Xu Gongming

"Damn it, it's freezing." Cold winter snow had lingered over the lake for months. Just as the weather warmed slightly, spring turned as bitter as past winters. The shoots planted in the ground withered and yellowed listlessly; not a single sprout survived. By the time the lingering frost receded, summer offered only a few days of warmth before plunging back into a biting autumn. The fields yielded no harvest that whole year. The peasants could only swallow their saliva in hunger, put down their hoes, and head into the mountains to scavenge for food. Sitting before his door, Old Master Xu rubbed his shivering hands in the chill wind, calculating whether the family's surplus grain would be enough to feed and clothe them through the coming year. Ever since his father, Xu San, passed away, he had managed the household for over a decade and had grown well practiced in such matters. The Xu clan was also one of the town's major families, yet it was far more shabby and downtrodden compared to the Tian and Liu clans. Decades ago, during the era of the Li family's rise, they had not managed to secure governance over a town. Naturally, they had declined with each passing year. Though their population had swollen substantially thanks to the Li family's exploitation of the Shanyue and the influx of refugees fleeing from the east, their lives remained the same year in and year out, without the slightest improvement. Rising to stroll around the courtyard, Old Master Xu had just finished counting the grain saved from the previous year when a knocking came at the courtyard gate—*toc, toc, toc*. "Who is it?" "Eldest Uncle, it's me, Gongming!" The courtyard gate creaked open. A young man stepped inside. Stroking his beard, Old Master Xu raised his voice and said, "Ah, Gongming. Come inside and have a seat." Entering the courtyard, Xu Gongming came straight to the point: "Eldest Uncle, have you heard? The main family is preparing to attack the Shanyue and is conscripting troops in town. The gongs and drums have been sounding for days. I wish to enlist, but my parents know only farming and can't make up their minds, so they told me to come ask your counsel." Upon Xu San's death, the Xu family had immediately divided the household, each branch striking out on its own in town. As the eldest son and someone who had a few days of schooling, Old Master Xu naturally made the decisions for the clan. He looked at the young man before him, remaining silent for a moment. As the clan's only spirit aperture bearer, currently possessing a cultivation of the second layer of Embryonic Breathing, Xu Gongming grew anxious at the silence and lowered his voice: "Eldest Uncle! None of the other clans are as destitute as ours anymore! The Liu clan has been landlords of Jingyang since ancient times and provided wives and concubines to the Old Ancestor. The Tian clan has produced capable people generation after generation, overseeing most of the spirit fields. Even the Chen clan, quiet as they are, already has a Qi Refinement cultivator... If our family wants a way forward, the army is our only chance!" Old Master Xu picked up a large basin, squinting as he counted the grains of rice within, and said leisurely, "The army is an instrument to control the townsfolk. Among the several chiliarchs, which one does not bear the surname Li? Do not take things so lightly..." Xu Gongming sat down on a battered wooden chair, feeling a bit dejected. His well-laid plans had been thrown into disarray by a single sentence from Old Master Xu. He said anxiously, "Then Eldest Uncle, give me some advice... The Xu clan will soon be placed into my hands, yet I can do nothing!" Old Master Xu nodded, his grizzled beard trembling slightly. Glancing down, he saw a few rat droppings turned up at the bottom of the basket, and his face instantly fell. He replied, "Enlisting in the army is indeed a fine path. Your uncle knows nothing of military formations or cultivation, but I can teach you two words." "First is *loyalty*." Setting the basket down, Old Master Xu finally turned grave, the wrinkles across his face softening considerably as he lowered his voice: "Our Xu clan once slew enemies with our own hands for the main family. Our names are known to the Old Ancestor and the Patriarch. Once you enter the army, you will carry the name of the Xu clan, and you will receive a decent post right from the start. That is the shade left by our forebears... You must not fear getting wounded, and when the critical moment comes, you must even be willing to die. You must be impartial and unafraid of offending people. You must brand the mark of loyalty firmly into the minds of the main family!" Old Master Xu's words struck Xu Gongming's heart like a heavy hammer. He finally understood why his parents had told him bluntly to seek out his eldest uncle. Committing the words to memory, he asked again, "And what is the second word?" "Second is *steadiness*." Sitting beside him, Old Master Xu gestured with his scrawny, claw-like fingers and whispered, "Young Master Xiu currently sees through every movement in the household as clear as day. In the army, seek not merit, but seek only to avoid fault. When meeting members of the main family, speak little; be silent and composed. Form no cliques in the army, and on no account promote our clan's own kin. Handle all things impartially. Act like this for twenty years, and a chiliarch's post can be yours. If you are fortunate enough to break through to Qi Refinement, you can become a trusted confidant of the main family, and our Xu clan will have a place of our own in the towns!" "Twenty years..." Xu Gongming nodded silently and hurriedly offered his thanks. He spoke at length, offering no opinions of his own, merely asking about questions Li Yuanxiu might pose when summoning him. Old Master Xu picked up the basket and listlessly answered them one by one, before shaking the rice basket in his hands and saying impatiently, "Shoo, shoo, scram! Stop babbling here and go get your things ready." Xu Gongming was left choked up, caught between leaving and staying. Knowing his elder's eccentric temperament, he gave repeated thanks and stepped out with his head bowed in thought. Old Master Xu sat in the courtyard for a while, gazing at the rice basket in his hands. He picked out the few rat droppings, gave the stale rice a shake, and only then muttered, "Well, it will do in a pinch." *** "Xu Gongming..." Li Yuanxiu opened and read the small note submitted to him. Recalling the Xu family's circumstances, he said in a low voice, "This Xu man is the first Embryonic Breathing cultivator to enlist, isn't he?" Having finally entered the immortal path with great difficulty, these cultivators naturally cherished their lives dearly. The conscription order issued by the family conveyed news of an upcoming campaign against the Shanyue, but it had not specifically drafted them. They all pretended to turn a deaf ear to worldly affairs. Normally fond of singing, dancing, feasting, and taking outings, they were now obediently holing up in their courtyards farming, not a single one daring to fool around outside. "Yes," Li Pingyi replied from below. Li Yuanxiu pondered for a few breaths, turning the small note over several times in his hands, and whispered, "The Xu clan did render meritorious service to our family. Over these past decades, our family offered them chances as well, and Father specifically mentioned them to me. But the Xu clan's descendants lacked the mettle to seize them, and so they have led hard lives all along." "Xu Gongming is already outside," Li Pingyi reminded him. Li Yuanxiu nodded. "Send him up." Before long, a young man who looked to be twenty-five or twenty-six walked in. A sword hung at his waist, his features were fairly dignified, and he appeared quite honest. Cupping his fists to Li Yuanxiu, he said in a deep voice, "Xu Gongming greets the Young Patriarch." Having spoken these words respectfully, Xu Gongming stood straight with his head lowered, saying nothing more. Li Yuanxiu inquired about his family's circumstances. Xu Gongming answered concisely and clearly. Whether because he had prepared in advance or was naturally quick-witted, he answered every question well. Li Yuanxiu nodded slightly and said softly, "Report to the military camp tomorrow." Cupping his hands, Xu Gongming withdrew with a solemn expression, not even asking what position he had been granted, leaving without another word. Li Yuanxiu felt a bit more favor toward him and murmured, "The Xu clan has had it rough all these years, but now they finally have a spirit aperture bearer who wishes to serve in the army. Let us give him a centurion's post for now; given his cultivation at the second layer of Embryonic Breathing, this can already be considered placing him in an important role." At present, the cultivators in the army were essentially from the Li family's lesser and collateral branches—those at the first and second layers of Embryonic Breathing served as centurions, while those at the third and fourth layers served as chiliarchs. There were eight of them in total; with Xu Gongming, there were now nine cultivators. While Li Yuanxiu was pondering this, someone walked swiftly into the courtyard from outside like a gust of wind. The clan soldiers dropped to their knees one after another as customary, their weapons clattering against the ground. Seeing this, Li Yuanxiu hurriedly stepped down. Taking a closer look, his face lit up with joy as he exclaimed, "Father!"