Baizhang Mountain is a hilly mountain range in Xiping County, Guanzhou, eastern Heguo. The mountain is not high, but it has a wide undulation. Surrounded by the mountains, there are several small villages, and Poshang Village is one of them.

The entire Guanzhou is located in a place where Heguo is despicable and backward, and Xiping County is also a barren county in Guanzhou. The villages surrounded by Baizhang Mountain are even more remote and backward, with barren land and poor life, and have always been isolated from the world. If it weren't for the rice ripening season every year, the clerks of the county government would come down as usual to pay rent and taxes, which would make people forget that there are still these villages among these mountains.

Jiangqi, an ordinary rural boy in Poshang Village, is ten years old this year. He is standing on the hillside with his own big buffalo standing on the hillside.

Jiang Qi is an ordinary cowherd, and it is absolutely unrecognizable to people. Compared with ordinary rural children, he is even more dull and dull. But Jiang Qi is not ordinary. Under his ordinary and dull appearance, he has a restless heart, which is very different from the naughty children in other villages.

Jiang Qi's restlessness is reflected in his curiosity. Since childhood, he has been a person who loves to ask questions and is curious about the world. He often asks some strange questions, which often makes adults unable to answer. For example, why does the sun come out from the east and set from the west every day, why does the sky be windy, rain, and thunder? Why does the moon in the sky not fall from the sky, etc.

Such a question may not be answered by those masters and scholars in the city who are well-read in poetry and books, let alone the villagers who are not familiar with the knowledge and cannot read half of the big words. Often at this time, the adults who are stumped will become angry and scold Jiang Qi for being full and not being at ease, and even think about things that are not known.

After countless times of criticism and scolding by adults, the lively and active curious children since childhood have become more and more taciturn, and those strange questions have gradually decreased. It is not that he has become less curious, but that he has gradually realized that adults can't answer these questions, and it is useless to ask them.

One of the most classic questions in Jiang Qi is: What is outside Baizhang Mountain? Someone will tell him that there is still a mountain outside Baizhang Mountain. What is outside that mountain? The outside of Xiping County is outside the county. What is outside the county is still a mountain. What is outside that mountain? The outside of the mountain is Guanzhou Prefecture City. What is outside Guanzhou Prefecture City? The outside of Guanzhou Prefecture City is still a mountain. What is outside that mountain? There is Heguo’s capital Hecheng outside the mountain. What is outside Hecheng? There is still a mountain outside Hecheng? There is still a mountain outside Hecheng. What is outside that mountain? The outside of the mountain is Wei Kingdom. What is outside Wei Kingdom? There is still a mountain outside Wei Kingdom. What is outside that mountain? The outside of Wei Kingdom is still a mountain. What is outside that mountain? The outside of the mountain is the sea. What is outside that sea? The outside of the sea, the sea is boundless water, and there is no edge at a glance. What is outside the sea? The outside of the sea, of course, it is still the sea. Why are you, a child, so many problems, and you are full of food?

Dahai is just what people in the village heard. If you have seen it with your own eyes, it is not difficult for them to answer what the sea is. No wonder they are angry at this time.

In this way, Jiang Qi was regarded as a restless person by the adults in the village at a very young age. This is true in Jiang Qi's small heart. He was full of curiosity about the outside world and longed to see the outside world. He was unwilling to be like most people in the village. His ancestors had been living in this ravine of hundreds of miles of Baizhang Mountain for generations. He had never been to the county town a few times in his life, let alone those places further away from the county town.

But Jiang Qi is still a ten-year-old child now. Even if he really wants to see the colorful world outside, how can he do it? So now he can only stay in the village of Poshang and continue to let go of his cow.

As the sun sets, Jiang Qi takes his big buffalo and walks the sunset all over the mountains, and begins to walk home step by step. When he enters the entrance of the village and comes to his door, he sees his two younger brothers and sisters playing happily in front of the yard, jumping and clapping his hands, as if he is chewing something in his mouth, and he looks very happy.

Jiang Qi ranked fifth in the family, with three sisters on top, one brother, and one younger brother and one younger sister below. The three sisters have all married to a foreign country. The brother is twenty years old this year and is still at home. He is the strong laborer at home. And the two younger brothers and sisters are eight years old and the other five years old, and they are still ignorant children.

"Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother!" Seeing Jiang Qi come back, the two younger brothers and sisters happily greet him, holding Jiang Qi's arm and having fun. Jiang Qi touched their heads, and was also happy.

"Fifth brother, the third cousin is here and I've given us candy." The younger brother said with pride, and while spitting out the candy he had, he put it on the tip of his tongue, let Jiang Qi see.

"The third cousin is here!" Jiang Qi was surprised when he heard the news. Speaking of which, Jiang Qi's third cousin is also an amazing figure among his family and relatives. He is a shopkeeper in a large restaurant in a county town outside. For villagers who have been dealing with the earth for generations, he is a great figure who has seen the world.

Jiang Qi led the buffalo to the back yard to tie it, and then walked into the room ahead. When he was walking on the road, he felt a little uneasy, as if he was going to meet some big shot.

Speaking of which, Jiang Qi's three cousins ​​are very good to Jiang Qi. They like Jiang Qi the most in their next life. Jiang Qi's name was given by him. Jiang Qi still remembers that when he was a child, he also pestered this third cousin and asked many strange questions. Not only did the third cousin not blame him like the people in the village, but he couldn't help laughing and praise him for his promisingness.

But this happened a long time ago. Jiang Qi remembers that the last time this third cousin came to his house was more than four years ago. After many years of not seeing each other, Jiang Qi, who has grown up, has become more unfamiliar with her.

When Jiang Qi stepped into the hall of the main hall, he saw his parents talking with a middle-aged man in his forties wearing a brocade silk shirt. Judging from his appearance, Jiang Qi vaguely remembered that this person was his third cousin Han Chuan. His brother also sat there with a reserved and honest manner.

Seeing Jiang Qi coming in, Jiang's mother waved her hand lovingly and said, "Lao Wu, come here quickly. I have seen your third cousin, do you still remember your third cousin?"

Jiang Qi walked over timidly, looked up at the third cousin on the seat, lowered his head, and called "third cousin" in a low voice, and stopped talking.

Han Chuan laughed loudly when he saw this, touched Jiang Qi's little head and said, "I haven't seen you for a few years. The little kid has grown up and grown taller, okay, okay."

When Jiang's mother saw her, she pretended to be stranger and said, "This child, when my cousin didn't come, she always talked about it. Now that my cousin is here, I have nothing to say! Are you having sex with your cousin?"

Jiang Qi felt a little depressed when he heard this and thought to himself: Why did I chant when my cousin didn’t come?

Han Chuan smiled and said, "It might as well, I like Xiao Qi, this kid since I was a child. I think among our family, Xiao Qi is the most promising."

After hearing this, Jiang's mother was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth, but she still said, "A farmer can't beat a single fart with three sticks. What's the future? Don't polite him, his third cousin."

"Xiao Qi, see what good things my cousin brought to you?" Han Chuan said, taking out a thing from his arms and put it on the coffee table next to him.

This is a clown-like puppet. Han Chuan reached out to the clown-like puppet, and didn't know what mechanism it touched. The clown-like puppet, who was originally standing still, danced and played with the stick in his hand. It also churned and jumped from time to time, making a sound of drinking from his mouth, which was very interesting.

When Jiang Qi saw this, he liked it in his heart. He grabbed the clown puppet and held it in his hand, and said, "Thank you, third cousin!"

Han Chuan burst into laughter again.

After dinner, Jiang Qi was called to his house to sleep by his parents. When he was sleeping in the middle of the night, he vaguely saw that the lights were still on in the main hall outside, and his parents seemed to be arguing about something, and he seemed to mention himself in his words.

Jiang Qi was still young and sensible, and he was sleeping in a daze, so he didn't care much. He turned over and fell asleep again, and slept until dawn the next day.

The next day, after breakfast, Jiang Qi was called to the main hall. Jiang's father, Jiang's mother and his third cousin Han Chuan were all present, but the atmosphere seemed a little heavier than yesterday. Jiang's father was an honest farmer, and he kept his head down and said nothing. Jiang's mother's smile disappeared, and even felt a little sad and reluctant. But Han Chuan still looked at Jiang Qi with a smile as usual.

Jiang Qi felt intuition that something would happen today, and was uneasy in his heart. He stood there with his head down, without saying a word.

"Xiao Qi, would you like to follow your cousin outside and learn some skills?" Han Chuan spoke after a while of silence in the venue.

Hearing this, Jiang Qi was shocked at first, then happy, and then hesitated and silent. Being able to walk out of this mountain and see the outside world has always been what Jiang Qi dreamed of and hoped for. Unexpectedly, the third cousin came to his house today, and he would bring such a great opportunity to himself.

But now this opportunity has come to his sight. After a surprise, Jiang Qi couldn't help but hesitate again. The outside world may be very good, but it is also strange, unfathomable, and even full of danger. A fear of the unknown suddenly occupied his young heart. Although his life was ordinary and boring in the village on this hundred-square-slope hillside, he had a happy life with his parents and brothers and sisters. But it is unknown what fate he was waiting for him after leaving the mountain and going outside.

"Xiao Qi, you are ten years old this year and are at the age of being sensible. My cousin feels it is necessary to explain things clearly to you." Han Chuan glanced at Jiang Qi and began to tell the story, "This year is exactly the year when the Qixia Sect of Guanzhou is recruiting disciples every five years. The Qixia Sect is a big gang in Guanzhou and has great power. Even the Guanzhou government has to give it some face. The restaurant where my cousin is actually an industry under the name of the Qixia Sect."

"The Qixia Sect recruits disciples, and many people want to squeeze in even if they have sharpened their heads. This time, my cousin also took a lot of effort to get a recommendation from the higher authorities. The disciples recruited by the Qixia Sect are limited to between the ages of ten and fifteen, and you just fit the same. My cousin is the first to think of recommending you. However, the Qixia Sect selects disciples very strictly. Whether you can choose them in the end depends on whether you have the luck."

"How is it, Xiao Qi, would you like to try this opportunity with your cousin?" Han Chuan asked at the end.

Now Xiao Jiang Qi's heart is pounding, but whether he will go or not, it makes him very confused. After a while of silence, he raised his head and asked a question, "Cousin, if I become a disciple of the Qixia Sect, can I become a big man like you?"

After hearing this, Han Chuan couldn't help laughing. After laughing, he looked at him meaningfully and said, "If you can really be selected and become a disciple of the Qixia Sect, it would be the matter of carp leaping on the dragon gate and glorifying the ancestors. Although your cousin is now the shopkeeper of the restaurant and is considered a decent person in the city, but in the Qixia Sect, he can only be regarded as a traitor in the outer sect. If you become a formal disciple of the Qixia Sect, your status will be much higher than that of the cousin, and you will have to rely on your care in the future."

After hearing Han Chuan's words, Jiang Qi suddenly became excited and became a big man bigger than his cousin. What an amazing thing. At this moment, he was thrown behind his head with the confusion and fear of the unknown. He seemed to have made up his mind and nodded a few times and said, "Cousin, I will go with you, I want to become a disciple of the Qixia Sect!"

Han Chuan patted his head comfortably and said, "Good boy, that's what it means. You will go on the road with me tomorrow and go to Qixia Mountain."
Chapter completed!