Holy Soul Village, Chaos Awakening (II)

By the time Tang San returned home, the sky had already darkened.

Inside the dilapidated smithy, a dim oil lamp flickered. Tang Hao sat on the doorstep with a wine gourd in his hand, his clouded eyes gazing at the distant silhouettes of the mountains as they gradually faded from view. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Dad." Tang San pushed open the door, his voice calm but tinged with barely concealed excitement. "I awakened my Martial Soul."

Tang Hao didn't turn around. He simply took a swig of wine and asked hoarsely, "Blue Silver Grass?"

"Yes." Tang San paused and looked around. Only after making sure no one else was there did he lower his voice. "There's another one."

He held out his left hand, palm up.

A small hammer, black as ink, appeared in it. Its body was heavy and its markings ancient, and it gave off a presence that made the heart tremble.

The wine gourd fell from Tang Hao's hand with a smack, spilling wine across the floor. He whipped his head around, and for the first time, a clear, sharp light burst from eyes usually hazy with drunkenness.

"It's actually the Clear Sky Hammer..." Tang Hao's voice trembled slightly. He seized Tang San's shoulder, gripping it hard enough to make him grimace.

"Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power?"

"Mm." Tang San nodded.

Tang Hao fell silent for a long time, so long that the flame in the oil lamp flickered three times.

He let go, picked up the wine gourd again, and tipped his head back for a large swig. His voice was hoarse. "Remember, don't let anyone know about this. Don't use the Clear Sky Hammer lightly, and above all, don't absorb Soul Rings recklessly."

"Mm, I'll remember." Tang San nodded thoughtfully. Though he had questions, he knew now wasn't the time to ask more.

Tang Hao took another sip of wine, then suddenly asked, "That child who awakened with you today, was he the one called Lin Chen?"

"Yes, he has Innate Full Soul Power too."

Tang Hao narrowed his eyes. "What's his Martial Soul?"

"I heard the deacon say it was called the Chaos Pearl." Tang San recalled the scene from earlier that day. "I don't recognize that Martial Soul."

Tang Hao tapped the wine gourd twice, a thoughtful look on his face. "Chaos Pearl... I've never heard of that Martial Soul. But if it can reach Innate Full Soul Power like the Clear Sky Hammer, it's definitely not simple."

He raised his head and looked at Tang San. "You need to be careful of that Lin Chen."

Tang San said nothing, only nodding.

Early the next morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

With a simple bundle on his back, Lin Chen pushed open the wooden door of the mud-brick house.

The bundle contained only a few changes of clothes, two flatbreads, a dozen or so Copper Soul Coins, and the Martial Soul certificate Su Yuntao had issued.

He was just about to step outside when he saw a hunched figure standing beyond the courtyard gate.

Old Jack stood in the morning mist, leaning on his walking stick, a fine layer of dew clinging to his gray-streaked hair.

When he saw Lin Chen come out, the old man grinned, revealing gums missing several teeth. "You little rascal, I knew you'd be leaving this morning."

"Grandpa Village Chief..." Lin Chen froze for a moment.

Old Jack stepped forward, pulled a cloth pouch from inside his clothes, and pressed it into Lin Chen's hand. The pouch still held the old man's warmth. Lin Chen opened it to find exactly ten Silver Soul Coins neatly arranged inside.

"Take it," Old Jack said, leaving no room for refusal. "The village scraped it together. It's not much, but it's enough to buy you a few full meals on the road."

Lin Chen's eyes grew warm.

He had been an orphan in his previous life, and after transmigrating into this one, he was still an orphan.

But over the past three years, Old Jack had cared for him in every possible way, getting him padded coats in winter and calling the village's barefoot doctor to see him when he fell ill. The old man had been closer to him than family, and Lin Chen had always kept that kindness in his heart.

"Grandpa Village Chief, I can't take this." Lin Chen tried to press the money back into his hand. "You don't have much yourself... and the village..."

"Cut the nonsense!" Old Jack slapped him on the back of the head. It wasn't hard, but his tone was fierce. "You're a promising kid, with Innate Full Soul Power! Holy Soul Village might not produce a genius like you in hundreds of years! If you starve to death halfway there, how am I supposed to show my old face?"

Lin Chen's nose stung. He didn't refuse again, instead solemnly tucking the Silver Soul Coins inside his clothes.

"Remember," Old Jack said, leaning on his walking stick as he fussed over his instructions, "once you reach Nuoding City, report to the academy first and focus on your cultivation. Don't fight with people or stir up trouble, but don't be afraid of trouble either. If anyone bullies you, tell them you're from Holy Soul Village-though it probably won't do much good, you can't lose out in spirit."

Lin Chen couldn't help laughing. "I know, Grandpa Village Chief."

"And one more thing." Old Jack suddenly lowered his voice. "The other child with full Soul Power yesterday is called Tang San. He's a good kid too, a promising one. You two are both the pride of our village. If you meet again, look out for each other."

"I will."

Old Jack nodded, stepped back twice, and waved his hand. "Go on, go on. Don't dawdle. The sun will be up soon, so get moving while it's still cool."

Lin Chen looked at him long and hard, then bent in a bow. "Take care, Grandpa Village Chief. Once I've completed my studies, I'll definitely come back to see you."

With that, he turned and strode toward the main road leading out of the village.

The morning breeze lifted the loose strands of hair on his forehead. The boy's retreating figure was thin but resolute.

Old Jack stood at the village entrance, watching the small figure recede into the distance and disappear into the golden morning light. He raised a hand to wipe the corner of his eye and muttered, "You little rascal, you'd better come back alive."

Lin Chen walked swiftly along the main road.

The Star Dou Great Forest lay on the southwestern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, about seven or eight days' journey from Holy Soul Village.

Not long after Xiao Wu took human form, she would leave the Star Dou Great Forest alone and head toward Nuoding City.

And he had to find Xiao Wu before then. The girl who had taken human form from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast should still be wandering around the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest at this moment.

The physical abilities granted by Innate Full Soul Power far surpassed those of ordinary children, so Lin Chen reached the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest in just five days.

The closer he got to the forest, the damper the air became and the denser the vegetation grew. Soul Beast roars rose and fell from deep within the dense forest, carrying a sense of danger.

Lin Chen didn't venture deeper. The depths of Star Dou were far too dangerous. He had only level-ten Soul Power right now; going in would be courting death.

The person he was waiting for should be near the exit on the outskirts.

He found a large tree and leaned against its trunk, closing his eyes to rest while releasing a trace of the Chaos Pearl's presence and letting it spread gently outward.

The Chaos Pearl could suppress and soothe Soul Beasts. Xiao Wu, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, would naturally feel an affinity for that presence.

When the sun began to sink in the west, light footsteps finally sounded along the forest path.

Lin Chen opened his eyes and looked.

She wore a little pink dress, and a long scorpion braid hung down over her chest. Her skin was fair, and her big eyes sparkled like rubies. A small cloth bundle on her back, the little girl skipped along, curiously examining the wildflowers by the path and humming a tuneless melody.

It was Xiao Wu.

Having only just taken human form, she was full of curiosity about the human world, but also a little bewildered and lost. She had taken human form to cultivate anew and come to the human world with her own purpose, yet she knew nothing of its dangers.

Xiao Wu saw Lin Chen too. She stopped short and stared at him warily, like a rabbit pricking up its ears.

She could sense fluctuations of Soul Power coming from the boy, but that faint gray presence made her feel very comfortable. It could even help her conceal her own Soul Beast origin.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Xiao Wu remained on guard, slowly crouching down, ready to attack or flee at any moment.

Lin Chen stood up, a gentle smile appearing on his face. He softened his tone. "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. My name is Lin Chen: Lin as in forest, Chen as in stars. It's easy to remember-a star in the forest, that's me."

"I'm on my way to Nuoding City to attend school. I was passing by, and I got curious, so I came to have a look around the outskirts. Speaking of which, why are you here alone too? There are lots of scary Soul Beasts in the forest. It's dangerous."