After his elder brother left, Qin Fengming, who was only ten years old, felt as if he had found a direction in life. He began to go hunting in the mountains with his father every day to train his physical strength. His mother even spent a lot of money to deliberately increase the nutritional content of his meals.
Four months passed in a flash. One day, while Qin Fengming was practicing his physical strength on a small hill outside the village, he heard from his companions that his elder brother, Qin Xiang, had arrived home.
Upon hearing this, Qin Fengming knew that the time for him to leave home had come.
For Qin Fengming, who was only ten years old, to leave home alone, the Qin Family naturally had many words of advice for him, but in the end, it was nothing more than two points: first, to be more vigilant when meeting people and not to trust others easily; second, to be tolerant when encountering problems. If he wasn't chosen or couldn't endure the hardship, he should return home.
Qin Fengming nodded repeatedly, very obediently. Looking at his parents and relatives, who were gradually receding but still standing by the village waving incessantly, Qin Fengming's tears couldn't help but flow continuously.
Qijia City's entire city wall was built from huge mountain stones, and the entire city was enormous, with no end in sight.
At the city gate, there was a tall gate tower, and the weapons displayed on the gate tower gleamed brightly. Outside the city was a wide ditch that stretched far into the distance alongside the city wall. Water flowed gurglingly in the ditch, and its bottom could not be seen, making it appear very deep. At this time, there were more than ten soldiers maintaining order at the city gate.
Qin Xiang did not hesitate. After a brief greeting with the stationed soldiers, he urged his warhorse directly into the city.
Looking at the tall city, which was many times larger than Tenglong Town, Qin Fengming felt overwhelmed.
Stopping on the main street, Qin Fengming's face showed a look of surprise. Qijia City was the largest city within a radius of two hundred li, and the city was naturally extremely prosperous.
At this time, people came and went on the main street, an endless stream. Everyone wore clothes of various colors, looking very bright. Shops lined both sides of the street, one after another, with all kinds of rare and strange goods, everything imaginable. It made Qin Fengming feel overwhelmed.
Qin Xiang did not linger on the street but urged his warhorse, turning corners and going straight into a small courtyard.
"Third Brother, you rest here. I still need to report to the military camp. There are too many people on the street, so you must not leave this courtyard, lest you get lost." After settling Qin Fengming, Qin Xiang needed to report to the military camp.
"Yes, Elder Brother, go ahead and be busy. I understand." Although Qin Fengming was only ten years old, he did not feel constrained.
Close to evening, Qin Xiang returned. Seeing Qin Fengming sitting upright in the courtyard, he smiled slightly, then directly took Fengming to a restaurant.
As soon as they entered the building, a waiter greeted them warmly: "Commander Qin, you've arrived! Please go upstairs."
This was Qin Fengming's first time entering such a bustling restaurant. Following behind Qin Xiang, his eyes constantly darted around.
"The usual, plus a stewed milk chicken with red sage root."
Qin Xiang led Qin Fengming directly to a table near the window and immediately instructed the waiter.
Looking at his elder brother's composed demeanor, Qin Fengming's heart was filled with longing.
"Third Brother, you must be very tired after these few days of travel. In the next few days, you need to rest well and prepare for the entrance test." Qin Xiang looked at his young third brother in front of him, his eyes filled with care.
"Elder Brother, I understand. Please rest assured, Elder Brother, I will definitely be selected in this Luoxia Valley selection." Qin Fengming raised his tender face, a hint of stubborn and extremely determined expression flashing in his eyes.
In the following days, Qin Fengming was not idle. He continuously jumped on the stone bench in the small courtyard every day to maintain his physical strength.
On the afternoon of the eighth day, Qin Xiang, who never came home early, excitedly pushed open the door: "Third Brother, the people from Luoxia Valley who are welcoming new Disciples have arrived today. Tomorrow is the day you will leave."
Hearing his elder brother's words, Qin Fengming knew that his departure day had arrived. At this time, his young heart was both happy and a little apprehensive. The future was something he, at such a young age, found difficult to grasp.
The next day, after breakfast, Qin Xiang handed Qin Fengming a bag full of dry provisions and a few changes of clothes, saying, "Third Brother, when you leave today, you will face dangers alone. Try not to rely on others for everything. The world is vast, and there are many unpredictable people, so you must be careful and cautious in all matters, and think twice before acting."
Listening to his elder brother's words, the young Qin Fengming could not fully understand them at this moment, but he still bit his lip and nodded heavily, saying, "Yes, Elder Brother, I've noted it. Elder Brother, please take care too."
Outside the North Gate of Qijia City, it was bustling with noise and excitement. Everywhere were words of admonition and encouragement.
Qin Xiang brought Qin Fengming before a person dressed in a green robe with a dignified expression, and respectfully said, "Third Brother, this is the Commander. Quickly step forward and kowtow."
Before Qin Fengming could clearly see the face of the person in front of him, his body had already knelt on the ground: "Greetings, Commander."
The Commander was very pleased to see Qin Fengming so obedient: "Hmm, very good. This little brother of yours is very clever, and he will definitely achieve something in the future."
"These Children are also candidates for this selection. In the future, when you are together, you must help each other. I hope you can all be selected into Luoxia Valley."
Following the Commander's finger, Qin Fengming saw seven Children who were the same age as him.
Qin Fengming glanced at his elder brother, then moved his steps and stood among the seven Children.
"Everyone quiet down! All Children participating in the selection, come to the large carriage at the front. Eight people per carriage, no loud noises allowed!" Just as Qin Xiang was about to give Qin Fengming a few more words of advice, he suddenly heard a burly man in a purple long gown beside him speak loudly. His voice was not loud, but everyone present heard it very clearly.
Hearing this, dozens of Children present, with their parents reluctantly bidding them farewell, stepped forward one after another and boarded the carriages. Qin Fengming and the other seven Children, led by a burly man, boarded the central carriage together. After waving goodbye to his elder brother, Qin Fengming then entered the tent.
This time, Qijia City recommended a total of forty-seven candidates, riding in six carriages. There were also more than ten burly men accompanying them, riding horses as escorts on both sides. The entire team was silent, appearing very orderly.
It was nearly two months in a flash since Qin Fengming and the others departed.
During this time, Qin Fengming had already become familiar with the seven people in the same carriage. These seven Children of the same age all came from military families in Qijia City.
One was the nephew of the Deputy Commander, named Duan Meng. There were two sons of thousand-man commanders, one named Zhang Li and the other Wei Boqiang. There was also the grandson of a military camp quartermaster named Zhang Changming, and the other two were sons of centurions, one named Xu Liang and the other Li Da. Duan Meng was the oldest among them, twelve years old this year.
On this day, a team of people arrived behind a large town and stopped in front of a restaurant. The purple-robed man ordered them to unhitch the warhorses and shouted, "All Children get out of the carriage! We're stopping here for the night today, and we'll enter Luoxia Valley early tomorrow morning."
Hearing that they would reach their destination tomorrow, Qin Fengming's heart was filled with a hint of joy.
The next day, in the evening, the caravan traveled into a large mountain. They saw a hazy giant peak rising in the distance, surrounded by dozens of smaller stone peaks standing tall. The mountains were dark blue, appearing exceptionally magnificent.
The horse team stopped in the square in front of a tall gate tower. The mounted burly men instructed the Children in the carriages to get down. They followed the burly men to a tall gate tower.
Before the purple-robed man could say anything, a figure flashed, and an old man in a yellow robe, wearing a scholar's cap, and holding a feather fan, suddenly appeared before everyone.
"Greetings, Elder Wang." Upon seeing the old man appear, the leading purple-robed man immediately bowed, his face showing respect as he performed the Thank you.
"Are these the selected Disciples from Qijia City? How many are there in total?"
"Replying to Elder Wang, there are forty-seven in total."
"Hmm, not bad. Thank you for your hard work, Junior Nephew Li. Arrange them in the Listening Pine Courtyard and tell them not to wander around. Bring them together for the test when the grand assembly begins."
"Yes, Elder Wang."