Xia Chen could barely contain his excitement. Two gift packs were waiting! Completing his beginner tasks earned him one novice pack, and reaching level five granted him another. Double the rewards meant double the happiness!

He was just ten experience points away. Xia Chen scratched his head in frustration. Where could he find those last few points?

Unfortunately, after scouring back and forth several times, he found that the daily tasks had already been completed, and all the plots of land had been planted with seeds. There were no mature crops for him to harvest either.

He eyed the experience bar, so tantalizingly close. “Tongban, could you lend me ten experience points? I’ll pay you back—with interest!”

[The host’s debt has not yet been repaid. Please do not entertain such thoughts of enjoying loans.]

Xia Chen pouted. His debt was the reason Tongban wouldn’t help. He wasn’t being irresponsible; he just had no money right now. If only he had brought his wealth from his past life, then he’d shower Xia Tongban with in-app purchases!

He reluctantly looked at the two glowing pouches and steeled himself. Closing the system space, Xia Chen lay on his bed and called out to Xia Tongban, “Wake me up early tomorrow morning.”

Some crops had short growing cycles, so a night should be enough time. If he harvested early, he could easily get the experience points and open those gift packs.

[Okay.] Xia Tongban readily agreed to such a simple request.

Morning came, but it was his mother who woke him. As Xia Chen got dressed, he mentally questioned his system, “What happened, Comrade Tongban?”

[I did call you. You told me to shut up and not disturb you.] Xia Tongban’s voice held a hint of grievance.

Laughing awkwardly, Xia Chen apologized to his system before turning his attention to his mother.

His family doted on him. Since he worked in his space at night, he normally slept in. His mother always let him rest and asked the kitchen to keep his breakfast warm.

Today was different. “Mom, is there something special happening?” Xia Chen asked.

Mother Xia helped him into a new, thin jacket. With his long, refined eyebrows, tall nose, and large eyes with long lashes (courtesy of his father), Xia Chen was undeniably handsome. The new clothes and his delicate lips and fair skin (inherited from his mother) made him even more eye-catching.

“Our Yuanbao is growing into a handsome young man,” his mother praised with a smile. Then, she answered his question, “The weather is good today. Mom wants to take you to Xuannu Temple. We need to thank Taoist Xu.”

“Ah, that hero!” Xia Chen remembered the old Taoist who rescued him from the river. He’d seemed almost supernatural, lightly stepping on the water’s surface instead of going in before reaching out and scooping him up.

“What hero? Stop with your nonsense, child,” his mother chided gently. “Taoist Xu has great abilities and is also your life-saving benefactor. Be sure to thank him properly.”

Xia Chen nodded, eyes sparkling. Since recovering from his illness, he’d been so busy with farming and catching bad guys that he’d almost forgotten the old Taoist priest. But now that he thought about it, the old man must be a hidden master! He’d probably used qinggong to walk on water when he rescued Xia Chen. Even the temple’s name sounded mysterious.

“Tongban, this is my destiny!” Xia Chen bubbled with excitement. This was the legendary world of martial arts—what Chinese boy didn’t dream of wielding a sword and wandering the jianghu? Even if he couldn’t become a top scholar, becoming skilled in martial arts would be amazing.

Xia Tongban completely disagreed: [According to the system’s calculations, the host has no future in cultivating the Tao. It’s better to farm for a living.]

“I don’t believe you,” Xia Chen countered, hushing the voice. “You just want to trick me into farming. Wait and see. Today, I’ll ask him to take me as his disciple. In the future, I’ll be Hero Xia, super cool!”

Ignoring Xia Tongban, Xia Chen happily finished washing up, ate breakfast, and waited for his mother. 

He wasn’t going alone; his big brother and sister-in-law were also joining. If his father wasn’t tied up with work, he would have come too. After all, Taoist Xu was Xia Chen’s savior. The snow had just melted recently, making the mountain roads treacherous, so they had waited until now.

Before leaving, Dong’er and Nan’er wanted to go too, but Xia Jinzi and Qiao Niang scolded them while pulling their ears. They looked so pitifully cute that it made one’s heart ache.

Xia Chen very much acted like an elder, going over to comfort them, whispering, “When Little Uncle comes back, I’ll bring you something tasty.”

Last night, he had planted his precious strawberry seeds. By the time he returned, they should be ready for harvest. He couldn’t wait to let his nephews taste the sweet berries.

With that settled, the group set off. Xia Jinzi carried a large bamboo basket on his back, filled with offerings for the temple. The Taoist priest hadn’t wanted gold or silver, so Mother Xia arranged practical supplies like rice, noodles, cloth, oil, and salt.

The mountain path was arduous. With two women and the short-legged Xia Chen, it took nearly a shichen to reach the temple gate.

The Xuannu Temple on Xuannu Mountain was ancient and in great disrepair. Even the plaque above was so rotten that only half of it remained. Xia Chen squinted, trying to make sense of it. On the dusty surface, he could vaguely see the character “xuan” and half of what looked like “nu”.

“Are there celestials inside Xuannu Temple?” Xia Chen asked, feigning childish innocence. He couldn’t explain how he knew how to read.

“Nonsense!” Qiao Niang interjected. “This is Xuannu Mountain^[1]Celestial Mountain because legend says celestials once lived here ages ago. Nobody knows when this temple was built or what its real name is, so everyone just calls it Xuannu Temple.”

Just as she said, there were no celestials in Xuannu Temple—only a slovenly old Taoist priest. His Taoist topknot was crooked, and his robes were dirty and tattered. Hearing Mother Xia offer food and clothing to the temple, the old priest beamed, revealing a face full of wrinkles. He didn’t look like a senior expert at all.

Xia Chen watched wide-eyed as the old priest grabbed a handful of flour with his grimy hands and stuffed it into his mouth. In his mind, the image of a reclusive expert suddenly cracked.

The Xia family seemed used to the priest’s quirks. Great people could be eccentric, after all.

Mother Xia led Xia Chen forward to express their gratitude. Xia Chen obediently gave thanks.

The old Taoist priest waved his hand dismissively. “A simple task, nothing more. Little layman, fate has been kind to you. After this past calamity, you will face some troubles, yes, but they will turn into blessings. You’ll have fortune and prosperity in your life.”

Xia Chen was stunned by the praise. Mother Xia, Xia Jinzi, and Qiao Niang, meanwhile, looked absolutely thrilled.

He frowned, thinking back, and vaguely recalled the old Taoist priest visiting his home when he was three. The memory was faint, as so much time had passed.

Back then, he hadn’t been able to speak even at three years old. The Xia family had already faced the fact that he might be a fool. Doctors had been consulted, but none could help. Then, this old Taoist passed by and asked for water. His mother, kind as always, gave him both water and a meal.

After that day, the family accepted the fact that he was a fool and no longer made the effort to invite doctors.

Just days ago, during his feverish haze, he’d heard his father mention Taoist Xu and a fated calamity. It seemed the old man had given his parents some cryptic prediction back then.

“My husband asked me… will he… will he still harm our son…?” Mother Xia’s voice faltered. His husband had been adamant that she seek absolute clarity on this point.

Xia Chen looked up in confusion. Why would his mother ask such a question? How could his father possibly harm him?

But he was unaware of his father’s inner demons. Years ago, while guarding the border, Father Xia had witnessed the constant harassment inflicted by nomadic tribes: burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. He had seen too many tragedies of entire villages being massacred. On the battlefield, he never treated the enemy as human, and his blade showed no mercy.

Later, Great General Fu Yishan led the army in a counterattack against the nomads, fighting all the way to their royal court. Tribes along their path were slaughtered, a brutal tactic of revenge and secrecy.

The nomads were fierce and valiant, even their women and children skilled with horses and arrows. One of Father Xia’s comrades was stabbed in the chest by a foreign child, only six years old. Had his armor not deflected the blow, he would have died.

That child became the first to fall under Father Xia’s blade. They fought to the royal court, spilling untold blood and losing countless comrades. His two missing fingers and crippled leg bore testament to that battle.

Unknown to Xia Chen, his father’s war spoils were the foundation of the family’s wealth.  Great General Fu, after conquering the nomads, rewarded his soldiers and allowed them to plunder gold, silver, and other treasures.

His injuries forced Father Xia into retirement. Yet, when Xia Chen was born and later found to be foolish, Father Xia couldn’t help but overthink—was it because he had killed foreign tribe children that the sin had fallen upon his youngest son?

Old Taoist Xu seemed to not have expected Master Xia to think this way. He smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Madam, go back and tell Layman Xia that he carries killing intent but no sins. He naturally will not harm his family. Let him rest assured.”

Mother Xia sighed in relief, even more grateful to the old Taoist. She understood her husband’s worries but lacked the means to soothe them. Now, perhaps his mental burden could finally be lifted.

The temple was in disrepair. Aside from the main hall and a few courtyard rooms, most of it lay in ruin. After paying respects to the patriarch in the main hall, the Xia family prepared to leave.

Panic suddenly seized Xia Chen. He hadn’t asked about becoming a disciple yet! Disregarding his mother’s presence, he rushed to the old Taoist priest. “Taoist priest, will you accept me as your disciple?” Xia Chen asked eagerly. Teach me qinggong to walk on water, or the Buddha’s Palm—that works too!

Before the old Taoist could answer, Mother Xia gasped, “Yuanbao, do you want to become a monk?!”

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