A Coward's Savior

The shopkeeper looked at Li Mingzhu, deep sympathy showing in his shrewd, triangular eyes.

To suffer such unbearable hardship at such a tender age!

Seeing his sympathetic gaze, Li Mingzhu immediately knew the shopkeeper was thinking something dirty.

He frowned and said coldly, "I'm buying it for an elder in my family."

The shopkeeper paid his explanation no mind.

He merely said, "I understand! I understand!"

Seeing the disbelief written all over the shopkeeper's face, Li Mingzhu flushed bright red, his ears burning too.

Of course, he wasn't embarrassed or feeling guilty. He was red-hot with anger!

Li Mingzhu cursed inwardly, You understand? You understand jack shit!

"Do you have any or not?"

Seeing Li Mingzhu turn scarlet only confirmed the shopkeeper's suspicions. Still, he answered the boy's question. He couldn't hold up someone's important business, after all.

"Of course I do. Young man, I'm not bragging, but the whale rubber I sell is famous throughout every village for miles around for how well it works!

"Just look at Wang Ergou from the Wang family in the east alley. Ever since he bought whale rubber from me, he's been going seven rounds a night in other people's homes."

"They all call my whale rubber a coward's savior!"

"And aside from ten-thousand-year whale rubber, I have every age available!"

After some bargaining, Li Mingzhu bought seven pieces of whale rubber from the crafty shopkeeper.

Three ten-year pieces, two hundred-year pieces, and two thousand-year pieces.

When it came time to pay, spending 1,900 Gold Soul Coins made his heart ache.

He had only just received 4,000 Gold Soul Coins, and buying some whale rubber had cut that sum straight in half.

Li Mingzhu couldn't help reflecting that the ancients had been right. On the path of cultivation, methods, companions, wealth, and a suitable place were all indispensable.

After paying and receiving his goods, Li Mingzhu lingered no longer and headed straight out of the shop.

Seeing Li Mingzhu about to leave, the shopkeeper hurriedly offered some well-meant advice. "Young man, only by enduring the bitterest hardships can you rise above others. Even if you have to face men head-on instead of hardship, you must persevere."

Those encouraging words made Li Mingzhu stumble just as he was stepping out the door, nearly sending him face-first to the ground.

Regaining his balance, Li Mingzhu turned and glared furiously at him. "I'm not fucking gay! Why would I face men head-on?"

Li Mingzhu had misunderstood the shopkeeper. It wasn't fair to blame the man for letting his imagination run wild. No normal person would send a child to buy whale rubber, after all. Besides, normal customers bought it ground into powder. This was the first time he had seen anyone buy whole chunks the way Li Mingzhu did. Even a hundred-year soul beast couldn't withstand the quantity he had bought.

Having faced men head-on, Li Mingzhu went to the other vendors' stalls, planning to buy some supplies to take home.

He also hired a carriage back to the village.

Once he had bought everything, Li Mingzhu bent down and climbed into the carriage. The driver flicked his whip to urge the horse onward, and the wheels rumbled along as they jolted toward Greenleaf Village.

Inside the carriage, Li Mingzhu's meditation was interrupted several times by the jolting, leaving him no choice but to give up.

Riding in the bumpy carriage, Li Mingzhu couldn't help remembering his beloved car from his previous life. If it were here, his backside would never have to suffer like this.

Unfortunately, he had already transmigrated and would never have the chance to see it again!

With nothing else to do, Li Mingzhu could only prop his chin on his hand and quietly watch the scenery sweep past outside.

Trees and stretches of low shrubbery flashed past the window. Against the moving scenery outside, Li Mingzhu seemed to grow still. His presence gradually faded until he seemed like an inanimate object.

After this wondrous state lasted a quarter of an hour, Li Mingzhu slowly opened his eyes. Ever since his martial soul awakening, he had kept himself tightly wound. Now that he had finally allowed himself some stillness, not only had his state of mind improved, but his spiritual power had grown stronger too.

Li Mingzhu pursed his lips. It seemed he had been pushing himself too hard. Cultivation really did require a balance between work and rest.

The carriage jolted onward. After an unknown stretch of time, wisps of cooking smoke rose ahead, signaling that Greenleaf Village was near. Li Mingzhu asked the driver to slow down, and they gradually entered the village's boundaries. Scattered earthen houses and courtyard walls on either side slowly came into view.

After getting out of the carriage, Li Mingzhu headed home. It was noon, and the village households were either preparing meals or resting.

He soon crossed half the village and reached his front door. Seeing cooking smoke rising from the roof, he knew Li Mu was making lunch.

"Grandpa Li Mu, I'm home!"

Li Mu was tending the fire at the stove. Hearing movement outside, he was just about to turn and check when Li Mingzhu's voice reached his ears.

He hurriedly dropped what he was doing and left the kitchen, only to find Li Mingzhu sitting on a stool with a goofy look on his face.

Li Mu was a little bewildered. He had only taken the boy to the academy the day before yesterday, yet he was already back. Had he gotten into trouble?

Li Mu hurriedly looked Li Mingzhu over. Only after confirming that he wasn't injured did he breathe a little easier.

Smiling, he asked Li Mingzhu, "Why are you back already? Did you miss your grandpa?"

As he spoke, he reached out and ruffled Li Mingzhu's hair.

Li Mingzhu hated people touching his head, but his grandpa was the exception.

Not wanting his grandpa to worry, Li Mingzhu smiled and said, "I missed you, Grandpa, so I came home to visit. I'll stay for a couple of days, then an academy teacher will take me to get my first soul ring."

Hearing that Li Mingzhu would soon obtain a soul ring, he showed no delight and instead kept reminding him to stay safe.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. The academy's dean will be taking me soul hunting. With his strength at over rank forty, killing a hundred-year soul beast for me will be a breeze."

Hearing that a Soul Ancestor would be helping, Li Mingzhu finally felt reassured.

The two sat on their stools and chatted like that, one slowly recounting his experiences at the academy while the other listened quietly. They exchanged words at an utterly leisurely pace.

After the meal, Li Mingzhu took the supplies he had bought out of the Domain Space. Li Mu stared, dumbfounded, then asked excitedly, "Mingzhu, is that a soul skill?"

Seeing the excitement on Li Mu's face, Li Mingzhu knew there wasn't an ordinary person on the Douluo Continent who didn't yearn for the wonders of soul masters.

He patiently explained, "Grandpa, you could call this an innate ability of my martial soul. It lets me store things."

With that, he also took out fifty Gold Soul Coins and offered them to Li Mu.

Li Mu hurriedly waved his hands and leaned back slightly, adamantly refusing to accept them as he kept protesting.

"Mingzhu, I live in the village and hardly have any expenses. Your path as a soul master will cost a lot. Keep it for yourself."

Seeing Li Mu's stubborn refusal, Li Mingzhu could only try to persuade him gently.

"Grandpa, just take it. Nuoding Academy thinks highly of my talent, and the dean specifically gave me a grant of four thousand Gold Soul Coins.

"Use this money to eat and drink well, Grandpa, and don't wear yourself out anymore. You can pay someone to do the farm work and things like that. Keep yourself healthy so you can watch me sweep across the soul master world one day.

"Besides, in twenty-odd years, if I have children, I'll need you to help look after them."

Li Mingzhu knew that no matter how he tried to persuade Li Mu, he wouldn't accept the money. Only by framing it around Li Mingzhu's own needs would he take it.

Sure enough, after hearing Li Mingzhu's words, Li Mu finally accepted the money.