Conditions and an Encounter

"Please, Senior. Go ahead."

Su Zhen acted meek and humble. He had to succeed in becoming Qian Daoliu's disciple. Only by apprenticing himself to Qian Daoliu could he grow strong enough to earn the right to avenge himself on Tang Hao.

Qian Daoliu was the Great Enshrined of Spirit Hall, with resources and status at the very top. He was also a Level 99 Limit Douluo, the strongest Soul Master on Douluo Continent, hailed as invincible in the skies and one of the Soul Master World's Two Peaks.

Only under Qian Daoliu's protection could he grow up in safety. Qian Daoliu was also the only powerful person he could reach at present.

"It's about five hundred kilometers from here to Spirit City. I'll give you a month. If you walk from here to Spirit City within that time, I'll take you as my disciple."

"All right, Senior. I'll do it. I'll definitely become your disciple."

"Good. I hope you can do it. I'll wait for you in Spirit City a month from now. Don't be late. Leave the village and head east, and you'll reach Spirit City."

With that, Qian Daoliu flew off toward the horizon.

Su Zhen took out the wooden hairpin and strip of cloth he had tucked into his inner pocket.

Dad, Mom, big brother, I'll avenge you. Tang Hao has to die. No, I'll make him wish he were dead and unable to die. And Tang San and the Clear Sky Sect, too. You can only blame yourselves for being Tang Hao's family.

Su Zhen stroked the wooden hairpin, his resolve firming. He wrapped it carefully and put it away, then left the village and headed east toward Spirit City.

Su Zhen had been away from the village for three days. Traveling without rest had taken a heavy toll; he had run out of food and water, so he planned to ask for something to eat at the village ahead.

Meat Fragrance Village

Su Zhen looked up at the village's name and went inside. Anyone who named their village that must surely be doing well, he thought.

At the village entrance, an old man was cooling off beneath a willow tree. When he saw a seven- or eight-year-old boy walk in, he grew wary. The boy wore coarse clothes covered in patches and had handsome features, but his long blue-violet hair stood out. His sturdy build didn't look like that of a refugee.

"Hello, Grandpas. I'm from Suotuo City. I got separated from my family while we were visiting relatives, and I've run out of food. Could you give me something to eat?"

Su Zhen guessed the old man might not know Hound Village, so he said he had come from Suotuo City.

"Oh, you came from Suotuo City? How did you get separated from your family? Whose home were you visiting?"

The old man didn't let down his guard just because of Su Zhen's words. They couldn't believe that a seven- or eight-year-old child had come all the way from Suotuo City alone without something being amiss.

"Grandpa, we'd barely left the city when bandits attacked us. My family died protecting me. I walked a long way before I got here, and I've run out of food. I found these clothes by the roadside. My uncle lives in Spirit City, and I was going there to stay with him."

As Su Zhen spoke, his eyes grew damp. He thought of his family and the villagers of Hound Village.

"This..."

Seeing Su Zhen's woeful expression, the old man's doubts faded. A child of seven or eight couldn't fake the look of someone who had lost his family.

"Ah, what a poor child. Follow this road all the way in. There's a thatched hut at the very end, where Otto's family lives. You can ask them for something to eat."

The old man pointed the way and said no more.

"Thank you, Grandpa. I understand."

The old man felt sorry for Su Zhen, but feeling sorry didn't mean he had food to spare; he only had enough for his own family. He'd let Old Otto host the boy instead—after all, Otto was kindhearted.

Su Zhen followed the old man's directions and, sure enough, found a dilapidated thatched hut at the far end of the village. Smoke curled from the chimney, so they must be eating.

Su Zhen went up and knocked. Before long, the door opened, and a man in his seventies came out.

"Little one, whose child are you? What do you need?"

Su Zhen gave Otto the same story he'd told the old man at the village entrance.

"You poor child. Come in, you can eat with us. Old Yang really is something—he didn't even offer you a drink after you'd walked all this way."

Otto ushered Su Zhen inside, grumbling about the old man at the village entrance as he did.

The room was sparsely furnished: a bed, a table, and a makeshift stove. Wild vegetable porridge was simmering in a pot on the stove.

Otto had Su Zhen sit at the table, then turned and ladled a large bowl of porridge from the pot.

"Go ahead and eat, child. Don't mind the humble fare. These wild vegetables have their own special flavor."

"Thank you, Grandpa Otto. Why would I mind? I'm already grateful just to have something to eat."

Su Zhen quickly thanked him and sipped the porridge.

"Haha, good. I don't have much to offer you, old as I am."

A baby's cries came from the bed. Otto hurried over and returned with a swaddled infant in his arms.

"Is Little Ao hungry? Here, open wide. Ah."

Otto gently soothed the baby, picked up a little wooden spoon, and slowly fed him the wild vegetable porridge.

Su Zhen looked up at the baby. He seemed two or three years old, with short grayish-brown hair and a pair of big, peach-blossom eyes that blinked adorably.

"Grandpa, is this your grandson? He's so cute. Where are his parents?"

"Ah, I've been alone my whole life and never had any children. I found this baby last year while digging for wild vegetables in the fields. I waited a long time, but no adult came looking for him. I searched all the nearby villages, but I couldn't find his parents. He looked so pitiful, and I was alone anyway, so I took him in. I don't know what kind of adult would abandon such an adorable child."

"At first, I'd gather firewood and trade it in the village for milk for Little Ao. Once he was a little older and could drink porridge, he started having wild vegetable porridge every day."

Once he started talking about the baby, Otto couldn't stop. He told Su Zhen all about adopting Little Ao.

"Yes, that's so sad. Grandpa, did you give him a name?"

"Little Ao has my surname, Ao. His given name is Sika."

Oscar! Su Zhen was stunned to hear the name. He hadn't expected to meet a character from the original novel while looking for a meal. Grayish-brown hair, peach-blossom eyes, two or three years old—the details all matched.

He had especially liked Oscar when he read the novel in his previous life. He was the continent's only Innate Full Soul Power food-type Soul Master, a true genius. Even without Tang San's Immortal Herbs, he could still cultivate to Titled Douluo—something none of the other Shrek Seven Devils could match.

"Grandpa, can I hold him?"

"Of course. Here, be careful."

Holding Oscar, Su Zhen stared in a daze. A genius from the original story was lying right there in his arms. After playing with Little Oscar for a while, Su Zhen returned him to Otto. He had considered taking Oscar away, but Otto had adopted the child—how could he hand Oscar over to a six-year-old? Besides, Su Zhen was going to Spirit City, a long journey, and it wouldn't be convenient to bring a baby along. He could only find a way to take Oscar later. Leaving Oscar's talent to Shrek Academy would be a waste; only a top power like Spirit Hall could give him the best training.

Lunch ended quickly. Su Zhen wanted to ask Otto for some provisions so he could continue his journey, but Otto wasn't comfortable letting him travel alone at night. There were no villages for dozens of miles ahead, so he planned to have Su Zhen stay the night and leave in the morning. Su Zhen thought it over and agreed.

In his previous life, Su Zhen had been a well-educated young man with ambition, and his principles wouldn't let him take Otto's food for nothing. He spent the afternoon fetching water and chopping firewood for Otto. At first, Otto refused; letting a six- or seven-year-old child do chores would earn anyone a scolding. But Otto's aging body couldn't stop Su Zhen, so he let the boy carry on, keeping watch nearby to make sure he didn't get hurt.