When I Return One Day, I Will Repay You with Ten Thousand Gold

Time passed slowly.

Ye Xiao slowly withdrew the Jade Seal, its radiance fading away.

Grandpa Ye slowly opened his eyes.

The old man's eyes seemed a little clearer than before. He tried moving his shoulders, then slowly straightened his back.

"Eh?" Obvious surprise appeared on the old man's face. "My shoulders... feel much looser! That aching heaviness that always dragged at my lower back seems lighter too!"

"Good lad!" Grandpa Ye patted Ye Xiao's shoulder in delight, his eyes full of gratification. "That skill of yours... is miraculous! It works better than the ointments prescribed by the Old Doctor in town!"

Ye Xiao smiled. "Grandpa, I'm a Soul Master now. Naturally, a Soul Master's methods can't be compared to those doctors'."

"But I've only eased your condition for now. Once I grow stronger and come back, I'll cure you completely. I guarantee you'll live to be a hundred years old, Grandpa!"

"Good, good!" Grandpa Ye nodded repeatedly, looking at Ye Xiao, then at the Cloud-like Little Fellow above Ye Xiao's head, waving at him in greeting.

He knew that his grandson had set foot on an extraordinary path.

But his grandson was still his grandson.

After gaining power, the first thing he did was ease the aches and pains of this old bones.

Warm sunlight shone upon the old man and the young boy, suffused with the unspoken warmth between grandfather and grandson.

The next day.

The morning light was dim, and the thin mist hung like gauze.

Beneath the Old Scholar Tree at the entrance of Ye Family Village, which had witnessed countless farewells and reunions, it was livelier than at any other hour.

Nearly half the village had gathered there, men and women, young and old, bustling together.

Their gazes all fell upon the old man and young boy beneath the scholar tree.

Ye Xiao had changed into a clean set of Coarse Cloth Clothes and stood tall beside his grandfather.

Grandpa Ye stood with his hands behind his back, his cloudy eyes fixed on his grandson. A thousand words caught in his throat, only to become one sentence: "Be... careful on the road."

The villagers gathered around them, their familiar faces filled with complicated emotions.

There was relief, sorrow, envy, and reluctance.

Third Grandpa stroked his grizzled beard and nodded repeatedly. "Xiao Wa Zi has made something of himself. He's the Golden Phoenix flying out of our Ye Family Village!"

Aunt Chun secretly wiped at the corners of her eyes. Beside her, Er Ya tightly clutched the Candy Wrapper Ye Xiao had given her yesterday, her lips pursed and her big eyes brimming with tears as she sniffled softly. "Brother Xiao... don't go..."

Ye Xiao's gaze slowly swept across those familiar faces.

He had no parents and had grown up eating meals provided by every household.

These elders were all his family.

Grandpa was old and could no longer farm, so all the uncles and aunts had helped him.

Without them, let alone becoming a Soul Master, Ye Xiao would have been fortunate just to survive.

Every face here was a warm memory.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Xiao's eyes became incomparably resolute.

He took a step back and bowed deeply to the villagers before him.

Ye Xiao looked at everyone, his voice clear and bright, every word falling distinctly into their ears. "When I return one day, I will repay you with ten thousand gold!"

It was not the vanity of returning home in glory, but the simplest and most sincere repayment.

After speaking, he looked once more at his grandfather, who was desperately holding back tears. He patted Er Ya, who had come up to his feet, nodded to everyone, and then turned around resolutely.

The morning light was perfect, stretching his departing shadow long behind him.

His steps were steady, and he never looked back.

Ye Xiao would continue forward on his path as a Soul Master.

He believed that he would certainly become the strongest Soul Master on Douluo Continent.

And he would certainly develop Ye Family Village as well.

This had been his dream since childhood.

After a long while, Grandpa Ye sighed, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Go back, everyone, go back. The boy... has gone far away."

His hunched figure looked especially lonely in the morning light, yet it had straightened a little.

The others silently followed, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

The Old Scholar Tree at the village entrance rustled in the wind.

[Ye Xiao: I have already left Ye Family Village.]

[Ye Qianxue: Is Father feeling like crying? Come cry in your daughter's arms.]

[Ye Xiao: ??? Stop being naughty.]

[Ye Qianxue: Alright, alright. Ye Family Village is still a long way from the Star Dou Great Forest. Father, do you have any money?]

[Ye Xiao: Only ten Gold Soul Coins. I've saved them over the years.]

[Ye Qianxue: It isn't much, but it's not bad. What Father needs to do now is go to Spirit Hall in Nuoding City and register as a Soul Master. Then you can receive a subsidy of one Gold Soul Coin.]

[Ye Kaining: That's right. The Star Dou Great Forest is too far away, and Grandpa is only a Soul Master, so taking a carriage would be more convenient.]

[Ye Yuanling: From Nuoding City to Suotuo City, then from Suotuo City to Sword City. The Star Dou Great Forest lies fifty kilometers east of Sword City.]

[Ye Xiao: I suddenly feel that going to the Star Dou Great Forest is a bad choice.]

Ye Xiao was numb.

He understood the plot of Douluo Continent, but the plot all served the protagonist.

He had no idea what happened in places without the protagonist.

Besides, Douluo Continent was far too huge. Even if he spent all his money, he did not know whether he could reach the Star Dou Great Forest.

And besides, the Star Dou Great Forest was dangerous, wasn't it?

[Ye Qianxue: Father, don't be afraid. The three of us have already mapped out a route for you. As long as you follow it, there won't be any danger along the way, and it's also the cheapest route. Your ten Gold Soul Coins, plus the money you receive from Spirit Hall each month along the way, will be enough.]

[Ye Xiao: I'm afraid I'll be eaten by a Spirit Beast the moment I reach the Star Dou Great Forest.]

[Ye Qianxue: Don't worry, Father. Our Chat Group can level up too. Once it levels up, we'll be able to give you more treasures. When the time comes, we'll give you a treasure capable of instantly killing a Titled Douluo.]

Ye Xiao's eyes lit up. Good stuff.

As expected of his good daughter. She really did give him good things.

[Ye Xiao: When can it level up?]

[Ye Qianxue: It depends on the Chat Group's activity. We just need to chat more every day.]

[Ye Xiao: Alright.]

Ye Xiao gritted his teeth. Fortune came from danger. Wasn't it just the Star Dou Great Forest?

Since he had come to Douluo Continent, it was a place he had to visit anyway. He was only going a few years early.

He would just wander around the outer region. If he encountered a thousand-year Spirit Beast, he would run. There should not be a problem.

Ye Xiao still trusted his descendants.

They would not possibly get him killed, would they?

He stopped thinking so much about it.

He would take things one step at a time.

After traveling for a full three or four days, Ye Xiao arrived at Spirit Hall in Nuoding City.

"Eh? Are you the child who awakened the Stone Jade Seal Martial Soul?" Su Yuntao came out, saw Ye Xiao, and asked.

Ye Xiao nodded. "Lord Soul Master, it's me."

"You're a Soul Master too now, so there's no need to call me that. Just call me Brother Su Yuntao." Su Yuntao shook his head.