Tang San sometimes wondered why he had no mother.
Whenever he saw other children his age fall or get hurt, and their parents came over to fuss over them, he always felt envious.
When he asked his father, Tang Hao, about it, his father either stayed silent or brushed him off. If he was drunk, he would even shout and curse, though he would apologize to Tang San afterward.
Tang San's feelings toward his father were complicated. He did not know how he should treat him.
Hate him? But his blacksmithing was the main source of income keeping their family alive.
Love and respect him? If he did not spend most of his earnings on drinking, perhaps Tang San would not have to keep accepting Grandpa Jack's kindness.
But no matter what, Tang Hao was still his father.
For the first time, Tang San understood what helplessness and conflicting feelings were like.
"Congratulations, little Tang San. You have rank-three soul power, so you can become a Soul Master! Though your martial soul is only Blue Silver Grass."
Six-year-old Tang San stared blankly at the young man before him, whose expression looked somewhat resigned.
His name was Su Yuntao. He had come to Holy Soul Village specifically to awaken martial souls for children of the right age. Even though he looked tired, he still awakened their martial souls and soul power. He was a good person.
Tang San heard that he came from Spirit Hall. Everyone in Spirit Hall was probably a good person, then.
Tang San formed his first impression of Spirit Hall.
"Little San, this is wonderful! You have soul power! The village has a place for a work-study student. In three months, we'll send you to school in the city."
Grandpa Jack spoke excitedly to Tang San.
Although Tang San did not yet have a clear idea of what a Soul Master was, seeing Grandpa Jack so excited made him think it must be a good thing.
Perhaps he would be able to eat meat and fragrant rice at every meal in the future, instead of always drinking thin rice gruel.
Besides happiness, Old Jack's fervent enthusiasm gave Tang San another feeling.
A pressure called being someone's hope.
"No! Who's going to cook for me if he leaves?"
But after Tang Hao vetoed the idea outright, all those complicated feelings turned out to have been much ado over nothing.
Grandpa Jack began arguing with his father, leaving Tang San at a loss.
"How far can Blue Silver Grass with only rank-three soul power ever go?"
Tang Hao snorted, as though he knew a great deal about martial souls.
Tang San noticed the barely perceptible tenderness and sorrow in his father when he mentioned Blue Silver Grass.
And so, Tang San made his decision.
"Grandpa Jack, I'm sorry. I can't leave my father here with no one to look after him."
Not wanting to upset his father or keep troubling Grandpa Jack, Tang San painfully made a clean break.
When it was time to cut the knot, he had to cut it. Tang San came to understand that principle.
"Sigh..."
Jack looked at Tang San, then left his home with regret.
Tang Hao said nothing about it, though his expression softened.
"Little San, in that case, stay here in the village and be an honest blacksmith."
This was one of the rare occasions when Tang Hao said something normal to Tang San.
After that, Tang Hao began teaching Tang San blacksmithing.
"The human body has three hearts. Apart from the one in your chest, the other two are the muscles in your calves."
With that, Tang Hao demonstrated. He swung a great iron hammer with a tiger's vigor, the wind whistling around it. A fist-sized piece of iron, heated red-hot, soon took the shape of a hoe.
Then Tang San gave it a try, but his reed-thin arms and malnourished body could not lift the hammer at all.
Even when he drew on his soul power, he could only move it for a brief moment.
Tang San felt miserable, thinking himself utterly useless.
"You're only six. It's perfectly normal that you can't lift it."
Tang Hao comforted Tang San, but as he looked at his son's frail body, sorrow and self-reproach appeared in his eyes.
After that, Tang Hao stopped buying alcohol. He devoted himself to his work and to teaching Tang San blacksmithing, and they had meat at every meal.
Tang San did not know what kind of meat it was. Though it tasted strongly gamey, eating it always brought a warm current welling up inside him, nourishing his body.
Tang Hao also taught Tang San a mnemonic verse, telling him to concentrate on silently reciting it before bed and teaching him how to use the soul power within his body.
Tang San felt the faint soul power inside him slowly growing.
He did not understand why his father, a mere blacksmith, knew these things. He did not ask too many questions, either, afraid that doing so might destroy the happy life he now had in a single stroke.
Three months passed like this, and Old Jack came to see Tang Hao again.
Once again, it was about Tang San attending a Soul Master Academy, though this time the atmosphere was not as tense, with swords drawn and bows bent.
"Tang Hao, Little San has soul power, after all. This isn't just about bringing honor to the village. It's also about his future."
"...All right. Let him attend a Soul Master Academy."
"What! You agree? Wonderful!"
Tang Hao unexpectedly agreed to let Tang San become a Soul Master. This welcome surprise made Old Jack beam with delight.
Tang San, however, was not quite so happy.
Although becoming a Soul Master seemed rather good, he was also very afraid of losing the peaceful, happy life he had now.
"Little San, just focus on your studies. If you run short of money, use the blacksmithing I taught you to find work. You don't need to worry about me."
After three months of growth, Tang San could already carry out simple metal forging and shaping.
"All right, Dad."
Tang San nodded. He did not ask any further questions.
But Tang Hao spoke of his own accord.
"Dad has something very important to do. It concerns our family. I originally didn't have the courage to do it, but having you made me realize that I have to shoulder my own burdens, not dump them on the next generation."
"I can't tell you exactly what it is yet, and you aren't ready to know, either. But once you become a Soul Master who can stand tall between heaven and earth, I'll tell you everything."
Tang Hao spoke to Tang San with great solemnity. Tang San found it astonishing; this was the first time his father had shared so much of what was in his heart.
In truth, watching Tang San grow over these three months had gradually helped Tang Hao understand a few things.
He was a father now.
Nothing else mattered.
"Let's go, Little San. Grandpa has everything ready."
Only after the father and son finished their private conversation did Old Jack return to Tang San, speaking to him kindly.
"I'm sorry about before, Grandpa Jack."
Facing Old Jack properly again, Tang San felt a trace of shame.
Old Jack merely chuckled and patted Tang San's head.
"It's all right. You're still a child. It's normal to be attached to home, and forcing you wouldn't have been good, either. Now that your father has agreed, everyone's happy."
"Hehe, Little San, you should know that being a Soul Master is the noblest profession on the Douluo Continent."
On the carriage ride to Nuoding City, Old Jack used his limited knowledge to give Tang San a proper glimpse of the wider world.
For the first time, Tang San felt a spark of curiosity about this world.
When they reached the gates of Nuoding Academy and showed the gatekeeper Tang San's certificate from Spirit Hall, they were allowed through without any trouble.
An old man and a little boy looked as though there was nothing worth squeezing out of them. In that case, he might as well earn himself a little goodwill.
"Little San, study hard and make something respectable of yourself. If Holy Soul Village is ever going to change its name, we'll be counting entirely on you."
"Yes, Grandpa Jack. I understand."
That pressure of being someone's hope returned, but this time Tang San felt considerably more confident.
Because he could feel that the soul power inside him had risen a fair amount over these three months.
After entering the academy, Tang San found his dormitory without trouble under the guidance of a friendly teacher.