"Xiao Yan" and "Xiao Xun'er"

"Old Jack, this has nothing to do with you."

Tang Hao frowned. He had no desire to reason with this bunch of wretched, ignorant villagers; saying another word felt like a waste of time. But since he lived in Holy Soul Village, he had no choice but to show them some respect.

Besides, Tang San was here—

Yet Tang San did not defend Tang Hao before the villagers as fiercely as he had in the past.

Family?

Tang San had never felt it from Tang Hao, but Zhou Qing had made up for that.

His goal?

To rebuild the Tang Sect on Douluo Continent, surpass the Tang Sect, study the Soul Guiding Inscriptions and Soul Tool Core Formations on Soul Tools, and create even more powerful Tang Sect Hidden Weapons.

And to become a Soul Master.

Now, perhaps this father of his had some hidden difficulties, but if he hindered him, there was no need to deliberately defend him. Besides, everything happening now was meant to make his father recognize his shame and strive to improve.

No matter what identity his father had held before coming to Holy Soul Village—noble? Soul Master?

At this moment, however, he was merely a down-and-out man in Holy Soul Village. If he did not want others talking behind his back, then he should stand up again and live with dignity. As long as one was alive, anything was possible. Why willingly sink into degradation?

"What do you mean, it has nothing to do with us?" Old Jack was unwilling to let it go either. "It's true that Little San is your son, but he grew up in Holy Soul Village. That makes him one of us. As the Village Chief, I have the right to manage everyone in the village."

Tang Hao's face darkened, leaving him speechless.

That was indeed the logic of it, but he was still a Titled Douluo. Being lectured by an old man who was not even a Soul Master was utterly humiliating. Yet what could he say?

"When Little San grows up, it'll be Heaven's Law, Earth's Reason for him to support you in your old age. But he's only four years old—five if you count his nominal age. Luckily, he was born with great strength and can earn money for himself now. As his father, not only do you refuse to support him, you even want to take away the money he's saving for a wife in the future?"

"Don't think I don't know—you just want to buy alcohol!"

At this point, Old Jack coughed twice in agitation. Ignoring Tang Hao's increasingly black expression, he continued scolding him. "I don't know what exactly you went through before coming to Holy Soul Village, but I'll say this: if you keep going on like this, you'll truly become useless!"

"Exactly." An old farmer chimed in. "If a son doesn't work and lives off his father, fine, just treat it as a debt owed from a previous life. But I've never heard of a father taking his son's money, especially money saved by a child."

Once someone spoke up, the others began talking as well.

"Tang Hao, find yourself some work."

"Zhou Qing's fields are sitting empty. You could rent them. When harvest comes, split the yield fifty-fifty. That wouldn't be bad."

"You used to make a living repairing our farm tools and kitchenware... You should at least think about Little San's future, shouldn't you?"

Tang Hao clenched his fists until they cracked.

At this very moment!

He really fucking wanted to punch these Holy Soul Village villagers, who knew nothing yet dared to lecture him so self-righteously to his face.

"Hmph!"

In the end, Tang Hao still cared about his pride. With a cold snort, he left.

"Little San, if your father comes asking you for money again, just tell us. You can't keep indulging him," Old Jack said earnestly.

"Mm."

Tang San nodded and thanked Old Jack and the others. Only after watching them leave did he turn back toward his home, light the furnace, and remelt the scrap iron the villagers had brought over.

In the past, Holy Soul Village had no blacksmith. When farm tools or kitchenware broke, they could only ask those going into town to sell grain to help them buy replacements. For the villagers of Holy Soul Village, the cost of having a blacksmith in town repair something was not as worthwhile as simply buying a new one.

As a result, every household had accumulated quite a few old iron tools in their warehouses and cellars that could no longer be repaired.

The villagers asked Tang San to help repair things. In addition to Copper Soul Coins, they could also use these old iron tools beyond repair as payment. Tang San remelted them to refine raw materials for future Hidden Weapons that did not require high-grade materials, as well as renewable consumables for practicing the inscription of Soul Guiding Inscriptions and Soul Tool Core Formations.

Time passed like this, and Tang San's daily life was exceptionally full: cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill, forging, caring for the Spirit Rhyme Turtle, forging Hidden Weapons, inscribing Soul Guiding Inscriptions, and—

Nurturing Zhou Qing's body.

Ever since the Internal Energy cultivated through the Mysterious Heaven Skill had made one circuit through Zhou Qing's body, Tang San had gained another task. Every noon, he had to let his Internal Energy circulate through Zhou Qing's body for one Heavenly Cycle.

Zhou Qing called it enhancing Tang San's control over Soul Power.

In truth, Tang San knew perfectly well that Zhou Qing simply wanted him to give him a massage.

Still, Tang San did not refuse. It truly could improve his control over Soul Power, and if it continued, his Internal Energy could also eliminate the hidden injuries in Zhou Qing's body.

Where had those hidden injuries come from?

Zhou Qing had often recklessly messed around with his body in the past, training through all sorts of strange methods. Even though children recovered relatively quickly, those methods had ultimately left hidden dangers in his muscles and bones.

With Tang San treating him, those injuries would certainly heal.

"Ah~ So good! Harder! A little more~ force!"

Hearing Zhou Qing's moans, Tang San's face unconsciously darkened. He complained, "I already taught you the cultivation method of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, told you the locations of all the Meridians and acupoints, explained how to regulate your breathing, and I even circulate Inter—Soul Power through your body for a Heavenly Cycle every day. You should have memorized it by now, right?"

The implication was that he was somewhat unwilling to continue.

The main reason was that Zhou Qing's cries of pleasure were far too suggestive. If someone passing outside heard them, they would probably look at the two of them strangely.

Tang San had discovered that children on Douluo Continent matured rather early. The six- and seven-year-olds in the village already understood certain matters between men and women.

"I remember it, but in just over a year, my Martial Soul will awaken. Maybe my Martial Soul will bring me Innate Soul Power then."

The main thing was that Zhou Qing was feeling utterly blissful.

More than three million Gold Soul Coins were enough to make him temporarily lose sight of his original dream.

Still, when he remembered that this was an extraordinary world with Martial Souls and Soul Power, Zhou Qing spent some time rekindling his interest. After all, he had previously gone to great lengths to have people buy books for him and to study; it had become a habit by now.

In the end, this was something that required strength to...

"Ah! That hurts, hurts, hurts!"

Tang San deliberately increased the pressure, forcibly interrupting Zhou Qing's thoughts and making him cry out. Zhou Qing immediately said, "I'll definitely practice hard from now on, really! I absolutely won't lie to you!"

"Good." Only then did Tang San nod in satisfaction. He resumed massaging Zhou Qing with the same comfortable pressure as before, using Internal Energy to regulate the joints throughout his body. At the same time, he let Zhou Qing carefully feel the path Soul Power took as it circulated through the Ren and Du Meridians, allowing him to better control the circulation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

Zhou Qing, meanwhile, wore an expression of pure enjoyment...