Chapter 1: A Small Village by the Mountain

Er Lengzi opened his eyes wide, staring straight at the black roof made of thatch and mud. The old quilt covering his body had turned a deep yellow, its original appearance no longer discernible, and it emitted a faint, lingering smell of mold.

Lying right next to him was his second brother, Han Zhu, who was sleeping very soundly, with snores of varying intensity coming from him from time to time.

About half a zhang away from the bed was a wall made of yellow mud. Because of the passage of time, several inconspicuous, long, thin cracks had appeared on the wall. From these cracks, the nagging voice of Mother Han could be heard faintly, occasionally mixed with the "pa-da, pa-da" sucking sounds of Father Han smoking his dry tobacco pipe.

Er Lengzi slowly closed his eyes, which were already feeling a bit gritty, forcing himself to enter a deep sleep as soon as possible. He knew very well that if he didn't go to sleep honestly, he wouldn't be able to wake up early tomorrow, and thus wouldn't be able to go into the mountains to pick dry firewood with the companions he had agreed to meet.

Er Lengzi's surname was Han and his given name was Li. His parents could never have come up with such a decent name; it was a name his father had begged Old Uncle Zhang in the village to give him, in exchange for two steamed buns made of coarse grain.

When Old Uncle Zhang was young, he had spent several years as a study companion for a wealthy person in the city. He was the only literate person in the village, and more than half of the children in the village had been named by him.

Han Li was called "Er Lengzi" by the villagers, but he was not truly dull or foolish; on the contrary, he was the smartest child in the village. However, just like the other children in the village, apart from his family, he rarely heard anyone formally call him by his name, "Han Li." Instead, the nickname "Er Lengzi" had followed him to this day.

The reason he was given the nickname "Er Lengzi" was simply because there was already a child in the village named "Lengzi."

This was nothing unusual; the other children in the village were also called things like "Gouwa" or "Erdan," and these names were not necessarily any better-sounding than "Er Lengzi."

Therefore, although Han Li did not like this nickname, he could only console himself in this way.

Han Li's appearance was very unremarkable; his skin was dark, and he looked just like an ordinary farm boy. But deep in his heart, he was much more mature than his peers. Since he was young, he had yearned for the richness and prosperity of the outside world, dreaming that one day he could walk out of this tiny village and see the outside world that Old Uncle Zhang often talked about.

However, Han Li had never dared to mention this idea to anyone else. Otherwise, it would certainly have shocked the villagers that a wet-behind-the-ears brat could have such a thought that even adults wouldn't easily dare to entertain. You must know that other children of Han Li's age only knew how to chase chickens and dogs all over the village, let alone have such a strange idea of leaving their homeland.

Han Li's family had seven people: two older brothers, an older sister, and a younger sister. He was the fourth in the family and had just turned ten this year. The family's life was very hard; they couldn't even eat a few meals with meat in a year, and the whole family had always been hovering on the line of subsistence.

At this moment, Han Li was in a daze, between being asleep and awake, and this thought still lingered in his mind: when he went up the mountain, he must help his most beloved younger sister pick more of the red berries she liked to eat.

The next day at noon, when Han Li was braving the scorching sun, carrying a pile of firewood half a person tall, and with a cloth bag full of berries in his arms, hurrying home from the mountains, he did not know that a guest who would change his life had already arrived at his home.

This distinguished guest was a very close relative, his own third uncle.

It was said that he was the head manager of a restaurant in a nearby small town and was a very capable person in the eyes of his parents. In the last hundred years, the Han family had perhaps only produced one relative with some status like the third uncle.

Han Li had only seen this third uncle a few times when he was very young. His eldest brother's job as an apprentice to an old blacksmith in the city had been introduced by this third uncle. This third uncle also often entrusted people to bring some food and daily necessities to his parents, taking very good care of their family. Therefore, Han Li had a very good impression of this third uncle, knowing that although his parents didn't say it, they were also very grateful in their hearts.

His eldest brother was the pride of the family. It was said that as a blacksmith's apprentice, not only were food and lodging provided, but he also received thirty copper coins a month. Once he officially finished his apprenticeship and was hired by someone, he would earn even more money.

Whenever his parents mentioned his eldest brother, they would be full of spirit, as if they had become different people. Although Han Li was young, he was full of envy, and he had long since had the best job in his mind: to be favored by some craftsman in the small city, taken on as an apprentice, and from then on become a decent person who made a living by his craft.

So when Han Li saw his third uncle, who was wearing a brand-new satin outfit, had a chubby round face, and a small mustache, he was extremely excited.

After putting the firewood behind the house, he went to the front room to shyly pay his respects to his third uncle, obediently called out "Hello, Third Uncle," and then stood honestly to the side, listening to his parents chat with his third uncle.

The third uncle looked at Han Li with a smile, sized him up, praised him for being "obedient" and "sensible," and then turned his head to tell his parents the purpose of his visit this time.

Although Han Li was still young and couldn't fully understand his third uncle's words, he understood the general meaning.

It turned out that the restaurant where his third uncle worked belonged to a Jianghu sect called the "Qixuan Sect." This sect was divided into an outer sect and an inner sect. Not long ago, his third uncle had officially become an outer sect disciple of this sect and was able to recommend children aged 7 to 12 to participate in the Qixuan Sect's test for recruiting inner sect disciples.

The "Qixuan Sect" inner sect disciple recruitment test, which happened once every five years, was going to start next month. This third uncle, who had a bit of shrewdness and no children of his own, naturally thought of the age-appropriate Han Li.

His father, who had always been honest and simple, felt a bit hesitant and couldn't make up his mind when he heard words he had never heard before, like "Jianghu" and "sect." He picked up his dry tobacco pipe, took a few hard puffs of "ba-da, ba-da," and sat there without saying a word.

In the third uncle's words, the "Qixuan Sect" was naturally a remarkable, one of the top two major sects within a radius of several hundred miles.

As long as one became an inner sect disciple, not only could one learn martial arts for free and have no worries about food and drink in the future, but one could also receive more than a tael of loose silver for pocket money every month. Moreover, those who participated in the test, even if they were not selected, had the opportunity to become outer sect personnel like his third uncle, specifically managing the sect's business outside.

When he heard that it was possible to get a tael of silver every month and have the opportunity to become a decent person like his third uncle, his father finally made up his mind and agreed.

Seeing that his father had agreed, the third uncle was very happy. He left a few taels of silver, saying that he would come to take Han Li away in a month, and during this period, he should feed Han Li more good food to nourish his body so he could cope with the test. Afterward, the third uncle greeted his father, touched Han Li's head, and went out to return to the city.

Although Han Li didn't fully understand what his third uncle said, he understood that he could go to the city and earn a lot of money.

His long-held wish was about to be realized, and he was so excited for several nights in a row that he couldn't sleep.

More than a month later, the third uncle arrived in the village on time to take Han Li away. Before leaving, his father repeatedly urged Han Li to be honest, to be patient when encountering things, and not to get into disputes with others, while his mother told him to take care of his health and to eat and sleep well.

In the carriage, watching the figures of his parents gradually moving away, Han Li bit his lip, holding back the tears in his eyes.

Although he had been much more mature than other children since he was young, he was still a ten-year-old child after all. His first trip far from home made him feel a bit sad and lost. In his young heart, he secretly made up his mind that once he earned a lot of money, he would rush back immediately and never be separated from his parents again.

Han Li never thought that after this trip, the amount of money would lose its meaning to him; he had actually embarked on an immortal path different from that of mortals, walking out his own path of cultivation.

(Web) ===== CHAPTER 2 =====