Candied Hawthorn Skewers and the Children

Xiao Wu chuckled and held the candied hawthorn out to Chu Men once more.

"Weird uncle, try this White Spirit Fruit too. It's much sweeter than the Blue Silver Fruit."

Chu Men took a bite as prompted. It was sweet, certainly, but without the tartness, he felt it lacked soul.

However, looking at Xiao Wu's happy expression and scanning the brightly lit night market, he found a rare sense of peace in his heart.

What a wonderful world!

[Congratulations to the streamer and Xiao Wu for their growing bond! The Wu Sect flag flies high in the wind!]

[Good grief, this is the most ridiculous kidnapper and hostage duo I've ever seen.]

[Wuwu, my hands betrayed me and I ordered a candied hawthorn too. My diet plan is officially a failure!]

Lin Xiaoyu was currently chewing on a hawthorn, watching the scrolling comments, and then glanced at the candied hawthorn A-Xue had just bought for her.

For a moment, she felt a strong sense of resonance!

She then ate another one.

Lin-meimei attempted to use the sweet taste to dispel the distress caused by gaining weight!

Chu Men was just about to generously buy out the entire stock to replenish the snack supply that had become precarious since Xiao Wu's arrival.

But seeing the children constantly gathering around, his hand paused.

He still had to leave some for the children; sometimes, the smiles on their faces were sweeter than the candied hawthorns.

Beside the old man selling the candied hawthorns, a seven or eight-year-old boy was buried in his work, stringing the fruit under the stall.

His martial soul appeared to be something like a wooden stick or skewer; faint soul power flickered in his hands, and his movements quickened a fraction.

Looking at the surrounding stalls, many vendors had diligent children busy helping them out.

Behind a barbecue stall, a little girl was squatting on the ground washing greasy plates; she had no soul power.

He also saw a few even younger children chasing each other between the stalls.

In their hands, they held swords and blades fashioned from straw and wood, imitating the battles of soul masters.

The soul power on them was imperceptible, yet they still shouted "First Soul Skill!" and "Second Soul Skill!" as they played with great delight.

Chu Men blinked, bought a few more skewers, and turned to leave.

He faintly heard a childish voice from behind: "Old grandpa, two candied hawthorns, please!"

"Coming right up! Little one~"

[I really envy these children, so carefree. To our lost childhood.]

[It's heartbreaking that such young children have to come out to help the adults work~]

[Do you think those kids shouting about their second soul skills will ever have the chance to possess a real second soul skill of their own?]

Once these stinging words appeared, the chat went silent.

Lin Xiaoyu looked at the screen and sighed softly: "Many people never become soul masters in their entire lives; they just live ordinary lives."

This was reality.

Even Su Yuntao, a perpetual background character and a mere Great Soul Master, had already surpassed the vast majority of people.

Chu Men and Xiao Wu continued walking forward.

A sign not far away caught Chu Men's attention.

It was a plaque made of black wood, engraved with four gold-leaf characters—

Light and Shadow Theater!

They were nearing the end of the street, and a sound of clanging gongs and drums mixed with melodic zither music drifted through the air.

Xiao Wu stopped and stood on her tiptoes to peer ahead: "Weird uncle, what is that sound? It sounds so nice!"

"A theater. How should I put it... let's go see for ourselves, shall we?"

Chu Men wiped the sweat from Xiao Wu's hands, took her hand again, and walked toward the two-story building.

A wooden board stood at the entrance, looking like a theater playbill.

The program for today was Descent of the Angel God, and the edges were carved with a pattern of an angel spreading its wings.

A crowd had already gathered, mostly couples with children, along with a few young people dressed in coarse cloth.

Through the open doors, under the warm yellow lights inside, one could vaguely see figures moving on a white screen.

The lobby was bustling with people moving to and fro.

[Wow! A theater in the Douluo World? It looks so atmospheric!]

[Streamer, go in and take a look! I've really never seen what a play in the Douluo World is like.]

Chu Men took Xiao Wu's hand, pushed through the crowd, and walked inside.

The interior of the theater was not particularly large. The lobby on the first floor was filled with over thirty long wooden benches, with many people sitting in small groups.

Only when they got closer did they see that a white screen nearly five zhang wide was hanging at the front.

It was unknown what animal hide had been tanned to create it, but it was as thin as a cicada's wing and possessed excellent translucency.

Behind the screen sat several soul-guided projection lamps, currently emitting a soft white light that illuminated the curtain brightly.

Chu Men looked at Xiao Wu, then weighed the gold coins in his pouch, and with the air of a big spender, chose a private box on the second floor.

Though called a private box, it was really just a space cordoned off by wooden railings with a table placed inside.

It was breezy on all four sides, but it was much quieter than the main hall.

The teapot and teacups on the table were more refined, and there were a few plates of dried fruits and candied snacks, which were complimentary refreshments provided by the theater.

"The view from here is perfect!"

Chu Men took a black folding fan named "Don't Get Angry" from the supplies A-Zheng had sent over and began to fan himself gently.

Xiao Wu, sitting to the side, held a small bamboo basket and was inspecting a fried carrot stick.

"Hiccup~, weird uncle! I think I'm full."

"We've barely started!"

Chu Men snapped his fan shut with a clack, pinched a fried vegetable ball from Xiao Wu's basket, and tossed it into his mouth to chew.

"Children are at the age where they can eat the most; you need to eat more to grow tall!"

"What if I get fat?"

Chu Men's twisted logic came out instantly: "If you get fat, you can just lose weight later. Besides, how can you have the energy to lose weight if you aren't full?"

Xiao Wu widened her rabbit eyes, as if to say: Are you kidding me?

Chu Men curled his lip; children were like that—if you pulled them, they wouldn't move, but if you hit them, they'd retreat.

If he really let her eat to her heart's content, she would probably lose interest instead.

Of course, it was also possible she was actually full.

Before long, the image on the screen changed, and the sound of gongs and drums died down.

A golden silhouette of an angel holding a holy sword with six pairs of wings on its back appeared on the screen, surrounded by countless points of light.

The performer's voice was resonant and infectious, ringing out in a declamatory tone:

"It is said that ten thousand years ago, on the Douluo Continent, demons ran rampant, the common people suffered, and life was unbearable. The Angel God took pity on the world and descended to the mortal realm..."

Chu Men yawned, slightly bored, and signaled for more tea and snacks.

This was the most widely circulated folk tale on the continent, and the myth most frequently adapted into different versions—

The Descent of the Angel God!

It was written by Spirit Hall to promote their doctrine, and it had clearly become the most popular play in the night market of Heaven Dou City.

Might is right; the strong should be worshipped!

It was merely the underlying rule of the Douluo World.

However, this style of shadow puppetry was much more popular with the lower classes than dry, written text.

The performer behind the screen was highly skilled; he operated gongs, drums, and cymbals with his feet while chanting, keeping a distinct rhythm and performing with great emotion.

The movements of the shadow puppets were fluid and natural, and when the angel swung its sword, golden soul power light would flash across the screen.

When evil soul beasts were slain, they would vanish into wisps of black smoke, drawing gasps of amazement from the audience below.

Even Xiao Wu seemed mesmerized; she had forgotten to eat the pastry in her hand, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the screen, occasionally showing an expression of excitement.

It was hard to tell if it was excitement or hatred.

Spirit Hall is something else, promoting the Angel family in the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire—that's dancing on a grave!

I actually think it might be spontaneous among the people; Spirit Hall provides free soul awakening, so they are still quite popular.

The Pope of Spirit Hall is either a hypocritical angel or a vicious spider; they don't seem like good people at all!

"Xiao Wu, you have a grudge against Spirit Hall, don't you?"

Seeing the look on Xiao Wu's face, Chu Men deliberated for a long time before finally asking in a low voice.