother!"
Xiao Wu's voice came from afar; she was skipping and hopping towards them.
"What are you still doing here? The braised pork in the cafeteria is almost all gone!"
Tang San looked away and took a deep breath.
"They've arrived."
He followed Xiaowu toward the cafeteria, but his mind was still preoccupied with what had just happened.
Li Fulan...
He remembered that name.
at the same time.
In the corridor of the office building, Li Fulan was happily playing with the exquisite sleeve arrow device in her hand.
"Tang Clan hidden weapons..."
He narrowed his eyes, and the smile on his lips grew wider and wider.
"If we brought this thing back to Earth and let Yuan Longping and his gang study it, who knows what kind of cutting-edge technology they could come up with."
Thinking of this, he was in a great mood and even hummed a little tune.
On the first day of work, the protagonist's equipment was confiscated.
This was a good deal.