Song Qing didn't immediately respond to Ah Yin's bewildered mental query. Instead, he posed a question of his own. 'Tell me, Ah Yin,' he projected calmly, 'what do you think of your husband, Tang Hao? What kind of man is he, in your eyes?'
Ah Yin was taken aback by the sudden shift in topic. 'Tang Hao…?' she mentally echoed, a wave of warmth and affection filling her thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, she began to describe the man she loved.
'He was… kind,' she mentally began, her thoughts painting a picture of a gentle giant. 'And brave, always so courageous, never afraid to face any danger. A little… foolish sometimes, perhaps, rushing into things without thinking. But his heart was always in the right place. He was fiercely protective of me, of our family. He had a strong sense of justice, always willing to help those in need. He could be a bit… stubborn, set in his ways, but he was also incredibly loyal and devoted.'
She continued in this vein for what felt like a long time, her mental voice filled with love and nostalgia as she recounted the many qualities she admired in Tang Hao. She spoke of his strength, his determination, his unwavering love for her and their unborn child. She described his gruff exterior that hid a surprisingly tender heart. She went on for a good ten minutes, her mental monologue painting a vivid portrait of the man she cherished.
As Song Qing listened to this outpouring of love and admiration for Tang Hao, he felt a burning sensation rising within him. 'Kind? Brave? Protective?' he thought, his mental voice laced with bitter sarcasm. 'He nearly killed me when I was eight years old! Is that kindness? Is that bravery?'
He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. The more he heard about Tang Hao's 'good qualities', the more his anger simmered beneath the surface.
'Not now,' he mentally reminded himself, forcing down his rising fury. 'Now is not the time to reveal my true feelings.'
He shifted his mental focus back to Ah Yin, his mental voice calm once more. 'Ah Yin,' he projected, 'when you were forced to become a seedling, to recover your power, why did Tang Hao not take you back to the Blue Silver Forest? He knew the location of that forest, didn't he? Surely he must have realized that the vitality of the Blue Silver Grass there would have greatly aided your recovery. Why did he not take you back to your home?'
Ah Yin's mental flow faltered. 'Why…?' she mentally echoed, a hint of confusion entering her thoughts. She hadn't really considered that before. 'Perhaps… perhaps he didn't think of it. Tang Hao could be a bit… dense sometimes. Or maybe… maybe there was another reason.' Her mental voice trailed off, uncertain.
Song Qing remained outwardly calm, though inwardly he felt a surge of frustration at her naivety. He had expected this answer, or something similar.
'She truly loves him blindly,' he thought, a hint of pity mixed with his anger.
'I know the answer, Ah Yin,' he finally projected, his mental voice firm. 'It was likely because he wanted to help your son achieve his Second Awakening. He wanted to evolve your son's Blue Silver Grass spirit into the Blue Silver Emperor.'
A wave of shock rippled through Ah Yin's mental presence. 'My son…?' she mentally whispered, the memory of the tiny infant she had held in her arms flashing through her mind. The mention of her son completely overshadowed her confusion about Tang Hao's decision. 'Our son… he's alive?' A surge of pure maternal joy flooded her thoughts. 'What is his name? How old is he? Is he well? Did he really awaken a Blue Silver Grass spirit?' The fact that her son had inherited her spirit filled her with an overwhelming happiness.
Song Qing gently and calmly answered her flurry of mental questions, one by one. 'His name is Tang San,' he projected, his mental voice soothing. 'He is the same age as I am, about twelve years old. He has been living well, from what I know. And yes, he did awaken the Blue Silver Grass. But not only that, Ah Yin, he is one of the rare individuals with Twin Spirits. He also awakened the Clear Sky Hammer.'
Another wave of shock, this time mixed with immense pride, emanated from Ah Yin. 'Twin Spirits…?' she mentally exclaimed, her joy reaching new heights. 'My son… he's so talented!' She could almost feel the tendrils of her Blue Silver Empress spirit swaying and flailing with happiness around her. 'He's living well… and he has such powerful spirits… Tang Hao made the right decision. Helping our son undergo the Second Awakening and evolve his Blue Silver Grass… it was the best thing.'
Song Qing remained quiet, observing the pure, unadulterated joy radiating from Ah Yin. He could understand her emotions. This was the depth of a mother's love – wanting the best for her child, even at her own expense.
After allowing her to revel in her happiness for a few moments, Song Qing shifted the topic to the matter he truly wanted to address. 'Ah Yin,' he projected, his mental voice now carrying a serious tone, 'four years ago… your dear husband, the man you described as kind and brave… he attacked me. I was merely eight years old and that man attacked me with his strongest soul ring. In fact, he nearly killed me. I barely survived, and did you know that it took me three years just to recover from the injuries he inflicted.'
The joyous mental energy emanating from Ah Yin abruptly ceased. Her thoughts became still, frozen in disbelief. 'That's… that's not possible,' she mentally whispered, her voice filled with shock. 'Tang Hao would never… You must be lying. You are from the Spirit Hall, after all.'
Song Qing had anticipated this reaction. The image Ah Yin held of Tang Hao was deeply ingrained, built on years of love and shared experiences. He knew it would be difficult for her to accept such a starkly different truth.
'Very well, Ah Yin,' Song Qing projected, and in the physical world, the Dark Soul Emperor's Crown flashed into existence atop his head, its dark energy subtly permeating the area. 'I will show you the memory of that day, from my perspective. With your mental energy, you should be able to discern if I am attempting to deceive you. And if, after seeing it, you still believe I am lying… then I will never mention this matter to you again.' He waited, his mental presence steady, offering her the truth.
~~
Very soon, the world around Ah Yin dissolved, replaced by a vivid, almost tangible scene. She found herself experiencing the world through the senses of a young boy, no older than eight. She could feel the smallness of his body, the quickening of his heartbeat as he walked hand-in-hand with another child, a girl with dark hair and bright eyes.
'This… this is Qing… as a child?' Ah Yin thought, her mental presence observing the scene with a detached curiosity that quickly turned to alarm.
They were in a bustling marketplace, the air filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and the chatter of the crowd. The young boy, Song Qing, seemed happy, laughing at something the girl, Zhu Zhuqing, had said.
Then, the sky darkened. A figure descended rapidly, wielding a massive, black hammer that pulsed with terrifying energy. Ah Yin recognized the weapon instantly.
'Tang Hao…?' she thought, her mental presence recoiling in horror.
She watched, frozen in disbelief, as her husband, his face contorted in fury, brought the hammer down towards the unsuspecting child.
'No! What is he doing?' she mentally screamed, but she was merely an observer, trapped within Song Qing's memories.
Two figures, one wreathed in shadows and the other radiating a blinding golden light, appeared as if from nowhere, intercepting Tang Hao's attack. Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo.
'They are protecting him…' Ah Yin realized, her confusion deepening.
She heard her husband's voice boom across the silent marketplace, the sound echoing with a terrifying intensity.
"Song Qing," Tang Hao's voice resonated, filled with cold determination, his gaze piercing directly into the eyes of the young boy. "I have come to eliminate a threat to the future of this world."
Ah Yin's mental presence recoiled as if struck. 'A threat? This child… a threat?'
Tang Hao's gaze in the memory remained fixed on the young Song Qing, his grip tightening on the Clear Sky Hammer. "This boy… his talent is too great. If he is allowed to reach the Titled Douluo realm, he will surpass every predecessor the Spirit Hall has ever had. That is a future I cannot allow." His voice was chillingly resolute, leaving no room for doubt about his deadly intentions. "I have come to kill him swiftly.
Ah Yin felt a wave of nausea wash over her mental form. 'No… Tang Hao… you can't mean that… a child…' She had never heard such cold, cruel words from the man she loved.
She could feel the raw emotions emanating from the young Song Qing – the initial shock, the paralyzing terror, the dawning fear for his friend Zhu Zhuqing who stood beside him, clutching his hand.
She felt his immense regret for bringing her to the market that day, for putting her in danger. And beneath it all, a flicker of intense rage directed at the man who was trying to end his life.
Ah Yin then witnessed the arrival of more powerful figures – Dugu Bo, his poisonous aura radiating menace, followed by the imposing figures of Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, their spirit powers clashing against Tang Hao's.
She watched as her husband, despite being outnumbered, fought with incredible skill and power, utilizing his Clear Sky Hammer techniques and the oppressive aura of the Deathgod Domain.
Then, the memory shifted to a moment of terrifying clarity. Tang Hao raised his Clear Sky Hammer high above his head, and a ninth soul ring, a vibrant, pulsating red, ignited around it.
A deep, resonant roar echoed through the memory as the Gigantic Hammer materialized, pulsing with an energy that felt intimately familiar yet terrifying in this context.
'My… my soul ring…' Ah Yin realized with a sickening lurch in her mental stomach. The giant, blood-red hammer that was hurtling towards the young Song Qing… it was her. It was the manifestation of her sacrifice, now being used as a weapon against an innocent child.
She watched in horror as the young Song Qing unleashed his own attacks, a flash of abyssal energy and the sudden unfurling of silver wings in a desperate attempt to defend himself.
Even Ghost Douluo unleashed the power of his ninth soul ring, a shadowy barrier rising to meet the colossal hammer, but it shattered like glass.
The Gigantic Hammer struck. Ah Yin felt the impact as if it were her own body being crushed. The memory went black, a sudden, absolute void. But just before the darkness consumed everything, she sensed it – a raw, intense wave of hatred emanating from the young Song Qing, a hatred directed squarely at her husband, Tang Hao.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the memory ended. Ah Yin's consciousness drifted back to the present, and she found herself once again facing Song Qing, the dimly lit herbal garden surrounding them.
'Well?' his mental voice echoed in her mind, devoid of any emotion. 'How did it feel, Ah Yin? To be nearly killed by your husband, by the very soul ring that you sacrificed yourself to become? Do you believe me now?'
Ah Yin remained silent, her mental processes reeling from the shock of what she had just witnessed. The idealized image of Tang Hao she had held onto for so long had been shattered, replaced by the horrifying reality of his actions. She now understood the depth of Song Qing's hatred, a hatred that was not born of malice but of a genuine trauma.
She found herself unable to speak, unable to offer any words of defense for her husband. Even she felt that Tang Hao had been wrong, terribly wrong. To attack a defenseless child in such a brutal manner, and to use her sacrifice as the weapon… it was a despicable act. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken truths and shattered illusions.