Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San-Chapter 778: Raising Children is More Difficult than Bearing Them

"Dad..."

Mei Gongzi's voice trembled.

And that single word made Wang Qing's heart skip a beat.

"You were the one who raised me, taught me, and gave me the abilities I have now. I might not have even made it into this world if it weren't for you. What other unrelated people did doesn't matter; in my heart, you've always been my father. Everything you did for me was what a good father would do. It's always more difficult to raise a child than to give birth to one. I know that you used me and my mother, but you've always been kind to us and you've never hurt us."

Wang Qing stared at her in a daze. He found it hard to believe that Mei Gongzi would have such an attitude toward him—from his memories, she had always been rather cold and distant.

"Of the entire Peacock Demon clan, you are the only one who was kind to me from childhood until now. Whenever they bullied me when I was younger, you were the one to protect me and punish them. It made me feel warm inside. I thought the reason you and Mom didn't get along was because of some argument you had in the past, but you both treated me with kindness, and I remember every bit of your kindness. It's not something that can change because of blood."

Wang Qing's voice trembled as well. He raised his hand, as if wanting to stroke her head, but when he saw the fierce gaze from Tang San, he lowered his hand. "Good child, you're a good child. I don't even deserve to be called your father. You're such a kind soul. I actually noticed that when you were young. You always secretly helped the weak humans. I remember when the other children in the clan bullied you and insulted you for your human identity. But you didn't even waver. 'So what if I'm human? I'm proud of it,' you said."

Mei Gongzi's eyes were already red. Tang San gently pulled her into his arms and said to Wang Qing, "Your new body's name is Xiao He. If you feel like you should sever ties with your previous identity, I suggest you live under this name from now on. As for your resurrection, aside from us, I think the only person you should tell is your wife. This is too shocking and could easily draw attention from the Ancestral Court."

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Wang Qing—now Xiao He—nodded slightly and said, "That's for the best. But, I'm curious about what's happened during this time. Although my cultivation is gone, my divine consciousness still gives me some sense of things. Have you passed your tribulation? Has Little Mei passed her evaluation? How long have I been dead, for that matter? What has happened since?"

Tang San said, "Let me tell you what happened after your death. Little Mei took over as the leader of the Peacock Demon clan..."

Tang San began by recounting how Mei Gongzi had taken over as the clan leader and what she had achieved. He also talked about her evaluation and the strategies he had prepared for it, including things like his interaction with the Tenebrous Demon Emperor. In fact, he revealed almost everything, except for his own abilities. As for his own tribulation, he told Xiao He the same story he had told the White Tiger Demon Emperor, explaining that he had gained a powerful inheritance.

Xiao He listened intently, and when he heard the more thrilling parts, he couldn't help but be moved. He was especially astonished by Mei Gongzi passing the combat power trial through her own power and even defeating an Immortal Flame Phoenix Great Demon King. Naturally, he was also impressed by the fact that Tang San was able to enlist the support of six Emperors for her.

The way he looked at Tang San gradually changed. He himself was skilled at strategy, but what Tang San had done for Mei Gongzi went beyond anything he could have anticipated. Especially when Tang San had drawn an unprecedented tribulation to strike the Ancestral Court, forcing an entire fifteen Emperors to protect him through his tribulation and heavily damaging the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's power and legacy in the process. And yet, he had survived and successfully passed his tribulation.

It all seemed utterly unbelievable, yet the proof was right in front of him.

The young man before him was not only more skilled in strategy than himself, but also far bolder. Even in the face of so many Emperors, he had handled everything with ease, and even toyed with them. Less than a year had passed since his death, yet Mei Gongzi had not only completed her tribulation but had also become a Great Demon King. Such cultivation speed was unheard of, not just in the Peacock Demon clan, but even among the entire demon population.

Even the White Tiger Demon Emperor had joined their side, so the Peacock Demon clan was now in a better position than ever before. At the very least, the White Tiger Demon Emperor and the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor would undoubtedly support them. With the backing of these two Emperors and Tang San's brilliance, Kali City was as solid as a fortress. What Mei Gongzi needed now was to keep advancing and become the next Peacock Demon Emperor. When that happened, their lineage would once more have a word to say within the Ancestral Court.

After listening to the detailed story, Xiao He exhaled deeply, looked at Tang San, and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. "Whether it's talent or smarts, I'm no match for you! I originally thought that you revived me because you wanted me to help with planning, but now it seems you can manage just fine without me."

Tang San shook his head and said, "Even the most capable person has limits. If I had truly considered everything thoroughly, so many of our people wouldn't have died at the settlement. Since I'm not a demon myself, I misjudged how deeply the demons loathe humans. That led to this tragedy. I thought that by helping Little Mei pass her evaluation and causing a ruckus in the Ancestral Court to weaken the Celestial Fox clan, things in Kali City would stabilize. We had already controlled the settlement's expansion so that it wouldn't draw too much attention, and I believed that was good enough. But I was wrong in my judgment. If you had been here, we could have worked together and avoided such issues."