Night had just fallen, and the summer evening breeze blew through the purple paulownia flowers with its hot breath, and bursts of intoxicating fragrance spread in the air. In an inconspicuous small courtyard in the huge backyard of the Xia family in Yushui City,
But from time to time there was a sound of 'pop', 'pop' and 'pop'.
The sound was sometimes rapid and sometimes slow. In the yard, a boy of fourteen or fifteen years old was standing in front of a wooden stake and hitting the wooden stake hard. The sweat dripping from his forehead showed that he had maintained such beating.
The action lasted for a long time. The solid wooden pile vibrated slightly during the constant blows, but it would not break due to such blows.
There is a stubborn look between the young man's brows, and his eyes are clear and transparent, but also full of perseverance. On his handsome face, the fair skin has a hint of sickness, perhaps due to long periods of strenuous exercise.
, the young man's breathing was a little rapid. The cyan robe full of wrinkles was already soaked with sweat and stuck to his back.
As time went by, the young man seemed not to feel it at all. Gradually, the moon had climbed up to the treetops. Every time his body hit the wooden stake, the young man would slightly frown, and his palms hit the hard tree stump with great force.
The blood glowed bright red.
‘Pa’ ‘Pa’…
The boy was like a tireless machine, hitting his limbs on the solid tree stump again and again.
Suddenly, the young man's ears moved, and he heard the sound of footsteps outside the courtyard gate. The young man couldn't help but stop what he was doing, and listened carefully. Sure enough, the almost inaudible footsteps were approaching here.
.
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the gate of the dilapidated courtyard. When the young man saw this person, a trace of imperceptible joy suddenly appeared on his face. Normally, the almost abandoned courtyard where the young man was located would not
Someone from the tribe came, except of course the person who appeared in front of the young man at this time.
The person who appeared at the gate of the courtyard was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a black velvet jacket. When he saw the young man, the middle-aged man also had a faint smile on his face.
"Xia Yan, it's so late and you're still practicing?" the middle-aged man said in a gentle voice.
The young man who has been hitting the tree stump is named Xia Yan. This middle-aged man is one of the nine elders of the Xia family, named Xia Changhe. He is also Xia Yan’s third grandfather and Xia Yan’s father’s third uncle.
After Xia Yan's father died, Xia Yan gradually grew up under the care of her mother. However, when Xia Yan was eight years old, her mother left Xia Yan and passed away. From then on, there was only this person in the world.
The third grandfather was the best to Xia Yan.
If it weren't for the third grandfather, Xia Yan might have been expelled from the Xia family and lived on the street! Even if he could still stay in the Xia family, Xia Yan could only live in this abandoned courtyard, but Xia Yan did not let this happen.
And he was depressed and depressed after a setback. It was precisely because of this that Xia Yan's third grandfather always took good care of Xia Yan.
Seeing Third Grandpa, Xia Yan's troubled mood seemed to be better. He ran to Third Grandpa in a few steps and said in a firm tone: "Third Grandpa, I must open up all the meridians and become a true warrior like my father.
!”
Hearing Xia Yan say this, Xia Changhe couldn't help but sigh secretly, but the smile on his face became even bigger. Xia Yan was born with a poor physical constitution, and it was almost certain that he would not achieve much in martial arts. But Xia Yan
Never give in and always persist in practicing hard.
It's just that after ten years, except for Xia Yan's body, which is slightly stronger, there has been almost no progress in other aspects. For example, Xia Yan's 108 martial arts meridians have not been opened up yet. This phenomenon has not yet opened up.
It is almost impossible to appear in a wealthy family, but it happened to Xia Yan.
Xia Changhe pondered for a moment, then looked directly at Xia Yan, with a smile on his face and said: "Xia Yan, at tomorrow's elders' meeting, the great elder has just promised to speak for me. If I have the help of the great elder, I can
Maybe your mother’s memorial tablet should be placed in the Xia family’s ancestral hall.”
When Xia Yan heard this, he jumped up excitedly, hugged Xia Changhe and said in surprise: "Third Grandpa, has Grandpa really promised you? Haha, can my mother's tomb really be allowed to enter the ancestral hall?"
Xia Yan's eyes were bright, and the excitement in his heart could not be expressed in words. At this time, Xia Yan wanted to tell all the members of the Xia family the news.
It has been six years since Xia Yan's mother passed away, but her memorial tablet has never been included in the Xia family's ancestral hall. This has almost become a thorn in Xia Yan's heart!
Xia Yan was less than a year old after she was born, and her father's body was brought back from the Sin Forest. From then on, her mother was often pointed in the face and cursed viciously. Everyone, everyone thought it was because of her mother's arrival.
My father died in the Forest of Sin. My mother, on the other hand, never fought back against those who cursed her, she just endured it. However, only in front of Xia Yan alone did my mother's frosty face show a smile.
The reason for this result is that Xia Yan's mother is not from the Dragon Continent, she is from the Dark Night Continent. More than ten years ago, Xia Yan's father once entered the Sinful Forest, and surprisingly, he
Xia Yan's mother was brought back from the Sinful Forest. You must know that the people of the Dragon Continent and the people of the Dark Night Continent are eternal enemies. Xia Yan's father brought back a woman from the Dark Night Continent from the Sinful Forest. The attitude of the clan members in the family
As you can imagine, Xia Yan's father didn't care about other people's opinions. Under the opposition of almost everyone, his father resolutely married his mother and gave birth to Xia Yan.
After Xia Yan was born, all the rumors gradually disappeared. However, only a year after Xia Yan was born, his father went to the Sinful Forest and never came back alive.
From then on, Xia Yan and her mother never had a good life. Everyone no longer looked good on the mother and son. Some tribesmen even wanted to kill Xia Yan and her son. Fortunately, the third grandfather in the family
Xia Changhe has always tried his best to protect Xia Yan's mother and son, which is why Xia Yan's mother and son have been allowed to stay in the Xia family. However, the mother and son's life in the Xia family was worse than that of ordinary servants.
After the death of Xia Yan's mother, her body was not allowed to enter the Xia family ancestral hall.
"Xia Yan, when you grow up, you must become a man as upright as your father..."
"Xia Yan, mother has two wishes in this life. The first wish is that you can live well, and the second... the second wish is to be with your father after death..."
Before Xia Yan's mother died, Xia Yan was beside her mother and could not control her tears as she listened to her mother say these words word by word.
Every time he recalled the words his mother said before she died, Xia Yan couldn't help but clench his fists and his heart surged. His father's memorial tablet was in the ancestral hall, but his mother's memorial tablet was not allowed to be put in. Xia Yan always
They all want to put their mother's body in the ancestral hall to be with their father.
"Haha, Xia Yan, although the great elder promised to help at the elders' meeting, the matter has not been decided yet. It will be decided after the elders' meeting tomorrow." Seeing Xia Yan's cheering appearance, Xia Changhe sighed in his heart again. These six
For years, he has been trying to persuade the clan chief and the elders to place Xia Yan's mother's spiritual tablet in the Xia family ancestral hall. It was not until today that the great elder Xia Lai agreed to help Xia Changhe speak at the elders' meeting with the promise of huge benefits.
.
The eldest elder Xia Lai has a very senior position in the Xia family, one generation higher than Xia Changhe. Even if he is the clan leader, he must seriously consider Xia Lai's opinion. Therefore, if Xia Lai can help speak at the elders' meeting, things will be easier.
many.
Looking at Xia Yan at this time, Xia Changhe couldn't help but recall Xia Yan's father. Xia Yan's father Xia Dongsheng was the most outstanding disciple of the younger generation of the Xia family. When Xia Dongsheng was only eighteen years old, he had 108...
The main martial art meridians were completely opened, and the martial arts cultivation reached the level of marrow cleansing in one fell swoop. If it hadn't been for the accident more than ten years ago, it would have been possible to become a spiritual master now.
pity……
Xia Dongsheng was also the most popular candidate to be the next clan leader. If Xia Dongsheng had not died, Xia Yan's status would have changed drastically from what it is now.
Alas, life is full of unpredictable changes!
"Third Grandpa, I will practice hard and won't let you down!" Xia Yan quickly calmed down after getting excited and said to Xia Changhe in a firm tone.
Xia Changhe shook his head and said: "Xia Yan, maybe you can become a scholar, and you can get ahead as well? Look at me, my martial arts is actually only in the training stage."
This was not the first time that Xia Changhe persuaded Xia Yan to give up practicing martial arts, but Xia Yan never accepted his persuasion. Among the nine elders of the Xia family, three of them did not follow the path of martial arts, and Xia Changhe was one of the three.
Knowing that Third Grandpa is doing it for his own good, Xia Yan will not be angry because Xia Changhe said this.
This time, Xia Yan was silent for a long time. In fact, he also knew that the third grandfather's suggestion might be the right one for him.
"Third Grandpa, my mother hopes that I will practice martial arts and become a strong man like my father!"
As soon as Xia Yan said his words, Xia Changhe said nothing more. He knew that Xia Yan might never change his will in his life.
After patting Xia Yan on the shoulder, Xia Changhe looked at Xia Yan with kind eyes and said, "Practice hard, I believe you will succeed, Xia Yan!"
Xia Yan nodded his head heavily, and there was a sense of confidence in his eyes. His black eyes were like twinkling stars in the night sky, bright and bright. In Xia Yan's heart, there was always a voice calling, let him
He will never give up. Whenever he thinks of his mother in the dead of night, Xia Yan's whole body is filled with strength.
On the morning of the next day, after Xia Yan ate two sesame cakes, he sat in a dilapidated room and practiced writing. Although he devoted himself to practicing martial arts, Xia Yan never forgot about reading and writing.
Just when Xia Yan reached the eighty-seventh word on the rice paper, there was a sound of soft footsteps in the yard. Xia Yan couldn't help but raise his head and look along the door.