บท 37: Chapter 37: I'm Not Going to the Immortal Sect

Some people quietly left the crowd, hurrying home to clean up their children and teach them to be obedient and well-mannered. They hoped that in the next ten days, they could dress their kids up nicely so that maybe, just maybe, the immortals would take a liking to them and take their children away to cultivate. If that happened, as relatives of immortals, wouldn't they live a life of luxury?

Lin Xiao listened intently from within the crowd, while Lin Dayou and the others also paid close attention. At this moment, all three of them were thinking the same thing—so immortals really do exist in this world! It seems that Xiao's cultivation isn't just a fluke; he must have encountered a divine being and received an extraordinary opportunity.

Lin Dayou, who had previously harbored a slight concern that Xiao might have been deceived by some mountain spirit, was now completely reassured. Meanwhile, Lin Dahan and Qin Shi marveled at Xiao's good fortune.

After hearing the officer's explanation and answers, the group left. Lin Xiao estimated that the officer likely didn't know much himself and was merely repeating stories passed down from his grandfather. Many of his responses were rather vague, but that was enough. His manner of speaking would definitely appeal to the masses.

One question that the officer hadn't addressed, and that no one had asked, was this: If you go to cultivate, how often can you return home? Or can you never come back?

Lin Xiao recalled that in many of the cultivation novels he had read, the concept of "severing worldly ties" often came up. Given that it had only been thirty years since the last disciple recruitment, if the children selected back then had returned to their hometowns, the public wouldn't be so clueless about the whole process.

Considering human nature, if those selected children had come back to visit their families, it would have been a huge event in their villages. People in such rural areas, who lacked entertainment and interesting news, would likely talk about such an event enthusiastically for months, maybe even years.

Lin Xiao had seen this firsthand in his village, and it would likely be the same in towns and cities. With so many connections between Cuilin Town and the county seat, there's no way people would be so ignorant thirty years later, relying solely on the memories of an old officer.

Thus, Lin Xiao speculated that the sect might require its disciples to "sever worldly ties." This would likely disappoint those who hoped that their children's success in cultivation would elevate the whole family's status.

But Lin Xiao wasn't about to spoil the excitement by bringing up this possibility. Instead, he dutifully followed Lin Dayou out of the town, joining the queue at the gate.

The spring sunshine was bright but not too hot. As the four of them walked along the road home, they felt pleased with how smoothly their business had gone that day.

After leaving the town and walking two miles, Lin Dahan, thinking about the extra money they were bringing home, glanced at Lin Dayou, expecting to see the bulging money pouch on his brother's shoulder. But then it hit him—where was the pouch? Where was the money?

Panic-stricken, Lin Dahan stopped in his tracks, pointing at Lin Dayou's empty shoulder and stammering, "Da-Daoyou, wh-where's your money pouch?!"

Qin Shi also turned to look and, seeing the pouch missing, exclaimed, "Oh no! Daoyou, did you lose the pouch?!"

Lin Dayou exchanged a glance with Lin Xiao before flashing a confident smile at them. "Brother, sister-in-law, don't worry. The money's not lost."

He then turned to Lin Xiao and said with a flourish, "Xiao, take it out and put their minds at ease!"

"Yes, sir!" Lin Xiao cheerfully reached into his clothes and pulled out the small pouch.

Seeing the calm and collected manner of both father and son, the previously frantic Lin Dahan and Qin Shi began to relax. Then they watched as Lin Xiao reached into the tiny pouch and pulled out the large, bulging money pouch, which he then placed on the cart with a thud.

Lin Dahan quickly looked around. Thankfully, no one else was nearby to witness this. What he didn't know was that Lin Xiao had already made sure there was no one around before retrieving the money so openly.

Lin Dahan opened the pouch, verifying that it indeed contained the coins they had earned that day, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he had rarely seen so much money at once in his entire life.

With the money safely accounted for, Lin Dahan turned his attention to Lin Xiao's pouch. "Xiao, what's that pouch? Is it some kind of immortal artifact?"

Lin Xiao scratched his nose, embarrassed. "No, it's not an immortal artifact. It's just a storage bag I made myself. It's something we beginner cultivators use. It's not very big—only holds about half a basket of stuff."

Lin Dahan, impressed, handed the pouch back to Lin Xiao to store in his storage bag again. He then gave him a thumbs up. "Xiao, you've got talent! If you can make something this amazing, I'm sure the immortal sect will be eager to accept you as a disciple in ten days!"

With that, the group resumed their journey back to the village.

Lin Xiao paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Uncle, I'm not going to that immortal sect."

"What? Why not, Xiao?" Lin Dahan was shocked. After hearing what the officer said, he was already planning to send his only son, Lin Lei, to try out in ten days. He assumed that since Xiao had already started cultivating on his own, he would be eager to join the sect, where he could receive guidance from immortals. Surely that would be better than struggling to cultivate on his own!

But Xiao didn't want to go!

Lin Xiao grinned and half-joked, "Uncle, didn't you know? That shed you and my dad built for me on the mountain is my sect. I'm already the leader of my own sect—how could a sect leader go and become someone else's disciple?"

Lin Dahan didn't fully understand, but if Xiao didn't want to go, he figured the boy had his reasons. Although the whole family often thought of Lin Xiao as mischievous and unreliable, privately, Lin Dahan believed his nephew was a child with a strong sense of purpose.

Well, whatever. As long as the family has land, they won't go hungry. Whether the boy wants to cultivate at home or join an immortal sect, as long as he's happy, that's what matters.

Lin Dayou, on the other hand, was relieved that Lin Xiao wasn't going. It's better this way. If the boy were to leave with strangers, he'd worry day and night. Even if they were immortals, so what? They wouldn't care about someone else's child as much as he did. What if something happened to him? Who would he turn to then? He had worked so hard to raise this child—there's no way he'd let Lin Xiao leave with strangers.

So when Lin Xiao said he'd stay and continue cultivating at home, Lin Dayou walked ahead, his smile hidden from view.