Douluo Continent: I am Black Tiger Afu!

Nok Village.

The old locust tree at the east end of the village still casts its familiar shadow in the morning light.

As two familiar figures reappeared at the village entrance, Afu's booming voice once again echoed throughout the village:

"Hey guys, your boss is back!!!"

"It's the boss and Brother Yanfeng!"

Several children playing near the locust tree were the first to notice and rushed to the two. Among them, the chubby boy Wu Heishui was the most excited.

Afu and the other two were still wearing the flowing robes that Ye Xingchen had given them, which surprised all the children.

"Boss, where have you been for the past month?"

"Yeah, boss, my dad warned me before that if people from other villages come to ask about you, you should say you don't know."

"Boss, this outfit is made of really good material, where did you get it?"

Several children gathered around the two of them, chattering away, and Afu answered them one by one.

As Afu's voice gradually spread, the villagers, who had been busy with their own tasks, put down their work and gathered at the village entrance.

As the former leader of the village's children, Afu was gone for more than a month. Moreover, after the village chief's son, Da Niu, returned, he went from house to house warning that if any outsiders came to ask, they should say that there were no such people in the village.

Everyone was very worried about the safety of the two during this period, after all, they were children that everyone had watched grow up.

Among them, Uncle Da Niu was the most excited.

After all, he was the one who personally led the two to Tianyun City to awaken their martial souls, and he was also the one who personally watched the two hastily escape from Tianyun City. His heart was filled with torment!

A moment later, a large number of villagers who had heard the commotion rushed over and surrounded the two of them.

"Grandpa Village Chief! Uncle Big Ox!"

Yan Feng spotted the arriving village chief Wu Laohuai and Wu Daniu at a glance, and his eyes inexplicably welled up with tears.

Old Wu walked over and carefully looked them up and down several times. Seeing that the two had returned unharmed, his long-held anxiety finally subsided.

"Okay, okay...it's good that you're back!"

Uncle Niu rubbed his rough hands, wanting to ask but afraid of asking something he shouldn't know, his dark face full of concern: "Back then..."

"It's alright, Uncle Niu, it's all taken care of! By the way, has the village been alright this past month?" Afu patted his hand.

Uncle Niu shook his head: "It's nothing. Some people from the city did come and inquire about you two, but we managed to fool them!"

Afu stepped forward and comforted him, "It's good that the village is alright, Uncle Da Niu. We've encountered a great opportunity."

"An opportunity?" The villagers who had gathered around looked at each other in bewilderment.

Afu grinned and cleared his throat:

"Uncles and elders! Yan Feng and I have met a benefactor! The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, the wealthiest sect on the continent, has taken a liking to our talents and wants to take us into their sect to nurture us with all their might!"

After he finished speaking, the crowd was silent for a moment, then burst into discussion.

"The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School? What's that? Is it even more powerful than the City Lord's Mansion?"

"I knew you two would amount to something!"

"Congratulations! Our village is finally going to produce a Soul Master!" Village Chief Wu Laohuai cried with excitement.

In the Douluo Continent, ten thousand years later, in an era where the Soul Master profession is strictly controlled by the aristocratic class.

If a village can produce a Soul Master, the village's future path will be much easier.

If this Soul Master were to lend a little help, the future of the children in this village would be much better, and at least more children would participate in the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.

"Oh, right!"

Remembering his previous preparations, Afu hurriedly took out a heavy cloth bag from his bosom and handed it to Old Wu:

"Village Chief, here are the gold soul coins that Yan Feng and I brought back, two hundred in total! They were given to us by the sect in advance!"

It's not that I don't want to take more, but two hundred is the most appropriate. If I take out too many gold soul coins, it won't be repaying a debt of gratitude, but rather inviting disaster!

"Twenty of them are to be returned to the uncles and elders who pooled their money to help us awaken our martial souls. The rest are for the village, as a small token of our appreciation."

Two hundred gold soul coins! This number made all the villagers gasp in shock.

It took almost half the village to collect those twenty gold soul coins, and they even had to sell the village chief's old ox.

Now, not only have they returned, but they've increased several times over!

Old Wu's hands trembled slightly: "Keep this money for yourselves; you'll need it for many things in the future..."

"Grandpa, please accept it." Yan Feng said sincerely.

"Without the village, without everyone, we wouldn't be where we are today. This money may not mean much to us in the future, but it's very important to the village. At the very least, it can buy a few more cows."

……

A hundred meters away from the two, Ye Xingchen, Ning Xueyan, and Ning Tian stood quietly.

They didn't go up to disturb the couple as they said goodbye to the villagers; if they had, it would have made them feel uncomfortable.

Seeing Afu and his companion surrounded by many villagers, Ning Xueyan felt very gratified.

This at least shows that both of them are loyal and righteous people, and they will not raise ungrateful children in the future.

A hint of envy flashed in Ning Tian's eyes.

As the young master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, she is young but already knows a lot.

She only reveals her true nature in front of her mother and other very close relatives; at other times, she must maintain a proper demeanor and the bearing of a young sect leader.

She wasn't without children her age, but unlike the simple closeness of the children in the village, the children from the major sects had too many thoughts on their minds.

Otherwise, she wouldn't only have Wu Feng as a playmate by now.

"Let's go, Uncle Ye, Tian'er." Ning Xueyan turned around.

"I need to go to Tianyun City. I promised that kid something, and I have to keep my word."

Just as the three were about to leave, a thought suddenly occurred to Ning Xueyan:

"Uncle Ye, what do you think...? Below the lowest-ranking Three Treasures Pavilion in the sect's merchant guild, what's the idea of ​​setting up a One Treasures Pavilion, not for Soul Masters, but solely for the common people?"

Ye Xingchen paused in his steps:

"You are now the sect leader of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, and the future development of the sect is entirely up to you. But I must remind you of something: ten thousand years ago, the Spirit Hall was besieged by various forces. Besides its excessive ambition, what was the fundamental reason?"

Ning Xueyan fell silent and stopped speaking.

However, Ning Tian clearly remembered this idea.

……

Half a day later.

Afu and Yanfeng formally bid farewell to the villagers.

At this moment, seven or eight young girls squeezed to the front of the crowd; they were none other than the "veterans" of the Black Hand Gang.

Chubby Wu Heishui, a slightly slow-moving Yidao, and Xiaohu who always follows behind.

They watched their eldest and second eldest brothers about to leave, feeling somewhat reluctant. Wu Heishui's nose twitched incessantly.

Afu had never liked these tearful farewells. Instead of offering comfort, he shouted:

"Mafia, assemble!"

Upon hearing the sound, the little ones instinctively lined up in a row.

However, the person standing at the head of the team reporting to Afu is no longer Yan Feng, but Wu Heishui!

"Reporting to the boss, the entire Black Hand Gang has assembled."

"Wu Heishui!" Afu shouted loudly.

"Here!" The chubby boy straightened his back instinctively.

"From today onwards, you are the leader of the Black Hand Gang's Nok Village branch! You are responsible for leading everyone to continue practicing martial arts and protecting the village! Can you do it?"

"Yes!" Wu Heishui patted his chest loudly, his face flushed with excitement.

"Very good!" Afu smiled.

"Your deputy leader Yan Feng and I will go ahead to expand the Black Hand Gang's territory. Next year, when you turn six, I will return to personally awaken your martial spirits."

"Then!" Afu snorted coldly.

"I will check your practice of the Black Tiger Eighteen Forms. I won't let anyone who doesn't pass the test awaken their martial spirit."

"Did you understand?!"

"Understood!" the children shouted in unison!

"Okay, everyone has one. Turn right—target: the big locust tree, run—go!"

"yes!"

After watching the Black Hand Gang's core members run off into the distance, the two turned to look at the village chief and the others:

"Village Chief, Uncle Da Niu, we're leaving! We'll come back to see you next year!"

"well……"

After saying that, the two turned around and strode away along the dirt road outside the village.

Not far away, Ning Tian and his two companions were already waiting for the two!