Holy Soul Village's Secrets

"Interesting." A hint of surprise flashed in Yan Zu's eyes. "This Blue Silver Grass actually has sentience? Could it be some kind of mutated variety?"

He then "curiously" began searching the secret room.

In a crevice in the corner, he found a lead box. Opening the box, a crystal-clear blue-gold leg bone lay quietly inside, radiating powerful Soul Power fluctuations and a rich life force.

"This is... Soul Bone?!" Yan Zu exclaimed in shock, "Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone? What exactly is this secret chamber?"

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately put the Soul Bone into his Storage Soul Tool. He then carefully examined the secret room, making sure there was nothing else there, before muttering to himself, "This Blue Silver Grass has a spirit. I'll take it back and study it; it might be a rare variety. Little Jade, let's go."

He carefully scooped up the Blue Silver Grass along with the soil around its roots, put it in a cloth bag, and placed it in his bosom, forming a protective shield with his Soul Power. Then he turned and left the secret chamber, passed through the waterfall, and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

Instead of returning to Five Souls Village immediately, he changed direction and headed towards Holy Soul Village.

Holy Soul Village was small, and the villagers all cast curious glances at the strangers who entered the village. Yan Zu, with a gentle smile, walked towards the tidiest-looking courtyard in the village—the home of the village Old Jack.

"Excuse me, is anyone home?" Yan Zu gently knocked on the courtyard gate.

A moment later, the door opened, and an elderly man with gray hair and a sprightly demeanor walked out. It was none other than Old Jack, the village chief of Holy Soul Village.

"Young man, who are you?" Old Jack sized up Yan Zu, his eyes filled with wariness.

"Old sir, I am Soul Master traveling across the continent. I am passing through your esteemed place and would like to ask for a drink of water and a rest." Yan Zu bowed respectfully, his attitude humble.

Seeing that Yan Zu was dignified and polite, Old Jack's wariness lessened considerably, and he smiled, "So you are Lord Soul Master, please come in, please come in. Although our Holy Soul Village is remote, we have the utmost respect for Soul Master."

Yan Zu followed Old Jack into the courtyard and sat down on a stone bench. Old Jack asked his wife to bring him a bowl of water and some simple food.

"Thank you, sir." Yan Zu took the bowl of water, took a sip, and then asked casually, "Sir, why is your village called Holy Soul Village? It's quite an imposing name."

When the origin of the village's name was mentioned, Old Jack's face immediately lit up with pride. "Speaking of which, that's the glory of our Holy Soul Village! A hundred years ago, a Soul Saint emerged from our village! He was an extraordinary figure! So the village was renamed Holy Soul Village."

Yan Zu listened, nodding occasionally. After Old Jack finished speaking, he casually asked, "And then what happened? Did the village produce any other promising young people?"

Mentioning this, Old Jack's eyes lit up. "Yes! Six years ago, a child with Innate Full Soul Power appeared in our village!"

Yan Zu's heart skipped a beat, and he feigned eagerness as he pressed on, "Oh? Innate Full Soul Power? That's truly a gift! May I ask what this child's name is? Has he achieved anything yet?"

"That child's name is Tang San, Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass," Old Jack said, his tone tinged with regret. "It's a pity, no matter how talented this child is, it can't overcome his father's incompetence. His father's name is Tang Hao. More than ten years ago, he brought Tang San to our village when he was just born. He drank heavily all day long, made a living by blacksmithing, and didn't care about Tang San at all."

The Blue Silver Grass in Yan Zu trembled violently, its leaves instantly tensing. Yan Zu continued to guide him calmly, "Oh? Is that so? A child with Innate Full Soul Power, if properly taught, will surely have a bright future. I suppose his father must have some unspeakable difficulties. After all, even tigers don't eat their cubs, how could he really abandon his own child?"

"An unspeakable secret? I think it's just a case of 'too good for nothing'!" Old Jack curled his lip, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction.

Tang San was also a child with a hard life. He started taking care of his alcoholic father when he was three years old, cooking, cleaning, blacksmithing—he did everything, and he was more capable than the adults in the village.

"Three years old?" Yan Zu expressed his surprise at the opportune moment. "A three-year-old child who can cook and tidy up the house?"

"That's right!" Old Jack sighed. "Everyone in the village says that Little San is too precocious, more mature than a child. He speaks and acts logically and thoughtfully, sometimes even more sensible than adults. We all think that this child must be too sensible, knowing that his father can't be relied on and that he has to support the family on his own."

Yan Zu was silent for a moment, then asked, "What kind of person is Tang San's mother? Doesn't Tang San's father care about him, and does his mother care about him either?"

Old Jack scratched his head. "Tang San's mother? Never seen her. Tang Hao suddenly came to our village more than ten years ago, carrying a baby, and never mentioned a word about his wife."

He lowered his voice, his face saying, "Don't you dare tell anyone this": "We've all been thinking about it privately—it's probably because that woman saw how useless Tang Hao was and dumped him!"

Think about it, what woman would want to be with a man who drinks all day, does no job, and can't even support his own children?

Tang Hao was seething with anger, but dared not confront the culprit, so he took it out on Tang San. Poor Tang San, he started cooking and taking care of his drunken father at the age of three! What kind of life is this?!

Yan Zu was sweating profusely. He never expected that the villagers of Holy Soul Village would view Tang Hao this way. But upon closer reflection, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with it.

The Blue Silver Grass in his arms had stopped trembling and fallen into a deathly silence.

Seeing that he had gathered enough information, Yan Zu realized that continuing the conversation might lead to some outrageous remarks from Old Jack. A hint of melancholy appeared on his face. "Truly, life is unpredictable. Thank you for sharing so much, sir. I've rested enough. Consider these two Gold Soul Coin my token of gratitude. Thank you for your help, sir."

As he spoke, Yan Zu took out two Gold Soul Coin and handed them to Old Jack. Old Jack quickly declined, but Yan Zu insisted on staying. He then bowed and took his leave, turning and leaving Holy Soul Village.

When we returned to Five Souls Village, it was already evening. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the village, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, creating a peaceful and serene scene.

Yan Zu quietly returned home, where Xiao Wu was helping Su Qing dry herbs in the yard.

Seeing Yan Zu return, Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. She put down her work and ran over. "A-Zu, you're back! How did it go? Did you finish up?"

99

"It's all done, and I even found a very peculiar Blue Silver Grass on the way." Yan Zu nodded with a smile, then said mysteriously, "Come inside, I'll show you."

Back in the house, he took the Blue Silver Grass from his pocket and placed it on the table. On the way back, the Blue Silver Grass had been nourished by Little Jade Yu's auspicious aura, and its condition had improved considerably.

The golden veins on the leaves were clearer, the stems were as clear as jade, emitting a faint blue-gold glow, and the life force was several times stronger than in the sealed room.

Xiao Wu curiously leaned closer for a look. "What beautiful Blue Silver Grass! A-Zu, where did you find it? This Blue Silver Grass seems quite extraordinary—"

Halfway through her sentence, Xiao Wu suddenly froze. Her eyes widened as she stared intently at the golden patterns on the Blue Silver Grass leaves, carefully sensing the aura emanating from them. Gradually, her expression turned to shock, and tears even welled up in her eyes.

"This aura—this golden pattern—" Xiao Wu's voice trembled slightly, "Aunt Ah Yin? Is that you? Aunt Ah Yin?"

Upon hearing the address "Aunt Ah Yin," Blue Silver Grass trembled violently, her leaves shaking involuntarily. She gently touched Xiao Wu's finger with one of her leaves, as if in response.

Xiao Wu's tears finally flowed. She carefully held the Blue Silver Grass, her voice choked with emotion, "Aunt Ah Yin, it's me, Xiao Wu! Do you remember me? When I was little, you, Da Ming, and Er Ming protected me and even taught me cultivation—"

Blue Silver Grass swayed gently, tenderly wiping away Xiao Wu's tears with its leaves. Although it couldn't speak, this gesture said it all: it remembered Xiao Wu, the little rabbit who used to follow behind it and call it "Aunt Ah Yin."

Yan Zu stood aside, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Xiao Wu to know Ah Yin, but upon reflection, it made sense. Xiao Wu was Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit in human form, while Ah Yin was Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor in human form. Both were Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had chosen to transform and cultivate again, so it wasn't strange that they knew each other.

So Yan Zu feigned surprise. "Sister Xiao Wu, do you recognize this Blue Silver Grass?"

Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, wiping away her tears. "Yes! Aunt Ah Yin was one of the gentlest Soul Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest back then. She was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor in human form! But later, Aunt Ah Yin suddenly disappeared. I heard my mother say that she fell in love with a human and left the forest with him—"

Xiao Wu looked at Blue Silver Grass, her eyes filled with heartache. "Aunt Ah Yin, how did you become like this? Who hurt you like this?"

The Blue Silver Grass trembled violently, its leaves curling up, exuding an aura of sadness and pain.

Yan Zu feigned surprise, sighed, and briefly recounted how he had "accidentally" discovered Ah Yin in the secret chamber behind the waterfall in the back mountain of Holy Soul Village.

Xiao Wu trembled with rage after hearing this. "Who did this! How could they treat Aunt Ah Yin like this! Imprisoning Aunt Ah Yin in that dark and gloomy secret room for twelve years! This is even more cruel than killing her!"

Yan Zu gently patted Xiao Wu's shoulder. "Calm down, Sister Xiao Wu. The most important thing now is to help Aunt Ah Yin recover. Only when she recovers can she tell us what really happened back then."

1

Xiao Wu took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. "Yes, yes, let's help Aunt Ah Yin recover first! A-Zu, do you have a way?"

Yan Zu nodded. "I'll give it a try."

He placed the Blue Silver Grass in the center of the room, then took out a Little Jade from his Storage Soul Tool. This was a Plant Growth Liquid he had received as a reward for a monthly sign-in event. It could greatly promote plant growth, and was especially effective for Plant-type Soul Beast. After receiving this reward, Yan Zu had been preparing for today.