Douluo: Starting with an Engagement to Zhu Zhuqing

Chapter 27: The Chasm

Before them lay two pools, one large and one small, separated from each other.

The pools were surrounded by an endless forest, dense and dark. The smaller pool bubbled with steam—clearly a hot spring—with a humble straw hut built beside it. Above the larger pool, a white waterfall cascaded down, crashing into the water below with a resounding roar. At the base of the falls, a massive rock, smoothed from years of constant pounding, sat in the pool.

"What a perfect spot!" Dai Yao thought, eyeing the boulder, which seemed an ideal place for training.

Pointing to the straw hut by the smaller pool, he asked the student, "Is that where the owner lives?"

"Yes, Your Highness," the student replied. "The owner here is Feng Wutong. She's a bit peculiar, so please proceed carefully."

Following a narrow path along the water's edge, the three made their way to the hut. It was simple, made only from wood planks and thatch, but curiously, the ground near the hut was charred as if scorched by fire.

Pushing aside his curiosity, Dai Yao knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" A crisp, lively voice responded from within, youthful and full of energy.

The door opened, revealing a slender young girl with vibrant red hair cascading down her back. She was a bit taller than Dai Yao, with a petite frame showing early hints of beauty, foreshadowing a stunning figure in the future.

Though, in his eyes, she wasn't quite as striking as Zhu Zhuqing.

"It's me, Zhang Xiaofan," the student introduced himself, nodding to the red-haired girl. "I'm here on behalf of someone interested in purchasing your simulated training ground."

He sounded familiar, as if he and the girl were old friends.

"Forget it! I'd never sell to those spoiled nobles!" Feng Wutong snapped, showing no hesitation in scolding Zhang Xiaofan. "At least I haven't stooped to serving them like you! Fawning over them every day—you're shameless!"

Zhang Xiaofan sighed, as though expecting her response, then turned to Dai Yao with a hint of pride as he introduced him, his tone raising a notch.

"This time, it's different. Today's guest isn't just any noble—this is the Fourth Prince of Xingluo!"

"The Fourth Prince of Xingluo?" Feng Wutong's eyes narrowed skeptically as she glared at Dai Yao. She then rounded on Zhang Xiaofan with fury. "Who do you think you're fooling? There are only three princes in the empire! You're really grasping at straws!"

"I swear I'm not lying!" Zhang Xiaofan insisted desperately.

Dai Yao stepped forward, gently pushing Zhang Xiaofan aside. "My name is Dai Yao. I was recently named the Fourth Prince of the Xingluo Empire. Maybe you were too focused on training to hear the news."

Seeing both Dai Yao's earnestness and Zhang Xiaofan's nod, Feng Wutong reconsidered, her demeanor turning more respectful. "Even if you are a prince, I still won't sell," she said firmly, moving to close the door.

Dai Yao quickly caught the door, urging, "At least hear my offer before refusing."

But Feng Wutong simply brushed his hand away and shut the door with a resounding bang, her cold voice calling out from behind it:

"It doesn't matter how much you offer. I won't sell. To nobles like you, this might just be a scenic spot. But for me, it's the key to my survival. I will never part with it."

"Leave," she added resolutely.

The door between them seemed to mirror the chasm between nobility and commoners.

Dai Yao felt a pang of bitterness. Feng Wutong saw this training ground as her only chance to change her fate, and for him, it was the same.

But her refusal left him at a loss.

Still, he was determined to find a solution. He'd noticed the familiarity between Zhang Xiaofan and Feng Wutong, suggesting Zhang Xiaofan knew more than he let on.

Turning to Zhang Xiaofan, Dai Yao fixed him with a cool gaze. "You seem to know why she's so unwilling. Care to share?"

Zhang Xiaofan swept the snow from a patch of ground, gesturing for Dai Yao to sit before letting out a heavy sigh. For the first time, his mask of cheerful deference fell, revealing a thoughtful sadness beneath.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. "There's more to her refusal than you realize."

Taking a stick, he drew a deep line in the snow-covered earth, then pointed to one side of it. "In this academy, there are four people everyone should avoid. The first two are the princes, the First and Second Prince. They represent the nobles."

"Powerful spirits, exceptional talent—they're born soul masters and natural rulers," he said, then tapped the other side of the line with his stick. "On the other side, we have the commoners. The ones who make it to the Royal Academy are talented, too, but compared to the nobles, their spirits are nothing."

The line in the snow marked a divide, a chasm separating nobles from commoners.

"But there's one commoner whose spirit surpasses even some of the noble families'. It's one of the top beast spirits. He's bold and upright, always ready to help if any commoner is bullied. He's become something of a symbol, a leader among us commoners, and he's even formed a third faction here."

"He's the third of those you shouldn't mess with," Zhang Xiaofan continued.

"In fact, most commoners who make it to Xingluo Royal Academy have mutated spirits, which often come with side effects. Feng Wutong and I are no exception."

"Feng Wutong's spirit is a double-edged sword. She's tormented by an inner flame that only the hot spring can ease. For her, this training ground is a lifeline."

Dai Yao and Zhu Zhuqing fell silent.

Though Dai Yao had known about the chasm between the classes on the Douluo Continent, hearing this firsthand was still sobering.

In the original story, Ma Hongjun and Oscar of the Shrek Seven Devils were true commoners. Both only became soul masters due to spirit mutations—Ma Hongjun's mutated spirit left him burdened by evil fire, which only physical release could relieve.

"Then why did you bring me here, knowing what it would mean for her?" Dai Yao asked quietly.

Zhang Xiaofan's eyes dimmed, and tears slipped down his cheeks. In a choked voice, he replied, "I didn't want to, but I had no choice. I just want to survive. I need money for medicinal herbs to counteract my own spirit's side effects… If I don't get them, my spirit will kill me."

"To stay alive, I sold myself to the nobles. I scrape and bow and betray my friends. Those who were once my friends now despise me."

Dai Yao placed a comforting hand on Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder, as the young man's quiet sobs filled the night.

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.