Checking In at Holy Spirit Village

Tang San: "..."

Seeing this, the Blacksmith Shop owner simply gave up. The forging world would now be short one future "Divine Craftsman."

What a pity...

"San, have you gone to the Branch Martial Soul Hall in Nuoding City for a Soul Power appraisal yet?"

Tang San paused slightly and shook his head blankly. "Not yet. I planned to go after work. You've already been?"

Ye Hao nodded and took out a Gold Soul Coin along with a Medal bearing his record.

"That's right. There's a subsidy of one Gold Soul Coin every month. I'm telling you, what you're doing is barely making a dent. Why not drag Xiao Wu over to work the iron with you? One more person means one more source of income, right?"

Tang San sighed helplessly. "Xiao Wu is the boss of Nuoding Academy now. How could a lackey like me possibly drag her along? You came here... were you looking for me?"

"Just passing by, just passing by..."

Ye Hao whispered, "Let me tell you a secret: Xiao Wu really is a Rabbit."

With that, Ye Hao left and headed toward Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, planning to return to the dormitory and continue lying around...

"Xiao Wu really is a Rabbit?"

Tang San turned those words over in his mind again and again. After thinking about them for quite a while, he simply shook his head and continued working the iron...

The clanging of hammer on metal rang out once more...

Not long after Ye Hao left, a man clad in a gray robe quietly appeared. He glanced in the direction Ye Hao had gone.

After a while, the man shifted his gaze to Tang San, who was diligently working the iron. He let out a helpless sigh, then vanished in a blur.

Life at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy was dull. They got up at sunrise and rested at night.

Other than traveling back and forth between the academy and the Blacksmith Shop every day, along with his usual cultivation, Tang San had little else to do. Xiao Wu continued acting as the boss and became a small force within Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

It was said that even the headmaster knew there was now a Sister Xiao Wu at the academy. The headmaster could not be bothered to interfere. As long as nothing happened, she could do whatever she wanted. After all, she had Innate Full Soul Power.

As for Ye Hao, daily lounging was indispensable, and he still kept up with his regular cultivation. This was Ye Hao's only hobby.

Training?

Did he even need the body the system had given him before leaving?

Dating?

He had no plans for that at the moment.

Playing with children?

Sorry, he could not get along with kids that age.

Going to the Blacksmith Shop with Tang San to work?

Working was impossible. He would never work in this lifetime.

The academy had its rules. During the school term, parents were not allowed to visit students. Only when the academy went on break could the students leave and return home.

The usually lively Seventh Dormitory suddenly became desolate. The other Work-Study Students had all gone home, each to their own Mom.

Xiao Wu sat alone on her bed and glanced at Tang San, who was cultivating diligently beside her. This guy was a block of wood. Other than cultivating, all he did was cultivate.

Then there was Ye Hao, lying flat on the other side. Xiao Wu had no good impression of him. Back when Ye Hao had first arrived at the Seventh Dormitory, he had pinned "Sister Xiao Wu" to the ground in front of everyone. That had been utterly humiliating.

To Xiao Wu, it was a shadow that would haunt her for life. Whenever she faced Ye Hao, she never looked at him kindly.

Rabbits held grudges easily, especially since Ye Hao had once mentioned how much he liked Spicy Rabbit Head.

"Aren't you two going home?"

Tang San slowly opened his eyes. He was currently packing up to return to Holy Spirit Village. Half a year had passed in the blink of an eye since he left home. He wondered how his father was doing. He was probably still drinking at this hour.

Xiao Wu's gaze was dull as she shot a fierce look at the sprawled-out Ye Hao. That hateful face of his—every time she looked at him, she could not help recalling that dark, cold night.

A woman with the same Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul as Ye Hao had led several Titled Douluo and killed her Mom before Xiao Wu's eyes. The moment the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring lit up, the hatred between her and that person had become inevitable.

There was nothing she could do about it. Ye Hao resembled Bibi Dong too closely. The system had simulated Bibi Dong's Martial Soul, given Ye Hao a powerful body, and even bestowed upon him Bibi Dong's bearing and expressions. When the two stood together, it was difficult not to make certain connections.

Could they be mother and son?

(Ye Hao: ???)

(Bibi Dong: ???)

That was a matter for later...

Ye Hao mumbled groggily, "I've been alone and helpless since I was little. Everyone in the academy knows I'm an orphan."

"San, if I remember correctly, your home is in Holy Spirit Village, right?"

Tang San nodded. "My home is indeed in Holy Spirit Village. It takes less than half a day to get there from Nuoding City. Why don't you come back with me? We can't just leave you alone in the academy with no one to look after you."

Ye Hao considered it for a moment. Holy Spirit Village? The legendary starting point of Tang San's life. Since he had come to this world, it would not hurt to check in there.

"Alright."

With that, Ye Hao sprang up from the bed. He had nothing to pack; he was alone with nothing to his name.

"Xiao Wu, what about you?"

Xiao Wu looked at Ye Hao, her thoughts in turmoil. Though she disliked him and that familiar, hateful face, Ye Hao was not that person after all.

"Fine."

Holy Spirit Village had received its name because a Soul Master at the Soul Saint level had appeared there a Hundred-Year ago. It was a small village located at the border between the Two Empires. The villagers grew fruits and vegetables and traveled between the Two Empires to sell them, living fairly comfortable lives.

After half a day of trekking over mountains and through valleys, the three finally arrived at Holy Spirit Village. The villagers were simple and honest, and the air was much better than in Nuoding City.

Ye Hao took in the sights along the way, especially when he stopped in the center of the village. Looking at the handprint supposedly left behind by the "Soul Saint," he roughly compared it to his own. Should I leave one behind too? What if it becomes famous someday?

Tang San's family was poor. He had lived with his alcoholic father since childhood, and their household ran a Blacksmith Shop. Before they even reached Tang San's home, Ye Hao could smell an intense stench of rust from outside.

The smell of rusting iron.

The yard was overgrown with weeds, and the lock on the door was covered in verdigris. It looked as though Tang San's alcoholic father had not returned for a long time.

Tang San froze for a moment, then took out a spare key and pushed open the door. What greeted them was a vast expanse of white.

The furniture was coated in thick dust, while weeds grew through the battered floorboards. Ye Hao could not help shaking his head. Well, his check-in at Holy Spirit Village was complete, and now he even had to clean up for the protagonist.

For someone who lived by lying flat like him, no matter where he was, daily lounging was the only thing worth doing.

Judging by the current situation, Tang San's father, Tang Hao, had already left. As for where he had gone...

Who the hell knew?

"Huh? Why is this door open? Could there be a thief?"

Just then, Old Jack hobbled up to Tang San's door with a cane. When he saw Tang San cleaning the house, the worry hanging in his heart finally settled. Thank goodness, it was not a thief...