Homecoming

Jiang Che finally raised his eyes slightly and looked at Old Wang's face.

Old Wang felt a chill down his back and hurriedly plastered on a smile to smooth things over. "Hehe, please don't misunderstand! What I meant was... I have a good-for-nothing daughter at home who just turned thirteen this year. She's a hard worker, though, and reasonably pretty. If she could have the good fortune to serve tea and fetch water at your side, Lord Soul Master, smoke would truly be rising from our ancestral graves!"

Old Wang's face flushed crimson, whether from excitement or fear was impossible to tell. He forcibly twisted his idea of "marrying off his daughter" into an offer of "servitude," terrified that one careless word would offend this Lord Soul Master.

The corners of Jiang Che's mouth lifted slightly. No wonder everyone in this world wanted to become a Soul Master. He remembered how Ma Hongjun, that fat fellow built like an ox in the original story, never lacked women as soft and warm as jade by his side.

He slowly closed his eyes and said flatly, "No need!"

Old Wang's expression froze before he immediately put on another smile and bowed ingratiatingly. "Yes, yes! I was indulging in foolish fantasies! What a lofty personage you are, Lord Soul Master-a phoenix in the heavens! How could you take a fancy to a sparrow from our little dirt nest? Just treat what I said as a fart that fouled your ears."

Muffled thunder rolled across the sky. Fierce winds swept up dust and dead leaves, lashing the carriage canopy with a sharp patter as the sky turned ink-black in the blink of an eye.

Rumble-!

A thunderbolt suddenly struck, its blade of ghastly white lightning tearing through the heavy curtain of sky and illuminating the entire wilderness for an instant.

Rain poured down in torrents.

The dirt road instantly became a sticky quagmire. The carriage rocked violently in the mud, and the horse pulling it reared in panic, letting out a series of short, shrill whinnies.

"Whoa-damn this wretched sky!" Old Wang scrambled to tighten the reins. Rain soaked through his clothes in moments, leaving him utterly bedraggled.

As he struggled to steady the nearly uncontrollable horse, he turned toward the carriage and shouted hoarsely, "Lord Soul Master! Please hold on tight! This blasted weather... damn it, I mustn't let it disturb your esteemed self!"

The carriage lurched through the wind and rain, finally swaying its way toward Lanhe Village.

The low thatched cottages shivered in the storm, while several villagers sheltered beneath the eaves.

Hearing the wheels, they all looked up.

When they glimpsed the Nuoding Academy emblem on the uniform inside the carriage, awe appeared in their eyes.

Old Wang was soaked through, his lips blue with cold and his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

But he could spare no thought for any of that. He said respectfully, "L-Lord Soul Master! Y-you're home. Please watch your step! The muddy water will dirty your boots."

"Take this."

Jiang Che took out a Silver Soul Coin and tossed it to Old Wang.

Looking at the Silver Soul Coin in his hand, Old Wang trembled all over. "Thank you, Lord Soul Master! Thank you, Lord Soul Master!"

The rain gradually stopped.

"Is that Little Che?!"

Uncle Zhang, standing beneath the eaves, was the first to recognize him and called out in delighted surprise.

"Little Che, how long are you planning to stay this time?"

"How have things been in the city?"

Jiang Che approached the eaves, answering the villagers' greetings one by one with a radiant smile.

"Make way, make way." Hurried footsteps came from beyond the crowd as white-haired Grandpa Old Gavin approached briskly with his walking stick.

"Grandpa Old Gavin!" Jiang Che hurried forward to meet him.

"Not bad. You've grown quite a bit sturdier in these six months." Grandpa Old Gavin looked Jiang Che over with satisfaction.

"Grandpa, I've become a Soul Master."

"What! A Soul Master! Child, say that again?"

Grandpa Old Gavin's voice trembled, his eyes moist. "Good! Wonderful! Our Lanhe Village has finally produced a Soul Master!"

"Go tell everyone in the village! Little Che has become a Soul Master. We'll hold a feast tomorrow to celebrate."

In less than ten minutes, news that Jiang Che had become a Soul Master spread throughout Lanhe Village.

Watching the lively scene before him, Jiang Che took the Soul-Enhancing Pill out of the System Space and handed it to Grandpa Old Gavin. "Grandpa, this pill can strengthen breakthroughs, and it might also improve the children's innate soul power. You can give one each to the children awakening their martial souls next year."

Grandpa Old Gavin's walking stick clattered to the ground. "Really?"

Grandpa Old Gavin cradled the jade bottle like a precious treasure, terrified it might slip from his hands and fall.

"And these books can help the children learn more theoretical knowledge about Soul Masters and soul beasts," Jiang Che said, pointing at the pile of books.

"And this wild boar is a hundred-year soul beast I went out specifically to hunt. You can have the village's experienced hands turn it into a fine meal for everyone!"

At once, earth-shaking cheers erupted from the crowd.

That night.

Jiang Che had not returned in six months, but the house was very tidy. Clearly, someone had been cleaning it regularly.

Moonlight shone through the clouds onto the blue silver grass beside Jiang Che's bed.

This blue silver grass was Tang San's mother, Ah Yin.

Compared to her time in the cave, she had grown considerably stronger.

"You're growing pretty fast! As expected of the Blue Silver Emperor."

Before bringing Ah Yin out of Holy Soul Village, Jiang Che had given Grandpa Old Gavin instructions so that the villagers would not pull her out as a weed.

When Ah Yin sensed Jiang Che approaching, she began trembling faintly in her flowerpot. Her leaves curled tighter, as though she were hiding herself.

Of course, Jiang Che had not kept Ah Yin out of kindness, nor was he raising her for fun.

Ah Yin was the key to advancing his martial soul from blue silver grass to the Blue Silver Emperor.

Absorbing the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone while eating this blue silver grass with the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline should give my blue silver grass a very good chance of evolving into the Blue Silver Emperor.

Tomorrow, I'll find somewhere to absorb the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone first.

The next morning, the gauzy mist had yet to fully disperse.

Jiang Che pushed open the creaking wooden door.

In the clearing outside, the villagers were already hard at work.

Grandpa Old Gavin approached unsteadily on his walking stick, his eyes shining. "Jiang Che! Say a few words to everyone-you're our Lanhe Village's first Soul Master!"

Grandpa Old Gavin's voice brimmed with pride.

Jiang Che smiled helplessly. "Grandpa Village Chief, you're shaving years off my life!"

But those simple, honest eyes were filled with anticipation. In the end, he took a deep breath and stepped onto the makeshift wooden platform.

The morning wind whistled, and Jiang Che's voice rang clear as spring water. "Uncles and aunties, I, Jiang Che, am now a Soul Master officially registered with the Spirit Hall in Nuoding City-a true Soul Master."

"I, Jiang Che, will forever remember everything you've done for me. Once again, I swear that from this day forward, I will make our Lanhe Village the wealthiest village around Nuoding City."

Before his words had faded, thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Good lad!" Uncle Li the blacksmith slapped his thigh and shouted, "Today-today, we'll drink to our hearts' content!"

Jiang Che gazed at the people laughing all around him. In their eyes, becoming a Soul Master was already the pinnacle, already enough to bring glory to their ancestors, but this was merely the starting point on his road to glory.

Grandpa Old Gavin approached, wiping away sweat. "How long are you planning to stay this time?"

"About a month," Jiang Che replied.

Jiang Che paused before continuing, "Once I leave this time, it'll probably be several years before I can come back."