I'm Not Going to Any Immortal Sect

Some people had already slipped out of the crowd, planning to go home and give all their children a good scrubbing. They meant to spend the next ten days teaching them to be obedient and sensible, then dress them up nicely. Maybe an immortal would take one look, like what they saw, and take their child away to cultivate immortality.

Then, as an immortal's relatives, wouldn't they get to eat the finest food and drink the finest wine?

Lin Xiao listened with relish from the crowd.

Beside him, Lin Dayou and the other two were listening intently as well.

All three were thinking that immortals really did exist in this world! In that case, Brother Xiao must truly have met an immortal and gained a heaven-sent fortuitous opportunity to cultivate.

Lin Dayou had still been a little worried that Brother Xiao had run into some mountain spirit and been deceived, but now he could put his mind at ease.

Lin Dashan and Lady Qin both marveled inwardly: Brother Xiao really is blessed with good fortune!

After listening to the yamen runner's explanations and answers, Lin Xiao and the others left.

Lin Xiao figured the yamen runner probably didn't know much himself and had likely heard it all from his grandfather.

Many of his answers to the questions had been rather vague, too.

Still, it was enough.

The way he put it was just what would appeal to the general public.

But there was one question the yamen runner hadn't mentioned, and no one had asked: if you went away to cultivate immortality, how often could you come home? Or would you never be able to come home again?

Lin Xiao remembered that many cultivation novels he'd read before mentioned things like "severing ties with the mortal world."

Only thirty years had passed since the last time disciples were recruited. Although times and circumstances had changed, if any of the children chosen thirty years ago had returned home, the people couldn't possibly know so little about cultivation.

Given most people's natural love of showing off, if any of the chosen children had come home to visit their families, it would at least have caused a sensation in the neighborhood.

And with the people of ancient times having so little entertainment and so little to talk about, news like that could have kept them chatting eagerly for more than half a year without growing tired of it.

He'd seen that firsthand in the village.

Things couldn't be much different in the county seat or prefectural city.

Besides, many people in Emerald Peak Town had relatives or connections in the county seat, so surely it couldn't be that almost no one knew about it thirty years later.

They could only rely on the recollections of an old yamen runner from thirty years ago.

So Lin Xiao guessed that perhaps the sects here also required their disciples to "sever ties with the mortal world."

If so, many people hoping to follow their chosen children to glory, like chickens and dogs ascending to heaven, might be disappointed.

But Lin Xiao wasn't about to open his mouth and mention that possibility to anyone.

He obediently followed behind Lin Dayou, queued at the city gate, and left Emerald Peak Town.

The spring sunshine was bright but not hot.

As the four walked home, they were all delighted at how smoothly the day's business had gone.

It wasn't until they were two li out of town that Lin Dashan thought about how happy his parents would be to see he'd brought home more money than usual. He glanced at Lin Dayou, hoping to see his bulging shoulder bag, and only then realized: where was the bag? Where was the money?!

Terrified, Lin Dashan stopped in his tracks and pointed at Lin Dayou's empty shoulder, his eyes wide with alarm. He stammered,

"D-Dayou, wh-where's your shoulder bag?!"

At Lin Dashan's words, Lady Qin glanced at Lin Dayou too. Seeing that his bag was gone, she jumped in fright.

"Oh no! Dayou! You lost your bag?!"

Lin Dayou exchanged a glance with Lin Xiao, then grinned at him and said,

"Big Brother, Sister-in-law, don't panic. The money isn't lost."

Then he gave Lin Xiao a very dashing wave.

"Erlang, take it out and put your uncle and aunt's minds at ease!"

"Yes, sir!" Lin Xiao played along and pulled a pouch from inside his clothes.

Seeing how confident father and son looked, Lin Dashan felt his heart, which had been pounding with anxiety just moments ago, begin to slow.

Then he and Lady Qin watched Lin Xiao reach into the pouch and pull a huge, bulging shoulder bag out of the tiny thing. He set it on the handcart with a thump.

Lin Dashan hurriedly looked around.

Fortunately, no one nearby had seen it.

What he didn't know was that Lin Xiao had only taken the money out so openly because he'd sensed there was no one around.

Lin Dashan opened the bag and confirmed that it really did contain the copper coins they and Lin Xiao had earned from their tooth-cleaning business that day. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, he had rarely seen so many copper coins in his life.

Once he was sure the money wasn't lost, Lin Dashan remembered Lin Xiao's pouch.

"Brother Xiao, what's that pouch of yours? Could it be an immortal object?"

Lin Xiao rubbed his nose sheepishly.

"No, how could it be an immortal object? It's just a Storage Bag I made myself. They're usually used by little cultivators like us who've only just started cultivating. It isn't very big, either. It can only hold about half a back basket's worth of things."

Lin Dashan first handed the shoulder bag back to Lin Xiao and asked him to put it in his Storage Bag again.

Then he gave him a thumbs-up and said,

"Brother Xiao, you're the best! You can even make something this amazing! I'd say that immortal sect is sure to take a liking to you in ten days. The immortals will certainly be happy to recruit you as a disciple!"

As he spoke, the group, who had stopped, resumed their journey back to the village.

Lin Xiao stared for a moment, then shook his head.

"Uncle, I'm not going to that immortal sect."

"Huh? Why not, Brother Xiao?" Lin Dashan was astonished. After hearing what the yamen runner had said, he was even thinking of sending his only son, Lin Lei, to try out in ten days. He'd assumed that his nephew, who had started cultivating on his own long ago, would certainly be willing to go now that an immortal sect was recruiting disciples. After all, if he joined an immortal sect, he'd have immortals to guide him. Wouldn't that be far better than cultivating on his own?

Who would have thought Brother Xiao wouldn't go!

Lin Xiao grinned at Lin Dashan and said, half joking and half serious,

"Uncle, don't you know? That grass hut you and my dad built for me on the mountain is my sect.

"I'm the master of a sect now. How could a sect master go and become someone else's disciple in another immortal sect? Hehe."

Lin Dashan didn't really understand, but since Brother Xiao said he wasn't going, he must have his own reasons.

Although the whole Lin Household thought Lin Xiao was flighty and unreliable, Lin Dashan privately felt that his nephew had always had a mind of his own, even as a small child.

Ah, never mind. No matter what happened, the family still had land. As long as the boy didn't go hungry, that was enough.

Whether he wanted to cultivate immortality at home or go to an immortal sect, either was fine as long as the boy was willing.

Lin Dayou, meanwhile, thought it was better that Lin Xiao wasn't going.

He was such a little boy. If he really went off with a group of strangers, Lin Dayou would worry himself to death day and night!

They were supposed to be immortals, but so what? The child wasn't theirs. If something happened and they didn't care, what then? If something really did happen, who could he turn to for justice?

He'd worked so hard to raise his child to this age; he couldn't bear to let Lin Xiao leave home with outsiders.

So when he first heard Lin Dashan say that, his heart had leaped into his throat.

But when he heard Lin Xiao say he wasn't going and would stay in the village to cultivate on his own, Lin Dayou was walking in front, and no one saw the corners of his mouth turn up.