Su Zhen, Your Mom is Calling You Home for Dinner

Douluo Calendar, year 2631.

Bala Kingdom, outside Suotuo City, Hound Village.

"I'm six years old. Tomorrow I can awaken my Martial Soul. I wonder what I'll awaken?"

Under an old locust tree at the village entrance, a child of about six or seven years old sat leaning against the trunk, muttering to himself.

The child's slightly immature face still held a touch of baby fat, his skin a healthy shade of wheat, and his light blue eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Dad's Martial Soul is a hound, Mom's is a deer. I want both, but what should I do? Dad said a person can only have one Martial Soul. It's so hard to choose."

The child rubbed his short black hair vigorously, his face full of conflict.

The child was named Su Zhen, the son of an ordinary farming family in Hound Village. Although his family wasn't wealthy, they could always ensure basic food and clothing. His father would occasionally hunt or gather herbs in the nearby woods to sell in the city, allowing the family to eat meat once or twice. His older brother, who attended school in the city, would also bring back many delicacies only found in town whenever he returned for holidays. Everyone in the family doted on Su Zhen, which kept him in excellent health, free from the thinness and malnutrition common among other village children.

His sturdy physique kept Su Zhen full of energy every day; he spent his mornings raiding bird nests at the east end of the village and his afternoons catching fish in the river to the west. Life was nothing short of comfortable.

"Brother awakened Dad's hound Martial Soul, and his Innate Soul Power was 1.5 levels. I must have Innate Soul Power too, so I can go to school in the city like him, eat good food, and play fun games."

Su Zhen was just a child who had barely turned six. His small mind was filled with fantasies, but they were all about eating and playing; he had no idea what tomorrow's Martial Soul awakening would mean for his life.

"Su Zhen, your mom is calling you home for dinner!"

"Got it, Aunt Zhang, I'm coming right back!"

Shouting his response to Aunt Zhang nearby, Su Zhen pushed himself up from the ground and patted the dust and grass clippings off his trousers. His coarse cloth clothes were washed until they turned white and were covered in patches, every stitch sewn by his mother's own hands. Before heading home, Su Zhen always tried his best to clean the dust off himself—not because he feared his mother's scolding, but because he didn't want her to have to work harder washing his clothes. Once he was tidy, he turned and ran toward the village.

Su Zhen's home was at the far end of the village. Hound Village had nearly a hundred households and wasn't exactly small; running from the entrance to the end was at least a mile or more, which was quite a distance for a six-year-old. Su Zhen sprinted the whole way, arriving at his doorstep completely exhausted. His small chest heaved violently, and he leaned against his knees, gasping for air. After resting for a moment, he stood up and pushed the door open.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home."

"Play, play, play! All you know is how to play all day long. Don't you know you're awakening your Martial Soul tomorrow? If you don't have any Innate Soul Power when you awaken, you can just go farm the fields with your father."

"You don't even know when to come home for dinner, making me trouble Aunt Zhang to call you."

Before Su Zhen could even see his mother, her scolding drifted out from the kitchen, her tone filled with frustration that he wouldn't live up to his potential.

"Hehe, Mom, don't think like that. Brother could become a Soul Master, so of course I can too. There's nothing to worry about."

"What are you laughing at? Neither your father nor I have soul power; your brother is the only one with promise. Whether you have soul power is still a mystery. Go call your father and brother for dinner."

As she spoke, a slender figure walked out of the kitchen—it was Su Zhen's mother, Li Xiulian. She placed the dishes on the table and turned back into the kitchen.

"Ah? Brother is back? Yay!"

Su Zhen hurried toward the bedroom, pushing the door open to see a middle-aged man and a teenager talking.

"Brother, you're back! Did you bring me anything good to eat?"

Su Zhen circled the teenager, searching him. The teenager was Su Zhen's older brother, Su Ming.

"Xiao Zhen, stop searching. Let's eat first. Brother will give you something good after dinner."

Su Ming patted Su Zhen's head, his voice filled with doting affection.

"Xiao Ming, you're still in school and at an age where you're growing; you have many expenses. Don't spend money on food for Xiao Zhen."

Su Zhen's father, Su Changkong, said with a feigned look of anger, though he was only saying it for show; he loved seeing the brothers so close.

"Dad, Brother, dinner is ready. Let's eat."

"Alright, Xiao Ming, Xiao Zhen, let's go eat."

Su Changkong took one of the small figures in each hand and led them out of the bedroom.

At the dinner table, Perhaps because Su Ming had just returned home, today's meal was exceptionally rich: braised pork, stir-fried cabbage, cucumber salad, and a pot of dough-drop soup. For the Su family, these were delicacies that usually only appeared during the New Year.

"Eat more, eat more. It's not easy to come back, so eat plenty of meat. The food outside can't compare to home-cooked meals."

"Okay, thank you, Mom."

Li Xiulian filled the bowls of the two brothers with meat, while Su Changkong and her own bowls contained only a few cabbage hearts.

"Dad, I came back this time because I wanted to ask the family for some money. I'm twelve now, and my soul power has reached level ten. I want to ask the academy teachers to help me hunt for a Soul Ring. Once I become a Soul Master, I can successfully graduate from the Suotuo City Junior Soul Master Academy."

Su Ming stopped eating halfway through, lowering his head to poke at the rice in his bowl, not daring to look at Su Changkong.

"Time flies so fast. It's been six years since Xiao Ming awakened, and he can finally become a Soul Master. About how much do you need?"

Su Changkong set down his bowl and chopsticks, pausing for a few breaths before looking at his eldest son.

"Not much, Dad. I'm pooling money with three good friends to hire a teacher to help us hunt. We only need the cheapest ten-year Soul Beast, five Gold Soul Coins each. The academy teachers get a subsidy for helping students hunt for Soul Rings..."

Su Ming's voice grew quieter and quieter, his face almost buried in his bowl by the end.

Su Changkong remained silent, and the entire room fell quiet. Sensing that something was wrong, Su Zhen stopped shoveling food into his mouth and began to eat his rice cautiously.

"Xiulian, how much savings do we have left?"

"Two Gold Soul Coins, three Silver Soul Coins, and five Copper Soul Coins."

"It's not that much of a gap. Tomorrow Xiao Zhen awakens his Martial Soul, and the day after, I'll go to the village chief's house to borrow some."

"Xiao Ming, keep eating. Don't worry about the money. As long as you can become a Soul Master, everything in our family will get better. The earning power of a Lord Soul Master is very high."

"Mm-hmm, thank you, Dad."

"Really? If becoming a Soul Master means I can make money, then I want to become a Soul Master too! I'll earn lots and lots of money, buy tons of delicious food, and get new clothes for Mom, Dad, and my brother."

Seeing the atmosphere in the room soften and hearing the benefits of becoming a Soul Master, Su Zhen loudly proclaimed his dream.

"And how much money does our little Su Zhen want to earn once he becomes a Soul Master?"

Li Xiulian asked, half-jokingly.

"One hundred, one thousand—no, one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

Su Zhen shook his head immediately after saying one hundred, feeling that it was far too little, and ultimately settled on a sum he considered to be a vast fortune.

"Good, good, good! My little Su Zhen is the best. You'll definitely earn those one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins in no time, and then your father, your brother, and I will be counting on you to support us in our old age."

Li Xiulian said with a smile.

"I can definitely do it! When that time comes, you can all just stay home, and I, the great Su Zhen, will take care of you!"

As he spoke, Su Zhen stood up excitedly, hands on his hips, looking quite formidable.

"Hahahaha!"

The whole family laughed happily. Although the dream was unrealistic, they could all feel that Su Zhen's words came straight from the heart.

The dinner table was filled with joy and laughter. Outside the window, the moon had already climbed into the sky, and in the quiet yard, a butterfly landed on a woodpile to rest and spin its cocoon.