Showing Support

Busy days always seemed to pass especially quickly.

Before they knew it, the day of Lingxian Sect’s recruitment assembly had arrived.

Calling Xiushui Village packed with people today would be no exaggeration. Even the crowds that usually flocked to the village as a rising tourist destination paled in comparison.

The inns in Xiushui Village had been fully booked by visitors who had arrived days earlier. The various specialty guesthouses that had sprung up in recent years were likewise filled to capacity.

Even so, they were still nowhere near enough to meet the lodging needs of the countless people who had come to take part in Lingxian Sect’s disciple selection. There were simply too many of them.

Not wanting these travelers from afar to sleep in the streets, the village chief of Xiushui had organized the villagers to clear out as much space as possible in their homes for the visitors to stay.

But even that was not enough.

Many people could only stay in the neighboring villages. Those who were particular about their accommodations and had failed to secure a room at an inn or specialty guesthouse had no choice but to head for Cuifeng Town or Anqun County instead.

The sun had just risen, yet the neat roads of Xiushui Village were already overflowing with people.

The crowds were so dense that everyone had to squeeze past one another. Fortunately, Liu Yunan and the village chief had anticipated the situation and had arranged for the able-bodied young men of the village to keep the flow of people under control.

“Rong-ge, Rong-ge, wait up! I can barely see you anymore!”

“Yeah, yeah! Rong-ge, Fourth Sis, wait for us!”

Amid the crowd, four short figures struggled forward through the gaps between people. A boy and a girl led the way, with two more boys following behind them.

Xie Rong glanced back with clear disdain.

“Hua Xiao’er, you’re really useless. You can’t even keep up with Fourth Sis, and she’s a girl.”

The person Xie Rong called “Fourth Sis,” Yin Xiaoxiao, was two or three years older than the three boys. She was also the tallest of the four. Hearing their exchange, she glanced back at the two boys behind her.

“I’ve told you two to eat more every day, but you wouldn’t listen. Serves you right.”

After saying this, she not only failed to slow down but sped up instead. Her thin, small frame moved with remarkable agility as she slipped through every opening in the crowd.

Suddenly, a wave of cheers erupted from somewhere ahead.

Before those behind them could figure out what had happened, the sharp popping of firecrackers rang out from the front.

It turned out that on the village’s threshing ground, the village chief and the villagers had cordoned off an open area and were setting off several strings of firecrackers.

A moment later, several brightly colored, festive lion dancers leaped over the heads of the crowd and into the open space.

“Woo-hoo!”

Clearly, none of the visitors had expected Xiushui Village to put on such a show today. At the sight of it, they began cheering and applauding of their own accord.

As the lion dance troupe entered the area and began its performance, the accompanying musicians, who had been waiting nearby, started beating gongs and drums.

Xiushui Village had even invited suona players. The piercing sound of the suona soared into the sky amid the bustling crowd, pushing the already lively atmosphere to its peak.

This was a celebration organized by Xiushui Village for Lingxian Sect’s recruitment assembly.

“Tong Shuzheng, Governor of Liaju Prefecture, has come on behalf of the imperial court to congratulate Lingxian Sect on its recruitment!”

Amid the densely packed crowd, a procession bearing ceremonial banners slowly made its way toward the center. The most conspicuous person in the group was Tong Shuzheng, dressed in a vermilion official robe.

The ceremonial display surrounding him was clearly far grander than what would normally be permitted for a prefecture governor. It was obvious that this was precisely what he meant by “representing the imperial court.”

In truth, the congratulations from the imperial family and the three great sects had already been delivered to Lingxian Sect one after another some time ago.

Tong Shuzheng’s appearance today was an arrangement made by the imperial court to demonstrate, before the common people, how seriously it regarded Lingxian Sect.

On the second floor of a restaurant not far away, at a table beside a window overlooking the street, an elderly-looking man and an exceptionally handsome young man sat drinking tea as they watched the excitement at the threshing ground.

Outside, voices roared and applause rang out without end. Inside the restaurant, however, it was somewhat quieter.

“I didn’t expect the Pusi court to place such importance on Lingxian Sect. Yingzi, are you really certain you want to go to Lingxian Sect and try cultivating?” Yuan Jinsheng asked, looking at Shen Yingzi with concern.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want his son to cultivate. If Yingzi could truly embark on the path of cultivation, that would naturally be a good thing. After all, the higher one’s cultivation, the longer one’s lifespan.

But he knew his son’s circumstances better than anyone.

Shen Yingzi possessed a chaotic and extremely weak mixed spiritual root. It would likely be difficult for him even to draw qi into his body. Besides, he was already eighteen years old—somewhat past the ideal age to begin cultivation.

Three years earlier, after the campaign against Huanyou Kingdom had ended, Shen Yingzi had told Yuan Jinsheng that he intended to accept Lin Xiao’s invitation and travel to Lingxian Sect to cultivate.

Although Yuan Jinsheng had been somewhat surprised, he naturally supported his son once the decision had been made.

Thus, over the past three years, he hadn’t made Yingzi wait idly for Lingxian Sect to begin accepting disciples before starting to cultivate in earnest. Instead, he had taught him how to draw qi into his body himself.

Yet after three years, Shen Yingzi had managed to develop only the slightest sense of qi. He was still a long way from successfully drawing qi into his body.

Fortunately, Shen Yingzi was not an impatient person.

Having turned nineteen, Shen Yingzi had resumed dressing as a man a year earlier, when he turned eighteen.

However, his features and mannerisms remained rather feminine, making him look instead like a woman disguised as a man.

He looked up at his father, who was actually more eager than anyone for him to succeed in cultivation, and gave him a shy smile.

“Dad, I’ve already come all this way, so of course I have to give it a try. Don’t be afraid. At worst, I simply won’t be able to cultivate in the end. I can accept that, so please rest assured.”

Although failing to officially embark on the path of cultivation after three years had inevitably left him frustrated, he had always remembered the conversation he’d once had with Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao had known his cultivation aptitude from the beginning, yet he had still extended an invitation to him. Since Shen Yingzi had accepted it, he naturally had to come and try.

So he had already made up his mind: if Lingxian Sect truly could do nothing for him, he could always give up afterward. There was no harm in trying first.

Seeing the clarity in his son’s eyes and the rare determination within them, Yuan Jinsheng nodded and laughed heartily.

“It was your father who was being shortsighted. If you want to try, then try. Your father will accompany you!”

By now, Zhao Yunzhong had completely secured his position in Huanyou Kingdom with the help of that country’s support and the backing of his followers. Yuan Jinsheng, however, had suffered severe injuries in the Jishi Mine Cavern. Although his Golden Core had survived intact, his strength had declined greatly, and he no longer had any possibility of advancing further.

Therefore, after Zhao Yunzhong repeatedly urged him to stay, Yuan Jinsheng had still resigned from the important position he held and devoted himself to accompanying his son, who was determined to give cultivation a try.

Shen Yingzi pressed his lips together and smiled, two shallow dimples appearing on his cheeks.

“Thank you, Dad.”