A self-proclaimed grandpa?
Grandpa Jack!
Yin Zhang finished his meal in two quick bites and said, "You guys eat first. I'm going to see my grandpa."
With that, he left the cafeteria and headed straight for the academy gates.
When he arrived, the person waiting outside was indeed Old Jack.
"Greetings, Young Master," the two gatekeepers said ingratiatingly.
Yin Zhang ignored them and walked straight up to Old Jack.
"Grandpa Jack, why are you here?"
Old Jack carefully looked Yin Zhang up and down before breaking into a satisfied smile.
"School's started, hasn't it? So I came to Nuoding City to check on you. And sure enough, you've successfully enrolled. Very good."
Yin Zhang nodded with a smile. Seeing that they were blocking traffic at the gate, he pulled Old Jack into a nearby side alley.
Grinning, he said, "Grandpa Jack, look carefully. I'm already a Spirit Master."
As he spoke, Yin Zhang summoned his Charizard Martial Soul and activated Spirit Possession.
He deliberately restrained his aura, but the orange-yellow spirit ring beneath his feet still made Old Jack's eyes shine.
"A hundred-year spirit ring!"
Strictly speaking, it was a nine-hundred-year spirit ring—nine hundred and twenty years, to be exact.
"Good, very good!" Old Jack laughed as he stroked his beard. "Xiao Zhang, you truly are the pride of our Saint Spirit Village!"
Yin Zhang briefly explained how he had been living at Ma Xiunuo's place over the past two months. Old Jack reminded him to remember this kindness, and Yin Zhang nodded with a smile.
After they finished chatting, Old Jack hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"Xiao Zhang… there's something I need to tell you. Since you spend most of the year at the academy anyway, when you come back to the village, you should just live at my place."
Yin Zhang's heart sank.
"Did someone move in?"
Two months ago, Ma Xiunuo had speculated that the Spirit Hall might send someone to take him away, but no one had ever come. Yin Zhang had asked about it, but Ma Xiunuo didn't know either—his status within the Spirit Hall simply wasn't high enough.
At the time, Yin Zhang had wondered if it was because Qian Xunji, along with Ju Douluo and Ghost Douluo, had been gravely injured by Tang Hao.
Speaking of Tang Hao, Yin Zhang couldn't help thinking about the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone.
According to the original story, it was the seed left behind after Ah Yin sacrificed herself, buried by Tang Hao in a cave. If the timing was right, it might be possible to seize that hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone and flee to the Spirit Hall afterward.
Old Jack sighed.
"Yes. One night during a heavy rain, a man carrying a child came to Saint Spirit Village. Seeing how pitiful they were, I temporarily arranged for them to stay in your house. But the next day, when I went to discuss having the villagers build them a new home…"
"…that man—Tang Hao—refused. He said he wanted that house and didn't want to move again. Then he tossed a bag of gold coins at me. I tried to persuade him further, but he wouldn't listen. Sigh."
As he spoke, Old Jack took out a small cloth pouch and slowly opened it. Inside were gleaming gold coins.
"That Tang Hao just lies around the village now, ignoring his own child. Once, I even saw him pour freshly cooked, scalding-hot white porridge straight into the baby's mouth!"
Old Jack sighed again.
Yin Zhang silently thought, Good grief. If that kid Tang San hadn't transmigrated through soul possession, he really might have been killed by Tang Hao's way of raising a child.
Where would the future famous "Dead-Wife Douluo," Tang God King, be then?
"Well, what do you think, Xiao Zhang?" Old Jack asked.
Yin Zhang didn't answer immediately. He frowned slightly.
[Detected that the host is facing a housing-related issue. The following choices have been triggered:
1. The Third Brother has finally descended upon this world—a true blessing for Douluo Continent! Approve the arrangement and return to Saint Spirit Village during the first semester break to personally raise the swaddled Third Brother.
Reward: Storage-type Spirit Tool (10 cubic meters, necklace form)
2. As soon as Third Dog appeared, he and his father took over my house—unacceptable! Firmly oppose this and return to Saint Spirit Village with Old Jack immediately to rebuke the old dog Tang Hao and the swaddled Third Dog, only to be smashed to death by a hammer.
Reward: One resurrection opportunity (Revive, my protagonist!)
3. Endure it for now. Old dog Tang Hao will eventually be nothing but bones in a grave, and Third Dog will only become the so-called "Dead-Wife Douluo." Wait until you are fully developed, then trample them all beneath your feet!
Reward: Thousand-Year Whale Glue]
Yin Zhang's mouth twitched when he saw the first option. Only someone with a broken brain would choose that.
When he saw the reward for the second option, his eyes lit up—but after a moment's thought, he shook his head.
If Tang Hao smashed him to death, what if the resurrection triggered right on the spot? Did he really want to experience being turned into minced meat again?
And even if he resurrected elsewhere, the reward wasn't particularly useful.
Without hesitation, Yin Zhang chose the third option.
Whale glue first appeared in Douluo Dalu I, but its true effects were clearly shown in Douluo Dalu II.
After Huo Yuhao accidentally consumed ten-thousand-year whale glue, the benefits he gained were astonishing—it was a genuine treasure.
Introduction: Whale glue is a special substance extracted from the brain of a whale-type Spirit Beast. It has powerful nourishing effects for Spirit Masters, strengthening the body and enhancing the toughness of muscles, bones, and meridians, while also increasing endurance. On Douluo Continent, whale glue is widely believed to help Spirit Masters withstand and absorb higher-aged spirit rings, thereby increasing their overall strength.
Although this piece was only thousand-year whale glue, it was more than sufficient for the current Yin Zhang.
[Congratulations to the host for choosing the third option. Thousand-Year Whale Glue has been stored in your personal warehouse. You may view it via the Personal Attributes interface.]
[Host]: Yin Zhang
[Age]: 7
[Spirit]: Charizard
[Spirit Power]: Rank 16
[Spirit Ring]: Yellow
[Spirit Abilities]: Dragon Claw, Double Team, Azure Flame Shield, Flamethrower
[Spirit Bone]: None
[Warehouse]: Thousand-Year Whale Glue
Only then did Yin Zhang come back to himself and reply,
"It's fine, Grandpa Jack. Since they're pitiful, I won't make a fuss over it. When I return to the village in the future, I'll just live with you."
Old Jack finally let out a sigh of relief and firmly stuffed the pouch of gold coins into Yin Zhang's hand.
"Sigh… I feel guilty about this too. You just went out to study, and your home is already gone. But my heart really aches for that child, Tang San. He lost his mother right after being born, and his father is an old bastard who does nothing but drink all day. If I didn't go check on Tang Hao's house every day, I don't know what would have happened to Little San."
"There's only one family in the village that sells alcohol, right?" Yin Zhang suddenly asked.
Old Jack froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.
"Yes. Ever since Tang Hao arrived, he's been buying alcohol from them nonstop. They've made a small fortune and even deliver it directly to him now."
"I just don't know how long his money will last. Once he runs out, I'll go find him and make him our village blacksmith. When he first arrived, he was quite skilled with a hammer."