Refugee Father and Son

The next day.

The sun rose in the east as usual.

The traps had all been dismantled, lest someone accidentally trigger them.

In the courtyard,

Xu Chuan and his son Xu Mingwei practiced the Little Dragon Elephant Art together.

Bang, bang, bang!

The sounds of their sparring carried through the courtyard, waking Bai Jing.

She came out with a robe draped over her shoulders and yawned. "Husband, Shitou, when did you get up?"

Xu Chuan chuckled. "It's still early. You can go back to sleep, dear."

"I'm not the sort to laze in bed. You two are up, so I should be too. Are there any clothes to wash? I'll go do the laundry first."

"Yes. They're in the usual place."

Bai Jing nodded, went back to dress, then carried a wooden basin to the nearby Square Pond.

"Dad, will Mom notice?" Xu Mingwei asked Xu Chuan worriedly.

Xu Chuan smiled. "I tidied things up a little, but it wasn't foolproof. It won't matter if she notices. Your mother knows what's important. Besides, you have me."

"Mm." Xu Mingwei nodded, then called out, "Watch out, Dad! Take my Fire Dragon Sweeps Its Tail!"

He lunged with his left leg and raised his right knee as he inhaled. As he exhaled, his lower leg swept across like a whip of flame.

This was—

A tail sweep of a thousand jun burned away evil and filth; a foot planted in the fire position refined the true flame.

They sparred for another two or three quarters of an hour. Sweat drenched them both, but neither looked weary.

One had [Natural Divine Strength], giving him the advantage in muscle and might.

The other had [Dragon Vitality], giving him enduring blood and vigor.

Pop!

A sudden change stirred within Xu Mingwei's body. The next moment, he said with delight, "Dad, I've opened another Aperture!"

"It's good to be young." Xu Chuan lowered his hands. "Run through it a few more times, then take a rest."

"Mm."

Xu Mingwei was young and full of energy. In a year or two, he would surpass his father.

But Xu Chuan had more than [Dragon Vitality]. He also had [Heaven Rewards Diligence].

Long accumulation would lead to a sudden breakthrough.

Others progressed more slowly the further they went. They had to rely on medicinal herbs that nourished blood and vigor to open their Apertures.

But even without such herbs, Xu Chuan would not slow down. He would only grow faster.

The days passed.

Recently, more and more refugees had appeared.

Some headed for the Qingjiang County Seat. Others simply stayed in Dongxi Village, hoping for a bite to eat.

Chen Ergou's household rented thirty mu of farmland and used it, along with their previous twenty mu, to grow the fruits and vegetables Xu Chuan had specified.

They had also removed all the green jade fruit trees from thirty mu of mountain forest and planted other fruit trees in their place.

It was a great deal of work, so they hired a dozen or so refugees as temporary laborers.

"Mom, there are refugees at the door," Xu Mingyuan called.

Behind him, Xu Mingxuan peeked out, half his face showing as he timidly watched the ragged man outside.

The man held the hand of a little boy of three or four, all skin and bones, his eyes vacant.

Bai Jing came out and glanced at them. "A Yuan, bring them some water and dry rations."

"Yes, Mom."

"Thank you, merciful lady!"

The man dropped to his knees and kowtowed again and again, his forehead thudding against the ground. He pulled the little boy down beside him too.

"No, no, please get up. You'll frighten the child."

"Yes, yes."

The man nodded repeatedly and stopped kowtowing.

Before long, Xu Mingyuan returned with food and dry rations.

The man took them and ate in great mouthfuls, making sure the little boy ate too.

Xu Mingxuan suddenly thought of something and ran back inside to fetch a fine pastry.

It was a sweet, soft little treat Xu Chuan had made for him in his spare time.

"Here, this is for you. Dad made it for me. It's really good."

Xu Mingxuan handed the pastry to the little boy.

The boy took it blankly and looked at the grimy man. Only after the man nodded did he begin to eat.

After one bite, light sprang into his dull eyes.

Xu Chuan had taught Xu Mingxuan to share. He had never thought much of it before, but doing it now made him feel especially happy.

Bai Jing stroked Xu Mingxuan's head with pride.

Under Xu Chuan's guidance, every one of their children had grown up wonderfully. Who knew how many common folk in Dongxi Village envied them?

After the man finished a flatbread, Bai Jing asked, "Are you fleeing disaster too?"

"Yes. We came from West Mountain County. A once-in-a-century flood struck there. Many people were swept away, homes were destroyed, and farmland was submerged.

"We had nowhere to go, so we could only leave our home and head south."

"How awful. What do you plan to do now?"

"We have no plans." The man sighed. "My eldest daughter starved to death on the road. Their mother saved her rations for us, and she starved to death too."

As if remembering something, he hurriedly knelt and kowtowed again. "Please have mercy and take my son and me in, kind lady. We'll serve you as slaves or servants. All we ask for is a bite to eat."

"If you can't take us both, then please, at least have pity on this child."

"He doesn't eat much."

Xu Mingxuan tugged at Bai Jing's sleeve. "Mom, they're so pitiful."

Xu Mingyuan watched quietly without speaking.

It would do no good for him to say whether they should take the pair in. Without a word from his father, his mother could not decide either.

Besides, he had heard there were hundreds of thousands of refugees this time. How could their family help them all?

Bai Jing hesitated for a long while before saying, "Wait by the gate for now. I can't decide this on my own. We'll have to wait for my husband to return and let him decide."

"Yes, yes. We're willing to wait. It's all right even if you can't take us in."

At noon,

Xu Chuan and Xu Mingwei returned home. Seeing the refugee father and son by the gate, Xu Chuan asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

Bai Jing came over and briefly explained.

Xu Chuan considered it for a moment. "I'll decide tomorrow. For now, you and your son can stay on the empty ground beside my house. I'll have my son bring you a simple tent this afternoon."

"We'll give you some food too."

"Even if I don't take you in, I'll give you dry rations and water for the road."

"Thank you, master. Thank you!"

The Xu Household had grown to a size where it ought to develop gradually, and that meant taking on servants and guards.

But Xu Chuan would not take just anyone.

The next day,

After waking, Xu Chuan activated his Fate Talent, [Daily Divination].

[Today's divination: Auspicious]

[You took in Li Father and Son. They once belonged to a prominent clan in West Mountain County. Both have talent for the Martial Way. Li Father's talent is ordinary, but his son's is quite good, and he has hope of reaching Xiantian.]

"A prominent clan?"

"That skin-and-bones little boy actually has Xiantian Aptitude?"

"No wonder it's auspicious. Taking them in would be a great help to the Xu Household in the future."

"But if they belonged to a prominent clan, how did they end up like this? Most refugees are ordinary common folk. Unless their family was caught in a blood feud."

Xu Chuan lay in bed, pondering for a long while.

West Mountain County was thousands of li away. Anyone who had survived the journey here probably had a measure of luck on his side.

"Since the omen is auspicious, there probably won't be any trouble behind this."

"A feud with a reach spanning several commanderies... probably only one of the great families in a commandery city could manage that."