Pretending To Be A Boss

The Nether Valley seemed even more eerie at sunset. From a distance, the layer of purplish-blue mist made the entire valley appear full of ghostly energy.

Tang Xian had a long conversation with Tang before coming down from the General Tree. He would occasionally look back at the Nether Valley, always feeling that this trip had been a little too smooth.

Tang did not seem particularly happy, only a bit unaccustomed.

He had been held captive for a very long time, and now that he had suddenly come out, it felt unreal.

The three of them began to walk toward the direction of the cave. In terms of olfactory feedback, indeed no abnormalities could be found, and after they had left the Nether Valley behind, Tang Xian finally relaxed, his mood visibly lifting.

"Are you that happy?" Bai Mansheng saw the smile hanging on Tang Xian's face.

"Of course."

"Have you achieved the purpose of your visit?"

"The aim of delving into the mining area was to improve myself, and saving the world isn't something that can be done by just anyone. Whether it's personal enhancement or gaining companions, it's all progress," Tang Xian said.

Bai Mansheng pondered for a few seconds and realized that he had a point.

Tang Xian's team was peculiar, with all sorts of people, and sometimes Bai Mansheng felt some of them were useless. For example, some humans were completely a burden in terms of combat capability.

But Tang Xian still regarded those humans as very important. It seemed that Tang Xian did things not purely for profit.

As if he had long been aware of some of Bai Mansheng's and Qing JiuYu's thoughts, Tang Xian said,

"In the Human World, there's a saying, 'the more friends one has, the more paths one finds,' and there's another saying, 'I may not choose this path, but I cannot lack this option.'

If you have children in the future, you must teach them this principle, that more choices are better, even if some options will never be chosen."

Bai Mansheng spat and said,

"I'll never have children."

"That's not for certain, I will remember this and ask the Endless Turtle you think is so formidable about it later. But before that, we need to figure out the situation with the Nether Valley."

Bai Mansheng glared at Tang Xian, accepting this change of topic.

Tang had been silent, half understanding the conversation between Tang Xian and Bai Mansheng.

Bai Mansheng said,

"Do you plan to ask him about it?"

"A prisoner detained by the Court of All Beasts holds significant value. But now he's my friend; indeed, I'm eager to know some things, but we have to wait until he fully adapts."

Bai Mansheng nodded and added,

"The name Tang is really not pleasant to the ear."

"Then why don't you think the name Tang Feiji is unpleasant?"

"Because that dragon is annoying."

"You see, this is just too much of a personal bias. A name is just a codename; the more memorable and concise, the better. Tang Feiji was first used to cross the sea. Tang is even easier to understand, given that I can't even hurt him."

Bai Mansheng ignored Tang Xian's words and said,

"Change his name. He should at least have a name others find more normal when calling."

"Then you name him."

"Tang Mang."

"Huh."

Tang Xian paused, surprised to find that Bai Mansheng's level of culture was higher than he had thought.

"The character suits his fighting style and conveys what you intend. It's easier to remember, gives a strong and vigorous impression, and perhaps in terms of fate, it could help him overcome some difficulties. According to the sayings of the Human World, people with such characters tend to have a strong life force," Bai Mansheng said in an unhurried tone.

Tang Xian unconsciously nodded and asked,

"Which name do you prefer?"

Tang looked puzzled, seemingly having no concept of these things. He simply couldn't distinguish between good and bad.

This time Bai Mansheng was more domineering,

"It's settled then, just like Tang Feiji having a name like Tang Ao. Although no one calls him that, if this kid lives in the Human World in the future, he should at least have a name that won't be a joke."

Tang Xian didn't object; Bai Mansheng's reasoning was solid. He just smiled without saying a word.

He thought to himself that a woman's care for a little boy was somewhat more upright than a man's care for a little girl.

...

...

Upon returning to the valley, Tang Xiaojiu and Yuan Wu stared at Tang in surprise.

Tang watched them with equal wariness.

Especially Tang Xiaojiu, although the strength of a young apocalypse-level boss creature is only at a disaster-level, the impressive pressure of a top-class beast did exist.

Tang Xian asked Bai Mansheng to look after Tang, then called over Tang Xiaojiu and Yuan Wu to a corner of the cave and spoke to them in a low voice.

Bai Mansheng looked at Tang Xian whispering and suddenly felt an urge to laugh.

Then Tang Xiaojiu and Yuan Wu, probably following Tang Xian's instructions, took some food and shared it with Tang.

Tang's wariness and hostility towards Tang Xiaojiu vanished in an instant.

Tang Xiaojiu was naturally lively, but as the youngest in the group of child-age creatures, Liu Buding and Tang Suoye were several years older than her and—both girls had drifted from the group.

Although Tang Xiaojiu wasn't aware of it, this meant that food was no longer the primary concern of those two girls.

Tang Suoye was forever fixated on Akasi, and Liu Buding always mentioned stories about Liu Lang.

So in that moment, Tang Xiaojiu, in the manner of a connoisseur dictating the finer points of cuisine, was amusingly telling Tang which foods were tasty and how to eat them, feeling quite like a chef teaching kids.