1 The Village
In a poor and ordinary village next to the forest
Xu Su opened his eyes and stared at the mud and thatch roof over his head. The quilt covering his body was a deep yellow color and had a musty smell. It was so old that its original color could no longer be distinguished.
Next to him lay his second brother, Xu Zhu, who appeared to be in a deep slumber. Snores intermittently floated over as he slept.
Five feet from the bed was an earthen wall that had suffered from numerous cracks due to the passage of time. From the other side of the wall came the nagging voice of his mother and the occasional deep breathing of his father who was smoking his pipe.
Xu Su slowly closed his eyes, trying to force himself to sleep. He knew that if he didn't go to sleep now, he wouldn't be able to wake up early the next day. If he woke up late, he wouldn't be able to go up to the mountains with his good friends to gather firewood.
Xu Su this elegant name was not given to him by his parents. When he was born, his parents offered two pieces of cornbread to the village's Elder Chung in exchange for giving the baby Xu Su his name.
When Uncle Chung was young, he attended school with wealthy children in the city. As he was the only one in the village who knew how to read a few words, more than half of the children in the village were named by him.
Xu Su was called "Second idiot" by those in the village. Despite his name, he wasn't stupid looking or foolish. On the contrary, he was actually the smartest person in the village. But just like the other children, aside from when they were home, nobody called him by his official name "Xu Su". Instead, they called him by his pet name "Second idiot".
The reason why he was nicknamed "Second idiot" was due to the fact that there was already someone named "idiot" in the village.
This type of nickname was nothing though. There were children in the village named "Piggy" and "Dumb Onion". These names weren't nearly as pleasant-sounding as "Second idiot".
Because of this, Xu Su felt some consolation even though he wasn't very fond of his nickname.
Physically, Xu Su was very ordinary. He was tan and matched the generic descriptions of a child born in a farming village. Deep in his heart however, he had matured faster than others of the same age. Ever since he was young, he had yearned that one day, he would be able to leave his small village and explore the fertile lands of the outside world that Uncle Chang had always talked about.
Xu Su had never dared to speak of his dreams to anyone else in the village because they would be deeply shocked. After all, leaving this place was a notion that even adults didn't easily think about, let alone a small child. Children around his age only knew how to chase chickens and pet dogs. They had never entertained the strange notion of leaving the village.
Xu Su's family had a total of seven members, including two older brothers, one older sister and one younger sister. He was the fourth eldest in his family and turned ten this year. Together, they lived a hard yet honest lifestyle. Very rarely did they get to eat meat and fish, but the entire family was content with living with the meager resources they had.
At this moment, Xu Su was hovering between the state of sleep and consciousness. As he slowly drifted to sleep, only one thought was on his mind. While in the mountains, he had to pick more red berries for his younger sister whom he doted on the most!
The next morning, at noon, Xu Su was shielding himself from the scorching sun overhead in the shade casted by the pile of lumber on his back. Wrapped around his chest was a pouch filled to the brim with red berries that bounced with each step as he walked home. He had no idea that at this moment, there was a guest in his home, a guest that that would change his destiny forever.
This guest was actually someone who had very close blood ties with Xu Su. It was his Third Uncle!
It was rumored that his Third Uncle was the shopkeeper of a restaurant in the nearby city. According to his parents, Third Uncle was the most capable within their family. After a few hundred years, the Xu family had finally produced someone like his Third Uncle, a figure with status and respect that was unrivaled within the family.
When Xu Su was young, he had only met his Third Uncle a few times. Xu Su's older brother became a blacksmith's apprentice in the city thanks to Third Uncle's introduction. Every so often, this Third Uncle would even gift some food to his parents to bring home and eat. Because he had looked after Xu Su's family with great consideration, Xu Su had a very good impression of him. Even though his parents never said anything, he knew that in their hearts, they were very grateful.
Xu Su's eldest brother was the family's pride and joy. As an apprentice of a blacksmith, he was able to bring home 30 copper coins every month, minus living expenses. And when he finally graduated from his apprenticeship, he would earn even more money!
Every time his parents talked about their eldest son, their spirits would soar with pride. Although
Xu Su was young, he was tremendously envious. The best work he could find was to be the apprentice of a craft master and rely on the crafts he made to earn money.
So when Xu Su saw the brand new satin robes and the round face that belonged to his Third Uncle, Xu Su was overjoyed.
Setting down the firewood in a corner outside of the house, he went to the front of the house to greet his Third Uncle. "Third Uncle, Xu Su greets you." After doing so, he obediently stood to the side and listened to his Third Uncle chat with his parents.
Third Uncle beamed at Xu Su as he opened his mouth, praising his nephew. "What a sensible child!" After complimenting Xu Su, he turned his attention back to Xu Su's parents and explained the reason for his visit.
Although Xu Su wasn't able to fully understand the words his Third Uncle was saying as he was too young, he still roughly understood what was said.
It turned out his Third Uncle's restaurant had the backing of the Seven Clouds Sect. This sect was divided into the inner and outer divisions. Not too long ago, Third Uncle had been officially recognized as an outer disciple. That meant that he could bring a child between the ages of 7 and 12 to take the Inner Disciple Examinations.
Once every 5 years, the Seven Clouds Sect would formally issue invitations for youngsters to take the test to become Inner Disciples. The test would officially begin the following month. Third Uncle was a smart and astute man who was childless, so he naturally thought of Xu Su who met the age requirement.
The moment the usually docile Father Xu heard the words "Jiung Hu" and "Sect", along with many other phrases he had never heard before, he felt very hesitant. Bringing his smoking pipe to his lips and giving it a puff, he sat down without saying a word.
According to Third Uncle, the Seven Clouds Sect could be considered one of the best sects within several hundred miles.
If one were to become an Inner Disciple, not only would one be able to practice martial arts for free, one would also receive a monthly allowance and have his needs taken care of. Not only that, those who didn't pass the Inner Disciple Examinations could still enter the sect's outer division and become an outer disciple like Third Uncle. They would still have the opportunity to help the Seven Clouds Sect handle its external affairs.
Upon hearing the possibility that his son could receive a monthly allowance and even become as successful as his Third Uncle, Xu Su's father finally decided to give his approval.
After getting the approval from Xu Su's father, Third Uncle felt elated. Leaving behind two silver coins, he said that he would return in a month to escort Xu Su to the testing area. During this period of time, Xu Su's father had to ensure that Xu Su was clothed and well fed to improve his constitution so that it would be easier for him to pass the test. After giving these instructions, Third Uncle bid farewell to Xu Su and his father, patted Xu Su on his head and left for the city.
While Xu Su didn't fully comprehend his Third Uncle's words, he could understand that he would be able to earn money in the big city. It seemed that his dream from before was finally going to come true, making him so excited that he could not sleep for the first few nights.
After one month had passed, Third Uncle returned to the village, wanting to escort Xu Su to the testing site. Before he left, Xu Su's father repeatedly instructed Xu Su on the ways of proper behavior.
One must be honest, have the capacity to endure, and avoid unnecessary conflicts with others. Meanwhile, Xu Su's mother urged him to take care of his health and to eat and sleep well.
On the carriage, Xu Su had to bite down on his lips to prevent himself from crying, as he watched his parents gradually disappear from sight.
Although he had always been more mature than other children of the same age, he was still just a ten year-old child. This was the first time he had left home, so he naturally felt depressed. A homesickness developed in his heart, and he was determined to rush home after he struck rich, never to be separated from his parents again.
Xu Su would never have thought that from this moment on, money would lose any meaning to him. He was unexpectedly going to walk a path different from ordinary mortals. Instead, he was going to walk down his own path towards immortality!
