Zhang Sheng Takes a Child Fishing

For Zhang Sheng, growing stronger was what made him happiest, and he had noticed that his cultivation speed

seemed even faster than it had been on the Douluo Continent. For a while, he couldn't figure out why.

After all, he could clearly feel that the energy in this world was nowhere near as dense as it was on the Douluo Continent, so he wondered whether his Martial Soul had mutated.

At first, he had worried about it. After all, a Martial Soul's mutation could be a small matter or a serious one, and if it mutated for the worse, he would be in trouble. There were precedents for that.

Now, judging by his cultivation over this period, he felt it should be a beneficial mutation. After all, his cultivation speed couldn't lie.

Zhang Sheng was actually right. His soul had been tempered and baptized twice as it passed through time and space,

and Martial Souls were products closely linked to the soul, which had caused his Martial Soul to change along with it.

If Zhang Sheng had examined his Martial Soul carefully, he would have discovered that, across his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul,

a faint wisp of silver-gray Qi was flowing, elusive and impossible to grasp.

While he was lost in thought, Uncle Dashan returned from his outing.

"Eldest son of the Zhang family! Your auntie and I have talked it over. Help us replace some of our old furniture,

and we'll pay you some wages. You can't refuse them, or your auntie will scold me."

Uncle Dashan looked as though he would be unhappy if Zhang Sheng didn't agree, so Zhang Sheng knew he had to accept the money.

"All right, then! You and Auntie can give me whatever you think is right. I might have a use for it someday."

Zhang Sheng didn't think it was such a big deal, so there was no need to dwell on it. He could just do more for Uncle Dashan in the future.

Once they had reached an agreement, Zhang Sheng got busy again. Spending his days working and cultivating at the same time

was truly fulfilling. He rested at sunset and rose to work at sunrise each day, and he felt that his state of mind had grown much calmer and more peaceful. His cultivation speed had increased considerably as well.

In the blink of an eye, another two months passed, and he finished all the furniture he had promised Uncle Dashan.

Since it was the busy farming season, Zhang Sheng had done most of it by himself, so it had taken a little longer.

Of course, Zhang Sheng's Soul Power had also risen another level. He was now at the peak of level four and about to break through to level five.

I never expected a misfortune to turn into a blessing, or that I'd cultivate so quickly in this world.

This is comparable to people with Innate Full Soul Power, or even a little faster.

Now I can strike with three or four hundred jin of force without even trying. That could be considered natural divine strength.

Isn't there a fellow named Li Yuanba around this time? I wonder if he's been born yet.

His pair of Drum-Beating Urn-Gold Hammers weighs eight hundred jin. They really would be hard to withstand.

I wonder if I'll run into him someday. I can't compare to him now, but as my strength grows, it's hard to say.

At level four Soul Scholar, I already have nearly five hundred jin of strength. As time passes

and my level keeps rising, I'll change with every passing day. Besides, this is only the Soul Scholar realm.

When I break through to the next major realm, I'll have Soul Skills to bolster me, too.

The more Zhang Sheng thought about it, the more his hot blood surged in his chest. But he soon calmed himself and gave a somewhat self-deprecating smile.

Heh! I don't even know if I can break through to the Soul Master realm in this lifetime, and here I am already looking down on all the heroes under heaven.

I'd better think about how to live a little better. That's what really matters. If I can't break through,

I'll have at least a thousand jin of strength by the time I reach the peak of the Soul Scholar realm. Protecting myself shouldn't be a problem.

Early one morning, Zhang Sheng had just finished cultivating when he saw Uncle Dashan approaching with little Huzi.

"Eldest son of the Zhang family! Morning! Doing your morning exercises again? You've changed a lot lately, and you've grown quite a bit taller."

"I've been eating a little more lately, so I guess I've started growing! Uncle Dashan, are you off to the fields?"

"Yes! Your auntie and I have both been busy lately, so we're leaving Huzi to play with you,

to keep him from running around. Huzi! Stay close to your brother Zhang Sheng, understand?"

"I know, Dad! Hello, Brother Zhang Sheng!"

"Hello to you too, little Huzi!"

After leaving Huzi with Zhang Sheng, Uncle Dashan headed for the fields. It was morning, and the day wasn't too hot yet.

By noon, it would be so hot that people couldn't even come outside. That was why, in the countryside, people generally rose early to work,

rested at noon, then started their afternoon work once the sun had sunk a little.

So don't think that life in the countryside was all pleasure-that just meant you had never really experienced it.

"Little Huzi! How about I take you fishing today?"

"Yes! Yes! Brother Zhang Sheng, I love eating fish!"

Seeing how happy Huzi was, Zhang Sheng felt cheerful too. After all, a child's innocence was the most contagious thing of all.

As for why Huzi got excited at the mention of catching fish, it was because Zhang Sheng had whetted the little glutton's appetite.

Some time ago, when Uncle Dashan and the others had been busy, they had similarly left Huzi with him.

At first, the two of them really hadn't known how to play at home. In the end, Zhang Sheng had found it dull,

and thought of the stream where he always cultivated. Perhaps they could catch some fish or something there.

That would pass the time and get them something to eat.

So he and Huzi had acted on the idea at once and gone to the stream together. The water was crystal clear,

and it flowed on with a constant gurgle. Every so often, they could see fish swimming beneath the surface.

But seeing them was one thing; catching them was no easy task.

That couldn't stump Zhang Sheng, though. Having lived through the information explosion, he had instantly thought of a solution.

He had gathered some bamboo nearby, planning to make a simple filter.

After Zhang Sheng set the filter in a suitable spot, he and Huzi sat down to wait for the fish to come to them.

Sure enough, they soon caught something. The two of them were overjoyed and kept putting the fish in their bucket. Before long, it was more than half full.

Zhang Sheng wasn't a greedy person. Seeing that they had enough, he removed the filter and carried the fish home, thinking about how to prepare them.

Zhang Sheng wasn't a person of this era. People in this era either steamed or boiled their food. It was monotonous, and the taste was nothing special.

Now that Zhang Sheng had arrived, the food industry of this era would have to undergo a reform.

As luck would have it, because Zhang Sheng had never wanted to trouble Uncle Dashan too much, he had asked them to prepare some cooking oil and salt for him, just in case. Now he could put them to use.

Given the limited conditions, Zhang Sheng could only make the simplest dish, though it would use a fair amount of oil.

But what did that matter? He could just get more later.

When Zhang Sheng brought out the crispy little fried fish, Huzi, who had long been unable to wait, immediately reached out to grab one.

"Wow! It's hot!"

"Little Huzi! Slow down! Be careful not to burn your hand. Wait for it to cool before you eat."

"Brother Zhang Sheng! It smelled so good I couldn't help reaching for it."

Zhang Sheng smiled and didn't blame Huzi for being rash. After all, this was an era when people lacked food and clothing. If it had been him, he might have behaved even worse.

Seeing Huzi with drool running from his mouth, Zhang Sheng couldn't quite bear it, so he fetched him a pair of chopsticks.

"Here! Use these to pick them up and eat slowly. Don't burn your mouth!"

"Mm! Thank you, Brother Zhang Sheng. I'll be careful!"