The young man was Lu Li, and the inconspicuous earthen mound before him was his parents' graves.
His mother passed away early, and Lu Li had no memories of her in his heart. His father died when Lu Li was eleven years old, which was almost nine years ago now.
Lu Li's deepest impression of his father was that he required him to read books for at least two hours every day, saying that only by doing so could he leave this place, achieve scholarly honors, and marry a beautiful wife.
Now he had left, but he hadn't achieved any scholarly honors, nor had he married a beautiful wife.
He didn't know whether this counted as betraying his father's original intentions.
Sigh!
Letting out a long sigh, Lu Li lit incense, candles, and paper money before his parents' graves, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed three times. After sitting quietly before the graves for a while, he gathered his emotions, descended the mountain, and walked toward the eastern end of the village.
It was early morning, and wisps of white smoke drifted out from the tops of the simple, old small earthen houses in the village.
Children unafraid of the cold were chasing and playing in the open field.
Lu Li stood far at the edge of the open field, watching from a distance, as if seeing his former self.
He slowly walked over.
The chasing children all stopped, staring at Lu Li with some fear. A girl wrapped in thick cotton clothes was slightly bolder. She tentatively took two steps forward, "Uncle, who are you looking for?"
The girl looked only four or five years old, her chubby little face cracked from the cold.
Lu Li smiled, squatted down, and said gently, "I'm looking for... Uncle Qin Wu. What's your name?"
Qin Wu was Qin Shouren's father. Strong-bodied and powerful, if wild beasts attacked in the past, he would definitely run at the very front. Dashi Village had no village chief, and Qin Wu's standing in Dashi Village was equivalent to that of a village chief.
"You're looking for Daddy?" The little girl blinked her eyes, seeming somewhat curious as to why this 'uncle' knew her daddy.
Daddy?
Lu Li was momentarily stunned. After a close look, he realized the little girl's eyes were full of liveliness and bore a striking resemblance to Qin Shouren.
Who would have thought the Qin family had gained a new little member.
This was also good.
He then smiled and nodded, "Yes, I'm looking for your daddy."
After saying this, he walked on his own toward the earthen courtyard directly north of the open field. Seeing this, the little girl paused for a moment, then immediately chased after Lu Li. When she passed Lu Li, she didn't stop, but ran all the way back to the courtyard, then with a bang closed the wooden fence gate. Turning back, she shouted toward the house:
"Daddy, someone's looking for you!"
Lu Li stood dumbfounded, looking at the little girl with a bitter smile outside the low gate, thinking that this little girl's mind worked quite fast, knowing to warn the adults first.
"Who is it?"
A tall, burly middle-aged man with rolled-up sleeves but a face full of vicissitudes walked out from the earthen house directly opposite the courtyard gate. He stopped about three feet away from the fence, looking at Lu Li with confusion: "Young master, you are...?"
The other's attire didn't resemble that of a farming family's child, which left him somewhat puzzled.
"Uncle Qin doesn't recognize me? I'm Lu Li." Lu Li said with a smile.
"Lu... Lu Li!" Qin Wu was stunned, then immediately excitedly rushed toward Lu Li, lifted the little girl aside, quickly opened the fence gate, and stared at Lu Li with disbelief, looking him over and over:
"You... you're really Mud Monkey, you've come back..."
Lu Li nodded, "Yes, I've come back."
"Good, good!" Qin Wu's weathered face finally bloomed into a smile. He shouted toward the small house on the east side of the courtyard, "Wife, cook a few more dishes. Kid Lu Li has come back."
Hearing this, a woman wearing a worn apron hurriedly rushed out from the small house. When she saw Lu Li, she paused with confusion at first, then rushed forward and grabbed Lu Li's arms, "You... you're Xiao Li?"
"Aunt Ling, it's me."
"You... that's great, you... you've come back. Where's Qin Shouren? Why isn't he with you?" Aunt Ling said excitedly.
Qin Wu also looked at Lu Li expectantly.
Looking at the two people's expectant gazes, Lu Li's heart instantly became entangled. He very much wanted to tell them the truth, but he worried they couldn't withstand the blow. The fists he was clenching unconsciously loosened, and he said with a smile:
"Uncle Qin, Aunt Ling, Qin Shouren has become an immortal now. He's cultivating in a Sect. I came out this time on business and happened to pass by here... so I took the opportunity to come back and tell you he's safe and sound."
"Im, immortal?"
Hearing this, both were overjoyed. Qin Wu's face, full of gloom, instantly filled with pride, "Hahaha, who would have thought my silly son has also become an immortal. That really brings honor to me! But he made his old man worry for nothing all these years. When he comes back one day, I'll definitely give him a good beating."
Aunt Ling also completely relaxed, but still complained somewhat, "This kid, leaving just like that, gone for six or seven years, not sending a single letter back. He really worried me to death."
Lu Li said, "The Sect has rules; we can't leave without permission. That's why... I also had great difficulty finding an opportunity to come out. To avoid you worrying, I rushed back to tell you."
"You all, if that's the case..."
"Yes, Fatty Chen and Xiangyun are both together with us. Uncle Qin, please go invite Uncle Chen and Uncle Li over. I have some things to give them. Time is short, so I won't visit them one by one."
"So urgent?"
"Yes, I still have matters to attend to, can't stay long. If I go back late, I'll be punished."
"Alright, you go sit in the main room first. I'll go invite them over right away." Hearing that Lu Li would be punished, Qin Wu said this and hurriedly ran out.
Hearing this, Aunt Ling quickly said, "Xiao Li, it's not easy coming back once. No matter how urgent, you must eat before leaving. You go sit in the main room for a while. Auntie will make you a few dishes. They'll be ready quickly."
After saying this, she headed toward the kitchen.
"Uncle, what's an immortal? I've never seen Daddy this happy before?"
Beside the old square table in the main room, the little girl stood to one side, asking curiously.
"Little girl, don't call me uncle. Call me Brother Lu Li." Lu Li patted the little girl's head. "An immortal is someone who flies in the sky. They are very powerful. They can move mountains, overturn seas, subdue demons, suppress devils, pluck stars, destroy cities, and split the heavens!"
"Wow... that amazing! Xiao Yu will become an immortal in the future too!" The little girl's eyes filled with longing.
"Heh." Lu Li gave a bitter smile, thinking in his heart that becoming an immortal wasn't that easy! Everyone thought that entering a cultivation Sect meant being an immortal.
Little did they know, this merely gave one the qualification to inquire about the immortal Dao.
On the vast immortal path... how many could walk to the end and become that true immortal!
Not long after.
"Kid Lu, is it you who's come back?"
A familiar call, accompanied by several hurried footsteps, came from outside the courtyard.
The voice filled with expectation made Lu Li feel somewhat guilty in his heart, but he couldn't help but look out...