Xu Mu woke up early, he was awakened by the sound of the bell.
The sound of the bells echoed incessantly through the valley, with no intention of ceasing.
The birds and animals in the mountains and forests seemed to have been used to it for a long time, and there was no commotion, even a big yellow dog lying at the entrance to the village barked twice in the direction of the sound of the bells, then lay down on the ground and went to sleep.
The name of this mountain is Tai Ling Mountain, although it is not the highest peak in Mirror State, it is definitely the most mysterious.
This Tai Ling Mountain had clouds all year round, and the surrounding villagers could only move around the periphery of the mountain peaks, and there were people who had tried to go deeper into the mountain forests, but they would soon come out dazed.
But the villagers were not surprised; it was a well-known secret that there were immortals in the mountains.
Even the entire village, which is dependent on the Immortal Gate in Tai Ling Mountain, exists.
After all, although it is a mountain to eat mountain, but leaning on the immortal mountain, people do not allow you to eat you, how to do?
But immortal cultivators aren't really immortal, they can't eat yet, they're not like fairies who can live by drinking dew, they still have to eat in normal times.
Especially for cultivators below the Foundation Establishment, even an existence at the thirteenth level of Great Perfection of Qi Practice had to eat once a month.
Only when one breaks through to the foundation-establishing stage, when one's Dao foundation becomes celestial, and is from then on separated from the mortal body, can one achieve grain repulsion.
Therefore, the people in the small mountain village usually dealt with the Immortal Sect as a matter of course, even though the other party was usually a mortal sent by the Immortal Sect to buy all kinds of supplies, but after all, it was the guy with the Immortal Sect's back, and he couldn't be considered an idle person.
Xu Mu recognized the person in charge of purchasing at Tai Ling Mountain, this person's name was Zhao, ten years ago, he was also a villager, because of his resourcefulness, he was valued by Tai Ling Mountain, and after entering the mountain gate, he soon sat in the position of Outer Gate Steward.
When he left, he was a skinny, scrawny monkey, and within a few years he was so fat he couldn't even get in the front door of his own house.
Only the tall wooden door of the village headman's house could accommodate this guy's body.
Living with the Immortal Sect, life in the mountain village was peaceful, and there were no horse thieves or robbers or anything like that.
Moreover, it was said that in return for the mountain village's support, Tailing Mountain would also allow the village's children of appropriate ages to participate in the Immortal Sect's initiation test every year, and it was said that as long as they passed the initiation, they would be considered half-immortals.
And even if they failed, they still had a chance to become someone like Steward Zhao, who worked for the Immortal Sect in unparalleled glory.
Although Xu Mu didn't want to turn into a big fat man, he was still looking forward to becoming an immortal, so he attached great importance to the so-called Immortal Gate Trial.
Of course, he wasn't the only one who appreciated this process, but unfortunately, in the past, nine and a half out of ten people who went to the process failed.
Nevertheless, the children still have no deep concept of failure, and after each year, those who have turned thirteen that year wait cheerfully at home.
By the time the familiar bell rang, it would mean that Steward Zhao had already left the mountain.
In the minds of the children, just wait until he moves his fat body to their doorstep and takes them up the mountain, they will be immortal too.
Therefore, when Xu Mu heard the bell and woke up, he immediately went to the courtyard and fetched a bucket of water to scrub himself, and in a short time, he finished cleaning up.
"Fifth son of the family, where are you? Your uncle Zhao is here!" his father shouted from outside the house.
The father's name is Xu Baoshan, he is in his forties, and he has given birth to three daughters and three men so far in his life.
The first and second daughters have long since left the family, one married to the old Zhang family at the east end of the village, the other to the old Wang family at the north end of the village.
Girls can also be sent to the Immortal Sect Trials, but it is not mandatory for both boys and girls, so according to the traditional concept, very few girls go to the trials.
This was the case with Xu Mu's eldest and second sisters.
Big Brother Xu Shan and Second Brother Xu Lin had participated in the Immortal Sect's trial a long time ago, but they failed and went down the mountain to the city to find a blacksmith's shop as an apprentice.
Xu Mu at home ranked fifth, behind him there is a younger sister named Xu Ling, is considered the most favored object in the family.
It couldn't be helped that before Xu Ling was born, Xu Mu was also the most favored one.
Unfortunately, Xu Mu was thirteen years old this year, and Xu Ling was eleven years old, and he had only been favored for two short years, and he had forgotten all about it.
"Coming!" Xu Mu replied, wiping his face and walking out with conviction.
However, as soon as he walked out the door, after seeing the huge body of Steward Zhao, Xu Mu still looked very nervous.
"Haha, Old Xu, this is your little son, right? I look quite resourceful, maybe it will work this time!" said Fatty Zhao with a smile.
When he laughed, his eyes were squeezed into slits by the fat on his face, and his voice dropped in mid-sentence, looking like a blooming fox.
Old Xu sniffed and said in a bad mood, "Come on, every time you say that, my ears are almost calloused! Last time you said the same thing at Old Zhang's house, right?"
Fatty Zhao was not annoyed when he was poked and laughed, "What do you know, this is called a blessing, I heard that Immortal Masters use spells to bless others, so am I not learning?
After the two of them chatted for a few moments, Fatty Zhao left, saying that he was going to tell the other family next door so that the two Xu Mu masters could have a good chat so that they wouldn't have the opportunity to do this in the future.
Xu Baoshan（old xu） did not take this seriously, he sent two sons, did not all return the next day?
Instead, the two of them looked at each other wide-eyed for a while, and the atmosphere became awkward.
After a long time, it was Xu Baoshan (old Xu) who instructed, "When you go out later, be careful about everything, listen more, watch more, do less and ask less, got it?"
"Got it, Dad," Xu Mu nodded and said obediently.
Xu Baoshan stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction, this youngest son of his had always been more understanding, but this was quite a relief for him.
Shortly after, mother Chen Xiu came out of the inner room with a package in her hand and handed it to Xu Mu, saying, "Fifth child, take this with you and eat it when you're hungry on the road.
Xu Mu took the steaming package and saw that what was inside was nothing but some sugar cookies, and immediately smiled and said, "Mother, you're so nice!
On weekdays, most of the food eaten at home was tasteless cakes, and Chen Xiu's one-time baking of three sugar cakes for Xu Mu was enough to make the thirteen-year-old boy happy for half a day.
Chen Xiu looked at the happy Xu Mu, his eyes filled with a loving smile, but also filled with helplessness.
These three sugar cookies should be considered the last meals Xu Mu ate at home, and when Xu Mu came down from the mountain, he would have to follow the same path as his brother and go to the city to become an apprentice.
It's hard to support a family as a crop farmer, let alone start a family.
Even though Xu Baoshan lived in this mountain village protected by Ta Ling Shan, it was still difficult to feed his family.
However, thirteen-year-old Xu Mu didn't know this, and he tore off small pieces of the sugar cookie and put them in his mouth with a happy look in his eyes.