Phoenixsong Village

Six years later, in Phoenixsong Village, northwest of Spirit City.

Dawn had barely broken. A ray of sunlight pierced the thin mist and fell upon a small hill, some forty or fifty meters high, behind Phoenixsong Village. In the faint light and shadow, seven little figures could just be seen busy at work.

They were seven children around six or seven years old, boys and girls alike. All wore coarse hemp clothing, bending over to cut stalks of blue grass with the sickles in their hands and placing them into the bamboo baskets on their backs.

Time flew, and an hour soon passed. By then, the sunlight no longer felt gently warm; it carried a trace of scorching heat.

Suddenly, one of the little boys straightened up and turned to the little girl behind him. "I've finished cutting my Blue Silver Grass for today. What about you, little Dong'er?"

The little girl raised her head, her fair, tender face wearing a child's innocent smile. Sweet and well-behaved, she answered in a clear voice, "Brother Xiao Nan, I still have a little left."

"Then let me help you, little Dong'er," the boy called Xiao Nan said, a hint of delight appearing on his face.

"No need. I'll be done soon." The little girl smiled, revealing two small dimples.

Although his offer to help had been turned down, the little boy did not lose his temper. He merely gave a sheepish smile and scratched his head.

The other children, however, began teasing him again when they saw this.

"Hahaha! Bibi Nan, you're trying to win little Dong'er over again!"

"Exactly, and she turned you down again."

"Hahaha! Well, what can you do? Dong'er is just too cute."

The little girl called Dong'er was none other than Lin Yan and Luo Tian's child from back then. Following Lin Yan's wishes, Gold Brick had entrusted her to the elderly couple in Phoenixsong Village, who had named her Bibi Dong.

Although the elderly couple were poor, thanks to the secret care of Gold Brick and the others, Bibi Dong had always had enough to eat and wear, even after the couple passed away one after the other when she was four and five.

In the blink of an eye, the infant of those days had grown into a little girl as delicately sculpted as jade. Cute, sweet, and obedient, she was dearly loved by the village elders and was nothing less than a princess in the little boys' hearts.

"Damn it, Chen Da, Chen Xi! Never mind the others, but you two have the nerve to make fun of me?"

"I still remember someone giving little Dong'er a wildflower last week, only to get strung up and beaten by his parents."

"And who was it who wove a wreath out of Green Leaf Grass stems and called it a crown?"

Bibi Nan looked at Chen Da and Chen Xi with a mischievous grin. It went without saying whom he meant.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the children except Chen Da and Chen Xi, the targets of his jabs, began joining in the teasing. For a moment, cheerful voices and laughter echoed across the little hilltop.

After a while, seeing that it was getting late, another girl among the seven children said, "All right, stop fooling around. If you've finished cutting your Blue Silver Grass, help the others. Don't forget what day it is."

"Bibi Qian, I would've forgotten if you hadn't said anything. Grandpa Village Chief said a Lord Soul Master would help awaken our martial souls today. I wonder if any of us can become Soul Masters."

Reminded by Bibi Qian, Bibi Nan suddenly remembered what the village chief had said before they left that morning.

"Brother Xiao Nan, Sister Xiao Qian, what's a Soul Master?" Bibi Dong had finished cutting the Blue Silver Grass she needed. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, stood up, and asked the two of them.

Both shook their heads. "We're not sure either, but we heard that once you become a Soul Master, you won't have to worry about food or clothes, and you can change your life."

Soul Master!

Bibi Dong committed those words to memory. With a small smile, she said to Bibi Nan, "Brother Xiao Nan, we've both finished our work. Let's help Sister Xiao Qian and the others. That way, we'll finish sooner and still have time to play on the way back."

"Okay," Bibi Nan said.

Bibi Dong smiled sweetly and crouched down, joining Bibi Nan in harvesting Blue Silver Grass. With the extra hands, the work immediately went much faster.

"I'm done."

"Me too."

"I still have a little left. Everyone, come help me."

"Coming!"

At that, the little friends hurried over and set to work in a flurry of hands. The child had already been nearly finished, and the little bamboo basket on their back was soon filled with Blue Silver Grass.

Seeing that everyone seemed to have finished, Bibi Nan took a small scale out of his own bamboo basket and checked the weight of his friends' harvests.

After confirming that everything was in order, Bibi Nan said, "Today's work is done. Let's head back."

"Okay," the other six children answered.

With bright sunshine overhead and a gentle breeze blowing, the seven children followed the road back to the village. Though children from poor families learned responsibility early, they were still children, after all.

Restless and eager to play, the children chased butterflies and picked flowers, climbed trees and raided nests, stretched out on a large bluestone for a brief rest, and splashed about in a clear little lake. They had the time of their lives, and by the time they returned to Phoenixsong Village, another hour had passed.

At the village entrance, two gray-haired elders over fifty were waiting anxiously for someone. They finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the children.

The old woman in front said urgently, "You little rascals only ever think about playing! Don't you know today is the day of your martial soul awakening?"

As she spoke, she took the bamboo baskets off their backs and continued, "Your Grandpa Village Chief will take this Blue Silver Grass to Spirit City to sell this afternoon. For now, go to the village's Spirit Hall and wait for the Lord Soul Master to arrive and awaken your martial souls."

Blue Silver Grass and Green Leaf Grass were essential supplies for papermaking and were also used to produce the Martial Soul Daily. At present, Spirit Hall bought both from commoners for five Copper Soul Coins per jin. It was not much, but it still supplemented their income.

Spirit Hall stipulated that only Blue Silver Grass could be harvested this year, and only Green Leaf Grass the next, allowing the resources to last longer.

Before she had even finished speaking, Bibi Nan said, "I know where it is. Follow me!"

The old woman froze. Looking up, she saw the seven little rascals holding hands, their little legs and feet moving swiftly. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

"."

"That Bibi Nan is getting more and more unruly. I'll go to his house tonight and tell on him."

As she thought about it, Bibi Nan's miserable little face seemed to appear before her eyes. At last, her brows relaxed completely, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. Mm, that settles it nicely.

(There will be another chapter around ten.)