Elder Brother

The medicinal herbs worked remarkably well. Half a month later, Qin Fengming's Grandpa was already able to get out of bed and walk slowly. The family was overjoyed, and life gradually returned to peace afterward.

Qin Fengming sometimes went up the mountain with the other village children to play, occasionally gathering firewood or picking wild fruit.

But whenever no one was around, Qin Fengming would take out that little gourd and secretly play with it. Apart from its dazzling, eye-catching surface, the gourd showed no other unusual qualities, which left Qin Fengming deeply puzzled.

That afternoon, more than a dozen men riding tall horses suddenly appeared on the mountain path leading into Qin Family Village. They were all strong young men, and the last horse carried several loads of goods.

When Qin Fengming, who was playing on the hillside, saw them, he immediately stopped frolicking with his companions. He watched the newcomers with a puzzled expression.

Qin Family Village lay in a remote place, and it was rare for so many outsiders to come at once.

In only a moment, the group arrived before them. The man in front jumped down from his horse and carefully looked over the children. Then, when his eyes fell upon Qin Fengming, joy immediately appeared on his face as he said:

"Little Sanzi, Third Brother, don't you recognize me? I'm your Elder Brother, Qin Xiang."

"Elder Brother Qin Xiang?"

Hearing this, Qin Fengming was utterly stunned. When his Elder Brother had left, he had only been seven or eight years old. In Qin Fengming's memory, his Elder Brother had been thin, somewhat dark-skinned, and slightly shorter than their father.

Yet the man before him was tall and imposing, spirited and dignified, with a ruddy complexion.

After studying him carefully, Qin Fengming could finally vaguely make out traces of his Elder Brother's former appearance. He immediately leaped down the hillside, ran a few steps forward, seized his Elder Brother's hand, and shook it hard, his face brimming with delight.

Qin Xiang stroked Qin Fengming's head, his face overflowing with excitement. "Third Brother, are our father and mother, Grandpa, and Grandma all well now?"

"They're all very well. Let's hurry home. Grandma and Mother often talk about you."

Seeing his Elder Brother, Qin Fengming did not understand why he had changed so much, but the smile on his face did not fade.

Qin Hong had not gone into the mountains that day. He was at home sorting out his hunting tools when he suddenly heard that his eldest son had returned. Overjoyed, he hurried with the family to the courtyard gate.

"Father, Mother, Grandpa, Grandma, your unfilial son Qin Xiang kowtows before you."

Seeing his parents and the others from afar, Qin Xiang quickly threw down the reins, rushed forward, and knelt on the ground to pay his respects.

Qin Hong and the others were filled with tears as they helped Qin Xiang up and led him into the courtyard.

The dozen or so young men who had come with Qin Xiang were extremely disciplined. At Qin Xiang's command, they unloaded the items from the horses. Only then did everyone see that the cargo consisted of cloth, grain, wine, and meat.

As everyone was talking, the village chief received the news and came to the Qin family home with several elders of the clan.

With such a lively occasion at hand, Qin Hong naturally instructed everyone to prepare a lavish feast using the grain and meat Qin Xiang had brought, treating the villagers to a banquet.

During the feast, Qin Xiang finally recounted his experiences from the past two years in the army, leaving everyone astonished and delighted.

After joining the army, Qin Xiang had been assigned to serve under an officer named Li Bingtang. At the time, Li Bingtang was a Commander of a Thousand in Qijia City.

After two months of training, Li Bingtang saw that Qin Xiang was clever, intelligent, and willing to endure hardship. Pleased with him, Li Bingtang promoted him to his personal guard and personally taught Qin Xiang martial arts.

Half a year earlier, Li Bingtang had been ordered to wipe out the bandits entrenched in Langtiaojian Ravine southeast of Qijia City. During the battle, Qin Xiang had performed heroically. Not only had he saved Li Bingtang from the bandit chief's blade, but he had personally slain the man as well.

For successfully eliminating the bandits, they received commendation from above. Li Bingtang was promoted to Commander of Qijia City, and, grateful that Qin Xiang had risked his life to save him, he strongly recommended Qin Xiang for promotion to Commander of a Hundred under his command.

This time, Li Bingtang had traveled to Yingzhou City to report on his duties and had brought Qin Xiang along. When they reached Tenglong Town, Li Bingtang learned that Qin Xiang was from the area and specially granted him a day's leave to return home and visit his family.

Upon hearing of Qin Xiang's military experiences, everyone present showed looks of envy. A Commander of a Hundred was already an officer. For tiny Qin Family Village to produce a Commander of a Hundred made everyone feel their faces shine with pride.

After the banquet ended, the village chief and the others took their leave. Qin Xiang arranged lodgings for the soldiers who had accompanied him, and only then did he have the chance to speak with his family of their separation.

Although Qin Hong described the family's affairs in detail, he did not mention the matter of buying medicine at all.

"For Third Brother to escape danger is a blessing for our Qin family. Grandpa is already advanced in years, so it would be best for him to enter the mountains less in the future. I receive twenty taels of military pay each month. After keeping what I need, I will send ten taels home every month. If used carefully, it should be enough to ensure food and warmth."

Qin Xiang stroked Grandpa's injured leg, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"Xiang'er, my body is still healthy, so you needn't worry about me. The family's food and clothing are adequate as well. Keep the military pay you receive for yourself."

Grandpa stroked his eldest grandson's head, his face full of kindness.

As everyone chatted, Qin Xiang suddenly remembered something. His expression immediately turned solemn. "Father, Grandpa, I once heard the Commander say that in half a year, Luoxia Valley will hold its disciple selection assembly. Those between eight and twelve years old may participate. Little Brother is just the right age. Would you be willing to let him go and try?"

Qijia City was under the jurisdiction of Yingzhou Prefecture, and Luoxia Valley was one of the two great martial sects closest to Yingzhou Prefecture. The other was Wuhu Mountain. In the eyes of ordinary people, these two sects were immense powers of the martial world.

Yet that was not truly the case. These two sects were actually vassals of cultivation sects. The cultivation sects had rules forbidding them from appearing in the mortal world, so they chose martial sects as their representatives to handle certain worldly affairs.

Qin Hong had heard of Luoxia Valley before. Tenglong Town had a restaurant opened by Luoxia Valley, and its business was thriving. Yet he had never considered having his son join a martial sect. Unable to make up his mind, he could only ask his father for advice.

"Luoxia Valley is a major sect near Yingzhou Prefecture. I heard that a child from Yue Family Village, thirty li from here, joined Luoxia Valley. Within only a few years, Yue Family Village became the most famous village in Tenglong Town. That certainly had much to do with Luoxia Valley."

"Father, then can we let Little Sanzi give it a try?"

"Of course he can try, but we must see whether Little Sanzi is willing to go." After thinking for a moment, Grandpa looked lovingly at Qin Fengming.

Qin Fengming did not fully understand what his Elder Brother had said, but he had always envied Second Brother. Now that he knew his Elder Brother had become a general, the world beyond the mountains had already become a thing of immense yearning in his young heart.

Seeing that Qin Fengming did not refuse, everyone began discussing how he could take part in the selection.

"The Commander once said that Luoxia Valley allows each city to recommend candidates for disciple selection. The Commander happens to have several slots in hand. It should not be difficult for me to ask him for one."

Hearing Qin Xiang say this, everyone was overjoyed.

Qin Xiang stayed with the Qin family for only one night before leading his men away from the mountain village because he had military duties to attend to.

Before leaving, he left behind fifty taels of silver. He instructed Mother that the money was for nourishing Qin Fengming's body, and said that the selection would be extremely arduous, so Qin Fengming should train diligently. In four months, he would return home to take him away.