Chapter 178 Xu Gongming

"It's so damn cold."

The cold winter snow lingered on the lake for several months. The weather warmed up slightly, but the spring was as cold as previous winters. The seedlings planted in the ground withered and turned yellow, and none of them could survive.

When the remaining cold subsided, the summer only warmed up for a few days, and the bitter autumn returned. There was no harvest in the fields all year long. Farmers could only swallow their saliva, put down their hoes and go to the mountains to forage for food.

Mr. Xu was sitting in front of the door, rubbing his hands in the cold wind, estimating whether the remaining food at home would be enough for food and clothing next year. He had been a homeowner for more than ten years after the death of his father Xu San, so he was familiar with this. Twist it up.

The Xu family is also one of the several big families in the town. Compared to the Tian family and the Liu family, it is much more eliminated. In the era when the Li family was rising decades ago, they were not in charge of a whole town. Naturally, they have been declining year by year. Through the Li family's exploitation of Shanyue and the absorption of people fleeing eastward, the east wind has expanded a lot, but it has been living the same way year after year without any progress.

After getting up and walking around in the yard, Mr. Xu finished counting the grains saved last year, and then there was a loud knock on the courtyard door.

"Who?"

"Uncle, it's me, Gongming!"

The courtyard door opened with a creak, and a young man walked in. Mr. Xu twirled his beard and said in a loud voice:

"Gongming, come inside and sit down."

Xu Gongming entered the courtyard and opened his mouth:

"Uncle, have you heard? The master's family is going to conquer Shanyue. They are recruiting troops in the town. The gongs and drums have been beating for many days. Gongming wants to join the army, but his parents only know how to farm and are undecided, so they asked me to ask you."

As soon as Xu San died, the Xu family immediately split up and each went to the town to develop. As the eldest son, Mr. Xu had studied for a few days. Naturally, he was the one who made the decision. He looked at the young man in front of him and did not speak for a while. say.

Xu Gongming, as the only spiritual orifice in the clan, now also has the second level of fetal breath cultivation. Seeing this, he became a little anxious and whispered:

"Uncle! No one in the family is as poor as my family! The Liu family has been the landlord of Jingyang since ancient times, and she has been the wife and concubine of the ancestors. The Tian family has many capable people, and most of the spiritual fields are under control. The Chen family is silent, but There are already Qi Practitioners... Now if my family wants to go anywhere, the only place they can go is in the military!"

Mr. Xu picked up the big basin, squinted his eyes and counted the rice in it, and said slowly:

"The army is a weapon for the townspeople. Which of the several commanders is not named Li? Don't think too easily..."

Xu Gongming sat down on the broken wooden chair and felt a little depressed after hearing these words. The good plan he had in mind was disrupted by Mr. Xu's words, and he hurriedly said:

"Uncle, I'd like to give you an idea... This Xu family is about to be handed over to me, but I can't do anything!"

Mr. Xu nodded, his gray beard trembling. When he saw a few pieces of mouse droppings coming out from the bottom of the basket, his face suddenly collapsed and he replied:

"If you want to join the army, it is indeed a good way. My uncle doesn't know much about military formations or cultivation, but he can only teach you two words."

"First, loyalty."

Mr. Xu put the basket away and finally looked serious. The wrinkles on his face were much relieved and he whispered:

"My Xu family once killed the enemy of our master. We have names among our ancestors and the family leader. When you join the army, you bear the name of the Xu family. You can get a good position as soon as you come up. This is a legacy of our predecessors." Yin...you must be willing to be injured, die at the critical moment, offend others unselfishly, and imprint this mark of loyalty firmly on the master's mind!"

Mr. Xu's words struck Xu Gongming's heartstrings like a sledgehammer. He finally understood why his parents told him to come find his uncle. He wrote these words down and said again:

"What's the second word?"

"The second is stability."

Mr. Xu sat next to him, stretched out his skinny fingers like chicken claws, and whispered:

"Young Master Xiu is very aware of the goings-on in the family. You don't seek merit in the army, just no faults. Don't talk too much when you meet the master's family. Be silent and steady. Don't make friends with others in the army. Never promote members of your clan. My son, you must deal with it impartially. If you act like this for twenty years, you will be worthy of being a captain. If you are lucky enough to break through the Qi training, you will be the confidant of the main family, and our Xu family will have a place in the towns!"

"Twenty years..."

Xu Gongming nodded silently and quickly thanked him. He spoke for a long time without saying anything. He just asked questions that Li Yuanxiu might ask when he summoned him. The old man picked up the basket and answered listlessly. Then he shook the rice basket in his hand and said impatiently:

"Gungun, don't say any more here. Go and prepare your things quickly."

Xu Gongming was choked by him and was in a dilemma for a while. Knowing that this elder had a weird temperament, he thanked him repeatedly, lowered his head thoughtfully and went out.

Mr. Xu sat in the yard for a while, looked at the rice basket in his hand, picked out a few pieces of rat droppings, shook the old rice in the basket, and then murmured:

"But it's barely usable."

————

"Xu Gongming..."

Li Yuanxiu opened the small letter that was sent to him, read it, recalled the situation of the Xu family, and whispered:

"This Xu family must be the first fetal breath monk to join the army."

These monks finally entered the immortal way, and each one of them cherished his life very much. The recruitment order issued by his family conveyed the news that he was going to attack Shanyue. He did not go out to recruit them. They all pretended to be ignorant of what was happening outside the window. On weekdays, There were singing, dancing, feasting, and outings, but now everyone was quietly farming in the courtyard, and no one came out to fool around.

"yes."

Li Pingyi below responded, and then saw Li Yuanxiu thinking for a while, turning over the small letter in his hand several times, and whispered:

"The Xu family has also contributed to my family. In the past few decades, the family has also given opportunities, and my father also mentioned it to me specifically. However, the Xu family's children and grandchildren failed to live up to expectations and failed to grasp it, and their lives have been unsatisfactory."

"Xu Gongming is already outside."

Li Pingyi reminded, Li Yuanxiu nodded and said:

"Tell him to come up."

Not long after, a young man in his mid-twenties walked up. He had a sword at his waist, his eyebrows were quite grand, and he looked quite honest. When he saw Li Yuanxiu, he cupped his fists and said in a deep voice:

"Xu Gongming has met the young master."

After saying these words respectfully, Xu Gongming lowered his head and stood upright without saying a word.

Li Yuanxiu asked him about the situation at home, and Xu Gongming answered concisely and clearly. I don't know whether he was prepared in advance or thinking quickly, but he answered everything well. Li Yuanxiu nodded slightly and said softly:

"I'll go to the military camp tomorrow."

Xu Gongming handed over his hand and retreated with a solemn expression. He did not ask what position he got, and just left without saying a word. Li Yuanxiu felt a little better in his heart and whispered:

"The Xu family has been having a hard time these past few years, but now he finally has a spiritual talent. It seems that he wants to work in the army, so let him be a centurion first. With his second-level cultivation level, he can be considered a good one. Reused.”

The current monks in the army are basically monks from the Li family's small sect and branches. The first and second levels are centurions, and the third and fourth levels are thousand-centurions. There are eight in total. Adding Xu Gongming, there are now nine. A monk.

Li Yuanxiu was thinking, but he didn't expect that someone walked quickly outside the courtyard and entered the courtyard like the wind. The clan soldiers knelt down one by one as usual, and the sound of their swords clanking on the ground was heard. Upon seeing this, Li Yuanxiu hurriedly walked down and took a closer look. He said with a happy face:

"Father!"