The market was alive with merchants shouting their wares when Qian Jue caught sight of a wooden signboard. Three large characters were painted across it:
General Store.
"Hmm… I don't recognize the middle character, but it's probably the place."
Silently, he reminded himself once again—learning to read had to go on his priority list. With that, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
From the outside, the store looked small. From the inside… it was just as cramped. But appearances were deceiving—the backyard warehouse stretched much farther than expected. Stacked high were bundles of daily necessities: jars of oil, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and rows of wine jugs filling the entire courtyard.
"Hey, kid! Whose child are you? What are you doing in here?"
As Qian Jue lingered by the doorway to the backyard, a man spotted him and barked out a question.
"Oh, Uncle, I'm looking for Grandpa Deng. Is he here?"
The boy wasn't shy in the least and asked straightaway.
"Grandpa Deng? Oh, you mean Old Deng. He's moving stock right now, but he'll be out soon. Just wait by the door, don't go wandering inside. If you break anything, you'll have to pay for it!"
"Got it, Uncle. I'll wait here."
So Qian Jue obediently stepped back to the doorway.
Moments later, a man in his late forties emerged from the backyard, carrying a heavy load on a shoulder pole. He set it down with a grunt, then finally turned toward the boy.
"Kid, you looking for me? What's the matter?"
"Uh, are you Uncle Deng? I… I need to get to Holy Spirit Village. I don't know the way, so I was hoping I could travel with you."
At first, Qian Jue hadn't been nervous. Old Wang had called this man "Old Deng," so he assumed he'd be elderly. Instead, the man before him was middle-aged, with sharp features and a voice that sounded more harsh than kind.
"What? You're traveling alone? Absolutely not! Kids shouldn't be wandering around like that. What if something happens to you? Where are your parents?"
To his surprise, Qian Jue felt relieved. This gruff man might look intimidating, but his words showed he had a kind heart.
He quickly made a sorrowful face.
"They… passed away. Before they died, they told me I had a second uncle named Jack who lives in Holy Spirit Village. They told me to find him. Old Wang, the man selling pancakes, said you're from the same village. So… I came to ask if I could go with you."
Of course, this was a lie. Qian Jue had crafted a fake identity for himself—"the nephew of Old Jack." He didn't dare say he was looking for Tang Hao. For one, he wasn't sure if Tang Hao was even in the village yet. For another, if Tang Hao knew someone had come specifically for him, suspicion might ruin everything.
"You're Old Jack's nephew?"
"Yes! Could you take me with you, Uncle Deng? Don't worry, I won't cause trouble. Just bring me to Holy Spirit Village, and I'll handle the rest."
Old Deng studied him for a long moment before finally nodding.
"Fine. But I'll take you straight to Old Jack's house. I need to make sure you're really going there."
"That's fine with me!"
Qian Jue agreed without hesitation. No matter the condition, reaching the village was the first step. After all, he was still just a child—no ordinary villager would harm a kid.
"Alright then. But listen, I don't like stopping to rest. If you can't keep up, I won't wait."
"Don't worry, Uncle Deng. I'll keep up! When do we leave?"
"Just finished restocking. We leave now."
With that, Old Deng hoisted the heavy pole back onto his shoulders. The wood creaked under the weight as his body moved with practiced rhythm. Without looking back, he called out:
"Stay close, boy!"
"I will!" Qian Jue hurried after him, fascinated by the man's gait.
He noticed the load on Old Deng's shoulders didn't stay perfectly still—it bounced with each step. Every time the pole sprang upward, Old Deng would stride forward, and as it fell, he shifted his shoulder just enough to lift it again, repeating the cycle. The trick lessened the strain, saving energy over long distances.
"Laborers' wisdom really is boundless, no matter the world," Qian Jue thought, impressed.
Bit by bit, they left the city behind.
---
Once on the road, Qian Jue began to casually probe for information.
"Uncle Deng, do you farm as well?"
"Me? No. I run a small shop. Other than restocking trips, I just stay there and mind my business."
"I see… is Holy Spirit Village big? Do they have many shops like yours?"
"Not really. We've got about three hundred households, and I'm the only shopkeeper. It's not easy hauling supplies all that way, so most people wouldn't even try."
"So you're the only one! Must be quite profitable then, with everyone buying from you—especially wine, I bet."
Deng snorted. "Profitable? Just enough to cover the road costs. Villagers mostly buy oil, salt, rice, sauces… but yeah, there's a lot of wine. Especially since we've got a drunkard in the village—drinks every single day. He's sunk so low he makes his four- or five-year-old son take care of him. Tsk, tsk."
The disdain in his voice was obvious.
But Qian Jue froze.
A drunkard… relying on his little boy to cook and look after him?
It had to be Tang Hao—and that boy, Tang San.
In that instant, everything clicked. This was before the story began, before Tang San awakened his spirit.
"Perfect timing. Jackpot!"
Qian Jue clapped his hands together in excitement, a sharp smack echoing in the air.
"What's wrong with you?" Old Deng shot him a puzzled look.
"Ah, nothing! Just curious… this drunkard, is he the village blacksmith by any chance?"
"Yeah, how'd you know? Don't tell me his lousy reputation has spread all the way to your hometown?"
"Exactly! My father hated men like that—lazy, useless, living off others."
Inside, Qian Jue was grinning ear to ear. Out loud, he simply played along.
"Such a pity though… it's the kid who suffers most, having to endure all that hardship at such a young age."
"Bah, hardship isn't always bad. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That boy will grow up tough, maybe even destined for great things."
Qian Jue chuckled and agreed, forgetting for a moment that he himself was still a child.
Old Deng glanced back at him, surprised at the boy's composure. Then he sighed inwardly.
"Still just a kid… sad one moment, cheerful the next. Doesn't really understand what loss means yet. Maybe that's for the best."
"Uncle Deng? What are you mumbling about?"
"Nothing. Keep walking."
And so the pair—one tall, one small—walked for half a day. Along the way, Qian Jue gathered plenty of details: they were in the Heaven Dou Empire, with another empire called Star Luo across the continent.
Specifically, they were in the southwest region, within Fasinuo Province, under the jurisdiction of Nuoding City.
Nuoding wasn't a huge city, but its location near the border made it a hub of trade between the two empires. The prosperity spilled over into the nearby villages, allowing common folk to live better than most.
Most importantly, every year, the Spirit Hall —the only official Spirit master organization—sent people to villages to awaken children's martial spirits. And this year's ceremony was only three months away.
"Three months," Qian Jue thought. "In that time, I need to settle in Holy Spirit Village, get close to Tang San and his father, and prepare for my own awakening. I may not have Tang San's twin spirits, but come on—I'm a transmigrator. Heaven's chosen child. There's no way my spirit will be ordinary!"
"Here we are," Old Deng suddenly called out.
Lost in thought, Qian Jue looked up. Before him stood a stone stele, crimson letters carved deep into its surface:
Holy Spirit Village.