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"Grandpa, I'm back!"
Arriving at the village chief's house in Holy Spirit Village, Tang San shouted and entered with Gu Yuena. Shen Hou, You Ji, Hai Zhu, and the others followed him into the yard.
Compared to before, Old Jack's house hadn't changed much, except for a complete renovation that made it look brand new. Anyone who saw it would think it was an ideal farmhouse for retirement.
"Little San, you're back!" Old Jack ran out of the house, his hunched back straightening a bit in his excitement.
"Grandpa is as spirited as ever."
Tang San approached and supported Old Jack's arm.
Ten years ago, in Tang San's eyes, Old Jack, though hunched, was tall, not only because he was small at six years old but also because Old Jack dared to scold Tang Hao. Now, ten years later, Tang San was taller than Old Jack and had inherited his boldness to stand up to Tang Hao.
"Haha, not at all. I'm old and useless now." Old Jack said happily, looking behind Tang San. Not seeing Xiao Wu, Guang Ling, or the others, but four unfamiliar faces, he looked puzzled. "Where are your childhood companions... I mean, your sisters?"
Tang San replied, "They're in Spirit Hall, working. They're quite busy. I was only able to come back because I took on a mission to hunt down fallen ones. Once I completed it, I had some time to visit."
"Of course, everyone in Holy Spirit Village is busy. You've moved to a bigger city, so you must be even busier. Plus, you've become the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, which means you have a lot to handle. You should go back quickly; you can't delay important matters!" Old Jack said seriously. "It wouldn't be good if the Pope blamed you."
"Grandpa, don't worry, I have some free time." Tang San laughed, thinking to himself about the Pope's potential anger.
"That's good." Old Jack relaxed, a smile returning to his face.
At this moment, Su Yuntao came out of the house and bowed. "Greetings, Holy Son."
"Please don't." Tang San quickly stopped him, teasing, "Tao brother, you know who I am. I can't accept such a grand gesture from you."
"Being called 'Tao brother' makes me feel honored." Unlike Old Jack, who only knew that the Holy Son was a big figure in Spirit Hall, Su Yuntao, as the head of the Nuoding Spirit Hall branch, understood the significance of the Holy Son—one of the candidates for the Pope! Even if Tang San didn't become the Pope, with his strength and abilities, he could become a high-ranking elder in Spirit Hall, second only to one person.
Moreover, he knew what contributions Tang San had made to Spirit Hall after arriving there.
Honestly, two years ago, Su Yuntao might have thought he could casually call Tang San his brother. But now, with Tang San maintaining the same attitude, it felt surreal.
Tang San was still the same as before!
"Don't be so nervous, Tao brother." Tang San smiled and went inside with Old Jack and Su Yuntao, followed by Gu Yuena. Shen Hou, You Ji, and Hai Zhu entered at Tang San's signal since Old Jack was friendly to strangers.
During their chat, Su Yuntao didn't mention Gu Yue Na and the others, nor did Old Jack ask. They both assumed Gu Yuena, Shen Hou, You Ji, and Hai Zhu were Tang San's companions on his mission.
However, Gu Yuena's curious actions—touching things here and there—did catch Old Jack's attention. She reminded him of Xiao Wu when she first visited his house.
Using the pretext of brewing tea, Old Jack found Gu Yuena playing outside in the yard and asked, "Little girl, are you also a soul master?"
Knowing this was Tang San's grandfather, Gu Yuena cheerfully replied, "That's right, I'm already a Soul Elder."
"A Soul Elder!" Old Jack was shocked. Over the past few years, he had often interacted with people from Spirit Hall and knew how difficult cultivation was. After all, Master Su was only a level thirty-nine Soul Elder.
This little girl was already a Soul Elder!
So, what level was Little San now?
At the start of the Soul Master Tournament, he had already become a Soul King.
"And I'm only eight years old," Gu Yuena added.
"Eight years old!" Old Jack's eyes widened even more. He had thought she might just look young due to some condition like dwarfism. He hadn't expected her to actually be so young...
Could it be a situation like Xiao Wu's?
Isn't that a bit too young?
Eight years old... Little San is sixteen now, so there's only an eight-year difference. Not a big deal; Old Wang in the village married a widow ten years younger just last year.
"So, are you on a mission with Tang San this time?" Old Jack wanted to clarify.
"That's right," Gu Yuena nodded, believing she wasn't just tagging along for fun.
"You're so young, even as a soul master, wouldn't your family disapprove?"
"Oh, you're worried about that? Rest assured, my family is Tang San."
Old Jack was taken aback, "(⊙_⊙) What?"
Gu Yuena briefly explained how Tang San had bought her, which made Old Jack extremely sympathetic. "An orphan with a sadder story than Xiao Wu's. Would you like to be my granddaughter? Tang San can be your brother, and you two will be like siblings."
Like siblings?
Gu Yuena thought for a moment and then sweetly called out, "Grandpa."
Tang San often reminded her of the large debt she owed, but now, as Old Jack's granddaughter, she wouldn't have to repay it, right?
Hehehe!
"Ah, good granddaughter." Old Jack was thrilled to have another granddaughter, fulfilling his dream of having a large family.
Inside the house, Tang San and Su Yuntao were discussing the development of Notting City and the surrounding villages.
"My idea is to make Holy Spirit Village the center and build wide roads connecting all the villages. We'll reallocate the existing and newly developed farmlands for unified planting and management, surrounding Nuoding City with them. The villagers will manage not only their own fields but also the communal fields, and we'll figure out a compensation method," Su Yuntao explained. "What do you think?"
"Surrounding the city with farmland?"
Tang San thought of the modern history he had learned in his past life and found Su Yuntao's idea quite good. "It would make the city self-sufficient in food, reducing the need for imports. If we develop high-yield crops in the future, we might even sell surplus grain to other regions."
The Nuoding City area, with its many basins and plains and few mountains, had the potential to become a major food-producing region if all the unused land was developed.
(End of Chapter)