Early morning in Holy Soul Village, the mist had yet to completely disperse.
Milky-white fog swirled between the cottages and the woods, veiling the seemingly tranquil village in mystery.
The air was damp with the scent of earth and fresh grass. A breeze swept by, bringing a hint of chill.
Su Yu led Tang Wu by the hand, carrying that battered gray bundle on his back as he walked along the rutted dirt road to the entrance of Holy Soul Village.
Ahead lay the wilderness path leading to Nuoding City.
Once they set foot on that road, they would be leaving this dangerous beginner village, crawling with cheats, for good.
However, when Su Yu's gaze pierced the mist and fell on the broken stone stele at the village entrance, the one engraved with the words "Holy Soul," he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Old Jack was standing there. Su Yu had no idea when he'd arrived.
He still leaned on that broken wooden cane, his back hunched, dressed in coarse patched clothes.
The morning breeze ruffled his gray hair, making him look rather weathered.
Most striking of all, Old Jack held two steaming corn buns in his rough, calloused hands.
Steam billowed from the buns. They had clearly just come out of the pot.
He stood there quietly, watching Su Yu and Tang Wu approach with a warm gaze.
Su Yu's heart leapt into his throat.
He instinctively activated the Eye of Truth.
A golden light flashed in his eyes, and the blue Dao of Cowardice Sign-in System panel above Old Jack's head came into clear view.
There was no dangerous red light flashing on the panel, nor had the Erase Traces passive skill appeared.
That let Su Yu relax a little, but he still didn't dare let his guard down.
This old man was ruthless enough to turn a living person to ash in an instant. Who knew what he had in mind, standing here to intercept them?
"Grandpa Jack, what are you doing here?"
Su Yu put on an obedient smile and led Tang Wu briskly over.
When Old Jack saw the bundles on their backs, his eyes gradually reddened.
He shuffled forward two trembling steps, his voice hoarse and heavy with reluctance and worry. "Xiao Yu, Xiao San, you're leaving?"
"Yes, Grandpa Jack."
Su Yu nodded, his tone sincere. "We've awakened Innate Full Soul Power, so we want to report to the junior Soul Master Academy in Nuoding City as soon as possible. There's... nothing much left for us in the village."
Old Jack sighed, a glimmer of tears in his cloudy eyes.
"The world outside is dangerous. You two little ones have no one to rely on, so you must be careful along the way."
As he rambled, Old Jack extended his trembling hands and held the two steaming corn buns out to Su Yu.
"Take these. Grandpa just steamed them. Have a bite if you get hungry on the road."
Su Yu hurriedly reached out with both hands to accept them.
The moment Old Jack's hand touched the back of Su Yu's, the Eye of Truth caught an extremely subtle fluctuation of energy.
In Su Yu's vision, Old Jack's fingers brushed lightly along the hems of Su Yu and Tang Wu's clothes at a speed the naked eye could never detect.
[Survivalist System Notice: Host has used 3 Breath Concealment Talismans.] [Targets: Su Yu, Tang Wu.] [Effect: Completely conceals the targets' Soul Power fluctuations, fortune fluctuations, and system detection. Duration: 30 days.]
Su Yu's heart jolted.
That old fox!
He'd seemed to be handing over corn buns, but in reality, he'd secretly slapped three Breath Concealment Talismans onto them without anyone noticing!
If Su Yu hadn't had the Eye of Truth, there was no way he could have spotted Old Jack's masterful under-the-table maneuver.
Was the old man afraid they'd run into danger on the road, or was he worried that their powerful fortune would draw the attention of other cheats and bring trouble to Holy Soul Village?
Su Yu knew perfectly well that the old man thought they were too conspicuous and wanted to get them out of there as soon as possible. He'd even given them an invisibility buff, just in case they caused trouble outside and someone followed the trail back to Holy Soul Village.
That was taking the Dao of Cowardice to the absolute extreme!
Though he was cursing up a storm inside, Su Yu's acting on the surface was worthy of an award.
Holding the two steaming corn buns in both hands, his eyes reddened at once, and his voice caught with emotion. "Thank you, Grandpa Jack... You've been so good to us."
As he spoke, Su Yu took Tang Wu by the hand and bowed deeply to Old Jack.
"Grandpa Jack, please take care of yourself. Once we've settled in Nuoding City, we'll definitely come back to visit you."
Su Yu made his promise with conviction.
Deep down, Su Yu's wariness of the old fox had gone through the roof.
Come back to visit you?
Not in this lifetime!
Who knew whether you'd casually turn the two of us to ash the next time we came back?
Old Jack nodded in satisfaction, patting Su Yu on the head, then Tang Wu's hair.
"Good children. Go on, and have a safe journey."
With that, Old Jack leaned on his cane and turned around, shuffling back toward the village.
Su Yu stood where he was, watching Old Jack leave.
Through the Eye of Truth, Su Yu clearly saw that the instant Old Jack turned around, a dazzling golden light burst from the blue system panel above his head.
A large line of text slowly drifted across the panel:
[System Notice: Host has successfully sent away a high-risk, unstable factor (child of fortune/variable), perfectly eliminating a potential threat.] [Reward Settlement: Gou Dao Value +500!] [Current Gou Dao Value: 10599.] [Gou Dao Realm has stabilized. Host is advised to remain inconspicuous and avoid entangling yourself in cause and effect.]
Seeing that notice, Su Yu couldn't help giving a hard twitch of the mouth.
Good grief. Sending the two of them away had earned that old man five hundred Gou Dao Value in one go!
Just how big a ticking time bomb did he think they were?
Only after Old Jack's back had completely vanished into the mist did Su Yu finally look away.
He lowered his gaze to the corn bun in his hand. It still gave off a faint fragrance of corn.
"Brother Yu, are we really leaving here?"
Tang Wu clutched Su Yu's arm tightly. Her big eyes held a trace of unease about the unknown world, but far more trust in Su Yu.
"Yes, we're leaving. We're going somewhere that belongs only to us."
Su Yu broke the corn bun in his hand in half and handed Tang Wu the slightly larger piece.
"Eat up. You'll need your strength for the journey."
Tang Wu obediently accepted the bun and took small bites.
Su Yu also took a bite of his own. Its coarse texture spread across his tongue.
He raised his head and gazed determinedly at the wilderness path leading to Nuoding City.
The mist gradually dispersed, and the rising sun spilled golden light across the dirt road, illuminating the journey ahead.
Su Yu clasped Tang Wu's hand more tightly, and the two of them walked side by side onto the path to Nuoding City.
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