"You little brat!" Tai Tan's roar was so powerful it nearly tore the roof off the building. The slight pang of heartache he'd felt for his grandson was instantly incinerated by his towering rage, leaving not even a speck of ash behind. He grabbed Tai Long, who was still dazed from the previous beating, and brought his palm—as large as a cattail leaf fan and backed by decades of cultivation—down upon him. The force was far more vicious than any of Tai Nuo's clumsy fists.
The courtyard filled with the sounds of brutal smacks and heavy thuds.
"Ow! Grandpa! Stop hitting me! I really didn't do it on purpose! Owwwww!" Tai Long's pained screams echoed throughout the entire Strength Clan compound.
Tai Nuo watched, dumbfounded for a moment, and then it suddenly clicked. He pointed at his son, who was now rolling on the ground under the patriarch's assault, and shouted at Tai Tan, "Dad! See?! You see it now, right?! Don't you think this brat deserves a beating?"
Tai Tan, even as he continued to land blows, also understood. This beating is well-deserved! How dare he hit his father? And how dare he hit his father's father? He absolutely deserves this!
Finally, Tai Tan stopped, looking down at his grandson, who was now curled up on the ground, whimpering. He was both furious and helpless.
Tai Nuo panted heavily. "Tai Long! You've really gone too far. Now, explain yourselves to the two of us, and make it clear."
Tai Tan also spoke, his voice a low grumble. "Long'er, tell us what happened. Grandpa knows you must have a reason. You didn't mean to hit Grandpa, did you?"
Tai Long, who had been completely drained of strength, suddenly shivered. Both his father and grandfather had said his name. He sprang up from the ground like a coiled spring. This time, he wasn't just slapping one person. Both of his hands swung out in wide arcs.
SLAP!
His left hand connected hard with his grandfather, Tai Tan.
SLAP!
His right hand connected just as hard with his own father, Tai Nuo.
Two crisp smacks rang out almost simultaneously, landing precisely on the two astonished faces of the men who had just finished beating him.
Tai Tan and Tai Nuo stood frozen for a moment in brief, dead silence.
The next second, an unprecedented roar erupted from the entire compound. "You scoundrel! We'll beat you to death today!"
The father and son completely lost control. All thoughts of a doting grandfather or a protective father were swept away by those two resounding slaps. With unprecedented synchronicity, their eyes red with fury, they both rolled up their sleeves and unleashed a brutal father-son tag-team beating on Tai Long.
Fists and feet rained down like a furious storm. Tai Long couldn't even scream anymore. He had become a human sandbag, spinning like a top under the combined wrath of his father and grandfather. The servants of the Strength Clan had long since hidden themselves far away. Listening to the roars and sickening thuds from the courtyard, they were all silent, with only one thought in their minds: the Young Clan Master might have finally sealed his own fate this time.
Sometime later, after Tai Long had been beaten countless times, he was finally tied to his bed, where he managed to explain the whole story.
"So that's what happened," he croaked. "Ever since that kid used some spirit ability on me, I've been like this. I can't hear anyone call my name, or I'll just… slap them."
Tai Nuo snorted coldly. "Damn it! You utterly useless piece of trash! You don't even know what happened, and you let yourself end up in this miserable state? You hurry up and recover. Once your injuries are healed, I'll go get revenge for you."
"Don't! Dad!" Tai Long said quickly. "This is a matter between us students. If you get involved, won't that just make me look even more pathetic?"
Tai Nuo gave him a light kick. "Nonsense! My son is being tormented like this. If I, as his father, can just stand by and tolerate it, then I don't deserve to be called the Mighty King Tai Nuo." That was one reason. The other was that he had also received a few slaps because of this mess, and he absolutely had to get even.
Tai Long wore a helpless expression, deeply regretting his decision to come home. He should have known something like this would happen. "Dad, you're making things very difficult for me," he pleaded with a bitter smile. "How am I supposed to continue at the academy after this?"
"What nonsense," his father scoffed. "Others graduate at rank thirty, but your rotten academy has to have some special advanced class. And even then, they don't care when you get beaten up like this. Once I catch that kid, I'm going to have a word with your teachers."
Tai Long felt a little embarrassed. "Well… I was the one who started the trouble. It had nothing to do with him."
Tai Nuo snorted. "And you still have the nerve to say that. You started a fight and let someone beat you into such a pathetic state. You're a real embarrassment. Didn't they give you three days off? Good. Three days from now, I'm taking you there myself! You're not allowed to refuse!"
Three days later, Tai Nuo forcibly dragged his son back to Shrek Academy. Many of the passing students recognized Tai Long, but seeing Tai Nuo's fierce and menacing appearance, no one dared to approach. They all sped up as they passed the entrance.
After waiting for a long time, they finally saw Ye Yin approaching with Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing. When Tai Long saw them, he quickly began winking at Ye Yin, trying to signal for him to get away.
But Ye Yin just walked closer. "Tai Long, what's wrong with your eyes?" he asked, stopping in front of them. "Why do you keep blinking? Did you get some sand in them?"
Those words immediately caught Tai Nuo's attention. He looked from the handsome boy to the three beautiful girls beside him, nodding in admiration. No wonder his foolish son had lost his mind. If he were young again, he'd definitely try to snatch one of them to be his wife, just like he had with his own wife back in the day. Seeing his son's panicked expression, his gaze fell squarely on Ye Yin.
"Was it you?" Tai Nuo growled, his anger flaring now that he had found his target. "Were you the one who made my son so miserable?" He stretched out his large hand, aiming to grab Ye Yin by the shoulder.
Using the upgraded Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Ye Yin quickly retreated, easily dodging the grab. "You must be Tai Long's father?"
"That's right. I am the Mighty King Tai Nuo," he snorted. "You made my son suffer like this. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
Ye Yin looked Tai Long up and down slowly. "I remember Tai Long wasn't this miserable when he went home," he said thoughtfully. "How is it that after three days of recovering at home, his injuries look even worse than when he left?"
Tai Nuo's mouth twitched. Indeed, his son's injuries were much worse now, thanks to the countless father-son beatings he had endured.
Ye Yin then added, "I wonder which idiot hit him."
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