Chicken Soup for the Soul

Tang San closed the distance in an instant, catching Ma Hongjun off guard, then thrust out both palms.

One palm struck his fat belly, while the other slammed into his chin.

"Squawk!"

The two palm strikes sent Ma Hongjun flying, and he landed flat on the ground.

The Blue Silver Creation Palm devoted three parts of its strength to attacking and held seven in reserve, leaving anyone struck plagued by its ceaseless palm force.

Its offensive power was less than ideal, but Tang San had not intended to injure his opponent in the first place.

This was only a spar. If it truly came to a fight to the death, Tang San had other killing moves at his disposal.

"Ow! It hurts, it hurts!"

Before long, Ma Hongjun climbed to his feet under his village-chief grandfather's worried gaze.

Now he no longer dared underestimate Tang San.

They were clearly about the same age, yet the other boy was stronger than him in every respect.

"Ma Hongjun, that evil fire of yours really is something."

"It almost completely counters my Blue Silver Grass martial soul."

Tang San walked up to Ma Hongjun and spoke with a smile.

"Tch. Acting all high and mighty."

Ma Hongjun did not give Tang San a pleasant look. After all, he had just taken a beating from him.

"Ma Hongjun, if this continues, you might die."

At that moment, Grandmaster suddenly lifted his head from his contemplation and spoke.

His words were enough to shock everyone senseless.

Ma Hongjun's and Ma Bangde's expressions immediately changed.

"Grandmaster, you can't just say things like that! Hongjun is perfectly fine. How could he die?"

"Exactly! Shut that crow's mouth of yours. I'm doing just fine!"

Faced with their doubts, Grandmaster maintained his stiff expression. He was long accustomed to this.

"Not right now, but as you grow, the energy of your evil fire will eventually turn on you."

"From that fight just now, I could tell that this evil fire contains extremely violent energy. It also differs from ordinary fire in that it carries a trace of something sinister."

"When Xiao San's flawless offensive left you frustrated and resentful, the power of your evil fire clearly increased."

"That sinister quality responds to its host and becomes active, amplifying the wielder's emotions and desires to grow stronger."

"Your gluttony and lust stem from its influence. Fortunately, you've been finding outlets for them. If you suppressed them instead, they could easily become even more evil, and you might even become an Evil Soul Master."

The term "Evil Soul Master" was unfamiliar to everyone, but its name alone carried a cold, sinister chill.

"However, before you become completely corrupted, that evil fire will probably grow stronger than your own cultivation because of your ever-increasing desires."

"It's like pouring a bucket of water into a cup. Sooner or later, the evil fire will overflow and burst you apart."

"Hmph. Then I just need to train hard, don't I?" Ma Hongjun had actually understood and offered a rebuttal.

Tang San could not help giving the fat boy another look. He did have some insight.

Grandmaster shook his head at Ma Hongjun's suggestion. "Even setting aside whether you can keep at it, desire isn't so easily controlled. As your cultivation grows and your horizons broaden, your desires will grow too. Your evil fire will always remain a little stronger than you."

"Even if you keep finding outlets for it, you'll only be treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

"And it will also hold back your future achievements."

"Then, Grandmaster, what exactly does Ma Hongjun need to do to survive?"

Ma Bangde hurriedly asked. This boy was his family's only remaining heir.

"The first option is to find a way to turn the evil fire into pure fire, removing its evil impulses and impurities. But that can only be achieved with certain treasures of heaven and earth, or a suitable soul ring."

"The second is to master desire itself, then train even more fiercely than before, taking control of the evil fire rather than allowing it to influence you."

For Ma Hongjun as he was now, both methods were as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Treasures of heaven and earth were hardly cabbages sold on every street corner. A treasure capable of purifying flames was even less likely to be left for a commoner like him.

And mastering desire itself required tremendous willpower. For Ma Hongjun, who had tasted the marrow and craved its flavor, that was almost impossible.

One could say that possessing the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul had essentially trapped him in a fatal dead end.

Unless someone blessed with tremendous fortune helped him defy heaven and change his fate, Ma Hongjun would either die when his body burst apart or fall into becoming an Evil Soul Master.

Grandmaster had explained it so clearly that even if Ma Hongjun had been more foolish, he would still have understood the tragic end awaiting him.

"Ma Hongjun, a genius like you shouldn't meet an end like that."

At that moment, Tang San stepped forward and spoke sincerely to Ma Hongjun.

Although Ma Hongjun had all manner of bad traits, he was not beyond saving, and many of those problems had been caused by his martial soul.

Tang San did not want someone who could still be saved to sink into depravity and die.

Over the past six months, he had done this sort of thing many times, with both successes and failures.

The failures far outnumbered the successes, but Tang San was not discouraged by them.

A genius?

It was the first time Ma Hongjun had heard someone praise him so sincerely.

"Do you know what my martial soul is?"

Ma Hongjun shook his head. He had not been able to make it out during their fight. Tang San's first soul ring had clearly appeared, but his martial soul had been nowhere to be seen.

"My martial soul is Blue Silver Grass. Since we were on grass, it wasn't easy to spot."

"But even Blue Silver Grass like this has immeasurable potential."

"Legend says the phoenix is a bird of auspicious fortune. Long ago, when heavenly fire threatened to destroy the world, it shielded the birds with its own body, blocking the heavenly fire. It faced nine chances of death and only one of life, but in the end, it seized that thread of hope and survived."

"The same is true of your Evil Fire Phoenix. Even with all its drawbacks, as long as you overcome them, you can be reborn in the flames."

"Of course, the final choice is yours. I've only told you all this in the hope that you can better make a decision true to your own heart."

Seeing Ma Hongjun still struggling and agonizing, Tang San said to him, "If you want to escape this fatal dead end, you can come find me at Tang's Blacksmith Shop outside the village."

"We'll be staying here for about a week."

"See you around."

"Village Chief Ma, I'll get those orders of yours finished very soon."

With that, Tang San and Grandmaster left and headed back to the carriage.

Ma Hongjun watched their retreating figures and felt an inexplicable urge to follow, but his feet seemed rooted to the ground, unable to move.

It was the first time he had ever received recognition from someone else.

At school, he was always mocked for his figure.

When he spent time with women, they often looked down on him too.

When he did that sort of thing, he felt relief more than pleasure.

Ma Hongjun wanted to change his circumstances too.

But could I do it?

Restrain my desires.

Control my evil fire.

"Hongjun, go. If you don't follow Shopkeeper Tang and the others, sooner or later there won't be a place for you in the village either. Only by following them will you have a way forward."

Ma Bangde spoke to Ma Hongjun.

"After all these years, Grass Nest Village has finally produced a phoenix. I can't let you die muddling through life like this."

"Even if you don't go with them now, I'll sell you off sooner or later."

Ma Bangde spoke with fierce disdain, but the feelings in his heart were the opposite of the expression on his face.

"I get it! Old man, if there's no place for me here, there'll be a place for me somewhere else!"

"Just you wait! Once I've dealt with my evil fire, I'll come back and have a good time with all the girls and older ladies."

"Get out of here!"

Amid Ma Bangde's shouted curses, Ma Hongjun left and caught up with Tang San and Grandmaster.