Chapter 1 Leaving Home
This is a story from a long time ago.
The universe gives birth to heaven and earth, heaven and earth give rise to all things, and all things give rise to all kinds of beauty and ugliness. Among them, human beings are the most complex and changeable. What are ghosts? What is God? The intrigues of human beings are more terrifying than those of ghosts and gods. Millions of years ago, when chaos first emerged, creatures from the three realms of the universe - gods, humans, and demons - originally coexisted peacefully. However, how can a limited universe satisfy the unlimited development of so many races? , so, it is said that starting from the fight for the spiritual treasures and spiritual beasts between heaven and earth, the gods and demons launched a protracted war. This epic and tragic and majestic war lasted for three thousand years. The top warriors of each race The generals will fall one after another. It was a bloody three thousand years in the Three Realms. Everything was in ruins and all life was in ruins. In the end, no one knows how this war calmed down. Since then, the remnants of each race have been recuperating in their respective fields, and no one has tried to Dominate the three realms.
After the war subsided, under the powerful repair system of the universe, all things revived, and humans became the masters of the human continent. However, the emergence of humans did not bring permanent peace. On the contrary, the Wind Dome Continent has been filled with smoke and war, and various forces are intertwined. Everyone has the desire to conquer all things, so everyone cultivates his body, some learns yin and yang, some learns martial arts, some learns the art of Feng Shui, and some learns the art of refining weapons. At that time, the Kunyuan Dynasty ruled the mainland. By the time of Emperor Kunjing, the government was unstable, all businesses were in ruins, there were corrupt officials at the top, and gangs at the bottom. For a time, mourning was everywhere, the people were in dire straits, and there were calls for uprisings and conquests, until they were entrenched in one area. General Wude occupied the capital of Kunyuan and changed the country's name. The mainland entered a period of relative stability. However, is it really stable? Under the calm water, stories that the world cannot hear are quietly brewing, and today's story begins with the Xiao family in the eastern part of the Fengqiong Continent.
The eastern part of the Wind Dome Continent is where human races gather. In addition to the emperor's ruling order, there is another order. There are many sects of immortal cultivators among humans, forming an alliance. Under the alliance, there are thirty-six caves. The Seventy-Two Blessed Lands fight against the demons and monsters; in the secular world, since Emperor Wude led the rebellion and overthrew Emperor Kun Jing's rule over the human domain in the eastern part of the continent, he has abolished the old system of Emperor Jing, destroyed and innovated, and vigorously With the development of trade, a period of "Martial Arts and Virtues" suddenly appeared throughout the country, and during this period, the generation along the Juliu River was particularly prosperous. Silk, spices and other trade were exported overseas, and a large number of merchants emerged, among which the most famous , it’s the Xiao and Ouyang families.
How did the Xiao family start up and become a giant? , no one knows that Mr. Xiao has made drastic measures to create a huge commercial territory and controls the lifeblood of most merchants in the eastern part of Fengqiong Continent. Whether it is waterway or land, his caravans are going smoothly, moving forward unimpeded, black and white. The Tao is smooth up and down, which is what people see. As for Mr. Xiao's father, who is it? What is your family background? Then no one knew about it.
The Xiao family gave birth to a son named Xiao He. The character He was the surname of his mother He. Member Xiao has a wide network of contacts, and the Xiao family is always full of guests and friends. People often give advice to the Xiao family's only son. Because of such unique conditions, Xiao He has learned martial arts since he was a child, and every family has learned Taoism. Know a thing or two. Mr. Xiao himself was born with a gentle temperament. Although he possessed martial arts skills, he was also elegant in manners and scholarly. He also liked to practice writing and ink, so he was really good at both civil and military skills. It is said that this year, Mr. Xiao was only eighteen years old. Member Xiao wanted him to go to Beijing to take the exam and gain fame. He did not resist and went. Who would have thought that Young Master Xiao would leave quickly and return quickly, handing in a blank paper and joking about his fame.
On this day, the Xiao family was much more lively than usual, and the threshold was almost broken by the people who came to visit. These people are not businessmen who come to cooperate, they are all matchmakers. how so? Because today the only young master of the Xiao family failed to pass the exam, these matchmakers started to live a life of their own. Although the eldest young master of the Xiao family has not passed the examination, he has a lot of wealth and strength. Who doesn't want to climb high? Just because of his wealth, there are a lot of girls who want to marry. Moreover, Xiao Hesheng has a handsome face, and because Xiao He has been doing business for many years and has made many friends, he has also learned a lot of things since he was a child. Martial arts, no wonder these girls are obsessed with love!
As soon as Xiao He came home, he was frightened by the lively scene, "Hey, hey, are the matchmakers coming to my house for a meeting!" He shouted loudly, which attracted the attention of the matchmakers. With a cry, they were surrounded three levels inside and three levels outside.
"Master Xiao, the Zhang family in the south of the city invited me to propose marriage. The girl from this family has been a beauty since she was a child. No one can match her within a hundred miles!" said a matchmaker.
"Young Master, don't listen to her nonsense." Another matchmaker came over again, her cheeks smeared like a monkey's butt, winking, and the mole on her chin trembled as she spoke, "I heard that Miss Zhang has been a It's really useless to marry a sick girl into the family! It's not that I'm trying to tease someone behind her back, I'm not afraid that she will die early, and I'm afraid that she won't be able to leave a child for the Xiao family!"
"Matchmaker Li! I provoked you and made irresponsible remarks on me! Do you want to ruin my business?"
"That's not what I'm saying. Whoever has the ability will earn this money. Besides, no one in the city knows that Miss Zhang has been sick since childhood. How dare you come here to lie to people!"
"If you want to make a quarrel, please don't block me." A matchmaker said while squeezing in. "Hey, oh, oh, don't squeeze me, let me in." She was big and round, so she squeezed in, "Master Xiao, I have heard of your name a long time ago. I even hugged you when you were a child! Hey, don’t go, listen to me!”
Xiao He was so frightened by these people that he backed away, "You all should leave quickly. This is not about getting married. I think you are here to eat people!"
"Brother Xiao!"
Xiao He looked back and saw a fat girl standing behind him, with a shy face and her hands nervously fiddling with the waist rope.
"What's your surname? You're so young and you want to be a matchmaker!" Xiao He said with wide eyes.
"I'm not a matchmaker," the fat girl said honestly, "I want to marry you, can you see if it's okay?"
"Help!" Xiao He shouted, tapped his toes and jumped onto the roof. He connected to three eaves and hid in the backyard. The group of fighting matchmakers also stopped arguing and continued to squeeze in. The servants all I can't stand it anymore.
Putting aside the group of matchmakers, let's talk about Xiao He. He walked into the backyard hall in two steps, where Mr. Xiao and Mrs. Xiao were drinking tea.
"My parents are so excited. A pot is about to explode in front of our house. You guys can really sit still!"
"They are also kind-hearted. Just let them go. When they lose interest, they will go on their own," Mrs. Xiao said softly with a kind face.
"How can they give up so easily? They are all waiting to make money from our family!" Xiao He turned around and sat down, picking up a teacup in his hand and playing with it, "You think so, Dad."
Only then did Master Xiao speak out, "Just like your mother said, let them go. Even though they are ordinary people in the city, what can we do to them? A wealthy family should naturally have the magnanimity of a wealthy family." Master Xiao raised his hand and pinched his head. He said sternly, "However, this reminds me that you have reached your age. If you fail to pass the exam, you can stay home and do business. Besides, you already have a marriage. It just so happened that your Uncle Ouyang mentioned to me two days ago that we were married. We have agreed to make a good deal, and tomorrow I will..."
"Father, please stop talking," Xiao He interrupted his father, "Well, if I don't get the fame test, I don't necessarily have to run a business at home. I don't want to take the fame test, but I really can't write the so-called moral articles. ! Secondly, I don’t want to get married so early. I always treat Sister Ouyang as my younger sister, and there is no relationship between men and women. At my age, I should be making a career in the world! "
"Nonsense!" Mrs. Xiao frowned slightly, "The world is dangerous, how can you, a little kid, get into it! Besides, your father and I have made a marriage contract with the Ouyang family a long time ago. How can it be changed just by saying you don't want to?" !"
"Mom, it's time for me to go out and exercise. You can't let me directly accept my father's family fortune. I don't want to eat what my father has chewed. Besides, our family's fortune is so big that I can enjoy it for the rest of my life without working hard. , This kind of life is not what I want!" After Xiao He finished speaking, he turned and returned to the room.
"Come back!" Mrs. Xiao said again, but Xiao He had long disappeared.
"Forget it, let him take care of it when the child grows up!" Mr. Xiao said.
"But..." Mrs. Xiao hesitated.
That night, Xiao He sat cross-legged on the bed and meditated. The Hunyuan Qi in his body spread from his Dantian to his whole body. A sense of warmth came over him, and his body seemed to be lighter again. At this time, the bangzi rang three times, and Xiao He He got up and got out of bed, opened the door and walked out. He stayed up late that night because he had already made plans to run away from home. As he said himself, how can a young person stay at home and enjoy his old age? He came to the main hall, spread out the rice paper, and wrote two lines of poems in the moonlight outside the window.
"Full of passionate daydreams, it is no longer a young man to carry a bird in a cage."
After putting down the pen, Xiao He did not pack his luggage. He only took some scattered silver with him, dressed in simple clothes, and prepared to leave home. Xiao He walked to the front yard, looked back at the place where he grew up, sighed softly, raised his left hand to his lips, and gently kissed the family heirloom ring on his ring finger. Just have a hobby. After doing all this, Xiao He moved his hands and was about to leave when he heard his father's voice.
"What!"
Xiao He turned around and followed the sound, and Officer Xiao walked over wearing a brocade attire.
"Father is not asleep yet," Xiao He said.
"Are you leaving now? Have you figured out where to go?"
"I haven't thought about it yet, but there are many places in this vast world that you can explore!" Xiao He replied.
"Forget it!" Officer Xiao sighed, "Being a father will not stop you, but you have to remember that now is the time when you are young and full of energy and lack of strength. You must be careful when dealing with others and don't be arrogant! "
"My child just obeys his father's orders!"
"Child, go!" After Xiao He finished speaking, he turned around and went back to the house, no longer looking at Xiao He.
Although Xiao He was confused, he didn't ask any more questions, tapped his toes, and left the Xiao family compound.
