Chapter 1273: Spacing Out Again

"Are you really alright, Boss?" Xie Xie asked for the nth time as Tang Wulin slurped down his 15th bowl of noodles.

Tang Wulin glanced at Xie Xie and ignored his question as he asked, "When is Hall Master Li getting here?"

"We already contacted him, so he should be here soon." No matter how Xie Xie looked at him, he couldn't help but feel that there was something different about Tang Wulin.

It had been a few hours since he had woken up, and much to everyone's surprise, he had been extremely calm. There was no outpouring of grief for his deceased parents. Instead, he merely sat by himself and spaced out for half an hour before attending to his various duties, such as contacting Li Yun to prepare for the negotiation with the Dou Spirit Empire's royal family.

However, the calmer he appeared, the more concerned everyone was. They were all well aware of what type of person Tang Wulin was, and how much he cherished his friends and family. The near-death ordeal suffered by his father had given rise to his transformation into the crimson dragon that had destroyed the entire Spirit Pagoda branch; how could he possibly be so calm following the deaths of both of his parents? Could this be the calm before the storm?

Aside from how uncharacteristically calm he was, Tang Wulin would occasionally space out and stare into nothingness, but strangely enough, that didn't seem to have affected his appetite in the slightest.

"Let's go." After finally having his fill of noodles, Tang Wulin stood up and strode out of the room, followed closely by Shrek's Six Monsters.

All of them had accompanied him at all times ever since he had woken up in case he lost control over his own emotions again, but during the past few hours, Tang Wulin had behaved in a manner that couldn't have been more normal.

However, the more normal he appeared, the more abnormal he seemed to everyone.

In reality, Tang Wulin's emotions were currently in an extremely tumultuous state. During the short span of just three days, he had encountered far too many inconceivable things, and he was reeling from the enormous influx of information. In particular, the deaths of his foster parents and the revelation that his birth parents were a pair of legendary gods still had him feeling as if he were in a dream.

Everything seemed to be so far-fetched and unrealistic. There were no longer any traces of his foster parents and birth father left in this world, and he wouldn't even be able to see Old Tang ever again.

The knowledge that his foster parents weren't going to die had soothed his pain and grief significantly, but it did nothing to assuage the sense of loneliness that he had been left with.

In the face of this myriad of tumultuous emotions, he needed time to reflect and adjust, which was why he seemed to be so calm on the outside. He needed time for introspection and to come to terms with his far-fetched reality.

At the very least, there was one thing that he was sure of; there was indeed another spear technique that had been left in his mind. On top of that, something extra seemed to have appeared in his mind, and the feebleness and emotional instability he had experienced in the aftermath of his crimson dragon transformation had all been erased.

The Ice God Bead was no longer as active as before, and he had become more steadfast both in heart and in mind. Tang Wulin could sense that the things his father had injected into his mind had resulted in an improvement in his spiritual power. This wasn't a quantifiable improvement. Instead, it was something that was far more profound and unfathomable.

However, at this point, Tang Wulin had no interest at all in examining these changes; he was far too busy thinking about what his foster parents had told him before they had passed away, as well as the fact that his father was a godking.

Shrek's Six Monsters were standing in a semi-circle in front of the seated Tang Wulin.

"Is Boss spacing out again? Is he really alright?" Xu Xiaoyan asked in a low voice.

Yue Zhengyu prompted, "Captain, if you're sad, then cry; we'll always be with you."

Yuanen Yehui sighed, "His heart is dead, so he's incapable of coming to terms with his own grief. This is a very bad thing. It would be much better for his mental state if he could go on a rampage to vent his emotions like he did at the Spirit Pagoda."

Tears began to well up in Xu Lizhi's eyes. "I feel so bad, but I can't do anything. Those accursed Evil Soul Masters! They better pray that I don't get my hands on them!"

Tang Wulin continued to sit on his chair, staring off into space in a completely unresponsive state. The Holy Spirit Douluo had examined his body earlier and confirmed that he was fine. Otherwise, everyone would be even more worried.

Xie Xie squatted down in front of Tang Wulin and waved a hand in front of Tang Wulin's face. Tang Wulin's brows furrowed slightly as he swatted Xie Xie's hand aside before looking up, and he was quite surprised to see that everyone was standing in front of him in a semi-circle formation.

"What are you all doing?"

A wry smile appeared on Xu Xiaoyan's face. "You can't keep bottling everything up like this, Captain. How about we go somewhere and have a sparring match?"

Tang Wulin shook his head in response. "I'm fine; sorry for making all of you worry. It's just that there are some things I can't wrap my head around. There's a very good chance that my parents aren't dead; they were simply taken somewhere else. I don't know the exact details myself, so I'm feeling rather confused. I just need some time to think, so there's no need to worry about me." 

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing this. The Holy Spirit Douluo had said that Tang Wulin's parents had inexplicably disappeared, and now, Tang Wulin was proclaiming that his parents were most likely still alive; these pieces of information left them at a loss for what to think.

Xu Lizhi asked in a careful manner, "Boss, weren't your parents on the path to recovery? What happened to them?"

Tang Wulin faltered slightly upon hearing this before a cold light flashed through his eyes. There was clearly someone behind his parents' death, and judging from what the Holy Spirit Douluo had said at the time, she was most likely aware of who the perpetrator was. Regardless of where his parents had been taken and whether they were going to live, he had to avenge them no matter what!

With that in mind, Tang Wulin abruptly rose to his feet. "I'm going to find Her Majesty; she definitely knows who killed my parents. At the time, I heard her mention something called a Blood Demon Curse!"

"Let's all go together! We'll all help you avenge your parents," Yue Zhengyu said in a determined and supportive manner.

Right at this moment, the Holy Spirit Douluo's voice sounded within the room. "That man's name is Blood Demon, and his Douluo Title is Blood Curse. Even as far as 40 years ago, he was already a rank 97 Hyper Douluo, and he's a particularly heinous being among Evil Soul Masters. He cultivates using the blood of others, and every time he cultivates, he requires sacrifices of hundreds of lives. His powers are extremely peculiar, and I once encountered him with Brother Ming by my side. At the time, Brother Ming had already killed him, but he clearly managed to survive somehow. His Blood Demon Curse is his signature ability, and he uses it to control his blood slaves.

"Every time he wants to control someone, he would take a drop of their blood to complete the curse. Even from tens of thousands of kilometers away, he can instantly kill the cursed subject at will. He's an extremely insidious individual, and it seems that he's most likely become a high-ranking member of the Holy Spirit Cult. The situation surrounding your parents is very strange, Wulin. If you know that they're not dead, then it would do you a lot of good to relax. No matter what situations arise, we'll all be here to support you and share your burden.

"You already carry the heavy responsibilities placed on your shoulders by Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, so you can't allow yourself to be crushed no matter what. If there's something that you don't understand, then reveal it to us, and perhaps we'll be able to help you analyze the situation. Of course, if those matters concern secrets that you don't want to disclose, then you can choose not to tell us. Brother Ming chose you as his successor, and I trust his judgment. Just be yourself, and we'll always support you."

A hint of warmth welled up in Tang Wulin's heart upon hearing the Holy Spirit Douluo's words. In the wake of Yun Ming's death, the Holy Spirit Douluo's heart had completely died, yet she chose to live on for the sake of completing Yun Ming's dying wish, as well as for the people who were still alive and needed her help. She was able to remain strong despite her crushing circumstances, so he had no excuse to be weak.