Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 2: Journey

Li Yan was woken up by someone pushing him, and when he opened his eyes, he saw his Fourth Sister, Li Xiaozhu, beside him. Their Third Brother was no longer there. Li Xiaozhu’s eyes were red and swollen as she looked at him.

“Little Brother, Uncle Guoxing has arrived. Father wants you to get up and go to him.”

Li Yan hadn’t slept well the previous night and only dozed off after the rooster crowed several times. He sat up straight and looked at his Fourth Sister.

“I’m going, Fourth Sister.”

However, Li Xiaozhu didn’t move, still gazing at him with an unwilling expression. Li Yan saw the look on her face and felt a sudden pang in his heart, but he still managed to smile.

“Don’t worry, Fourth Sister. I’ll come back to visit you all during the next New Year’s celebration. Who knows if you’ll be at home then?”

Li Xiaozhu was taken aback by his words, and her face turned red.

“You’re such a smooth talker!”

Then, she turned around and left.

Li Yan watched his Fourth Sister’s back, letting out a soft sigh. He didn’t even believe his own words.

It was already late summer and early autumn, and who knew what his situation would be like in half a year, let alone next year or the year after?

After washing up, Li Yan went to the front room, where five people were sitting: his father, mother, Third Brother, Fourth Sister, and a sturdy man in his forties.

The man was sitting in a slightly higher and larger chair, with a square-shaped face and a full beard. He wore a short-sleeved hunting outfit, and his muscles were bulging. Despite the chilly autumn morning in the mountain village, he didn’t seem to feel the cold, exuding an aura of confidence.

When Li Yan entered, the man smiled.

“Li Yan, you’re up late.”

Li Yan took a few steps forward, bowed, and said, “Uncle Guoxing, good morning!”

The man’s name was Li Guoxing, the village head of this village. Apart from farming, he was also an expert hunter, often leading the village’s young men on hunting trips in the mountains.

Thanks to him, the village had survived the recent locust plague, and their lives were better than those in other villages, at least without anyone dying from starvation.

Li Guoxing looked at Li Yan, then at his mother, Third Brother, and Fourth Sister, before speaking.

“Originally, I was going to leave for the city in two days to send the second son of the Old Shan family and the eldest son of the Li Tian family to work as kitchen helpers and apprentice blacksmiths. I was going to give them a letter of recommendation. But last night, Chang Bo came to my house and told me about Li Yan’s situation, so I decided to leave today instead.”

Li Yan’s father, Li Chang, was also known as Chang Bo, and the villagers called him Chang Bo. Li Guoxing looked at everyone and continued.

“Actually, I also told Chang Bo yesterday that Li Yan could go to the county town to work like the others. It’s a stable job.”

“However, I have to make it clear that a young man like him must have no experience in this kind of work, so he must start as an apprentice.”

“Apprenticeships require a fee, and the apprentice has to do all sorts of tasks. They also need to sign a contract. If anything happens during the apprenticeship, the master’s family won’t take responsibility. But Chang Bo still decided to let Li Yan join the army instead.”

Li Guoxing looked at Li Yan’s mother, whose eyes were red and swollen, and continued to explain.

This is actually mainly about money.  Li Yan’s family doesn’t have much money, and the apprenticeship fee is 500 copper coins, which is a huge burden for them. Their monthly expenses are only around 50 copper coins, so paying for the apprenticeship would be equivalent to almost a year’s worth of expenses.

Secondly, being an apprentice is very tough, and they have no personal freedom. There are cases where apprentices are beaten or even killed by their masters.

Chang Bo looked at Li Yan and said, “It’s settled then! We’ll have to trouble you, Guoxing.”

Li Yan’s mother, with tears in her eyes, hastily asked the village head, “Are we leaving today?”

The village head nodded. “Yes, although conscription is a common occurrence, someone from the county town returned yesterday and said that the recruitment has already started. This time, it’s likely to be for the city guard, which is responsible for protecting the city officials’ families and the city’s granaries and armories.”

Li Yan’s mother was worried. “Oh, does that mean he’ll have to fight?”

Li Xiaozhu also looked anxious and turned to Li Guoxing.

Chang Bo, seeing his wife and daughter’s worried expressions, slapped the table in front of him. “Didn’t I say it’s the city guard? They’re not going to fight! Look at you all, you’re acting like…”

Li Xiaozhu and Li Yan’s mother looked at Li Guoxing nervously, and Li Guoxing nodded repeatedly to comfort them. They finally calmed down and stopped asking questions.

Li Yan, however, had been silent since entering the room, only speaking to greet. Seeing his mother and Fourth Sister’s worried expressions, he felt a surge of sadness and a lump in his throat. His eyes began to redden.

He thought to himself, ‘If I make money in the future, I’ll definitely come back to take care of my parents and family. I want to see them smile happily every day and enjoy the warmth of family.’

In reality, although the city guard doesn’t usually participate in battles, if war breaks out and the army is insufficient, they might still be sent to fight. At least they would have to defend the city walls, and the enemy’s arrows and swords wouldn’t distinguish between the city guard and the generals.

Moreover, in critical situations, the city guard might still be sent out to confront the enemy, which would be a real-life-or-death battle.

However, compared to other conscripted soldiers, the city guard was generally a better option.

Li Wei, who was standing aside, looked at Li Yan with concern. He vaguely knew that things weren’t as simple as the village head had said.

Li Guoxin looked at Li Yan, who remained silent, and asked him, “Do you have any questions to ask?”

Li Yan thought for a moment before speaking up. “Uncle Guoxin has already told us that the Imperial Guard is responsible for guarding the granary and armory, and even provides security for officials’ homes. This is a very good job, and it’s not easy to get. I must do this job well.”

Li Guoxin listened to this and slightly furrowed his brow, thinking to himself, ‘This kid really believes everything I said. He’ll be in grave danger if he’s not careful.’

Li Guoxin then bid farewell to Li Yan’s family. “We’ll set off in half an hour. This time, it’ll just be me and three young men going together. No one from the family can see us off, as the mountain road is over 200 li long, and with our luggage and the horse-drawn carriage, it’ll be difficult to get to the destination today.”

The village only had two good horses, and with the added weight of the four people, the carriage would be slow. They had to hurry to arrive at the county town before sunset.

As the sun had just risen, the carriage had already left the village, and the mountain village was slowly disappearing into the distance.

Looking back, Li Yan saw the villagers, including his crying family members, and the women crying in the crowd. The two children on the carriage, aged 13 and 14, were also crying uncontrollably, wiping away their tears.

Li Yan looked at his family, including his fourth sister and mother, who were crying, and his third brother, who was limping along with their father. He remained silent.

Until Li Yan sat on the carriage, his third brother and father didn’t say a word, only forcing a smile.

His fourth sister and mother, however, kept pulling at the hem of his new coarse cloth clothes, as if afraid they wouldn’t be neat, and cried while giving him various instructions, telling him to come back and visit them, and that there were dried food and salted vegetables in the package, which he could eat when hungry and drink when thirsty.

Li Yan didn’t cry, but only forced a smile and waved at them, his heart aching with sadness.

“Father, mother! Third brother, fourth sister, take care! I’ll bring back good things from the city next time!”

“Fifth Brother, remember, remember, go, go!”

“Fourth sister, I’ll bring back city cosmetics for you when I settle down!”

“Li Yan”

With a heart-wrenching cry, Li Yan’s mother fell into the arms of the Fourth Sister.

The surrounding villagers were also crying, and the wailing on the carriage grew louder. Li Yan could no longer control his tears, letting them flow freely on his face, but he didn’t make a sound.

The carriage finally slowly disappeared from view, leaving behind the familiar sights of Li Yan’s hometown, the Great Green Mountain, and the familiar trees and grass.

As the carriage turned a mountain bend, the village slowly disappeared from view, but the crying sounds from the village seemed to grow louder, piercing the heart…