The Past: Are Commoners the Tragedy of the Times?

Yao Shi was a transmigrator. In his previous life, an accident had caused his death. When he opened his eyes again, he had arrived in this world.

At the time, he had still been a newborn infant. The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself in a river. Had he not been lucky enough that the current was slow and that he had gotten stuck against a rock, he might have drowned just after being granted a new life.

Yao Shi spent a day and a night on that rock. He had fainted from hunger and had been certain that he was about to die again.

But fate's scales tipped in his favor once more. Perhaps his life was not meant to end yet. An old man happened to be washing the mud from his feet in the river and happened to spot the dying infant, Yao Shi.

The old man was merely an ordinary farmer. His martial soul had never awakened, and he had no children. At first, he had not wanted to bother, because living alone had already made most of his life difficult. If he took in an abandoned infant as well, life might become even harder.

Just as the old man was about to leave, he looked back one last time. At that moment, Yao Shi let out a cry. It was an infant's instinct, something he could not control. At the time, Yao Shi was already unconscious.

Hearing the cry, the old man could not help but feel pity. He scooped up the infant Yao Shi, his callused hand gently brushing the child's little face as he muttered.

"Little one, if you follow me, you may have to suffer a great deal from now on."

Hearing the voice, the unbearably hungry Yao Shi struggled to open his eyes. He vaguely saw a little old man looking at him with a kind, gentle smile before he fainted again.

Who knew how long had passed? When Yao Shi woke up again, the little old man was holding him and feeding him goat's milk from a bowl.

The old man himself had neither name nor surname, and he had never gone to school. Since he had found Yao Shi on a rock, he had originally wanted to name him Stone. But he thought Stone did not sound very nice, so he simply named him Pebble instead. Yao Shi had been on the brink of death then, and the old man hoped he could live as sturdily as a pebble.

The grandfather and grandson lived together like that for several years.

At the age of three, aside from his physical strength, Yao Shi's mind had almost recovered to its state from his previous life. He told the old man that Pebble was fine as a nickname, so he changed his name to Yao Shi. His surname was Yao in his previous life, while Shi came from stone.

"Hahaha, Pebble, since your surname is Yao, then Grandpa will simply be called Yao too!"

The old man did not understand why his three-year-old grandson was so clever. But since the child could name himself, he decided to call himself Yao as well. Still, he continued to call Yao Shi Little Pebble.

He did not understand how to write "Yao," so Yao Shi used a tree branch to write it stroke by stroke in the dirt. After living most of his life, the old man finally had a name—Yao.

Afterward, he told everyone he met that his grandson had given him a name: Yao.

Before he had a name, the nearby farmers had all called him Old Farmer. From then on, people gradually began calling him Elder Yao or Farmer Yao.

At the age of four, Yao Shi happened to see a soul master and learned that he had transmigrated to the Douluo Continent. When he found out that awakening a martial soul required paying an exorbitant fee, he had actually prepared himself to remain an ordinary person for the rest of his life. Life might be a little bitter, but having lived a second life already meant he had come out ahead.

That same year, the village was attacked by a ten-year soul beast. Fortunately, a passing three-ring soul master stepped in and dealt with it, preventing major casualties. However, Yao was unfortunately struck by the soul beast while protecting Yao Shi. Luckily, he survived, but because his spine had been injured, his lower body was paralyzed.

Yao Shi had asked around in town. A single treatment from a healing soul master cost as much as one gold soul coin, and there was no guarantee it would work. For the grandfather and grandson, who could only survive by farming, it was utterly unaffordable. They could not even produce one silver soul coin.

From that moment on, Yao Shi firmly resolved to awaken his martial soul and become a soul master, so that he could earn more money and cure Yao.

He had only been an ordinary person in his previous life. After coming to this world, as a commoner, he had no way to make money at all. Even obtaining the fee for a martial soul awakening was a problem.

But Yao Shi remembered that Huo Yuhao during the second Douluo era had been able to survive by selling grilled fish. Why couldn't he do the same?

From that day onward, Yao Shi rose early and worked until late every day. Before dawn, he prepared two meals and brought them to Yao's bedside. Then he went to the river to catch fish, took them into town to sell at noon, and returned at night to make dinner and wipe down Yao's body.

At first, all this was extremely difficult for a four-year-old. But after doing it for a long time, he gradually became more and more skilled.

Such days continued, and Yao Shi sold grilled fish for three years.

That was right. Yao Shi was now seven years old. Normally, children on the Douluo Continent should awaken their martial souls at the age of six. Yao Shi was a year late, meaning he had one less year of cultivation than others. Fortunately, he possessed innate full soul power, so perhaps his starting point would still far surpass that of many others.

Only today, after deducting their daily living expenses, had Yao Shi finally saved the twenty silver soul coins required for his martial soul awakening. He had finally awakened his martial soul, and his hardships had at last borne fruit. Three years of toil had left the hands of the seven-year-old boy covered in calluses, and his skin had grown dark.

"Grandpa, the food's ready. I'll wipe you down first, then we can eat."

Yao Shi's voice came from outside, pulling Yao back from his thoughts.

"Haha, all right," Yao answered softly. Yao Shi then carried in a wooden basin containing hot water and a towel.

Yao Shi wiped down his entire body several times, carried the water outside to pour it away, then brought over a wooden table and placed the dishes on it.

The land Yao had once farmed had already been sold. The money Yao Shi had earned selling fish over the past few years had improved their lives somewhat, and their neighbors occasionally brought them food as well.

"Grandpa, once I become stronger, I'll definitely earn lots and lots of money. I'll hire the best healing soul master on the continent and have you completely cured."

Yao Shi spoke to Yao beside him as he ate from his bowl.

"Haha, good. Little Pebble has grown up. Grandpa will rely on you from now on."

Yao still wore that kindly expression. He was sincerely proud of his grandson, and he believed that his grandson would surely become a powerful soul master.

After dinner, Yao sat and rested for a while. Yao Shi went out to wash the dishes, then returned after tidying up and helped Yao lie down.

Night fell.

Yao Shi lay in the open patch of grass outside the house, bathed in moonlight. A blade of grass hung from his lips as he stared into the distance, lost in thought.

My martial soul has awakened. But how am I supposed to obtain a soul ring?

Other than what remains for living expenses, I have no extra money to hire anyone to help me hunt soul beasts.

Do I have no choice but to settle for a low-year soul ring?