The Messenger

With a simple bundle slung over his shoulder, he stepped into Xiushui Village amidst the still-rainy weather and the first rays of morning light filtering through the clouds.

The boy walked quickly along the muddy road, his shoes splattered with mud and the toes of his shoes were soaked with dirty water.

But he didn't care at all, and walked into Xiushui Village with high spirits. Then he randomly chose a house at the entrance of the village, knocked on the door, and asked:

Is anyone there? I need to ask for directions.

A clear, high-pitched voice pierced the gloomy morning.

The family whose door was being knocked on was surprised to hear someone knocking so early. It took them quite a while to open their gate. Seeing the young man, the woman who opened the door asked in confusion:

Who are you looking for?

The boy immediately raised a harmless-looking smile and said to the woman who was half-hidden behind the door:

"Hello, Auntie! I wanted to ask you where Uncle Lin Household Dayou?"

"Oh, you're looking for Dayou." The woman hiding behind the door, seeing that the person standing outside was a thin boy of about ten years old, grew a little bolder. She leaned out most of her body and pointed to her right side, saying:

"It's the third house over there."

The young man looked in the direction she was pointing, then smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the woman, saying:

"Thank you, Auntie!"

Then he picked up the bundle on his shoulder and headed towards the Lin Household.

Upon arriving at the Lin Household, he knocked on the door again and said:

Is anyone home? Is this Uncle Dayou's house?

At this moment, Lin Xiao and Lin Yun were sharing the last steamed bun on the table.

Suddenly he heard a knock at the door. He still had a steamed bun in his mouth, so he ran to open it in a flash.

Seeing this completely unfamiliar person dressed as a boy outside, Lin Xiao was somewhat puzzled:

You're looking for my father?

Upon seeing him, the young man didn't bother asking about Lin Dayou:

"So you're our sect leader! I'm here to deliver a message to Boss Qin!"

Lin Xiao:...

"Boss Qin?" Lin Xiao was somewhat incredulous. Could it be Jianghe He?

He glanced at the person in front of him, then turned and stepped aside.

"Come in first, then we'll talk..."

He saw it; the auntie next door was peeking and looking in their direction.

The boy immediately ran into the Lin Household's courtyard.

"Yes, that's right! I'm Boss Qin's right-hand man! But he said if I really want to become his apprentice, I have to come and let you see me first! He happened to have something to return, so he asked me to bring it with me."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao looked at the girl who wasn't even as tall as him... and reached out his hand:

"Oh, thank you. What is it?"

Completely unaware that her smug pretense had been seen through, the girl happily unloaded the bag from her shoulder, took out a small Storage Bag, and handed it to Lin Xiao.

"This is it! Inside are the silver and account books that Boss Qin gave you, and a letter!"

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't had a chance to introduce herself, so she continued:

"By the way, Sect Master Lin! My name is Gu Yuxiao. What do you think of me? Can I join your sect? Please, please say yes! I really want to become Elder Qin's disciple!"

Lin Xiao was surprised that Qin Jianghe had even let this girl bring back his Storage Bag and money; he must have thought she was very reliable.

I remembered telling him before that if I met someone I thought was good enough, I could take them on as a disciple, but he still insisted on making a young woman travel all this way for him to confirm...

Hearing the commotion, Lin Dayou and Lin Yun, who were in the main room, came out. Seeing that it was a young man, introduced by Qin Jianghe, they didn't disturb the two's conversation, greeted him, and went out first.

Lin Xiao first invited the girl to sit down and poured her a bowl of water. Then he sat down and took out the letter written to him from the Storage Bag that Jianghe He had sent back.

He read the letter quickly and carefully, and then he understood why Jianghe had suddenly sent things back.

He opened the Storage Bag, and sure enough, there were thirty taels of silver inside.

In the letter, Qin Jianghe first stated that he was doing well recently and told Lin Xiao not to worry. Then he said that he had been doing business in the neighboring county and the prefectural city and had made some money. A couple of days ago, he suddenly heard that the conscription of corvée labor was going to begin, and he was worried that his brothers would not have enough money at home. So he quickly took out most of his profits and planned to find a trustworthy person to send it back.

He couldn't come back because his business there was still in its early stages and he was tied up with other commitments.

It has to be said that you get news much faster in the county town.

The girl who delivered the message had no cultivation whatsoever, and it would take her at least three or four days to travel from the neighboring county to Xiushui Village.

In other words, Jianghe He knew about this news at least seven or eight days ago.

As expected, information is still too limited in the village. In the future, when the sect grows larger, he may have to consider the issue of information acquisition channels.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiao suddenly realized that after two or three months, he was starting to look quite like a sect leader.

Now, everything I see reminds me of the sect's future development.

He carefully folded the letter, then emptied his Storage Bag. After thinking for a moment, he took out a blank talisman from his private treasury, closed his eyes, entered some information into it, and put it into his Storage Bag.

This talisman is one of the basic talismans he made recently while studying talisman-making. Sound-Retaining Talisman, and its effect is similar to a recording pen, except that it can store the sound transmitted in the brain.

Then he handed the Storage Bag back to Gu Yuxiao.

"Take this Storage Bag back to Jianghe. As for you..."

Gu Yuxiao took the Storage Bag, and when he heard him talk about himself, he suddenly sat up straight and looked at him expectantly.

Lin Xiao smiled gently and politely at her and said:

"Miss Gu, please go back and tell Jianghe that if he has his eye on someone, he doesn't need me to see them anymore; he can decide for himself. However, our sect might have a selection process for disciples in the future. As for the specific rules, I'll tell him about them personally once everything is officially settled."

Upon receiving his affirmative answer, Gu Yuxiao was overjoyed. She jumped high into the air, then stuffed the Storage Bag back into her small bundle, bowed deeply to Lin Xiao, and loudly proclaimed:

"Thank you Sect Master Lin! I'll head back to report now!"

Without waiting for Lin Xiao to ask her to stay for a rest or a meal, she dashed out of the Lin Household and soon ran out of Xiushui Village.

She didn't realize what was happening until she had excitedly run two miles out of the village, and she stood there stunned.

Just now, it seemed that Sect Master Lin called her 'Miss Gu'?

Unexpectedly, his carefully constructed facade was seen through, especially by a boy younger than himself.

As expected of Boss Qin's sect leader...