Full-Moon Banquet

Dragons soared and elephants stamped, dividing yin from yang,

water and fire joined to temper true force.

Three gates and nine apertures opened to heaven and earth,

each breath revealed the mysteries of heaven and earth.

Xu Chuan recited the opening verses of the Little Dragon Elephant Art, finding them obscure and difficult to understand.

Fortunately, it came with a breathing formula and twelve movements.

The breathing formula went: "Breathe in through the nose; the dragon rises to Baihui at the crown. Breathe out through the mouth; the elephant sinks to Yongquan in the soles. The three burners become a furnace that tempers true fire; one breath of qi circles the Lesser Celestial Circuit."

Xu Chuan began practicing the movements as instructed.

The first form was Young Dragon Wakes Its Spine.

He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart. As he inhaled, his arms rose like dragon horns, middle fingers pointing toward Baihui; as he exhaled, he lowered his elbows and pressed down with his palms, Laogong facing Yongquan.

As the saying went:

When the dragon raised its head, it drew in purple qi; its tailbone hung toward the earth, holding the eight directions fast.

The second form was Elephant's Trunk Rolls Up Water.

In a horse stance, he inhaled as his right arm spiraled upward like an elephant's trunk, palm facing his face. As he exhaled, he chopped down to the left.

The third form was Fire Dragon Sweeps Its Tail.

After several days, his progress was unremarkable.

The only difference was that he ate more.

With his Dragon Vitality talent, Xu Chuan's physical strength and vigor were certainly no worse than a martial artist's.

But he also had a faint sense that the Little Dragon Elephant Art was no simple thing. Perhaps it would take years of practice before he saw results.

In the blink of an eye, the day of Xu Mingxuan's full-moon banquet arrived.

Xu Chuan got to work early, setting a large round table in the courtyard.

When that wasn't enough, he borrowed another from next door.

He had also made a square table and benches especially for the children, all with his own hands.

Evening came.

Xu Chuan and his wife were both busy in the kitchen when they heard familiar voices.

"Your parents are here."

"Go greet them, husband. The dishes are all prepared; they only need to be cooked. I can handle the rest."

Xu Chuan nodded and went out to welcome their guests.

"Father-in-law, mother-in-law."

As Xu Chuan greeted them, the two little ones, who had been watching over their baby brother in the main room, heard the voices and ran out.

"Grandpa! Grandma!" the children called happily.

"Shitou, come give Grandpa a hug."

"Oh my, you've grown so much heavier. You're a big boy now."

"Grandpa, A Yuan wants a hug too."

Bai Fu smiled and lifted Xu Mingyuan as well.

"Where's Jing'er?" his mother-in-law asked, looking around.

"In the kitchen."

"Then I'll go help her. You two have a chat." She smiled and headed for the kitchen.

Bai Fu and Xu Chuan went into the main room to see the sleeping Xu Mingxuan. Bai Fu gently rocked the cradle.

"This is handy. San Shu, you're a fine craftsman."

Xu Chuan only smiled.

"Now that you have Charcoal Head too, what are your plans?" Bai Fu asked.

"After the banquet, I'm planning to expand the house. After that, I'll think about schooling and martial arts."

"Food, clothing, shelter, and travel are what matter most to common folk like us. Schooling and martial arts can come later. I'm relieved to hear you've thought it through."

"I'll still need you to guide me from time to time, Father-in-law."

"You really are..."

Xu Chuan's little bit of flattery pleased him immensely.

Before long, his brother-in-law Bai Hua, his sister-in-law Bai Fang and her family, Uncle Chen and his wife, and Chen Ergou's family all arrived with gifts.

The courtyard grew lively at once, filled with a festive air.

Four or five children raced about shouting, while the adults sat and chatted.

Everyone in the courtyard was among Xu Chuan's closest family and friends.

Once the feast began,

Xu Chuan rose with his wine cup and said loudly, "Thank you all for coming to my son Charcoal Head's full-moon banquet. I'll drink first to show my gratitude!"

With that, he tipped back his head and drained his cup.

He wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth and continued, "Everyone here is family or a dear friend. No need for formalities—please enjoy yourselves tonight!"

"Brother-in-law, just don't start worrying about how much of your wine we drink!"

"Bai Hua, after saying that, you're not leaving sober tonight!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Chen Ergou and Bai Hua promptly began toasting Xu Chuan, plainly bent on drinking him under the table. Uncle Chen and Bai Fu, by contrast, only raised a cup or two for courtesy's sake.

Xu Yan and Bai Fang asked after Bai Jing's health. The women ate, chatted, and caught up on family matters.

The banquet did not end until the bright moon hung high in the sky.

By the time Bai Hua and Chen Ergou left, their legs had gone weak. Without their wives holding them up, they might have toppled to the ground and promptly fallen fast asleep.

Bai Jing tidied up in the kitchen.

Tired from playing, Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan had gone back to their room and fallen asleep early.

Xu Chuan entered the main room and walked to the cradle.

After a moment of silence, he turned his hand over, and a black-covered book appeared in it.

This was the Bloodline Genealogy. For now, it held only two thin pages.

He turned to the second page, then found a needle and pricked Xu Mingxuan's fingertip. A drop of blood fell onto the genealogy.

At once,

a line of writing appeared out of nowhere on the second page.

[Xu Mingxuan: Second generation of the Xu Household]

[Spiritual roots: Incomplete five elements; no aptitude for immortal cultivation]

[Talent: None]

[Bloodline: None]

Above it were the genealogy records for Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan. They were much the same.

Among ordinary commoners, fewer than one in ten thousand possessed an aptitude for immortal cultivation, a special talent, or a bloodline.

Xu Chuan was not disappointed.

The prick made Xu Mingxuan wail, drawing Bai Jing over.

The genealogy slipped into Xu Chuan's body and vanished.

"What happened?" Bai Jing asked.

"He's probably hungry. Feed him, and I'll clean up the kitchen."

"Sorry for the trouble, husband."

When they had both finished their tasks, Xu Chuan and Bai Jing finally went to bed.

Bai Jing rested her head on Xu Chuan's arm and turned to embrace him.

"Husband, most families gave twenty or thirty coins today, but Ergou's family gave a whole tael. That seems a little odd to me. Do you know why?"

"A tael?"

Xu Chuan was surprised too, but then he smiled. "I know why. You can accept it without worry."

"I made a deal with Chen Daming. I traded my notes on growing Jade Pears for a superior Inner Force Manual and ten Qi-Blood Pills."

"Ergou's family probably copied the notes too. Perhaps they felt they owed us something."

"You sold your notes on growing Jade Pears?!"

Startled, Bai Jing pressed a hand against Xu Chuan's chest and pushed herself upright, staring at him.

"Husband, what were you thinking? That's something we could pass down through the family. How could you sell it?"

"An Inner Force Manual isn't worth that much! There's no telling whether you can even master it!"

Xu Chuan raised a hand and brushed her delicate nose, smiling faintly. "Don't worry. Have you ever seen your husband come out on the losing end?"

"The notes are useful, but it matters who does the planting. Besides, the more we hide them, the more people will covet them. One day, they might even bring disaster down on our family."

"Do you remember what I told you about the Xu Lineage not long ago?"

"Now that Uncle Chen's family is drawing attention away from us, no one will get ideas for a while."

"They'll probably wait to see how the Chen Household's planting goes. If it fails, they'll give up. If it succeeds and they want the notes, I can sell them a copy too."

"I see. Husband, you're so clever."

Whether it was all the wine he had drunk or the soft, fragrant woman in his arms, he felt unbearably hot.

"My dear wife, your husband worked hard all day. Won't you give him a little reward?"

Xu Chuan took her soft hand and guided it across his chest.