Chapter 103: Tricking Tang San

"Brother Tang, may I ask which generation of the Tang Sect you belong to? Before my transmigration, the sect leader of the Tang Sect was part of the 14th generation," Tianlin casually fabricated a timeline. Regardless of whether Tang San claimed to be from before or after the 14th generation, Tianlin already had strategies prepared to continue his deception. "14th generation! It seems, Brother Tianlin, though we come from the same world, we are not from the same era. I am an outer disciple of the 7th generation of the Tang Sect." Tang San was both shocked and delighted. Shocked because their timelines were so far apart yet they had transmigrated to the same era, and delighted because the Tang Sect had prospered to the 14th generation after his departure. This meant that the sect had continued to flourish even after he left. In Tang San's heart, the Tang Sect was a sacred place. Even after he returned to the Clear Sky Clan later, the importance of the Tang Sect in his heart far exceeded that of the Clear Sky Clan. "7th generation outer disciple? Brother Tang, my Shu Mountain Sect is quite adept at gathering intelligence. I once heard a story in the sect about the Tang Sect. It is said that during the 7th generation, there was an outer disciple who was forced to jump into Hell's Peak for stealing the Tang Sect's secret manual, the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. Coincidentally, that person's name was also Tang San. Could it be you? Did you transmigrate to the Douluo Continent during that incident?" Tianlin asked knowingly. "Yes, that was me. It seems your Shu Mountian Sect is indeed extraordinary to know such details." At this moment, Tang San no longer had any doubts. Tianlin must also come from the same world as him; otherwise, how could he know so much? Tianlin smiled and congratulated him, "Then I must offer my congratulations to you, Brother Tang." "Congratulations? For what?" Tang San was puzzled. Tianlin continued to explain, "Brother Tang, you might think you were expelled from the Tang Sect, but that's not the case. After you jumped into Hell's Peak, the elders of the Tang Sect deeply regretted their actions. After all, you were the only one in a hundred years who had created Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, bringing glory to the Tang Sect." "Afterwards, they searched Hell's Peak tirelessly for you. The Grand Elder of the Tang Sect even promoted you to an inner disciple posthumously and declared that as long as you were alive, you would be the heir to the position of sect leader." "Really?!" Tang San suddenly grabbed Tianlin's shoulders in excitement, tears welling up in his eyes. He had not been expelled from the sect; he was still a disciple of the Tang Sect. "Of course. I swear on my martial soul. If I lied about you not being expelled from the Tang Sect, may my soul power never progress, and may my martial soul shatter and die!" Tianlin swore solemnly. He had used a clever trick here. He only swore about the fact that Tang San hadn't been expelled, which was indeed true. At this moment, Tang San was too emotional to notice such nuances. All he understood was that if Tianlin dared to swear on his martial soul, then he must be telling the truth. Tang San dropped to his knees, bowing three times toward the horizon as tears streamed down his face. "Tang Sect's inner disciple Tang San bows in gratitude to the Grand Elder for his great kindness. Even though I may never return to the sect in this life to repay this debt, I vow here and now to carry the name of the Tang Sect to glory in this Douluo Continent!" "What's wrong with my son? Why is he kneeling and crying like this? Yin Yang, I demand an explanation. What did your boy say to my son? I've never seen him like this before," Tang Hao said angrily upon witnessing the scene. His son had always been mature beyond his years. Ever since Tang San became sensible, Tang Hao had never seen him cry, let alone cry like this. Yin Yang quickly tried to calm him down, "Tang Hao, look closely. Your boy isn't kneeling to Tianlin; he's kneeling to the distant horizon as if he's reminiscing about something." Hearing this, Tang Hao gradually calmed down. He realized it might indeed be the case. After all, he often reminisced about the Clear Sky Clan, and his expression at those times likely resembled Tang San's current demeanor. Even Tianlin hadn't expected Tang San's obsession with the Tang Sect to run so deep. He hadn't intended to make Tang San cry. "Brother!" At this moment, Xiao Wu suddenly rushed over, helping Tang San up and glaring at Tianlin. "You scoundrel! How dare you bully my brother? Today, I, Sister Xiao Wu, will teach you a lesson!" As she spoke, Xiao Wu raised her long leg, ready to kick Tianlin. Tang San quickly stopped her. Xiao Wu was no match for Tianlin, and he didn't want to see his sister get hurt. "Xiao Wu, you've misunderstood. Brother Tianlin and I didn't have any conflict. On the contrary, he told me something very important." Tang San then turned to Tianlin and walked up to him with gratitude. "Brother Tianlin, the news you shared today is the best I've heard in over a decade. Coupled with the life-saving favor you gave me in the past, I owe you twice over. If you ever need anything, I, Tang San, will do my best to repay you!" Tang San was always good at saying the right things. Pledging future repayment sounded great, though whether he would remember it later was another question entirely. Tianlin decided to strike while the iron was hot and replied without hesitation, "Excellent. I told you all this because I do have a request, and I won't be shy about it now." Tang San was momentarily stunned. This guy didn't hold back. But that was fine; repaying the favor quickly was better for him anyway. "Brother Tianlin, you are indeed straightforward. Whatever you need, just say the word!" "Great! I hope to establish a partnership with you and also purchase some items from you." Tianlin stated directly, "Brother Tang, as you know, I'm now a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The core disciples of my sect are all support-type soul masters and lack combat abilities. Your hidden weapons can perfectly compensate for that weakness. So, I want to purchase the designs for the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, Silent Sleeve Dart, Sand Shooter, and Flying God Claw." This time, Tianlin didn't want to follow the original story where he only provided materials and had Tang San craft the weapons. That arrangement left Tang San holding all the power. "What?!" Tang San was shocked. "Brother Tianlin, do you realize that these are classified mechanical hidden weapons of the Tang Sect?" Tianlin nodded. "Of course, I understand. But in Hidden Weapons 101, these are considered basic-level designs. I refuse to believe that the Tang Sect has never leaked any of these before. Besides, I'm not asking for ultimate treasures like the Storm Pear Blossom Needles or Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus. What do you say? If you agree, I'm willing to pay one million gold soul coins." "One million gold soul coins?! Oh my gosh, do you know how many carrots you could buy? Brother, what are you even hesitating for? What's there to think about?" Xiao Wu, the little rabbit, was practically drooling at the thought of the money. However, Xiao Wu didn't understand the significance of these hidden weapons in Tang San's heart. Tang San hesitated. "Brother Tianlin, you mentioned that aside from purchasing these designs, you also wanted to propose a collaboration. Could you elaborate? I need to consider everything together." Tang San remained cautious as always, a true strategist at heart. It wouldn't be easy to get him to agree. Tianlin didn't mind. After all, he did have another matter to discuss. "Very well. The other matter is indeed a collaboration. What I propose is even more valuable: I wish to obtain ready-made Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus or Storm Pear Blossom Needles. Just the finished products, no blueprints required!"