Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 45 Family Letter
As spring arrives, the willows in the Jiangnan region have grown lush and green, resembling clusters of emerald zither pegs.

Inside the Xu family manor in Pingjiang Prefecture, two letters were being delivered by fast messengers from the Huiyou Escort Agency.

One letter was addressed to Master Xu of the Xu Family Manor, and the other to Xu Wen, who was staying at the Willow Garden within the manor.

Xu Wen was a cousin of Master Xu. Although he was only considered a collateral branch in the generation when Master Xu was in power, he was quite close to Master Xu's branch because he grew up in Xu Family Manor.

Both letters were written by Xu Ying, the youngest son of Master Xu. The moment Master Xu saw the letters, he was so angry that he threw them on the ground. It was Master Xu's wife, Madam Ye, who picked them up.

Madam Ye glared at Master Xu before hurriedly opening the letter.

Five years have passed since they parted. Although Xu Ying left without saying goodbye, and Master Xu was so angry that he said he would treat him as if he had no son, how could a mother not feel sorry for her child?

Over the years, no matter how many people they asked, they could not find out any news. Five years had passed, and the Xu family thought that Xu Ying had died in an accident. Unexpectedly, a letter suddenly arrived!

The thought that her youngest son was still alive made Madam Ye open the letter, and before she could even read it, her eyes reddened and tears streamed down her face.

Master Xu was also feeling bad. Over the years, he had regretted more than once that he should not have forbade his youngest son's desire to learn martial arts. But the Great Chu had always valued literature over martial arts. Even if he became a master of martial arts, what use would it be? Once he entered the court, wouldn't he still have to smile and kowtow to those scholars who didn't even have a bit of true qi?

The Xu family has always been a family of scholars, and they have many connections in the court. How could Master Xu possibly watch his son waste his time?

But as he grew older, and seeing that Xu Wen, who had grown up beside him, was also unwilling to enter officialdom, he gradually became indifferent to it.

If you want to learn martial arts, then learn martial arts. Even if you don't enter officialdom, with the Xu family's wealth, are you afraid of raising a son?

However, it was too late for him to understand this truth. Xu Ying had been missing for countless years, causing Master Xu to sigh often in the dead of night.

I just received a letter from Xu Ying. It would be a lie to say I wasn't excited. But throughout history, the image of a "strict father" has always been hard to change. So, Master Xu only appeared angry on the surface, but inside he was already itching to see the letter in his wife's hand.

Master Xu waited for a long time but Madam Ye didn't speak. He paced back and forth in the room anxiously. Finally, he blew on his beard and asked, "What did that unfilial son say? Did he spend all the money and want us to bring him back?"

Madam Ye glared at Master Xu again, making him cough uncomfortably and put away his "strict father" persona before asking, "Say something! How is the third son?"

"Hmph! Now you're calling me 'Third Son'? Just now you were calling me 'rebellious son' all the time!"

As she spoke, Madam Ye tossed the letter to Master Xu and rolled her eyes: "Read it yourself!"

Master Xu hurriedly unfolded the letter and began to read it, commenting as he went—

"These characters are much unfamiliar; it's clear I've been neglecting my studies!"

"His writing skills have improved considerably; perhaps he's actually been taught martial arts!"

"Terrible! Terrible! This article is so poorly written! How can anyone accept such an article!"

Madam Ye, furious, snatched the letter away and scolded, "This is a letter home written by the third boy! It's not an essay for the imperial examination! If you're so impatient to read it, then don't bother reading it at all!"

"Look, look!"

Master Xu quickly gave his wife a fawning smile and said, "I won't say another word!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Ye returned the letter.

After watching for a while, Master Xu suddenly widened his eyes: "What!? The head of the sect!? He's become the head of that 'White Stone Immortal Sect'!?" As he spoke, he looked up blankly at Madam Ye: "What sect is the White Stone Immortal Sect? I've never heard of it."

Madam Ye said impatiently, "How would I know? Didn't the third young master say that it's a sect from Baishi Mountain in Baozhou, Xiao Kingdom!"

Master Xu muttered to himself, "Xiao Kingdom? White Stone Mountain? I've only ever heard of the Sword Casting Manor at White Stone Mountain, there's no White Stone Immortal Sect here!"

Madam Ye grew increasingly impatient, and simply lifted her skirt and walked out of the house.

Master Xu grew anxious: "Hey, where are you going?"

"Third Brother said he ordered the Huiyou Escort Agency to send over some 'immortal food,' but we only received the letter. I have to go and ask!"

As she spoke, Madam Ye hurriedly left the courtyard with a group of maids who were waiting there.

"Really? I'll go check it out too!"

Master Xu hurriedly folded the letter and followed after him, taking two steps at a time.

Immediately afterwards, with a few orders from Madam Ye, the Xu family manor became completely lively.

There were servants preparing everything: harnessing horses, fumigating carriages, burning incense, packing food boxes, and even tea and clothing. When Madam Ye changed her clothes and arrived at the entrance of the manor, the carriages and horses were already ready, and even two small tables for mounting the horses were set up. The servants and maids were all present, yet there was no sign of chaos.

Master Xu hadn't prepared a carriage, so he had to shamelessly ride along with his wife. To curry favor with Madam Ye, he even deliberately sniffed the air and flattered her, saying, "What kind of fragrance is that in your carriage? It smells quite nice!"

Madam Ye rolled her eyes and ignored him. Master Xu could only awkwardly shrink into the corner and take out the letter to continue reading.

"immortal……"

After reading the letter, Master Xu's expression changed from excitement to worry.

He sighed and said, "Oh, these three lads! Oh, Madam, do you really think there are gods in this world? Xu Wen is one thing, but why is the third lad starting to pursue these mystical things too?"

Madam Ye still ignored him, and to avoid seeing him, she simply closed her eyes and rested in the carriage.

“But since they reported it to the Martial Arts Commission, it shouldn’t be a lie. The Martial Arts Commission isn’t just for show; they even have a Grandmaster in charge… But this, a sect at the Grandmaster level, would let him be in charge? How is that possible! Could it be that Third Young Master has been tricked by someone else?”

Master Xu continued rambling on: "And what is the Qi Refining Realm? I've never heard of such a realm before. What are 'immortal food' and 'spiritual plants'? And it's said that 'the path of immortality is different from the path of martial arts,' how are they different? Is there really such a thing as immortality in this world? Is there really such a thing as the path of immortality?"

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar, followed by a loud shout—

"My lord! It's terrible! Young Master Wen has ridden away on horseback! He says he's heading north to seek immortality! But he hasn't even gotten a travel permit!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Master Xu was utterly exasperated. "That brat Xu Wen ran away?!"

Please add this to your favorites, give it a monthly pass, and keep reading!

I absolutely cannot drop this before next Tuesday, waaaaah, otherwise I won't be able to revive! (*)


(End of this chapter)