vncnus Chapter 1 3 Lifetimes - This Life
Chapter 1 3 Lifetimes - This Life
Zhuhe Village is a village nestled in a bamboo forest on the southwestern border of the Kingdom of Barak.
The village is named after the fact that the local people's martial spirit is mostly made of bamboo and the village is built along the river. It is also known as Zhanghe Village because the whole village is surnamed Zhang.
The village has produced some Soul Masters, but most of them are unknown, and the population is only about a hundred people.
If it weren't for the local bamboo products being quite famous, even the white-robed patrol officers who are constantly on the move to awaken people's senses would often forget that such a place exists on the border of the kingdom.
• Beside the small river near the village • Outside the bamboo grove •
Several teenagers stood together, their hands occasionally emitting faint light as they conjured things, seemingly to show off.
The youngest of the group was constantly writing and drawing in his notebook, and occasionally glancing at the release process.
In front of him, a boy of about eleven or twelve years old was holding a bamboo stick in one hand, yawning incessantly, with dark circles under his eyes.
"Zhang Feng, haven't you seen enough? Constantly summoning and retracting your martial soul is tiring!"
The boy spoke weakly, but he emphasized his words at the end to express his resentment.
Upon hearing this, the boy nodded and wrote it down in his notebook in a language they couldn't understand.
[Those without soul power exhibited noticeable lethargy after repeatedly (around a hundred times) releasing their martial soul. The use of martial souls may be directly related to mental state. (To be verified)]
"First, my name is Zhang Xun, not Zhang Feng. Second, thank you for your help. Here is your payment; you can go home now."
As the child spoke, he stood up, opened the bamboo basket beside him, took out a small, exquisitely crafted square sign, about an inch square, and tossed it to the other person.
The boy's eyes, which had been barely open, widened instantly. He hurriedly caught the item, looking at the pattern on it with great joy. After winking and showing off to the other children, he turned and ran away.
Young people often dislike quiet, and seeing this, they all pretended to be tired and wanted to grab a sign and follow along.
"Are you all tired?"
Seeing that everyone was staring at him expectantly, Zhang Xun sighed helplessly. He knew that forcing things would only backfire, given their childish nature.
He gave each person a sign and then signaled that everyone should disperse.
Then he went to the riverbank, picked up a fishing basket, and found only two small fish, about the length of a finger, jumping around inside. Seeing this, he tied them up and threw them back into the water.
He carried a bamboo basket full of things on his back and walked towards the bamboo forest.
The boys looked at each other, ignoring the departing figure, laughing and comparing the patterns on their cards, much like people who enjoy collecting trading cards.
Looking up at the sky, Zhang Xun stopped in his tracks.
The sun was half-set on the horizon, its afterglow like fire, turning the clouds blood red.
He made a finger gesture, and the black and red plaque with the character 【☴】 engraved on it at his waist suddenly cracked open, causing him to stop.
"Looks like a big shot is going to die today~ Dongfang, what are you doing here?"
He murmured in a language that didn't belong to this world, glancing back at the boys heading home towards the smoke from their chimneys. Everything in the village seemed so peaceful.
He shook his head. The life or death of important figures is none of our business, so why should we care?
If there is no one in charge of 'fate' above, it's fine. But if there is, the random encounters of important figures with the causes and effects of life and death will definitely attract attention.
There are gods in this world.
We walked into the bamboo forest shrouded in mist.
Under the setting sun, the bamboo shadows were dazzling, and the damp smell of decaying leaves quickly wafted to my nose.
Although Zhang Xun is from Zhuhe Village, he rarely lives there because he has no relatives there.
Life is never perfect, but to have no blood relatives for three lifetimes is truly unique.
In the Douluo Continent, there exists a special thing called Martial Soul. If one has the aptitude for cultivation, that is, innate soul power, then one can become stronger and level up through cultivation and other similar activities.
Then, by hunting spirit beasts and absorbing spirit rings, one can break through to a higher level and gain stronger power and skill slots, just like in a game.
Zhang Xun had read part of this book in his first life, but he could hardly recall the details. Time and death always fade unimportant memories.
Darkness, warmth, helplessness, light finally appears in October.
Shortly after his birth, Zhang Feng and Zhang Wan left behind the name Zhang Xun and went on to pursue their dreams.
The village chief felt that the character "巽" was too difficult to recognize, so he changed it to "风" without permission. This is why the boys called him that.
My parents are among the few soul masters in the village who possess soul power. Due to an accident (that is, me), they had to put aside the acquisition of soul rings. They want to acquire soul rings together.
Their actions perfectly exemplified the twelve-character love principle: "Parents are true love, children are just an accident."
For some reason, the villagers didn't see anything wrong with their parents' pursuit of a love where they could live together without any burdens; some even said it was romantic.
Zhang Xun expressed that he was shocked and did not understand, but respected.
Hmm... it would be even better if they could come back.
After the two went to the Star Dou Great Forest, they disappeared without a trace. It's a pity that Zhang Xun couldn't speak at the time, otherwise he would have definitely asked the two elders to go to another place.
Soul Warrior, two people, Star Dou Great Forest—these unusual words actually came together to form a sentence.
Zhang Xun couldn't help but admire his parents' courage in doing so.
In the bamboo forest
The small figure continued deeper into the forest, and in no time, the quiet bamboo grove lost the last vestiges of sunlight.
Zhang Xun casually dug up a few tender bamboo shoots on the way and happened to arrive at an open space before sunset. In the center of the space stood an old house, surrounded by a low wall made of thick bamboo, forming a small courtyard.
The bamboo signboard in front of the door is very new, with two characters written on it: "Peace and Prosperity".
This is Zhang Xun's current home.
According to the village chief, my late father and mother used to enjoy a quiet life together, so they built a small courtyard in this secluded and beautiful place for quiet meditation.
If my late father hadn't been incapable of midwifery, I probably would have been born here, and perhaps even seen the faces of my parents whom I had never met before.
Entering the courtyard, Zhang Xun threw the bamboo shoots from the basket into a pit.
Many plump bamboo rats were fast asleep in the pit when they were awakened by this feast that fell from the sky. They all began to attack the bamboo shoots.
He went back into the house, pulled out a box from under the table, which was filled with plaques with the same pattern. He took one out and replaced the one with the split waistband before leaving the house.
Squatting in front of the pit where he raised bamboo rats, Zhang Xun casually picked up one by the scruff of its neck and weighed it in his hand. It weighed about five pounds. After thinking for a moment, he added another one.
Sparks lit up the bamboo forest, and the aroma of meat and fruit wafted through the cooking smoke.
There are no wild animals in the bamboo forest. Bamboo rats, which are about a foot and a half long, are the largest creatures besides humans, so there is no need to worry about attracting ferocious beasts.
Half an hour later, dinner was over.
The child sat cross-legged on a mat in front of the offering table in the small ancestral hall.
Three plates of meat were neatly arranged on the table.
The tribute positions are divided into ranks, with one statue at the very top center and one statue on each side below it.
"Master, I have already calculated the Douluo Calendar. Today is the 25th of the fifth month of the year Yi Si, an auspicious day for offering sacrifices."
Zhang Xun murmured, got up and lit the incense sticks, "Although it's not a big day, since it's auspicious, I'll offer you three sticks of incense."
After the worship, the incense and candles were placed in the incense burner corresponding to the main altar.
Looking at the other two memorial tablets, he lit six more incense sticks and was about to offer them when he suddenly noticed something and looked at the window on the side.
The bamboo forest was quiet and secluded, with mist swirling around it.
"sword?"
Having learned what it was, Zhang Xun turned away and ignored it, as it was none of his business; doing his job was more important.
"Father and Mother, as a son, I cannot be ungrateful to my relatives."
He held incense and candles to his forehead, bowed three times to each side, and began to mutter to himself.
"I don't know the way, I've never been to the Bridge of Helplessness. Although I haven't forgotten my past life, in the end, I was born after my parents endured ten months of hardship."
"You two did a great job with prenatal education. Ever since I was able to think vaguely in March, I have been listening to your intimate chatter every day. Although I have not yet met you in person, I have been communicating with you in spirit for a long time."
"We don't stand on ceremony like that in Douluo Continent; this is just a custom from my hometown. We're all family, so this simple meal is hardly a token of our respect. Please forgive us..."
After muttering to herself for a long time, Zhang Xunjing looked at the incense ashes, which were burning at a normal rate, and a hint of disappointment welled up in her eyes.
But then he heard the sound of fallen leaves crunching outside the courtyard. Zhang Xun immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and bowed again.
That's all for today, we have guests.
As the ancestral hall doors slowly closed, the last moonlight shone on the central memorial tablet, illuminating the inscription.
It is written vertically on it—
[The Spirit Tablet of Zhang Jiao, Respected Master of the Way of Peace]