Five Years Later

Lu Cheng stood at the entrance of the clinic, watching Jiede leave. His heart remained unsettled for a long time.

This junior brother of mine is actually a wielder of Twin Martial Souls, and his martial souls are so unusual. He is destined for extraordinary achievements.

His gaze fell upon the rebuilt shop across the street, the former site of Yu He Clinic.

Such a genius, yet he is ruthless enough. He excels at both medicine and business, and he is only seven years old.

The gap between people was simply as vast as the gap between a person and a dog.

Lu Cheng turned and returned to his room, where he picked up a brush and wrote a sign before placing it outside the clinic.

It read:

Consultations available every morning. Medicinal herbs sold in the afternoon only...

Lu Cheng's talent was not poor, but a powerful sense of urgency rose within him.

One day, Jiede would surely surpass him. No matter what, he could not allow himself to be left too far behind.

Jiede neither went home nor returned to the academy. Instead, he headed to the Sugar Workshop outside Notting City.

Before he even entered the workshop, the sweet fragrance of sugar rushed toward him.

The scent inside was even richer, thick enough to seem tangible. The little bear cub kept twitching its nose, its face filled with bliss as though it had entered heaven.

"Little Jie, you're here."

Red Hair and Yellow Hair hurried over when they saw Jiede arrive.

Jiede's mouth twitched. "Don't call me that."

"Uh, then... Little De?" Red Hair asked tentatively.

Jiede did not answer. He glanced at the tops of their heads and nodded slightly.

"Not bad, not bad. You finally got haircuts. You look much more spirited now."

Red Hair and Yellow Hair looked dejected.

Liu Luo walked over from the side. "Those two brats didn't want to cut it at all. I had to drag them over and hold their heads down myself."

Their flashy hairstyles had changed. Red Hair now had a textured fringe, while Yellow Hair had a pompadour.

As for their hair color, it remained unchanged. That was their natural color, and Jiede had not insisted that they dye it or anything.

On Douluo Continent, it was perfectly normal for people to have hair in all sorts of colors.

Hearing their conversation, Jie Yuan came out from the back.

"Little De, why aren't you training properly? What are you doing here?"

"Of course, I came to see whether the two of them are working properly." Jiede pointed at Red Hair and Yellow Hair.

"..."

Red Hair and Yellow Hair: So what exactly did we do wrong?

Jie Yuan laughed. "When they first came, their hairstyles really gave me a fright. But after getting to know them, I found that they're actually decent people."

"Decent people?"

Jiede raised an eyebrow and looked at Red Hair and Yellow Hair. "Then what do you have to say about that challenge match..."

Their faces reddened. "Well, um, it looks like someone is spying over there. We'll go take a look..."

The two made up an excuse and fled in embarrassment.

The previous misunderstanding had actually been cleared up long ago, and Jiede had not pursued it further.

Still, now that they were working under Jiede, they needed to follow the rules in the future.

As for that saying, only mediocrities dared not cause trouble—

To Jiede, it was nothing but bullshit.

If you provoked someone you should not have provoked, try saying that again.

He had taken in Red Hair and Yellow Hair because they had stood up for Liu Luo, were fiercely loyal, and had a strong sense of brotherhood.

Personality-wise, the two did not quite measure up, but it was not a major issue. They were still young, and there was room to straighten them out.

Jie Yuan said, "Don't worry. Ever since Liu Luo came, almost all the people spying on our sugar-making secrets have disappeared."

Liu Luo was quite strong, a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.

Previously, Jie Yuan could only rely on Jiede's status as a Soul Master to intimidate the workers. Now that Liu Luo was here, they had much more confidence.

Jiede nodded and continued:

"I came today mainly to tell you that merchants from other cities want to work with us and order our sugar products.

Also, I want to add several new types of sugar products."

After some discussion, they decided to have Liu Luo lead the team escorting the goods...

From that point on, Jiede's family's white sugar business officially expanded from a local operation to the entire continent.

In the blink of an eye, five years passed.

Jiede had changed greatly. He stood nearly six feet three inches tall, though his features remained as delicate as ever.

It had to be said that the people of Douluo Continent had powerful genes. At twelve, they were practically fully developed, much like adults from his previous life.

Jiede had just returned from Notting Academy's graduation ceremony and was organizing his books and clothes.

Graduating from Notting Academy meant that Jiede had officially come of age and would soon have to venture out into the world.

As they watched their son grow up, Jie Yuan and Liu Yun were filled with emotion.

"Little De, have you decided which advanced academy you want to attend?"

"Heaven Dou City. Our largest sugar shop branch is there, and I want to go take a look."

Jiede answered without hesitation.

"That works. You can look after the business there while you're at it." Jie Yuan nodded.

"Son, our family isn't short on money. Why not attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy?" Liu Yun suggested.

Jiede thought about it.

"Let's wait until I get to Heaven Dou City and see how things are."

By now, Jiede had already mastered most of the knowledge related to Soul Beasts and Soul Rings. It made little difference which academy he attended; even if he did not attend one, he could still cultivate just fine.

"Oh, right, Dad, Mom, you should also devote more energy to cultivation. You can delegate some authority at the factory to Liu Luo and the others.

We have more than enough money already. There's no need for you to work so hard."

Jie Yuan smiled. "You don't need to worry about that. Your mother and I know what we're doing.

We're both One-Ring Soul Masters now. Our dream of becoming Soul Masters has long been fulfilled.

Your mother and I practice the Body Tempering Technique every day. Its effects are good, but we're already too old, so there isn't much room for improvement.

We're already satisfied. Our greatest wish is simply to see you grow up safe and sound."

Liu Yun added, "The white sugar business is our family's foundation. We can't let up.

Son, don't be afraid to spend money when you're out there. If you don't have enough, tell the family. Don't make yourself suffer."

As she spoke, Liu Yun's eyes filled with tears.

"Our son isn't leaving for several more days. Why are you crying?" Jie Yuan shot Liu Yun a disdainful glance.

"Hmph! Don't you dare get into my bed tonight!" Liu Yun snorted and turned to leave.

"I wasn't..."

Jie Yuan opened his mouth, then turned back to offer one last reminder before hurrying off, who knew where.

"Before you leave, remember to visit your hometown. Your grandfather has been writing lately, always saying he misses you."

"Got it, Dad!"

At the entrance to Holy Soul Village.

Old Jack was playing chess with the villagers to pass the time.

A pair of large hands suddenly covered the old man's eyes. "Guess who I am?"

Old Jack laughed and cursed, "You brat, you finally remembered to come back. I thought you'd forgotten this old man!"

"Of course not. I come back every year during academy breaks. How could I forget you?" Jiede said with a cheeky grin.

"All right, we're done playing for now. I'm going home to cook for my grandson."

Old Jack glanced at the chessboard, where he was about to lose, then walked away without looking back.

The old man playing against him blew his beard and glared. "You old bastard..."

The onlookers burst into laughter.

"All right, he's gone. Perfect, I'll take his place."

"His son has really made something of himself. His sugar business is booming, and he's made a lot of money. Look, Jack doesn't even use a cane anymore. He's much healthier too."

"If I had a son like that, I'd be even healthier than him!"

As everyone watched the grandfather and grandson walk farther and farther away, they could not help but sigh with feeling.

What they did not know was that Old Jack's health had nothing to do with money.

It was because he had frequently taken Foundation-Building Pills.