"Don't stick your neck out. Remember to keep a low profile."
"Don't reveal all your strength in front of others."
"Trust your instincts."
"Come back alive—to see me, your mother, and your brothers and sisters."
Xu Chuan rested a hand on his shoulder. Faced with a moment like this, even he couldn't help fussing a little.
Bai Jing stepped forward and clasped Xu Mingxuan's hand, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. "Write home often, and remember that staying alive comes first. Learn from your father—endure when you need to endure, and keep your head down when you need to."
"Third Brother, come back alive."
Xu Mingshu and Xu Mingxian spoke in unison, their eyes filled with reluctance to part.
"Charcoal Head, come back alive."
Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan likewise gazed at Xu Mingxuan, their unwillingness to let him go plain in their eyes.
Xu Mingxuan nodded firmly, tears welling in his eyes too. He wiped their corners and grinned. "I wasn't going to cry, since it'd be bad luck. But now that you've all said that, I can barely hold it in."
He paused, then added, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I'm leaving the Xu Household in your hands. Oh, and Second Brother—I hope I'll have a nephew or niece by the time I return."
"When you come back, I'll make sure there's one for you to hold," Xu Mingyuan said.
"Xueji, Yunnu, cultivate hard. Your third brother hopes you'll both be Xiantian Martial Artists when he returns!"
"Father, Mother, take care of yourselves."
Scenes of farewell unfolded in every corner outside the city gates.
Only when the army's horn sounded and the troops marched out did everyone return to their respective homes.
"You all heard him." Xu Chuan watched the army gradually recede into the distance