"...It was only after a chance trip to the Western Wilderness that I realized my wife was nothing but an ugly bloodsucking bat, a cold-blooded leech. There was no love between us at all. Rather than loving me, she only loved the Gold Soul Coins I brought home-and that pretty boy she called her true love. Luckily, little Dong was still my own flesh and blood. Apart from her, I might as well have been a bachelor."
"But here, even someone like me can find love. It's unbelievable. That's why I love being here, even with my head hitched to my belt. Escort work is one job at a time anyway; every day alive is another day gained. I've saved every payment for little Dong, so I've got no worries left."
"Of course, plenty of people have happy families and wives who love them. I'm only telling my own story. Come on, friends! Let's raise a cup of water in place of wine. Haha, I like my life better now. Even with danger following me like a shadow, my heart is at peace."
Egged on by everyone, old Dong had warmed to his tale. The laborer was usually a poor talker, but now he was sharing his philosophy of life.
Xu Huxiao finished his chive and sesame flatbread and prepared to leave.
Just then, the groom, Young Master Chen, came to find him. As he had over the past few days, the refined, sincere young master of eighteen or nineteen brought him delicacies unique to the Western Wilderness and asked him for advice on Soul Master cultivation.
``` [Human]: Chen Chang'an
[Age]: Nineteen
[Martial Soul]: Panda (mutated martial soul)
[Level]: Nine
[Soul Skill]: None
[Inner Monologue]: It feels as though this mutated martial soul has already decided my fate, but