Many years ago, the new generation of the Li family in Taiqiu Mountain, the Xuan generation, had just entered the mountain.
It was a March day when the grass was long and the orioles were flying, and there were still some lingering tails of severe winter on the mountains.
The weather, which was not very good to begin with, became even worse amid the pattering spring rain.
Several small figures ran out of a medicine garden in a panic, covering their heads with their hands while stepping across the large and small mire.
By the time they all arrived under the eaves of a building to take shelter from the rain, their trousers were already covered with fine specks of mud.
The youngest Li Xuanshan was the most embarrassed. He was already a bit fat and his movements were not as flexible as other brothers. He even lost one of his shoes in the panic.
Li Xuanshan only entered the mountain this year and has just entered the first level of Qi Refining. Even in terms of age, he is only six or seven years old.
He lost a shoe while running, which seemed like a big deal to him. He wanted to go back and pick it up, but the rain outside started to rain heavily, and the rainwater collected from the eaves fell down and formed a line.
"Boom", that's spring thunder!
The dazzling thunder light instantly illuminated the entire sky.
The appearance of Chun Lei completely made Li Xuanshan give up the idea of going out to pick up shoes.
Several children of the Li Jiaxuan generation stood under the eaves, their clothes soaked by the rain first, and then bursts of cool wind blew from behind, freezing them to death.
Li Xuantian, the second eldest son of the Xuan generation, looked behind him. It was an abandoned wooden building owned by his family. It was dark and messy inside. From the outside, it looked a bit spooky.
He asked the others if they wanted to go inside to take shelter from the rain. The other children stretched their heads and looked inside, then all shook their heads.
Li Xuantian entered the mountain three years earlier than them and is now at the second level of Qi Refining. He believes that as the second brother, he should take on the responsibility of taking care of the rest of the clan.
So he cheered himself up in his mind, then rushed in and picked up some wood with a feeling of resignation.
Having just learned a fire spell not long ago, Li Xuantian successfully used the wood to build a fire under the eaves.
The trembling clan members of the Xuanzi generation gathered around and stretched out their little hands to roast them by the rising flames.
When the temperature of the flames spread to their bodies, it seemed as if the coldness in their bodies disappeared instantly.
They were chatting and laughing, their young faces gathered in a circle, all of them blushing in the firelight.
Li Xuantian stood outside the circle, watching the scene in front of him with satisfaction. At this moment, he felt very majestic.
The warmth brought by the flames made Li Xuanshan temporarily forget about throwing away his shoes. He used his hands and feet together and stretched his chubby feet to the side of the fire so that they could share in the warmth.
Li Xuantian noticed this scene and asked:
"Xuanshan, where did your shoes go?"
The second brother's question brought Li Xuanshan back to reality. He lowered his head and looked at his pink and tender feet, then raised his head and looked at Li Xuantian.
He was stunned for a moment, then his expression gradually collapsed, as if he had been wronged, and he burst into tears in an instant.
"Second brother, I...I lost my shoes."
.......
On the edge of a cliff in Taiqiu Mountain, Li Xuanshan, who had reached the ninth level of Qi refining, looked quietly from behind at his second brother Li Xuantian, who was only a few steps away in front of him.
I have always thought of him as a majestic figure since I was a child, but now I feel a little rickety!
"Second brother...are you really going to leave?"
Li Xuantian, who failed in seclusion to attack the foundation-building realm, slowly turned around, and the quiet starlight fell on him, which was a bit desolate.
"Xuanshan, do you still remember the shoe I picked up for you when you first entered the mountain?"
Li Xuanshan didn't know what it meant and was silent for a moment without answering.
Li Xuantian took advantage of the situation and sat down on a stone next to him. He raised his head slightly and looked at the stars in the night sky.
After a long time, he said calmly:
"I no longer have the ability to help you pick up your shoes!"
Li Xuanshan was a little sad. He also recalled the scene of his second brother helping him pick up his shoes in the rain many years ago.
Obviously he is also afraid of that wooden house!
Obviously he is also afraid of those loud and scary spring thunders!
Li Xuanshan, who had always been a talkative person in front of Ninth Brother Li Xuangang, was now silent and speechless.
"Since the death of my eldest brother, I have taken on the responsibility of my brother Xuan. I thought I could take it on, but now I am afraid I will disappoint you."
Li Xuanshan walked over, but still didn't speak, and just sat down next to Li Xuantian.
He knew how badly the failure to attack the foundation-building realm would affect his second brother Li Xuantian.
From childhood to adulthood, the second brother Li Xuantian has been the pride of the entire family for decades. Both brothers and elders of the same generation have high hopes for him.
They were all waiting for him to enter the realm of foundation building and then become the leader of the family. But when he came out of the cave in seclusion in despair, all these expectations were shattered.
The two sat quietly all night, until the sky began to turn white and the stars in the sky gradually began to recede.
...
In the early morning, Li Xuantian arrived at the top of Taiqiu Mountain.
When he expressed to his fifth uncle Li Changqing that he wanted to leave the family and go outside to find the next opportunity to break the mirror, the latter did not object to him. Instead, he handed him a storage bag with some spiritual stones in it.
There are often many things in a monk's life that he cannot ask for, and the most difficult thing among them is breaking through.
Leaving the top of Taiqiu Mountain, Li Xuantian solemnly bowed to the patriarch Li Changqing, said his final farewell, and presented his family token with both hands. He said:
"Fifth Uncle, I have let you down!"
Li Changqing took it, as usual, there was no emotion on his face, he just looked at him indifferently.
His eyes were full of complex emotions, which made Li Xuantian feel a little scared for a moment.
However, Li Xuantian is a determined person. Once he has made a decision, he will not change it easily.
He turned around and walked out of the barrier on the top of the mountain with a trace of determination.
The moment he stepped out of the light curtain, a pale pink peach flower petal slowly fell from the air and floated in front of Li Xuantian. He paused and stretched out his palm to let it fall into his palm.
Looking at the peach blossom, he suddenly felt sad. He turned his head and took one last look at the vigorous third-level spiritual peach tree on the top of the mountain.
Then, he walked down the mountain resolutely.
Li Changqing lowered his head and looked at the familiar black family token in his hand, which still had the aura of Li Xuantian on it.
He casually put it into his storage bag, and then said calmly to Li Xuantian, who was gradually moving away from his sight: "I will keep this token for you first. If you have a chance in the future, remember to come and take it back.
"
As Li Xuantian walked, he clenched the petals in his palm. After hearing the message from his fifth uncle Li Changqing, he paused. He seemed to be hesitating for something, but after a slight choke, he made no other movements and continued walking.
Walk down the mountain.
Li Changqing, who stayed at the top of the mountain, just looked at the departing figure indifferently without stopping.
After standing in the mountain wind for a while, he turned around and entered his cave.
...
Li Xuantian is planning to go to the north, not to the Xianyuan Sect in the north of Taiqiu Mountain, but to the far north, which is much further north than that.
I heard that it snows all year round and there is no sunshine all year round.
Li Xuantian believes that only such a desperate person can regain his lost confidence, and he must once again shoulder the important task of the family's rise.
His departure did not alarm any tribesmen. Even when they saw him coming out of the mountain, those tribesmen thought he was just going out to perform ordinary tasks.
Li Xuanshan is now the leader of the family's elephant turtle caravan. When he saw the figure of his second brother Li Xuantian leaving Taiqiu Mountain, he stopped the caravan that was about to leave for Mangshanfang City and ordered the rest of the tribe to stop setting off first.
He caught up with Li Xuantian and walked side by side. Li Xuantian turned his head and glanced at him without saying anything until the two of them were far away from the mountain range of Taiqiu Mountain.
Feeling that the distance was almost there, Li Xuantian stopped, turned around and looked at Mount Taiqiu in the distance, then silently took off his family's black costume and put on a set of gray gown.
After Li Xuantian finished changing, Li Xuanshan took a storage bag from his waist and handed it over.
"Here are some elixirs I collected. I heard from Ninth Brother that they are very effective for body refining. Second Brother is going to the far north this time. I think they will come in handy sometimes."
Putting the black costume he took off into a storage bag and putting it away, Li Xuantian looked at Li Xuanshan's chubby round face, barely smiled, and took the storage bag from his hand.
Seeing this, Li Xuanshan also laughed, and their wild laughter spread throughout the wilderness.
After a long time, Li Xuantian patted Li Xuanshan on the shoulder and gave him one last instruction about his cultivation.
Li Xuanshan, whose face was already full of tears, nodded vigorously and let the tears streak down his face.
When Li Xuantian left, the bright sunshine shone on him, dragging out a long shadow. He habitually raised his right hand and shook it.
This is not only a farewell to Li Xuanshan, but also a farewell to Taiqiu Mountain.
Li Xuanshan stayed where he was, quietly watching the figure of his second brother Li Xuantian gradually disappear from his sight.
After waiting for a long time, until the sun set and the night was filled with stars, he turned around and left dejectedly.
...
Li Xuantian has left. It is possible that he will come back one day. It is possible that... he will never come back!