Obtaining the First Soul Ring
Jiang Wu's home was small, with three mud-brick houses surrounding a little courtyard.
The moment Jiang Wu stepped through the courtyard gate, he smelled the food cooking on the stove.
"Mom, we're back!"
Jiang Nannan let go of Jiang Wu's hand and hurried toward the kitchen.
Jiang Wu followed her. Before he reached the doorway, he heard the clatter of a spatula against an iron pot stop.
A woman in her early thirties poked her head out of the kitchen. A coarse apron, washed nearly white, was tied around her waist, and fine beads of sweat dotted her temples.
The woman had golden hair and was breathtakingly beautiful, though her face was rather pale.
Her name was Su Yuehua, and she was Jiang Wu and Jiang Nannan's mother.
Su Yuehua looked back and forth between the two children. Seeing Jiang Nannan's beaming smile and that Jiang Wu didn't look dejected either, she breathed a preliminary sigh of relief.
"Come inside. The food's almost ready."
She turned back to the kitchen. On the stove, an iron pot was half full of simmering wild vegetable gruel, and a few steamed mixed-grain buns sat in the steamer beside it.
This was already the best food the family could put on the table.
Jiang Nannan pulled Jiang Wu down to sit beside the low table in the main room. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, "When Mom asks, don't say anything yet. Let me tell her."
Jiang Wu glanced at her and nodded.
Before long, Su Yuehua brought the food to the table.
The three of them sat around the low table. Su Yuehua ladled each child a bowl of gruel, but her own portion was noticeably thinner.
"Mom, eat more." Jiang Nannan frowned and pushed the buns toward her.
"I'm not hungry." Su Yuehua smiled, then turned her gaze to Jiang Wu. "Xiao Wu, how did your Martial Soul awakening go today?"
Jiang Nannan put down her chopsticks and straightened her back, her pride impossible to suppress. "Mom, Xiao Wu has Innate Full Soul Power, and his Martial Soul is the Soft Bone Rabbit."
Su Yuehua's chopsticks froze in midair, and she stared blankly for a moment.
"Innate Full Soul Power?" Su Yuehua's voice trembled slightly as her gaze moved from Jiang Nannan's face to Jiang Wu's and back again. "Nannan, is that true?"
Su Yuehua put down her chopsticks, reached across the low table, and seized Jiang Wu's hand.
"Good, good..." Su Yuehua said the word twice, her eyes reddening. But she quickly turned her head away and rubbed the corner of her eye with her sleeve. "Eat. Let's eat first, before the food gets cold."
She had been quite worried that Jiang Wu would have no Soul Power. Without it, he could only be an ordinary person for the rest of his life.
More importantly, Jiang Nannan had Innate Full Soul Power. If Jiang Wu had no Soul Power, the people in the village would gossip about him, putting him under tremendous pressure.
Jiang Wu looked at Su Yuehua's reddened eyes and nodded. "Mom, I'll cultivate diligently."
After the meal, Jiang Nannan took the bowls and chopsticks away to wash them of her own accord. Jiang Wu sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, looking up at the gradually darkening sky.
When Jiang Nannan came out after washing the dishes, she shook the water from her hands and walked over to Jiang Wu. She sat directly on the stone stool beside him and bumped his shoulder with hers. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing." Jiang Wu shook his head. "Just thinking about Soul Rings."
Jiang Nannan thought for a moment and leaned toward him. "I was just about to talk to you about that. Tomorrow I'll go see my teacher and ask her to take you to find your First Soul Ring."
Jiang Wu turned to look at Jiang Nannan. "Your teacher?"
"Mm, the one who took me to hunt for my Soul Ring before." Jiang Nannan's tone grew more serious. "She's a teacher at Dongxing City Academy, a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster. She's very strong. She helped me hunt for my First Soul Ring. I'll go ask her tomorrow, and I reckon she can take you to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain a Soul Ring the day after."
Jiang Wu nodded, feeling some anticipation for his first Soul Skill.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
Jiang Wu joined Jiang Nannan and her teacher, Cao Wei, in a carriage bound for the Soul Hunting Forest.
Cao Wei was in her thirties, with a thin face and sharp eyes.
The Soul Hunting Forest wasn't very far from Dongxing City. It took only half a day to get there by carriage.
When the carriage stopped at a waystation on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest, it was just past noon.
Cao Wei was the first to jump down. Turning back, she cautioned them, "The Soul Hunting Forest isn't like the city. Once we're inside, stay close to me. Don't run off, and especially don't provoke any Soul Beasts."
Jiang Nannan nodded. "Don't worry, Teacher. I'll keep an eye on Xiao Wu."
Jiang Wu jumped down after them and looked up. Ancient trees towered along the edge of the Soul Hunting Forest, their dense crowns joining together and cutting the sunlight into scattered patches.
Cao Wei led them through the outskirts of the forest for nearly half a shichen before they quickly found traces of a rabbit-type Soul Beast's activity.
She crouched down, examining the droppings and tracks on the ground, and frowned slightly. "They're from a Soft Bone Rabbit, but I can't tell how old it is."
Cao Wei stood and followed the tracks deeper into the woods with her gaze. After a moment's thought, she said, "Most Soft Bone Rabbits are ten-year Soul Beasts. There are hundred-year ones too, but they aren't common. Since your Martial Soul is the Soft Bone Rabbit, it would be best to obtain your First Soul Ring from one too. That would give you the highest compatibility."
Jiang Wu nodded, feeling some anticipation for his first Soul Skill.
But when he thought of the Mu-version Xiao Wu template, he couldn't help looking forward to it even more.
Cao Wei said no more. She raised a hand, signaling the two to follow, and was the first to dart ahead along the tracks.
The three traveled through the woods for about an incense stick's worth of time. The surrounding trees grew taller and denser, and the light dimmed.
Cao Wei suddenly stopped and raised her right hand, signaling for silence.
Jiang Wu held his breath and followed Cao Wei's gaze.
About twenty paces ahead, a grayish-white shape was nestled at the base of an old locust tree.
It was a Soul Beast much larger than an ordinary rabbit, crouched in the grass beside the roots. Its two long ears twitched slightly, and its ruby-red eyes scanned its surroundings warily.
Its fur was smooth and thick, and the muscles of its hind legs had sleek lines. It was a Soft Bone Rabbit.
Cao Wei lowered her voice, a barely perceptible note of delight in her tone. "We're in luck. Judging by its size and the color of its fur, this Soft Bone Rabbit is at least four hundred years old, close to five hundred. Its age is just right. Any older, and absorbing it as your First Soul Ring would be dangerous."
Jiang Wu nodded, feeling a little anticipation.
Cao Wei hesitated no longer. Her body shot forward.
The Soft Bone Rabbit reacted instantly. Its long ears sprang upright, and it kicked off with its hind legs, ready to flee.
But Cao Wei was far faster. She reached out with her left hand, her five fingers like claws, and caught the Soft Bone Rabbit squarely by the back of its neck.
The Soft Bone Rabbit struggled desperately, kicking hard with its hind legs. Its strength was astonishing, and it left several bloody scratches on Cao Wei's hand.
"Jiang Wu, now!" Cao Wei called in a low voice.
Jiang Wu had already drawn the short dagger he had prepared from his waist. He hurried forward.
He looked down at the Soft Bone Rabbit pinned to the ground by Cao Wei. His reflection showed in its ruby-red eyes, which were filled with terror and unwillingness.
Without hesitation, Jiang Wu plunged the dagger straight into the Soft Bone Rabbit's heart.
The Soft Bone Rabbit's body convulsed violently, then gradually went limp. The light in its eyes slowly faded.
A pale yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from its corpse, giving off a soft but bright light in the dim forest.