In Douluo Continent, Tang San raids my base right from the start.

Chapter 24 is not some useless martial soul!

Afternoon, outside Holy Soul Village.

"Xiao Wu?" Before even entering the village, Zhu Wu was spotted by Aunt Wang, a villager working in the fields, who tentatively asked him.

Having been away from the village for many months and having absorbed a spirit ring, Zhu Wu's body had changed considerably. He had grown noticeably taller, a growth rate not typical for a child. Due to long-term training, his facial features had become smoother, and he had lost his original slight baby fat.

Although her overall appearance hasn't changed much, I'm still a little unsure if it's really her.

"Hello, Aunt Wang," Zhu Wu greeted her with a smile.

"It really is Xiao Wu!" Aunt Wang's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on her weathered face.

"Xiao Wu is back!" Villagers working in the distance heard the voice and greeted him.

Zhu Wu responded to each of them, offering compliments and reminiscing before quickly running into the village and heading towards his home in the north.

Before even entering the courtyard, I saw Zhu Gang sitting on a bamboo chair, carefully weaving a half-finished bamboo basket in his hand.

His face was sallow and haggard, his temples were gray and withered, and his figure was even more emaciated than before he left. He looked like a piece of dead wood about to rot and break.

"Cough cough." He coughed lightly a few times after only a few lines of writing.

Seeing this, Zhu Wu felt a sudden pang of anxiety and quickly ran into the courtyard.

"Grandpa!" she called out as she ran.

Zhu Gang seemed unable to hear who the newcomer was. He slowly turned his head, his two cloudy eyes half-closed as he scanned the area, as if exploring through a thick fog.

Only when Zhu Wu ran up to him and squatted down did his eyes light up, his face wrinkled, and he revealed joy.

"Xiao Wu, you're back."

"Yes, Grandpa, I'm back." Zhu Wu's eyes were a little moist.

It was truly unexpected that his grandfather Zhu Gang's health had deteriorated to this extent after only seven months apart.

"Good, good to see you back. Is the academy on holiday?" Zhu Gang nodded repeatedly, his mind preoccupied with Zhu Wu's studies.

"Grandpa, I have obtained a spirit ring and become a spirit master. I have graduated from the academy." Zhu Wu tried to explain in simple terms to avoid his grandfather Zhu Gang from misunderstanding and getting emotional. As he spoke, he took out a card from his pocket.

"Grandpa, look, this is a Soul Master certification."

"Good, good, good, my Xiao Wu is a Soul Master now." Zhu Gang's face flushed slightly.

"Cough cough." He took a deep breath and coughed a few more times.

"Grandpa, let me help you inside." Zhu Wu quickly reached out to support him. "Now that I've graduated from the academy, I can spend more time with you. There are mountains behind our house, and my academy teachers said that this kind of environment is very suitable for my martial spirit cultivation."

"With me here, you won't have to worry about things at home anymore."

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say." Zhu Gang said with a smile, his eyes full of satisfaction and contentment.

Soon, Zhu Wu helped her into the house, where she lay down on a bamboo armchair by the window, basking in the gentle sunlight.

Under the hazy light, Zhu Wu's figure swayed as he began packing things up inside the room, recounting amusing anecdotes from the academy as he did so.

Zhu Gang felt that his life had been worthwhile.

That afternoon, Zhu Wu did nothing else but spend time talking with his grandfather, Zhu Gang, until dinner was over. He patiently waited for his grandfather to fall asleep before returning to his room to sit on the edge of the bed and practice the Longevity Exercise under the moonlight.

Afterwards, he went to sleep with a heavy heart.

The next morning, after settling his grandfather in and asking the neighbors for help looking after him, Zhu Wu ran to Nottingham City as fast as he could.

In the afternoon, outside.

"Dr. Xue, how is my grandfather?" Zhu Wu asked in a low voice as he followed the doctor out the door.

He studied veterinary medicine in his previous life, but he wasn't good at treating people; he was only good at prescribing some health-preserving remedies.

"Sigh, let's spend as many days as we can," Dr. Xue sighed. "This old man Zhu has probably been holding on by sheer willpower all these years. If I'm not mistaken, he must have suffered from many colds in his early years, which left him with hidden ailments and premature aging of his internal organs. Now that he's old, his vitality is waning, and these long-standing ailments are inevitably showing up."

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are ordained by Heaven and cannot be reversed by human effort."

"Xiao Wu, you don't need to be too sad. Your grandfather has lived to such an old age, which is actually quite long."

At the age of 72, his grandson had even awakened his soul power. He felt that his life had been fulfilling and he had no regrets.

He was introduced to Zhu Wu by the owner of the pharmacy, and the two were old acquaintances, so he had heard about Zhu Wu's story. If I'm not mistaken, Zhu Gang only let go of his resentment after learning that his grandson had awakened a martial soul with soul power. Humans are sometimes so strange; if they have unfulfilled wishes, their bodies will stubbornly cling to life until those wishes are fulfilled.

To be honest, I think it's a miracle that Zhu Gang has managed to hold on until now; most people would be lucky to last a month or two.

He always held these elderly people in high esteem.

"I'll prescribe some medicine to help the old man recover, and try to prolong his life as much as possible," he said softly when Zhu Wu remained silent.

"Thank you, Dr. Xue." Zhu Wu snapped out of his daze, forcing a smile as he politely replied.

He knew in his heart that Zhu Gang was beyond medical help at this point, and even if he taught him the martial arts techniques, it would be useless and would only worsen his condition.

If the body is too weak, both yang and yin energy entering the body will cause damage.

"Of course." Doctor Xue smiled, walked to the bamboo chair next to him, sat down, and took out a piece of paper to start writing a prescription.

Shortly after, having paid the consultation fee, Zhu Wu asked Doctor Xue to tell the pharmacy owner to deliver the medicine daily, promising to cover the travel and medication costs. Doctor Xue nodded in agreement and took his leave. Only then did Zhu Wu return to his room and go to Zhu Gang's bedside.

"Xiao Wu, don't worry about Grandpa," Zhu Gang said with a smile, understanding Zhu Wu's concerns.

"Seeing you become a true Soul Master, I feel like I've lived a fulfilling life."

Originally, he was just an old beggar in Nottingham. Years ago, his family suffered a great disaster, making him a vagrant. Lacking the courage to commit suicide and follow his loved ones, he spent his days in a daze, becoming a scavenger barely scraping by. Until he came to Nottingham in his sixties, he wandered around the garbage dumps in the residential area, living a life of poverty and waiting for his death.

Later, on a cold winter night, while passing by a garbage dump in a residential area, I heard the faint cry of a baby. I saw Zhu Wu, who was still in swaddling clothes. I felt a sudden hope and a sense of purpose in raising the child.

So, he took the character "武" (wu, meaning martial/martial) from his child's name and named him Zhu Wu, hoping that his child would awaken a good martial soul and possess soul power in the future. He didn't want his child to grow up to be treated like a beggar and looked down upon by others.

Therefore, they brought their children to Holy Soul Village.

He wants to give his child a complete childhood and a decent future.

Now that the child has become a Soul Master, he is no longer an ordinary commoner. From now on, he will surely live a good life and will no longer suffer hardship.

He no longer had anything to worry about. The only thing he still couldn't let go of was...

"Xiao Wu," he called softly, as if making a firm decision, and said solemnly, "Actually, I'm not your biological grandfather."

"Grandpa, there's no need to say these things." Zhu Wu shook his head. "These things are no longer important."

"You raised me, and I will always be your grandson. My name will always be Zhu Wu."

Zhu Gang's eyes immediately reddened, and he said excitedly, "Good, good, good, my good grandson."

"Now, my Zhu family has descendants, so I haven't let down my ancestors. Even if I die now, I can rest in peace."

"Grandpa, please don't say that," Zhu Wu quickly said.

"Grandpa knows his own body best, so you don't need to comfort him," Zhu Gang said with a smile.

"Grandpa is 72 now, I've lived a full life."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Go and do your own thing. Grandpa's still in good health; he won't die."

"Grandpa, let me help you to the recliner outside to rest," Zhu Wu said, reaching out his hand.

"The air is fresh there, and you can get some sunshine, which is good for your health."

"Okay." Zhu Gang nodded and let Zhu Wu help him off the bed.

After settling Zhu Gang in, Zhu Wu walked into an open space not far away and summoned his martial spirit, Xiao Bai.

"Little White, transform into the Three-Eyed Demon Fox!" the command was whispered.

Xiao Bai nodded, and the next second, the scales between his eyebrows emitted a seven-colored light, and a yellow soul ring around his body lit up.

Immediately, a flash of white light appeared on Xiaobai's body, and a small fox with a single tail that was over knee-high appeared in front of him. It was purplish-black all over, with a small tuft of bright purple fur between its eyebrows. Its overall shape was an oval with two pointed ends, and from a distance it looked like a vertical eye.

Zhu Gang, who was watching from the side, was taken aback, but then pride rose in his eyes.

Although Zhu Wu wasn't his biological grandson, he had raised him. Being able to personally raise a Soul Master was something to be proud of.

In addition, although he didn't understand, he could sense that his grandson's martial spirit was extraordinary, as he could actually transform!

My grandson awakened some useless martial soul!

"Xiaobai, use the clone." Zhu Wu looked her over and gave the command again.

"Chirp chirp." Little White let out a fox's cry, and with a sway of its body, two identical little foxes appeared on its sides.

They all squatted down and looked at Zhu Wu, appearing very obedient.

"Am I seeing things?" Zhu Gang was startled and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Grandpa, this is my Martial Soul, Little White, using its clone skill," Zhu Wu explained with a smile.

Let Xiaobai perform for Grandpa, let him see something new and interesting, treat it like watching a show, have some fun, and it's also good for his physical and mental health.

"Xiao Bai, quickly bow to Grandpa," Zhu Wu continued.

Upon hearing this, Xiaobai obediently turned around, and its two clones beside it also turned around and bowed in unison.

"Okay, okay," Zhu Gang said, genuinely intrigued, waving happily.

"Next, Xiaobai, activate your Martial Soul." The charm skill wasn't anything special, so Zhu Wu immediately gave the next instruction.

Xiao Bai nodded, his figure flashed, his two clones disappeared, and his body suddenly slammed into Zhu Wu.

Without any hesitation, his entire body swiftly disappeared into Zhu Wu's chest. Immediately afterward, Zhu Wu felt a surge of heat throughout his body, and his soul power accelerated.

Its pupils contracted instantly, transforming into vertical slits, and their color changed from brown to bright purple. A bright purple pattern, identical to that of the three-eyed fox, appeared between its brows. Other parts of its body also changed; its fingernails turned dark purple and rapidly lengthened, becoming pointed. Its hair also grew rapidly, and two fox ears appeared on its head, trembling slightly. A dark black tail extended from its spine and tailbone.

Zhu Gang was stunned.

How did his grandson turn into a beautiful little girl with long, flowing hair? She even grew fox ears and a tail!

(End of this chapter)