Father's full recovery

If his idea worked, he would not have to wear himself out doing everything by hand.

Before long, his Life Value reached 1 point.

"System, how many soul coins can I exchange 1 point of Life Value for?"

1 Life Value = 1 Copper Soul Coin = 0.1 Silver Soul Coin = 0.01 Gold Soul Coin.

That little? Liu Hao was rather disappointed. He had thought 1 point of Life Value could be exchanged for 1 Gold Soul Coin. That would have brought him financial freedom outright.

Still, it was acceptable. After all, weeds were everywhere, and he could pull up a whole handful at once. It was hardly different from picking up money.

It was merely the difference between picking up a pile of ten-cent coins and picking up a pile of ten-dollar bills.

Picking up ten-dollar bills could bring financial freedom quickly, but even ten-cent coins could pile up into a fortune, couldn't they?

His father's monthly subsidy of 1 Gold Soul Coin was equivalent to just 100 Copper Soul Coins.

Even pulling weeds, he could probably collect that much in less than ten minutes.

Besides, these weeds were merely among the lowest forms of life.

Once he grew stronger, he could uproot weeping willows outright. Who knew how many times greater a large tree's Life Value would be than a weed's?

Or he could catch Soul Beasts directly. How many times greater would a Soul Beast's vitality be than an ordinary plant's? He could not even imagine it.

Over the next two hours, while gathering medicinal herbs, Liu Hao also pulled up weeds, vines, and other plants worth more than 50 points of Life Value.

He discovered that harvesting plants for Life Value was quite convenient, since plants did not die the instant they were pulled up.

Even if he yanked a plant up violently without extracting its roots, the portion in his hand could still be exchanged for Life Value. It would simply yield less.

An ordinary weed with its roots intact had between 0.1 and 0.5 Life Value, depending on the plant's size.

Without the roots, its Life Value was halved.

He had also caught ants to test them. A single little ant had only 0.001 to 0.005 Life Value.

He certainly would not be targeting ants anytime soon, even though an ant nest contained tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand ants.

For now, however, an ant nest would be difficult for him to control.

After all, he was still only an ordinary six-year-old child. Many methods were beyond his reach.

Besides, harvesting Life Value from plants alone was enough. There was no need to risk provoking ants that could sting.

After returning home, Liu Hao did not reveal that he could earn money just yet.

The main problem was explaining it. Whether a six-year-old produced a large amount of soul coins all at once or small amounts from time to time, it would seem rather strange.

After all, what could an ordinary six-year-old child do to earn money?

Both his parents were honest, simple people. If he could not explain where the money came from, they probably would not dare spend it. They might even have nightmares over it.

Being weak really was the original sin.

Liu Hao felt rather helpless. He could only wait until he became a Soul Master.

With the system's help, he figured that once he became a Soul Master, he would have nothing to fear from ordinary adults, even at level 10.

Then he could secretly treat himself to some extra food and satisfy his cravings.

For the sake of enjoying a happy life of "not eating beef" in the future, he would endure for now.

"Hao! My leg seems much better! How did you do this? That old gentleman..."

When Liu Hao returned, Liu Jun was standing inside the house, so excited that his words became somewhat incoherent. His eyes were filled with delighted surprise and disbelief.

Clearly, after two bowls of medicine "blessed" by the system, his crippled leg had improved considerably.

"Dad, that old gentleman must be a very powerful Soul Master. He used a Soul Skill on me, so all I have to do is hold the medicine and pray to give it healing properties.

"I didn't believe him at first, but now it looks like he was telling the truth."

In the end, Liu Hao decided to attribute this to the fictional Soul Master.

That would prevent some unnecessary trouble. Since his father was a Soul Master himself and knew more about them, he might even fill in the gaps on his own.

Sure enough, Liu Jun was deeply astonished.

"A Soul Master... a Soul Skill... so that's it. My son really is my lucky star! Hahaha..."

Liu Jun laughed a few times, then suddenly thought of something. His smile faded as he looked hopefully at Liu Hao.

"Hao, since you can cure my leg, can you cure your mother's eyes too?"

As expected, his wife's condition was still the first thing on his mind.

But Liu Hao had anticipated that and already prepared his explanation.

"Mom's condition is more complicated. That old gentleman said he wasn't very confident for now, either. We'll have to wait a few years and see."

If he said there was no way at all, a knot would remain in his parents' hearts.

Besides, in a few years, he really would have a way to cure her.

Even if the truth came out then, the two of them would probably understand why he had told this lie.

He might as well give them hope now, so they would have more to look forward to in life.

"A few years... all right. We'll see in a few years."

Although Liu Jun was disappointed, he still held on to hope.

Li Zhaodi, Liu Hao's mother, was in the bedroom.

Though blind, she had very keen hearing and had heard the conversation between father and son outside her door.

When she heard that Liu Jun's leg could be cured, she actually felt a little afraid.

She feared that once Liu Jun was no longer disabled, he might look down on her for being blind and abandon her.

If he abandoned her, would her children protect her? If they could not, what would she do?

Just as Li Zhaodi's thoughts were running wild, Liu Jun suddenly asked whether her eye condition could be cured.

That question instantly made her heart clench.

She longed to hear that she could be cured, yet feared a negative answer.

Fortunately, although the final answer was not a definite yes, it was not that terrible, either.

At least it gave her hope.

"Hao, do you know why that old gentleman is treating you so well?"

Although Liu Jun was delighted that his crippled leg could be cured, he understood all too well that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

The man had helped treat Yao's strange illness, helped treat his crippled leg, and even claimed that he might have a way to cure his wife's eyes in a few years.

Taken together, these favors were simply enormous.

Liu Jun could not imagine what a powerful Soul Master might want from their family.

What value could they possibly have to that Soul Master?

"He said my constitution is special, and my Martial Soul hasn't actually awakened completely. My innate Soul Power isn't level 0.1, either. I have innate full Soul Power, but my Martial Soul absorbed it all. That's why my innate Soul Power is so low."

Liu Hao simply used this fictional expert to prepare them in advance.

Otherwise, if he suddenly became a Titled Douluo in a few years...

His parents would inevitably get a fright.

"What? This... is that true? It must be... such a powerful Soul Master has no reason to lie..."

Liu Jun was overjoyed, so excited that he was almost dazed.

Innate full Soul Power! A gift that existed only in legends had actually appeared in his own child.

"Then... Hao, since you're so talented, does that senior want to take you as his disciple?"

"That's right... that old gentleman said he wants to take me as his personal disciple, but we can't tell anyone for now, or he'll get angry."

"All right, I understand, Hao. Don't worry. Your dad promises to keep his lips sealed!"

The next day, Liu Jun's leg recovered completely.

Unfortunately, he was too weak, and he could not bear to leave his wife and children.

So he decided to reclaim uncultivated land on the hill behind the village and grow grain and vegetables.

With a Soul Master's physique, he could work the fields more efficiently than ordinary people and produce enough food to feed the family.

He could also use the Spirit Hall's monthly subsidy to provide extra food for them.

Though they could not compare to wealthy people, they would at least have enough food and warm clothing, without worrying about either.

It was essentially a straight leap from poverty into a comfortably well-off life.

From that day onward, Liu Hao's life settled into a mechanical routine.

He got up in the morning and took his younger brother, Liu Yao, running near the village to exercise.

Their father, Liu Jun, took full responsibility for breakfast.

It was not that Liu Hao did not want to cook. After his leg recovered, Liu Jun refused to let him do so much work anymore.

He probably felt that he had owed Liu Hao too much in the past and now wanted to make it up to him.

After returning from their exercise and eating breakfast, Liu Hao spent the morning taking Liu Yao to play with the other village children, helping him develop his social skills.

It also made his childhood less lonely.

As for whether Liu Yao would eventually part ways with the village children or do something else, Liu Hao would leave that choice to his future self.

In the afternoon, Liu Yao had little to do, so he chose to lie in bed a while longer-in other words, cultivate.

He tried to gain the power to control his own destiny sooner.

As for Liu Yao, he spent the afternoons either playing with children he got along with or accompanying his father to reclaim land on the hill behind the village and experience farmwork.

Just like that, time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.