Douluo Dalu 2: You are an Evil Soul Master, but also a good person ?

Jiang Nannan walked forward in a daze.

The light in her beautiful eyes gradually faded.

She already knew what she was about to experience. From the way the steward had sized her up and down, she was nothing more than a commodity being sold.

Helplessness and humiliation flooded her mind.

She was unwilling, but for the sake of her mother, she had no choice…

The streets were ablaze with lanterns and crowded with people.

Today, the Xuánmíng Sect had set up banquets everywhere, hanging pink lanterns. According to the shopkeepers, a joyous occasion was being celebrated, a grand festival-like event. Many commoners took this opportunity to enjoy a rare full meal. Even though night had fallen, the streets were still bustling.

"Sigh, what do you think this big celebration in the Xuánmíng Sect is about?"

"No idea. I guess some young master of the Xuánmíng Sect is having his wedding night tonight!"

"Maybe one of the elders of the Xuánmíng Sect has broken through to a higher cultivation level?"

"..."

By the street, many people, full from the feast, were chatting idly and boasting.

Jiang Nannan silently walked past them.

She didn't want anyone to know that the person they were discussing… was her.

But suddenly, an inappropriate voice interrupted.

"Hey, have you guys heard of a group called the Holy Spirit Church?"

A middle-aged man dressed in simple clothes, looking like an ordinary commoner, suddenly lowered his voice.

"Holy Spirit Church? Never heard of it."

"What church? Is it more powerful than the Xuánmíng Sect?"

"..."

"Tsk tsk, you're so ignorant!" The man put on a mysterious expression and gestured for the people around him to lean in.

"You've all heard of Evil Soul Masters, right?"

"Hey, you!"

"Don't freakin' scare me, damn it!"

"Sounds like a ghost story. I'll use this to scare someone later."

"You guys are clueless!" The man waved dismissively, remaining calm despite the skepticism.

His words piqued Jiang Nannan's curiosity, and she unconsciously stopped walking.

Though the man was speaking in hushed tones, she was a Soul Elder—her hearing was far better than an ordinary person's.

A question rose in her heart.

Evil Soul Masters? At Shrek Academy, she had been taught that they were the worst kind of people—bloodthirsty murderers who terrorized commoners.

But from the way this man spoke…

"Heh, then listen up!" The man rolled up his sleeves and took a big swig of wine. His face was already slightly flushed from the alcohol, but his voice grew even louder.

"You all know about the Spirit Hall, right?"

"I've heard of it. But a thousand years ago, they were said to be wicked criminals who plundered and slaughtered, and they were ultimately wiped out by our ancestor Tang San and the Heaven Dou Empire…"

"That's bullshit! Plundering and slaughtering? Did you see it with your own eyes?" The man glared at the speaker.

"Well… no," the person said awkwardly, then tried to argue, "But that's what the history books say!"

"Heh, history books—those are just tools the nobles use to fool us!"

"Let me ask you, how much does it cost for a commoner family to awaken their child's martial soul?"

The man continued.

"I heard Old Zhang's family did it once. They had to pay at least a hundred gold soul coins to get a noble to help awaken the martial soul. In the end, Old Zhang used up his entire fortune just for his son to awaken… a hoe. I heard he fainted from anger on the spot. A good family was ruined, just like that…"

An old man, who looked like a shop assistant, sighed.

After all, a family of three only spent about one gold soul coin per month. A hundred gold coins? That would take ten years of saving without spending a single cent!

"Exactly. If you win this gamble, the nobles will cover the costs and take your child in, providing them with resources. But if you lose… your entire family is doomed."

Hearing this, everyone shook their heads.

Yet, they only sighed in resignation, not in anger.

For ordinary folk, simply surviving was already a blessing. What more could they hope for?

"But a thousand years ago, the so-called 'evil' Spirit Hall helped every household awaken their martial souls for free! No fees at all! If they found a child with talent, they would cover all costs and send them to a local academy. Whether they chose to join the Spirit Hall afterward was entirely up to them!"

"What?!"

Everyone around was dumbfounded.

In this day and age, awakening a martial soul was a privilege only nobles could afford. If a commoner even mentioned it, they were seen as a reckless fool.

But back then, it was free?!

The difference was unimaginable…

"Are you sure this information is true?"

A farmer asked, doubtful.

"Is there really such a generous organization?"

"Hmph, that's just the beginning…"

The man's face grew even redder, clearly feeling the effects of the alcohol.

"Spirit Hall also sought to unify the continent. Tell me, if the continent were unified, would we still need to be forcibly conscripted into wars? Would we still have to fight and die?"

"Then why did our ancestor Tang San… stop Spirit Hall from unifying the continent?"

Someone asked, puzzled.

"Because his mother was a Blue Silver Grass soul beast, and his father… well, let's just say his father had a 'unique taste.'" The man coughed, then continued, "Since his mother was hunted by the Spirit Hall and ultimately sacrificed herself, he always harbored hatred toward them."

"Oh, so that's why!" Someone suddenly understood.

"His dad really had some… interesting preferences."

"And there's more," the man grinned drunkenly. "Here's something even more ironic. When Tang San was a child, his father completely ignored him. At just four or five years old, he had to cook for himself—and even for his dad! His old man was a drunkard. If the kid couldn't cook, he'd starve!"

"But wasn't his father the famous Haotian Douluo, really powerful?" Someone asked.

"Strong, yes. But he was a terrible person. Especially after losing his wife, he drowned himself in alcohol. If not for the neighbors helping out, Tang San would've starved to death!"

"Let me continue."

"When Tang San turned six, the best age for awakening a martial soul, his father didn't even lift a finger. He just lay around like a dead pig…"

"So guess who ended up awakening his martial soul for him?"

The man smirked mysteriously.

"Don't tell me… it was the Spirit Hall?!"

Someone gasped in disbelief.

"Bingo! It was the Spirit Hall," the man shook his head and sighed. "And after that, he even relied on the Spirit Hall's monthly soul master stipends to survive his early years…"

"That bastard!"

"This is like biting the hand that fed him! What kind of person does that?!"

"…"

Instantly, the crowd was furious.

In other words, they could tolerate living in darkness—because they had never known light.

But because of one foolish Tang San, bam, their original happiness was taken away!