Thinking about his martial soul.
Ye Qiu decided to have dinner at their place in the evening.
Watching Old Jack and Tang San leave, Ye Qiu happily headed back home.
All the way, Ye Qiu was studying his martial soul.
Looking at the little tadpole on his fingertip...
It was indeed very small.
It was hard to imagine its purpose, and no wonder Su Yuntao had judged it a trash martial soul.
As soon as he got home...
Ye Qiu immediately tried martial soul possession by the water vat in front of the door.
Under Ye Qiu's gaze, the little tadpole...
...smeared itself onto his fingertip.
Like black fibers or yarn, it quickly spread towards Ye Qiu's body.
Ye Qiu could feel his whole body filling with power.
He looked towards the water vat...
...followed by a sharp, hoarse cry of shock.
"Holy crap--!"
Ye Qiu stared in disbelief at the 'monster' in the water vat.
Its main color was pitch black, with streaks of white fibers.
The most prominent feature was the two white patches over its eyes.
When speaking...
Ye Qiu could even see the full rows of sharp teeth and a long tongue in its mouth!
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Ye Qiu staggered back two steps.
He touched his face, then looked at his arms which had become stronger.
Of course, he recognized the thing smeared onto his body.
His heart couldn't help but pound wildly.
"My martial soul is Venom?"
The hoarse voice carried a hint of uncertainty.
Ye Qiu took a deep breath, and the smooth black on his head receded like a tide.
It was as if he was wearing a tight leather suit.
He slowly walked towards the water vat...
"Holy crap! Holy crap, where's my head?! Don't mess around!"
Ye Qiu looked at the headless reflection in the water vat.
He was terrified.
He frantically grabbed at his neck with both hands, trying to pull his head out.
If any villagers passed by here...
...even in broad daylight, they would definitely be scared to death.
Fortunately, it was a false alarm.
Ye Qiu's head successfully grew back, the black reweaving into a head.
His face was slightly pale; he had been quite frightened.
But immediately after...
Ye Qiu's pale face broke into a brilliant smile.
He had a bold guess in his heart!
Ye Qiu hugged the water vat...
...half of his face began to boil and surge from within, turning into Venom.
A hoarse voice mixed with childishness sounded.
"I get it now."
"I am Venom, right?"
As soon as the words fell...
Ye Qiu found spider silk hanging down in front of him, with a small spider dangling from it.
The white parts around Venom's eyes contracted...
Ye Qiu slowly raised his hand and gently poked the spider with his finger.
"Want to give it a try?"
Gurgle!
Ye Qiu's body began to swell, flowing like a fluid towards the spider.
"Holy crap! It's stuck, it's stuck!"
"..."
"Great! It worked!"
...
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Ye Qiu's body had become much stronger.
After martial soul possession, he could not only walk on walls and roofs but also weave himself a hammock.
From time to time, he liked to entertain himself.
He would crazily perform feats like chopping bricks with bare hands, breaking bricks with his head, and even bravely...
...testing his crotch with a brick!
After a series of tests...
Ye Qiu was already full of confidence and anticipation for the future.
Although there was a clear weakness...
...no one knew about it, and he just needed to find a way to compensate for it before then.
Being afraid of high temperatures wasn't a big deal.
The sun was bright.
Ye Qiu simply packed his things.
The wine gourd was still hanging from his waist, and he followed Old Jack to Tang San's house.
People with soul power were rare in the village.
Getting a work-study student spot that another village didn't need was a piece of cake.
"Tang Hao, I've come to pick up Tang San as agreed."
Old Jack shouted.
Bringing Ye Qiu, he stepped into the blacksmith shop, where a wave of heat and an unpleasant smell of alcohol assailed them.
The corners were piled high with scrap metal and bottles and jars that had contained alcohol.
"Yo, morning! Little San, and Uncle Hao!"
Ye Qiu smiled and said good morning to the Tang Hao father and son pair, and took out some candy to give to Tang San.
"Little San, want some candy?"
"No need."
Tang San shook his head, his tone slightly better than before.
Ye Qiu shrugged helplessly.
Tang Hao, with his messy beard, was sitting by the dining table drinking soup, ignoring everyone.
He just lifted his eyelids and glanced indifferently at Ye Qiu; no emotion could be seen in his cloudy eyes.
But Ye Qiu wouldn't let him get away with it.
Smiling, he stepped forward and opened the wine gourd hanging from his waist.
"Uncle Hao, want some wine?"
"Pour it!"
A hoarse, unpleasant voice sounded. Tang Hao casually poured away the rice soup in his hand.
He placed the empty bowl on the table.
"Alright!"
Ye Qiu immediately filled it for Tang Hao.
The wine was very clear and green, mixed with a little Blue Silver Grass residue.
No one bought his wine...
...only Tang Hao liked this stuff, and that was only by chance.
*Slap!*
Tang Hao used his blackened, smelly hand to stir the contents in the bowl, then poured it out directly.
He then slammed the 'cleaned' bowl back onto the table.
Ye Qiu didn't feel the slightest bit of heartache.
He continued to fill another bowl for Tang Hao with his privately concocted wine.
"Uncle Hao, want some more candy?"
Tang Hao took a sip of the wine, looking somewhat intoxicated, as if savoring tea.
Looking at the colorful candies Ye Qiu offered.
Tang Hao glanced at him.
He nodded slightly, then grabbed with his large hand, scooping all the candies from Ye Qiu's hand into his palm.
The smile on Ye Qiu's face became even more brilliant.
He rubbed his hands together, his large black eyes blinked, revealing a hint of shrewdness.
"Uncle Hao, I'm going to school, you see..."
Before Ye Qiu could finish...
Tang Hao waved his hand, saying impatiently:
"Don't waste your breath, I don't have money."
"Haha... It's okay, Little San is so capable, he'll have money in the future."
Ye Qiu wasn't annoyed either.
The money Tang Hao owed for the wine was just a drop in the ocean for a Soul Master.
Hearing this...
Tang San didn't reply, but looked at his scruffy old man.
"Little San, you don't need to pay for his wine."
Tang Hao instructed casually, raising his hand to toss a few candies into his mouth, not even looking at Ye Qiu.
"Understood, Dad."
Tang San nodded seriously.
"What?!"
Ye Qiu's expression changed slightly.
Although this wine was just trash water from washing wine bottles, with some Blue Silver Grass he picked soaked in it...
...he had never forced anyone to buy it.
This was the fruit of his labor.
"Uncle Hao, how can you be like this? Aren't you bullying an honest person?!"
Old Jack, who was helping Tang San pack his things, also noticed the commotion here.
He immediately couldn't help but chime in:
"Tang Hao, don't go too far. You're even snatching things from a child!"
"What's all the fuss about? Just owed some wine money and grabbed a handful of candy? My mouth is so bland."
Tang Hao didn't even turn his head.
He cracked a few grass-flavored candies, paired with the special grass wine for him, and chewed slightly.
His eyes showed intoxication...
...as if his wife was inside.
Ye Qiu frowned.
He had picked up quite a few wine bottles and even distilled it; it was absolutely clean and hygienic.
How could this dignified Clear Sky Douluo be so shameless!