The Mountain Village

Er Lengzi opened his eyes wide and stared straight at the black roof made of thatch and mud whose original appearance has already faded a lot and also exudes a faint musty smell.

And laying next to him was his second brother Han Zhu who has already fell deeply asleep and has began to snore.

About half a zhang (3.58 meters) away from the bed was an earthen wall made of yellow mud. On which contains few inconspicuous slender holes and cracks. From these cracks, Mother Han's faint grumbling sound could be heard occasionally mixed with Father Han's "smack" and "smack" sound of smoking a dry tobacco rod 😜.

Er Lengzi slowly closed his tired eyes, trying to force himself to fall asleep as soon as possible. As he knew very well in his heart that if he didn't fall asleep as soon as possible, he wouldn't be able to get up early tomorrow and follow his peers to go into the mountains to pick up dry woods...

Er Lengzi's name is Han Mingli. And was given by old uncle, because his parents couldn't come up with a decent name, his father had to ask the old Uncle Zhang in the village for a for a better one as he is the only one in the village who has a good sense of naming.

When Uncle Zhang was little, he used to interact with rich people in the city. And he was also the only scholar in the village who knew a few characters. So he was the one who gave most of the children in the village their name.

Han Li was called "Er Lengzi" by the villagers. Not because he was stupid. but the reason why he was nicknamed "Er Lengzi" was only because there is already a child named "Lengzi" in the village.

It doesn't really matter, other children in the village are also called names such as "Er Gou" and "Er Luanzi" and so on. Er Lengzi's name is by far better than these names.

Therefore, although Han Li did not like being called as such, but he could only comfort himself that his name is better than some of his peers all the time.

Han Li's appearance is very inconspicuous, with dark skin and skinny body just like an ordinary farm child. But he his far more matured than his peers. Since he was a child, he has always longed for the prosperity of the outside world. He always dreams that one day, he will be able to walk out of this palm-sized village and see the outside world that Uncle Zhang often talks about.

Deep down in his heart Han Li always had this idea of going outside the village one day, but had never dared to talk about it with anyone else. Otherwise, people in the village will be stunned and think he was but a stinky little brat who would dare to have such a thought that an adult would never dared to think of in his entire live. You must know that other children about the same age as Han Li are still chasing chickens and dogs all over the village, let alone having the idea of leaving their homeland, such a strange idea.

Han Li's family consists of seven people, two elder brothers, an elder sister, and a younger sister. He is the fourth eldest in the family and is only ten years old this year. his family's life is very hard that they couldn't eat several meaty meals in a year.

At this time that Han Li was still fighting to fall asleep, he suddenly fell in a daze, as he remembered that he must help his dearest sister to choose more red food that she loves to eat. berry. While going up the mountain tomorrow.

--------------------------------

At noon the next day, when Han Li was heading home from the mountain under the scorching sun, carrying half a human-height pile of firewood on his back, and a bag full of berries on his arm. On returning home, he met a guest who will change his fate forever.

This distinguished guest is a close relative of his third uncle.

It is said that in a restaurant of a small town nearby, he was a shopkeeper to a big shop, and was a great man. In the past 100 years, the Han family had never had any relative with a status such as third uncle.

Han Li only met this third uncle of his a few times when he was very young. His eldest brother's job as an apprentice to an old blacksmith in the city was introduced by the third uncle. Third uncle often asks people to bring food for his parents, and he takes care of their family very much. Han Li also had a good impression of this third uncle. He knew that even though his parents didn't say it, they were very grateful.

The eldest brother is the pride of the family. Han Li heard that being an apprentice of a blacksmith not only brings good food and housing, but they also takes thirty copper coins a month. When officially hired by a teacher, he will earn even more money.

Whenever Han Li's parents mentioned his big brother, they were always in high spirits, and were always like different people. Although Han Li was young, but he was always envious of his big brother. He had the best job in his mind long ago, that is to become a craftsman in a town and be accepted as an apprentice. and from there on to become a decent man who lived by his craftsmanship.

So when Han Li saw his third uncle who was wearing a brand-new satin dress, a fat round face, and a moustache, he was very excited.

After putting the firewood at the back of the house, he went to the front room and greeted his third uncle shyly.

Third uncle looked at Han Li with a smile, and praised him in a few words such as "obedient" and "sensible", then turned his head and talked to his parents about the purpose of his visit.

Although Han Li was still young and couldn't fully understand what third uncle was talking about, but he still understood the general meaning.

The restaurant where the third uncle works belongs to a Tianghu sect called "Qi Xuanmen". This sect is divided into outer and inner sects. Not long ago, the third uncle officially became this sect outer disciple, and the sect's outer layer disciples can recommend children between the age of 7 and 12 to participate in the Qixuanmen's test of recruiting inner disciples.

The five-yearly "Qi Xuanmen" recruits inner disciples for test will start next month. Third uncle, who has a bit of shrewdness in him and has no children naturally thought of Han Li since he is of the right age.

Father Han, who has always been honest and friendly, was a little hesitant to make up his mind when he heard words such as "Jianghu" and "Sect" that he had never heard of before. He picked up his dry tobacco stick and took a few poof and sat there without saying a word.

In the mouth of third uncle, "Qi Xuanmen" is naturally one of the most remarkable and one of the best sects within a radius of hundreds of miles.

As long as you become an inner disciple, you will not only be able to practice martial arts for free in the future, but you will also have more than one or two loose silver pockets every month. Moreover, those who participated in the test, even if they were not selected, would have the opportunity to become an outside doorman like third uncle, specializing in taking care of the business outside the door for "Qi Xuanmen".

When he heard that his son might get one or two silver coins a month, and that he might become a decent person like Third Uncle, Father Han immediately made up his mind and agreed.

Third uncle was very happy to see that Father Han agreed. He left a few taels of silver and said that he would come and take Han Li away in a month. During this period, he would always send some delicious food for Han Li, so that he would gain some strength for his body so that he could cope with the test. Then third uncle and Father Han said byes and third uncle touched Han Li's head and left the village .

Although Han Li didn't fully understand what third uncle said, he still understood that he could make a lot of money in the city.

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

After more than a month, third uncle came to the village to take Han Li away. Before leaving, Han's father repeatedly instructed Han Li to always be honest, to be patient, and not to argue with other people. his mother also asked him to always pay attention to his body, to eat and sleep well.

On the carriage, watching the figures of his parents gradually disappearing, Han Li bit his lip, resisting the tears in his eyes from dropping.

Although he has matured more than other children, but he still a child, and a ten-year-old child at that. The first time he his travelling abroad made him feel a little sad and hesitant. In his young heart, he secretly made up his mind to come back as soon as he made a lot of money and to never be separated from his parents again.

Han Li never imagined that after going out this time, money will no longer have meaning to him. He actually embarked on a path of immortality that was different from ordinary people, and walked out of his own path of cultivation