As soon as night fell, the summer evening breeze blew through the purple tung blossoms with a hot breath, and bursts of intoxicating aroma spread in the air. In an inconspicuous small courtyard in the huge backyard of the Xia family in Yushui City, there was a sound of 'pop', 'pop' and 'pop' from time to time.

The sound is sometimes rapid, sometimes slow. In the courtyard, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy was standing in front of a wooden stake and striking it hard. The constant sweat on his forehead showed that he had maintained this striking action for a long time. The solid stake quivered slightly in the constant blow, but it would not break open by such a blow.

There was a stubborn look between the young man's eyebrows, and the eyes were clear and transparent, but they showed a sense of perseverance and unyielding. On his handsome face, his fair skin had a hint of sickness, perhaps because of the long period of vigorous exercise, and the young man's breathing was a little short. The blue and wrinkled robe on his body had already been soaked with sweat and stuck to his back.

Time passed, and the boy didn't seem to feel it at all, and gradually, the moon had climbed up the treetops. Every time his limbs hit the stake, the boy frowned slightly, and his palms turned red from the hard stump.

'Bang' 'Bang'......

The boy struck his limbs against the sturdy stump again and again, as if he were a tireless machine.

Suddenly, the young man's ears moved, and he heard what seemed to be footsteps outside the courtyard gate. The young man couldn't help but stop what he was doing, and listened carefully, and sure enough, the almost inaudible footsteps were getting closer and closer.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the dilapidated courtyard gate. When the young man saw this person, his face suddenly showed a trace of imperceptible joy. Normally, the small courtyard where the boy was almost abandoned, would not have any clansmen coming, except for the person who appeared in front of the boy at this time, of course.

Appearing at the gate of the courtyard was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a black velvet coat, and when he saw the young man, the middle-aged man also showed a faint smile on his face.

"Xia Yan, it's so late, still practicing?" the middle-aged man said in a gentle voice.

The teenager who had been hitting the stump was named Xia Yan. And this middle-aged man is one of the nine elders of the Xia family, named Xia Changhe, who is also Xia Yan's third grandfather and Xia Yan's father's third uncle. After Xia Yan's father died, Xia Yan grew up under the protection of his mother alone, but when Xia Yan was eight years old, his mother also left Xia Yan and passed away, and since then in this world, only this third grandfather is the best for Xia Yan.

If it weren't for the third grandfather, Xia Yan might have been expelled from the Xia family's mansion and lived on the streets! Even if he could stay in the Xia family now, Xia Yan could only live in this abandoned courtyard, but Xia Yan did not become depressed and depressed because of this. It is precisely because of this that Xia Yan's third grandfather has always taken care of Xia Yan.

Seeing the third grandfather, Xia Yan's mood that had been entangled seemed to be a little better, and he ran to the third grandfather in three or two steps, and said in a firm tone: "Third grandfather, I must open up all the meridians and become a real martial artist like my father!"

Hearing Xia Yan say this, Xia Changhe couldn't help but sigh secretly, but the smile on his face was even worse. Xia Yan was born with a relatively poor physique, and in martial arts, it was almost certain that he would not have much achievement. However, Xia Yan never gave in and insisted on cultivating hard.

It's just that after ten years, Xia Yan has barely made progress in other aspects except for being slightly stronger. For example, one hundred and eight martial arts meridians in Xia Yan's body have not been opened yet. This kind of phenomenon is almost impossible in large households, but it happened to Xia Yan.

Xia Changhe pondered for a moment, then looked directly at Xia Yan, and said with a smile on his face: "Xia Yan, at tomorrow's elders' meeting, the Great Elder has just promised to help me speak, if there is the help of the Great Elder, it is possible to put your mother's spiritual seat into the ancestral hall of the Xia family." ”

When Xia Yan heard this, he immediately jumped up excitedly, hugged Xia Changhe and said in surprise: "Third grandfather, did the eldest grandfather really promise you? Haha, can my mother's spiritual position really enter the ancestral hall?"

Xia Yan's eyes lit up, and the excitement in his heart couldn't be expressed in words. At this time, Xia Yan couldn't wait to tell all the members of the Xia family the news.

It has been six years since Xia Yan's mother died, but the spiritual position has not been included in the Xia family ancestral hall. This almost became 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 transported back from the Forest of Sin, and since then, her mother has often been pointed at her face and cursed viciously. Everyone, everyone thought that it was because of the arrival of the mother that the father would die in the forest of sin. And the mother, on the other hand, never fought back against the person who cursed her, but just endured it. However, only in front of Xia Yan alone, a smile appeared on his mother's cold face.

And the reason for this result is because 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 Forest of Sin, and unexpectedly brought Xia Yan's mother back from the Forest of Sin. 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 Sin Forest, and the attitude of the clansmen in the family can be imagined. But Xia Yan's father didn't care about other people's opinions, and under the opposition of almost everyone, his father resolutely married his mother, and then gave birth to Xia Yan.

After Xia Yan was born, all the gossip gradually disappeared, but it was only a year since Xia Yan was born, and his father never came back alive after going to the Forest of Sin once.

Since then, Xia Yan and his mother have never had a good time, and everyone no longer gives the mother and son a good look. Some people even wanted to kill Xia Yan's mother and son. Fortunately, Xia Changhe, the third grandfather in the family, has always tried his best to protect Xia Yan's mother and son, which has allowed Xia Yan's mother and son to stay in the Xia family. However, the mother and son are not as good as ordinary servants in the Xia family.

After Xia Yan's mother died, the spiritual position was not allowed to enter the Xia family ancestral hall.

"Xia Yan, when you grow up, you must become a man who stands up to the sky like your father......"

"Xia Yan, my mother has two wishes in this life. The first wish is that you can live well, and the second is ...... The second wish is to be with your father after death......"

Before Xia Yan's mother died, Xia Yan was by her mother's side, listening to her mother say these words word by word, and her tears were uncontrollable.

Every time he recalled the words that his mother said before she died, Xia Yan couldn't help but clench her fists, and her heart fluctuated. The father's spiritual seat is in the ancestral hall, but the mother's spiritual seat is not allowed to be placed in it. Xia Yan has always wanted to put his mother's other person into the ancestral ancestral hall and be with his father.

"Hehe, Xia Yan, although the Great Elder promised to help at the Council of Elders, the matter has not yet been decided. We won't be able to decide until tomorrow after the presbytery. Xia Changhe saw Xia Yan's cheering appearance, and sighed again in his heart. In the past six years, he has been trying to persuade the patriarch and elders to put Xia Yan's mother's spiritual seat into the Xia family ancestral hall. It was only to this day that the Great Elder Xia Lai promised to help Xia Changhe speak at the Council of Elders under the promise of great benefits.

The Great Elder Xia Lai has a very high rank in the Xia family, one generation higher than Xia Changhe, even if he is the patriarch, he must seriously consider Xia Lai's opinion. So if Charley had a presbyterian to help speak, it would have been much easier.

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, and when Xia Dongsheng was only eighteen years old, he completely opened up the one hundred and eight main martial arts meridians in his body, and his martial arts cultivation reached the realm of cleansing the marrow in one fell swoop. If it weren't for that accident more than ten years ago, I'm afraid it would be possible to step into the innate spirit master now.

Pity......

Xia Dongsheng at the beginning was also the most popular candidate for the next patriarch. If Xia Dongsheng does not die, Xia Yan's status will also change drastically from now.

Alas, life is full of many unknowable changes!

"Third Grandpa, I will definitely work hard to cultivate, and I won't let you down!" After Xia Yan was excited, he quickly calmed down, and said in a firm tone to Xia Changhe.

Xia Changhe shook his head and said: "Xia Yan, maybe you can get ahead from the text, and you can also get ahead from the text?" Look at me, my martial arts are actually only in the forging stage. ”

This is not the first time that Xia Changhe has persuaded Xia Yan to give up cultivating martial arts, but Xia Yan has never accepted his persuasion. Among the nine elders of the Xia family, three of them did not follow the martial path, and Xia Changhe was one of the three.

knew that the third grandfather was for his own good, so Xia Yan would not be angry because Xia Changhe said this.

This time, Xia Yan was silent for a while, in fact, he also knew that the third grandfather's suggestion might be right for him.

"Third grandfather, my mother wants me to practice martial arts and become a strong man like my father!"

As soon as Xia Yan's words came out, Xia Changhe stopped saying anything. He knew that Xia Yan might not change this will in his life.

patted Xia Yan on the shoulder, Xia Changhe looked at Xia Yan with kind eyes and said, "Cultivate well, I believe you will succeed, Xia Yan!"

Xia Yan nodded his head heavily, and his eyes also revealed a sense of confidence. The black eyes, like the twinkling stars in the night sky, are shining. In Xia Yan's heart, there has always been a voice calling, so that he will never give up. Whenever he thought of his mother in the dead of night, Xia Yan's whole body was full of strength.

The next morning, after Xia Yan ate two baked cakes, he sat in a dilapidated room and practiced writing. Although he was dedicated to cultivating martial arts, Xia Yan had never left behind in reading and writing.

Just when Xia Yan wrote the eighty-seventh character on the rice paper, there was a sound of small footsteps in the courtyard, Xia Yan couldn't help but look up and look down the door, and saw that it was a maid of the patriarch of the family, named Xiaocui.