Chapter 1630 — Very Puzzled

In the Hidden Tang household, Tang Lingtou stared darkly at his principal wife, You Xiaoxin, then slapped her hard across the face, shaking with rage. "You ruinous old hag! You threw away Xiao Ming's child back then, and now look—she's the Palace Master of the Ice Palace! When she comes back, just wait to die! And not only you—your whole Hidden You family will be finished!"

You Xiaoxin covered her swollen face and dared not say much. Arrogant and overbearing as she was, she had always relied on the backing of the Hidden You family; but now, in the eyes of the Ice Palace, the Hidden You family was—if not quite an ant—at best a cat set against a tiger.

So You Xiaoxin did not dare utter a word. She truly regretted it now: she should have drowned that child outright back then, instead of merely abandoning her! Who would have thought the child had not died, and had even become the Palace Master of the Ice Palace!

One might say that even now she felt no remorse—the woman was beyond saving.

"You've doomed me! When the time comes, you had best save yourself and kneel and beg for mercy—don't drag me down with you!" For the first time, Tang Lingtou had spoken harshly to his principal wife. Disaster was about to fall on him now: when Bing Tang returned, he reckoned, Old Master Tang would be fine, and Xiao Ming would be even safer; the unlucky ones would be himself and You Xiaoxin.

You Xiaoxin lowered her head and said nothing. She too was terrified—but fear was useless now; all she could do was think of some way to escape this calamity.

"I... I'll move into Xiao Ming's room today and give her this place—won't that do?... I only hope our Hidden You family won't be dragged into it..." You Xiaoxin said cautiously.

"Hmph! Then get out of here at once!" Tang Lingtou roared.

Of course, in the whole Hidden Tang family, apart from Tang Lingtou's own branch, the remaining brothers were rather pleased. They had taken no part in what happened back then, so if Tang Lingtou fell this time, they would have their chance to rise.

Yet, unexpectedly, after Bing Tang came to stay at the Hidden Tang household, she did not go on a killing spree. As for You Xiaoxin, who had already moved into Xiao Ming's cold courtyard, Bing Tang paid her no attention at all, as if the woman had been overlooked—which made Tang Lingtou breathe a sigh of relief.

If Bing Tang could spare You Xiaoxin, then surely she could spare Tang Lingtou as well!

"Tangtang, how is it—are you getting used to this room?..." That evening, accompanied by Old Master Tang, Tang Lingtou came to Bing Tang's room, hoping to exchange pleasantries and ingratiate himself.

Bing Tang frowned slightly. "The DNA test hasn't been done yet. I don't want to see you."

"This..." Tang Lingtou looked awkward. "Haha, aren't we going for the test tomorrow..."

"Why can't you understand plain words, old man? She told you to get lost—didn't you hear her?" Ever since Feng Xiaoxiao learned of Bing Tang's origins, she had loathed Tang Lingtou utterly. A woman who loved and hated without reserve, she wished she could kick such a heartless, fickle man to death.

Tang Lingtou did not know Feng Xiaoxiao's identity. He had heard that Xiao Qing was Bing Tang's Aunt Qing and an elder of the Ice Palace, the one who had raised Bing Tang from childhood. Feng Xiaoxiao, by contrast, had only Yellow-rank strength and did not even know enough to conceal it; at a glance she looked like an ordinary little maid.

Scolded by Bing Tang and Xiao Qing, Tang Lingtou naturally dared not talk back; but being cursed by a mere "little maid" was more than his pride could bear! He was, after all, the head of the Hidden Tang family and a master at the peak of the late Earth rank. To be told to get lost by a slip of a girl with early Yellow-rank strength—his face darkened at once. "Look here, girl, I am your Palace Master's father. Isn't that way of speaking to me utterly lacking in manners?"

"She is my junior sister, the next Palace Master of the Ice Palace," Bing Tang said flatly. "Is there a problem with her speaking to you that way?"

"What?" Tang Lingtou was instantly dumbfounded; at Bing Tang's words he nearly choked and could not catch his breath. Junior sister? The next Palace Master of the Ice Palace? How could she have only Yellow-rank strength? What was going on?

Of course, if Bing Tang was telling the truth, then Feng Xiaoxiao, as the next Palace Master of the Ice Palace, could beat him soundly with nothing but Yellow-rank strength, and he, Tang Lingtou, would not dare strike back.

As if seeing through Tang Lingtou's doubt, Xiao Qing explained, "Xiaoxiao joined the Ice Palace less than a month ago; before that she was only an ordinary person. But the Palace Master has already designated her as the successor to the next Palace Master! She will soon become a Heaven-rank master!"

"Ahem!" Tang Lingtou was all the more astonished. Less than a month, and she had gone from an ordinary person to a Yellow-rank master—what kind of speed was that? So swift? No wonder she was the choice for the next Palace Master! Tang Lingtou said awkwardly, "My apologies, Young Palace Master. I... I didn't know..."

"Hmph!" Feng Xiaoxiao snorted and ignored him.

"As you please, Master Tang." Xiao Qing made a gesture of dismissal and spoke flatly.

The DNA test results, however, took everyone by surprise. What had been thought utterly settled underwent a dramatic turn!

Bing Tang's DNA was partly similar to Tang Lingtou's, but it fell far short of the similarity expected of father and daughter; it closely resembled the result of the test between Old Master Tang and Bing Tang! In other words, Bing Tang was a member of the Tang clan, but she was not Tang Lingtou's daughter!

When Tang Lingtou heard the news, his face turned the color of iron. He wanted to curse Xiao Ming as a bitch! She had carried on an illicit affair with another man of the Tang family—and he had actually felt a little guilty all this time! Had he known earlier that Bing Tang was a bastard child, he would have killed her himself, without needing You Xiaoxin to arrange anything!

But now, even if hatred burned in his heart, he could not show it! Whether or not he was Bing Tang's father was in fact of no importance; to Bing Tang he was now no more than a passerby. If he dared to do anything to Xiao Ming, Bing Tang would probably kill him with a single blow of her palm!

So no matter how bitter his resentment, he dared not say a word.

As for Old Master Tang, when he received the test results, he seemed to age several years in an instant and cried out, "A misfortune upon our house! A misfortune upon our house! That such a thing should have happened!"

By ordinary reckoning, when such a scandal befell a family, the first thing to do was to summon the child's mother—Xiao Ming—and ask her who the child's father really was!

But now no one in the Hidden Tang family dared do any such thing, for behind Xiao Ming stood Bing Tang. Unless Bing Tang gave her consent, no one could force Xiao Ming to do anything at all!

Bing Tang looked at the test report, her face expressionless.

In truth, for Bing Tang, having her mother confirmed was enough; who her father was no longer mattered.

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