Xiao Wu

On Douluo Continent, in Biyou Village west of Nuoding City, Fasno Province, Heaven Dou Empire.

It was a bright, sunny morning.

Ye Qiu was seeing off the deacon from the Martial Soul Hall Branch with Village Chief Old Man Zhang.

Having just awakened his Martial Soul, Ye Qiu did not look particularly happy.

Life really had no guts. What a pity this wasn't Brother Tao's territory, or I might not have awakened some Red Eyes with only level-one Innate Soul Power. Sigh.

Watching the Spirit Hall deacon disappear into the distance, Ye Qiu sighed inwardly. No matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to accept reality!

"Xiao Qiu, why are you frowning? You're the only child in our village with Innate Soul Power. You could become a great Spirit Master someday!"

Old Man Zhang patted his little head, a smile on his face.

Clearly, after so many years, he was delighted that another child with Innate Soul Power had appeared in the village.

But Ye Qiu knew that with Innate Soul Power of only level one, even breaking through to level ten would be difficult.

"Grandpa Zhang, that's not the only reason I'm unhappy." Ye Qiu forced a smile at him.

"Sigh!" Old Man Zhang sighed, his smile fading as well. He took a silver coin from his pocket and pressed it into Ye Qiu's hand.

"The villagers put this together. Go back and settle Old Ye in properly. In a while, I'll send you to Soul Master Academy!"

"Thank you, Grandpa Zhang. Please thank everyone for me too!" Clutching the silver coin tightly, Ye Qiu gave him a deep bow.

"No need to thank us. Old Ye helped the villagers plenty over the years. Go home first. I'm going out for a walk!"

With that, without waiting for Ye Qiu's reply, he headed out of the village.

He walked with a cane, almost floating with delight. Perhaps he was going to get revenge for the neighboring village's mockery over the past few years!

Shaking his head, Ye Qiu silently made his way home.

It had been six years since he had been hit by a Dimensional Truck and come to this world.

Douluo Continent—a world both familiar and unfamiliar to Ye Qiu, a world that had once existed only in books and fantasy!

He had thought he would be able to make a grand showing of himself. It seemed he had merely changed worlds to become a workhorse.

Smack!

Ye Qiu slapped his forehead, stopped letting his thoughts run wild, and hurried home.

But the closer he got, the heavier his heart became.

A Stone House built from piled rubble stood there. Moss covered the stones, and weeds grew from the cracks, all silently attesting to its age.

He had been adopted by Old Ye since childhood, and he had no memories whatsoever related to his parents.

Old Ye had thus become his only family.

Creak! He pushed open the still-sturdy wooden door. The interior was simply arranged, with several wooden boards dividing it into different areas.

The moment he opened the door, a hoarse, feeble voice reached him. "Xiao Qiu~ How did it go?"

Seeing Old Ye lying on the bed, barely clinging to life, Ye Qiu's eyes stung. His throat felt choked, and even his forced calm carried a sob.

"Grandpa, Xiao Qiu... Xiao Qiu didn't disappoint you. Xiao Qiu can become a Spirit Master now!"

"Good, that's good!" Even Old Ye's withered face seemed to gain a little color.

Ye Qiu stepped up beside the bed. Old Ye took Ye Qiu's hand, tears glimmering in his clouded eyes. "This way, Grandpa can leave without worry. When you make something of yourself, remember to come back and see Grandpa."

"I will... I will! Xiao Qiu will definitely come back to see Grandpa!" The pain in his throat made it hard for him to speak.

"That's good! That's good..." Old Ye slowly closed his eyes, a smile still lingering on his lips.

Feeling Old Ye's hand grow limp, Ye Qiu fell to his knees by the bed and sobbed soundlessly.

Old Ye had long since reached the end of his life. He had only lingered because he could not bear to leave Ye Qiu behind!

Grieving tears fell to the floor, tinted with a faint red.

After crying, Ye Qiu brought over a basin of water, wrung out the towel in his hands, and carefully cleaned Old Ye's body.

Then he sorted through and wiped down Old Ye's carpentry tools.

"How could this be?!" Ye Qiu cried out.

Bang, splash!

The basin overturned onto the floor. Looking at his reflection in the water, Ye Qiu could not help bending down for a closer look.

He touched his reddened eye sockets. Within his previously plain blood-red eyes, there was now a comma-shaped mark.

"This is the Sharingan!" Ye Qiu's eyes widened. "Is this an illusion?"

He rubbed his eyes again and again, only accepting the truth once his eyeballs began to ache.

After carefully sensing himself, Ye Qiu discovered that his Soul Power seemed to have increased slightly!

If that's the case, doesn't that mean my Innate Soul Power can still improve?

"Heh." Ye Qiu laughed,

But as he laughed, he could not help crying again. He walked to the bed, knelt on the floor, and kowtowed three times. "Grandpa, thank you for watching over me from heaven! Watch closely, Grandpa. Your grandson will definitely become a powerful Spirit Master!"

Once Ye Qiu had calmed down again and finished handling everything, he planned to go out and buy offerings and other necessities.

"It doesn't seem right to go out like this." Before leaving, he touched his eye sockets. The blood-red color within them had yet to fade.

Was it because I couldn't control it properly after my Soul Power increased? Ye Qiu guessed inwardly.

He tried to deactivate his Martial Soul. After a quarter of an hour, the blood-red color in his eyes finally faded away.

"All right!" he murmured, then locked the door and headed out.

With the help of several villagers, Ye Qiu followed his grandfather's wishes and buried Old Ye beneath the peach tree outside the house. It was also where Old Ye had often spent his days.

At dusk,

Having already eaten dinner, Ye Qiu headed toward the Village Chief's house. There was still a little left from the silver coin after his purchases, and he intended to return it. He would remember everyone's help in his heart and dared not keep even the slightest bit more.

As soon as he reached the entrance, the Village Chief's daughter spotted him.

"Oh, Xiao Qiu, have you eaten? You're here to see my father, right?"

"Yes, Aunt Zhang. Has Grandpa Zhang returned?"

"He has, he has! He even brought back a little girl. Go on in and take a look yourself. I still have some work to do."

"Mm, thank you, Aunt Zhang!"

Ye Qiu did not pay much attention to the little girl Aunt Zhang mentioned. Children from nearby villages occasionally got lost and ended up in other villages.

After nodding to Aunt Zhang in thanks, Ye Qiu passed by her.

As he drew closer to the door, he heard the Village Chief's voice from inside. "Eat slowly, little girl, eat slowly. There are plenty more carrots!"

"Grandpa Zhang—" He had only called out once when Ye Qiu, having just stepped inside, froze at the sight before him.

"This is Xiao Wu...!" Ye Qiu muttered, staring at the rabbit-eared, scorpion-braided girl at the table, who was wolfing down carrots.

For a moment, he stood there in a daze.

Village Chief Old Man Zhang noticed Ye Qiu, and his eyes lit up. "Xiao Qiu, you came at just the right time! Let me introduce you. This is Xiao Wu. Hey, Xiao Qiu, Xiao Qiu!"

"Huh? Oh, Grandpa Zhang, you called me?"

Old Man Zhang called him several times before Ye Qiu came back to his senses, though his gaze remained fixed on the girl.

Xiao Wu, wearing a little bag and a pink short dress, was not shy at all. Even while eating, she found time to wave a tiny fist at Ye Qiu.

After learning more, Ye Qiu discovered that Old Man Zhang had encountered bandits on his way back. Thanks to Xiao Wu, he had made it home safely.

She had also accompanied him in chasing after the Spirit Hall deacon to the neighboring village, where she obtained a Martial Soul certificate. Old Man Zhang had promised to send Xiao Wu to Soul Master Academy as well.

Ye Qiu understood. So this was how Xiao Wu became a Work-Study Student.

After Old Man Zhang explained everything, he brought up the arrangement he had just settled on.

"Xiao Qiu, you see, there isn't any extra room in my house. So I'm thinking of having this little girl stay at your place for a while. What do you think?"

Wishing everyone a happy life!