Ye Lingling

Jiang Mingyang walked along the road toward the Heaven Dou Empire Capital. He was in no hurry, taking in the people, events, and sights along the way.

After covering roughly a third of the distance from Sunset Forest to the Heaven Dou Empire Capital, Jiang Mingyang felt an inexplicable sympathy for the ordinary people under the rule of the two great empires—those who had awakened Martial Souls but possessed no Innate Soul Power.

Jiang Mingyang did not believe the world's privileged class could be eliminated. No matter the era, some people would always control more resources.

As long as Martial Souls remained the source of privilege on the Douluo Continent, those born with greater power would gain special privileges.

Even if Martial Souls ceased to exist, privilege would merely take another form.

What Jiang Mingyang pitied was how ruthlessly the two great empires exploited ordinary people.

This world even had a cheat called Martial Souls that could help crops grow, and its average rice yield reached an astonishing fifteen hundred jin per mu. Yet eighty percent of the ordinary households Jiang Mingyang encountered still struggled to keep themselves fed and clothed.

It was absurd. This was a world of supernatural power.

That power might not be quite so fantastical, but it was supernatural all the same.

They had a cheating "tool" like Martial Souls, and the producers themselves were hardier than people in his previous life. The results of their labor were better, too.

These ordinary people were not asking for much. Surely they should at least have enough food and clothing, then be able to work toward eating well and living healthy lives!

Jiang Mingyang thought angrily, The yields are clearly better! Yet people still can't feed and clothe themselves. Is this what rule by the two great empires amounts to?

Forget it. I'm a Marquis at the top of the Empire's food chain and the Grand General's adopted son. Why am I worrying about this?

But what if... what if my adoptive father, Jiang Tian, hadn't found and taken me in? What if I'd grown up in an ordinary family and awakened without Innate Soul Power? Would I... would I resist? Would I... really?

Since I have Innate Soul Power, shouldn't greater ability mean greater responsibility? Shouldn't I do something?

Now that I've come to the Douluo Continent, can I leave a piece of history that belongs to me?

Jiang Mingyang stopped and walked on by turns. Before he knew it, he had entered a small town without even noticing.

Suddenly, a gentle voice called out, "Friend, please don't cut in line. Take your time!"

Jiang Mingyang's thoughts snapped back to the present. He looked ahead and behind him and saw a single-file line. People seemed to be queuing.

He hurried a few steps to the side and said apologetically, "Sorry. I didn't mean to! I was lost in thought and wandered over here without realizing it."

The same gentle voice replied, "Oh? You're quite polite! I could tell you weren't trying to cut in line. Just watch where you're going next time!"

Jiang Mingyang turned toward the voice. A gentle, graceful girl about his age had set up a table outside a medicinal herb shop. She held a flower-shaped Martial Soul in her hand.

Behind the girl stood a beautiful middle-aged woman. She had an extraordinary bearing and the composure of a Grandmaster. She was the one who had spoken to Jiang Mingyang.

The woman merely stood there without intervening, as though she meant to give the girl in front of her practice.

The girl's Martial Soul resembled a begonia flower. Leaves and trailing branches spilled down either side, its supple vines swaying in the wind and its hanging blossoms bobbing softly.

The girl channeled Soul Power into her Martial Soul. Green light streamed down from it and drifted toward several people waiting near the table.

Jiang Mingyang stood nearby and watched for two hours. The girl healed people remarkably quickly. Even those who had joined the line after he arrived had already been treated.

Whenever the girl ran low on Soul Power, the beautiful woman transferred some of hers to help the girl recover.

What puzzled Jiang Mingyang was that they took no money for the treatments—or anything else, for that matter. They seemed to charge nothing at all.

Gradually, no one remained in line. Jiang Mingyang could not help feeling stunned. What did it mean when no one was queuing for free treatment?

Given human nature, if they had been here for several days, even people treated on previous days would surely line up again. Who would turn down more?

That meant almost everyone in the town had been treated today.

What Martial Soul could heal so quickly and look like a begonia? Jiang Mingyang's heart gave a leap. Could it be Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia?

Her age did seem to fit, though he could not be certain.

In his younger years, Jiang Mingyang had studied the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul. The one before him did look much like the illustrations.

But it was not an exact match. Besides, Jiang Mingyang had never seen a real Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, so he dared not be sure.

Jiang Mingyang was choosing his words, preparing to ask tactfully whether they possessed the famed Nine Star Begonia Martial Soul, when the beautiful woman spoke.

The woman smiled. "Young friend, you've been watching for quite some time without seeking treatment. Is there something you're wondering about?" Inwardly, she was astonished as well. That level of Soul Power at his age—and such presence, such bearing.

In truth, Jiang Mingyang had not noticed how much he had changed over the years. To an observer, though, his impressive presence was plain to see.

Presence and bearing were acquired over time. As Jiang Tian's adopted son, Jiang Mingyang often met the continent's strongest experts and people of the highest standing.

Before he knew it, Jiang Mingyang had stopped being surprised by people, no matter how exalted their status or how unusual they were.

He had grown outwardly unruffled by praise or humiliation, calm and assured. Without his noticing, his bearing had become entirely unlike that of his previous life, marked by a distinction all its own.

That was why, when Jiang Mingyang had appeared to cut the line, the person he stepped in front of had not even dared to speak up.

One look at him told them he was no ordinary person. Who would dare provoke him?

Jiang Mingyang thought for a moment, then asked calmly, "Senior, how long have you been treating people for free? Why don't you charge?

"Taking payment to relieve someone's troubles is only natural, isn't it? Also, Senior, is your surname Ye?"

The beautiful woman glanced at Jiang Mingyang. "You have a good eye! You actually recognized it.

"We've treated people for free ever since we began healing the sick and saving lives. As for charging money, that's a matter of personal preference. Young friend, what's your name?"

Jiang Mingyang nodded in understanding and replied, "Your Martial Soul truly is the Nine Heart Begonia. You heal the sick and save lives without taking payment.

"You're truly compassionate, Senior. My name is Jiang Mingyang, and my adoptive father is Jiang Tian."

The beautiful woman narrowed her eyes slightly and said slowly, "Oh! So you're the Loyal Tranquil Marquis of the Empire. To have cultivated to this level at such a young age—remarkable!"

Jiang Mingyang smiled faintly. "You flatter me, Senior.

"Forgive me for asking, but what is the name of the young lady who was treating people just now? She already has your bearing at such a young age. It's truly remarkable!"

A complicated look entered the beautiful woman's eyes. She smiled and said, "This is my daughter, Ye Lingling."

In his youth, the Grand Ancestor traveled the realm. Upon meeting the Virtuous Consort, he was greatly astonished and said, "Can such an extraordinary woman exist in this world? Since she does, might she attend me?" The Virtuous Consort's mother heard him, smiled, and replied, "She may."

Grand Ancestor's Amorous Tales (suggested price: 10 Silver Soul Coins)