Chapter 4: The Pup’s Awakening
In the quiet now, free from the sound of washing clothes, Ling Yi knew that his mother had gone next door to help tidy up for his brother and sister-in-law, or more precisely, his uncle and aunt.
Even though she was called 'aunt', she could also be referred to as Ling Yi's eldest aunt, the eldest sister of his father, Ling Xiaoshan.
As for Zhang Dahe, since childhood, he had always called Ling Changqing 'Uncle Changqing'. After getting married, the respect grew even more, yet the way he addressed him remained just out of habit from when he was a child.
The relationship between the Ling family and the Zhang family was both simple and complicated.
Three years ago, Ling He, the eldest daughter of the Ling family, married Zhang Dahe, the eldest son of the Zhang family. Then, a year ago, Zhang Xiaoyu, the youngest daughter of the Zhang family, married Ling Xiaoshan, the youngest son of the Ling family.
In the early days of Ling Yi's previous life in the rural area, there was a term for this kind of marriage, known as 'exchange marriage.'
Villagers were poor and couldn't afford betrothal gifts and dowries. When grown children of marriageable age were ready to marry, sometimes they could only enter into such arrangements.
For generations, the Ling and Zhang families have lived this way.
Of course, it wasn't always just between the Ling and Zhang families. There were relatives of the Ling family in seven or eight neighboring villages. As for the Zhang family, Zhang Dahe's grandfather's generation had moved from another village over two hundred miles away.
From the perspective of bloodline, while the Zhang family had taken root over three generations and didn't have much wealth, their children were quite sought after as potential spouses in the surrounding areas.
It was only because Zhang Dahe and Ling Xiaoshan's siblings grew up together with good relationships that the Ling family was able to gain from such an arrangement.
Let's not beat around the bush. In the nearby villages, when people awaken their martial spirits, nine times out of ten, they're 'Blue Silver Grass,' 'Climbing Ivy,' or 'Morning Glory,' all completely worthless plants and vines.
But Zhang Dahe and his grandfather and father, all possess the 'Hoe' martial spirit!
Though they don't have soul power, they can plow fields with more than double the efficiency of ordinary people!
Alright, the above isn't the main point.
The main point is, this is a world where martial spirits exist!
'Martial spirits, huh—' Ling Yi turned his head to look at the shelf by the bedside.
There sat an earthen bowl with several chips, holding a small sprig of light blue grass. It seemed to droop slightly, as if not yet accustomed to its new environment.
This was obtained last night, after Ling Yi learned of terms like martial spirit, Blue Silver Grass, and Douluo Continent through his parents' discussion. He got it from Ling Xiaoshan in his own way.
As for the method...
Last night, during dinner.
"I wonder if Xiaobao will inherit your Zhang family's 'Hoe' martial spirit," Ling Xiaoshan said with a look of hope.
A trace of melancholy flashed in Zhang Xiaoyu's eyes, but he said quietly, "He probably can. Although my mother and I both have 'Blue Silver Grass' martial spirits, my grandfather, father, second uncle, and older brother all had the 'Hoe' martial spirit. It seems that all the men do..."
"Ah—" Ling Xiaoshan sighed deeply upon hearing this, shaking his head slightly. "In our Ling family, for the past seven or eight generations, every one of our awakened martial spirits has been the Blue Silver Grass. Only my great-grandfather's generation ever awakened something different, a Morning Glory martial spirit, which was just as useless as the rest..."
"In the villages within several dozen miles, only two people with innate soul power emerged over the past ten years. Neither has returned ever since they left, leaving us to wonder what the other parts of Douluo Continent are like..."
Upon hearing this, and even without other sources of information or verification, Ling Yi was more than ninety percent sure:
He had transmigrated into the world of Douluo Continent!
As for that remaining one percent of doubt...
Maybe this place was like a giant filming set from 'The Truman Show'?
'First of all, judging by my parents and the surrounding family environment, but still able to awaken martial spirits, it's highly likely that the timeline is around the first Douluo era. At the very least, it's definitely before the second...'
Ling Yi pondered silently while listening to his parents' conversation:
'Then, my parents' martial spirits are both Blue Silver Grass?'
'Moreover, on my mother's side, there's also a chance of awakening a Hoe martial spirit?'
'Judging by these circumstances, the martial spirit I will likely awaken in the future will be the Ling family's ancestral Blue Silver Grass.'
Thinking up to this point, Ling Yi could not help but frown: 'The most crucial point is, looking back seven or eight generations, not a single one on my father's side has innate soul power. On my mother's side, starting from my maternal grandfather Zhang Qiang's father, the old Zhang family patriarch who migrated here, not a single one has awakened with innate soul power...'
‘So, my beginning is almost a clean slate, isn’t it?’
‘A family, impoverished!’
‘A martial spirit, the true trash spirit "Blue Silver Grass"!’
‘Soul power, practically non-existent at ninety-nine percent!’
‘Then, what about the usual perks that transmigrators get?’
‘A system? A space? Inheritance? A wise old mentor?…’
Ling Yi shouted inwardly for a while, ultimately to no avail as expected.
Coincidentally, the exchange between his parents about their everyday life had just concluded. Feeling the hunger in his stomach, Ling Yi adeptly began crying out loud.
As Ling Yi skillfully suckled his dinner, his gaze wandered, fixating on Ling Xiaoshan, who was next to his mother.
On another note, Zhang Xiaoyu was feeling a bit shy from Ling Xiaoshan's stare and was about to tell him to stop. But then she noticed Ling Yi reaching out to Ling Xiaoshan, his five tiny, pink fingers grasping and waving.
Perhaps because of their maternal bond, Zhang Xiaoyu followed Ling Yi's gaze and saw the "Blue Silver Grass” leaf dangling from Ling Xiaoshan's mouth. She gently caressed Ling Yi’s sparsely-haired little head and softly asked, "Little darling, do you want Daddy's ‘Blue Silver Grass?’"
Hearing this, Ling Yi suckled twice more intently, his round eyes blinking as they gleamed with amusement. His brows and eyes curved into a smile.
“Hey!” Ling Xiaoshan exclaimed with a hint of surprise and joy, “My little treasure can understand, truly a clever little one!”
With that, he promptly took the partially chewed Blue Silver Grass leaf from his mouth and offered it to Ling Yi.
Ling Yi seemed even happier, eagerly sucking on the leaf while his tiny hand grasped the pale blue strand, waving it gently.
Seeing this, both Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Xiaoyu's faces were bright with smiles.
Given an infant's limited appetite, it didn't take long before Ling Yi's little belly was full, and he began to focus intently on playing with the leaf.
Seemingly unintentionally, he noticed the end of the leaf that Ling Xiaoshan had chewed on, and his small mouth pouted dramatically before he shut his eyes and started to cry.
This sudden outburst sent Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Xiaoyu into a flurry of panic.
They first unwrapped his swaddle to check his diaper; finding it still dry, Zhang Xiaoyu tried feeding him again, but Ling Yi pursed his lips in rejection, simply waving the leaf in his hand at the couple.
Witnessing this, Ling Xiaoshan seemed to have a moment of inspiration, exclaiming softly, “I got it!”
Without further ado, he dashed out the door without looking back.
Just as Zhang Xiaoyu raised her hand to call out to him, she noticed the miraculous silence from Ling Yi in her arms as he suddenly stopped crying.
Zhang Xiaoyu: “……”
In that moment, the mother and son, with their pairs of eyes big and small, gazed at each other silently.
Soon after, Ling Xiaoshan could be seen rushing back, holding something carefully in his hands.
Thus, at the bedside of this family of three, a simple wooden rack was added, upon which sat a shabby clay bowl planted with Blue Silver Grass.
(End of Chapter)