On the Douluo Continent, in the Fasno Province of the Heaven Dou Empire, west of Notting City, there was a village called Biyou Village. It was morning, and the sun shone brightly.
Ye Qiu and Village Chief Zhang were seeing off the deacon of the Spirit Hall branch.
Ye Qiu, who had just awakened his martial soul, did not look very happy.
"Life is cruel. It's a pity this isn't Brother Tao's territory. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have awakened with only level-one innate soul power—Red-Eyed Disease. Sigh…"
Watching the departing Spirit Hall steward, Ye Qiu let out a deep sigh. Even though he was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to accept reality.
"Xiao Qiu, why are you frowning? You're the only child in our village with innate soul power. You could become a great Soul Master someday!"
Old Zhang, standing to the side, smiled as he patted Ye Qiu's head.
After so many years, another child with innate soul power had finally appeared, and Old Man Zhang was naturally very happy.
However, Ye Qiu knew that with only level-one innate soul power, breaking through to level ten would be extremely difficult…
"Grandpa Zhang, it's not just because of this that I'm unhappy." Ye Qiu forced a smile.
"Sigh…" Old Zhang sighed as well. At the right moment, he put away his smile, took out a silver coin from his pocket, and stuffed it into Ye Qiu's hand.
"This was raised by the villagers. Go back and properly settle Old Ye's affairs. I'll send you to the Soul Master Academy in a while!"
"Thank you, Grandpa Zhang. Please thank everyone for me!" Ye Qiu bowed deeply, clutching the silver coin tightly in his hand.
"No need for thanks. Old Ye has always helped the villagers a lot. You should go back first. I'm going out for a walk!"
After saying that, Old Zhang walked out of the village without waiting for Ye Qiu's reply.
His steps were unsteady as he leaned on his cane. Perhaps he was heading to vent the ridicule he had suffered from the neighboring village over the past few years.
Shaking his head, Ye Qiu silently walked toward home.
He had been in this world for six years since he was struck by the dimensional truck.
The Douluo Continent was both familiar and unfamiliar to Ye Qiu—a world that had once existed only in books and fantasies.
He had thought he could finally show off his abilities, but it seemed he had merely been relegated to another world, destined to toil like a beast of burden.
Snap!
Ye Qiu patted his head, stopped thinking nonsense, and hurried home.
However, the closer he got, the heavier his heart became.
The stone house, built from piled rocks, was covered with moss, with weeds growing in the cracks—clear signs of its age.
Ye Qiu had been adopted by Old Ye as a child and had no memory of his parents. Old Ye was his only family.
Creek!
Pushing open the sturdy wooden door, Ye Qiu saw a simple interior, divided into several areas by wooden planks.
As soon as the door opened, a hoarse and weak voice came from inside.
"Little Qiu'er… how are you?"
Seeing the old man lying on the bed, barely breathing, Ye Qiu felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat. The calm voice he tried to maintain trembled.
"Grandpa… Xiao Qiu didn't let you down. Xiao Qiu can become a Soul Master!"
"Good… that's good…" Old Ye's withered face showed a trace of color.
Ye Qiu stepped forward and stood beside the bed. Old Ye took his hand, his cloudy eyes filled with tears.
"Now Grandpa can leave in peace… When you succeed in the future, remember to come back and visit Grandpa…"
"Yes… yes. Xiao Qiu'er will definitely come back to see Grandpa!" The pain in his throat made it difficult to speak.
"That's good… that's good…" Old Ye slowly closed his eyes, a faint smile still lingering on his lips.
Feeling Old Ye's grip weaken, Ye Qiu knelt beside the bed and sobbed silently.
Old Ye had already been beyond saving, yet he held on because he could not bear to leave Ye Qiu behind.
Tears fell to the ground, tinged faintly with red.
After calming himself, Ye Qiu fetched a basin of water, wrung out a towel, and carefully cleaned Old Ye's body.
Then he tidied and wiped down Old Ye's carpentry tools.
"How could this be?!" Ye Qiu exclaimed in shock.
Bang! Crash!
The basin overturned, spilling water across the floor. Looking at the reflection in the pooled water, Ye Qiu bent down instinctively.
Touching his reddened eye sockets, he noticed a comma-shaped mark within his otherwise monotonous blood-red eyes.
"This is… the Sharingan?!" Ye Qiu's eyes widened. "Is this an illusion?"
He rubbed his eyes repeatedly until they hurt, only then accepting reality.
After carefully sensing it, Ye Qiu discovered that his soul power had increased slightly.
If that's the case, doesn't that mean my innate soul power can continue to grow?
"Hehe…" Ye Qiu laughed softly.
He laughed for a moment, then suddenly broke down in tears. Walking to the bedside, he knelt and kowtowed three times.
"Grandpa, thank you for watching over me from heaven. Please watch over me—I will definitely become a powerful Soul Master!"
After calming down and handling everything, Ye Qiu planned to go out and buy offerings.
"It doesn't seem right to go out like this…" Before leaving, he touched his still bloodshot eyes.
Is it because I didn't properly control the increase in soul power? he wondered.
He tried to suppress his martial soul. After half an hour, the redness finally faded.
"Alright," he whispered, locking the door before heading out.
With the help of several villagers, Ye Qiu followed his grandfather's wishes and buried Old Ye beneath the peach tree at the entrance of the house—the place Old Ye often rested.
---
Dusk
After eating dinner, Ye Qiu walked toward the village chief's house. He still had a little silver left and planned to return it. Remembering everyone's help, he did not dare to take more than he deserved.
As soon as he reached the door, he saw the village chief's daughter.
"Hey, Xiao Qiu! Have you eaten yet? Come inside and find my dad!"
"Yes, Aunt Zhang. Has Grandpa Zhang returned?"
"He's back, he's back—and he even brought a little girl with him! Go take a look. Auntie still has work to do."
"Yes, thank you, Auntie!"
Ye Qiu didn't pay much attention to the mention of the little girl. Children from nearby villages often got lost.
After thanking Aunt Zhang again, Ye Qiu walked inside.
As he approached the room, he heard Village Chief Zhang's voice.
"Eat slowly, little girl, eat slowly. There are plenty of carrots!"
"Grandpa Zhang…"
Ye Qiu had only spoken once when he entered before he froze.
This is Xiao Wu…
He stared blankly at the girl with rabbit ears and scorpion braids, who was wolfing down carrots at the table.
Both of them stood there, stunned for a moment.
Village Chief Zhang noticed Ye Qiu and smiled brightly.
"Little Qiu, you came at the perfect time! Let me introduce you—this is Xiao Wu… Hey, Little Qiu? Little Qiu?!"
"Huh? Oh—Grandpa Zhang, you called me?"
Old Zhang had to call several times before Ye Qiu regained his senses, though his gaze never left the girl.
Carrying a small bag and dressed in a pink skirt, Xiao Wu showed no trace of shyness. While eating, she even raised her small fist and shook it at Ye Qiu.
It turned out that on his way back, Old Zhang had encountered bandits, and it was only thanks to Xiao Wu that he had returned safely.