Attending at his bedside.
After hearing the old man's heartfelt words, Xu Xuan could not help trembling.
His eyes opened and closed, and two streams of clear tears fell.
So that was how it was.
The reason Xu Chengye was still holding on despite nearing the end of his allotted years.
Was actually something like this.
Even with one foot in the grave, he was still thinking of his descendants.
He worried that dying before Xu Xuancheng married would force the boy to observe three years of mourning, delaying him still further before he could leave descendants...
Xu Xuan's standards were exceedingly high. Not one of the women the Lineage had introduced over the years had caught his eye.
So Xu Chengye had let him devote the entire Lineage's resources to establishing a trading house.
The world outside was vast, with countless beauties. Surely someone would catch the boy's eye.
Xu Household Market was too small, so small that it could hold only the old man's lifetime.
Yet Xu Household Market was too big, so big that Xu Chengye had never walked beyond it in his entire life.
He did not want to leave just yet.
Once he went beneath the earth, that old fellow would still reproach him.
He would say that of the three acts of unfilial conduct, leaving no descendants was the gravest, and that he had failed to ensure Xu Daocheng left any children.
Soon, another year passed.
This was the first time Xu Xuan had left Xu Household Market in this lifetime.
He accompanied a merchant caravan all the way to River Sun Prefecture City.
His family knew nothing of what happened along the way.
They knew only that, when autumn arrived, the head of the Xu Household brought a woman back.
Xu Household Market hung lanterns and colorful decorations for the occasion, arranging the wedding of the Household head, Xu Daocheng.
People from every village for miles around came to the wedding feast and learned that the young head of the Xu Household had taken a girl from the prefecture city as his wife.
Moreover, the bride came from a wealthy family, and her dowry filled more than ten horse-drawn carriages.
They heard she came from an official's family, with someone at home whose words could reach the emperor's ears.
Just like that, more than half a year passed.
Xu Household Market bustled with excitement again.
This time, it was because the mistress of the Xu Household had given birth.
Xu Xuan finally had an heir.
Xu Chengye trembled as he looked at the swaddled child in Xu Xuan's arms, his vision long since blurred.
He reached out with his rough palm and gently stroked his great-great-grandson's cheek, a happy smile appearing on his face.
"Good, what a darling child..."
"He's all bright and radiant. Let's call him 'Ming'er.'"
"May he be safe and free from harm, and may his life be clear and bright."
That midsummer, Xu Xuan's eldest son, Xu Yuming, was born.
In the same year, at the end of autumn.
The former Household head, Xu Chengye, passed away at home at the age of one hundred and eight.
The Xu Household arranged his funeral, with white mourning cloth stretching for ten miles, and buried his remains on North Ridge Mountain.
Xu Xuan built a hut in the mountains and lived there, observing three years of mourning for him.
After several years in business, the Xu North-South Trading House had earned a modest reputation within River Sun Prefecture City.
Yet tall trees caught the wind.
As the Xu Lineage’s business grew, it inevitably drew covetous eyes.
Gang idlers from the city came to cause trouble and demand regular payments.
Xu Mingyuan humored them while sending word home to inform Xu Xuan.
Xu Xuan had already considered this, knowing that the mortal powers within the prefecture city were tangled like roots and branches.
Without some means at their disposal, no trading house could gain a foothold on its own.
Thus, Xu Xuan made a trip to River Sun Prefecture City to discuss establishing a gang with Xu Mingyuan.
It would complement the trading house, one in the light and the other in the shadows, handling dirty work that could not see the light of day.
"Let's name it 'Azure Mystery.'"
"At first, present it to outsiders as the trading house's guards. Recruit men under that name and promote reliable confidants."
"We can also send younger members of the Lineage who have made progress in cultivation here to gain experience and get a taste of blood."
Xu Mingyuan said thoughtfully, "Fish and dragons mingle in the prefecture city. If the younger members of the Lineage come here, they certainly won't be able to avoid fighting."
"Go ahead and do it. I'll explain things to the Lineage."
Xu Xuan settled the matter at once.
After several months of preparation.
The Azure Mystery Gang hung up its sign on the prefecture city's West Street.
On the surface, it served as guards subordinate to the Xu Trading House, but in reality, it operated independently.
Xu Mingyuan temporarily served as gang leader.
Its core members were all children of the Xu Household, or carefully selected members of collateral branches and servants born into the Household.
All of them had practiced the modified Grain Garment Art under Xu Xuan, and their strength far surpassed that of ordinary martial guards.
Xu Xuan came here to teach them coordinated combat formations and various fighting methods.
Although the Azure Mystery Gang had few members, its discipline was extremely strict, and its fighting strength was considerable.
During this time, other gangs from the western part of the city also came to provoke them.
Xu Xuan spared them no face at all.
He had three Essence Tempering members of the gang take action using their coordinated combat method.
They easily beat more than ten opponents into a scattering of fallen flowers and flowing water.
After this battle, the Azure Mystery Gang established its prestige in River Sun Prefecture City.
Meanwhile, both openly and covertly, Xu Mingyuan used money to cultivate connections with officials at the prefectural offices, smoothing the way at every level.
The Azure Mystery Gang gradually gained a firm foothold and began taking on escort and premises-guarding jobs, its reputation rising swiftly.
Through these gang forces from the lowest ranks of society, Xu Mingyuan found it much easier to gather information and purchase spiritual objects.
During his stay in River Sun Prefecture City, Xu Xuan became acquainted with a woman.
Her name was Liu Yun. She was sixteen, beautiful in appearance and gentle in temperament, yet carried a trace of heroic spirit and showed a sound grasp of the larger picture in her conduct.
Her father was Liu Qingshan, deputy leader of the Great Dragon Gang, the largest gang in River Sun Prefecture City.
Her uncle was also Liu Wenyuan, the assistant prefect of Heyang Prefecture.
Though his rank was below that of the prefect, he held the power to oversee local affairs and could send word to the emperor himself.
The Azure Mystery Gang had previously accepted a job from the Great Dragon Gang.
When other hostile gangs came to plunder, the Xu Household members fought desperately to defend it.
Their bravery won the regard of the Great Dragon Gang's higher ranks.
Xu Mingyuan thereby established ties with the Great Dragon Gang.
Later, Liu Yun came to the trading house's premises in disguise and happened to see Xu Xuan.
Xu Xuan was twenty-one that year, with handsome features and a tall, straight figure.
His eyes were like autumn waters, and he carried an air of dignity.
Liu Yun had never seen a man like him before and was readily drawn to his bearing.
Only after making repeated inquiries did she learn.
This man was an instructor hired by the Xu Trading House to teach martial arts to the guards on its premises.
After some deliberation, Liu Yun hired Xu Xuan for a substantial sum to come to the Great Dragon Gang.
She also joined the gang members in practicing their punches and kicks.
Xu Xuan, for his part, was surprised.
He had not expected to meet a woman with a spiritual root just after coming to the prefecture city and establishing a gang.
It truly fulfilled his great-grandfather Xu Chengye's wish.
While teaching martial arts at the Great Dragon Gang, Xu Xuan secretly gave Liu Yun the Grain Garment Art and also taught her how to draw qi into her body.
Liu Yun had been born with a Water Spiritual Root and had above-average aptitude. Her cultivation speed was far beyond anything Xu Huai'en could match.
Once she cultivated internal qi and projected her true essence outward.
Only then did she realize just what sort of man her beloved was.
Thus came the occasion when Xu Xuan single-handedly defeated every martial instructor in the Great Dragon Gang and won Liu Qingshan's regard.
Not only did he appoint Xu Xuan as a protector, but he also promised his only daughter to him.
The Azure Mystery Gang consequently became an affiliate of the Great Dragon Gang.
With the leading gang watching over it, no one in Heyang Prefecture dared provoke the Xu Trading Firm again.
During these three years in which Xu Xuan mourned his great-grandfather.
The Xu Household had already become one of the few great Lineages in Heyang Prefecture, with farmland and shops throughout the prefecture.
The Azure Mystery Gang grew increasingly powerful, and both the underworld and legitimate circles had to show it some respect.
Xu Xuan was already twenty-four. Having long occupied a lofty position, he commanded awe without anger, and his aura was even more like an abyss, impossible to fathom.
Liu Yun had borne him a son, named Xu Yuming.
Now three and a half years old, he was clever and quick-witted, and greatly adored.
This time, Xu Xuan traveled to River Sun Prefecture City again with his wife and child, Xu Huai'en, and a group of trusted followers.
Outwardly, after an interval of three years, he was going out as Household head to inspect the Lineage's properties and visit his father-in-law.
He would also personally handle a deal involving a large quantity of medicinal herbs.
In truth, he had long been planning this journey.
Half a year earlier, Xu Xuan had received a secret report from Xu Mingyuan.
While the gang was eliminating a group of enemies, they had discovered a tattered hide scroll in a hidden compartment in their leader's home.
The hide scroll was made of an unusual material that blades could scarcely damage.
Strange mountains, rivers, and terrain were drawn on it, along with several symbols that were difficult to identify.
One of the marked locations was near River Sun Prefecture City.
Suspecting that the object involved cultivation secrets, Xu Mingyuan dared not delay and sent it back at once.
When Xu Xuan saw the symbols, he immediately recognized them as spiritual markings cultivators used to mark spiritual veins and cave abodes.
This fragmentary scroll very likely pointed to a cultivator's cave abode or a place of cultivation.
For this, he spent more than half a year preparing.
He refined quite a few magical artifacts specifically for breaking restrictions, as well as defensive talismans.
Only after making sufficient preparations did Xu Xuan choose to set out for River Sun Prefecture City.