Zhao State, Anyang County, He Family Compound.

"Ding'er, come here. ”

A young man was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, staring at the endless stars in the sky. A familiar loud sound woke him from his fugue, and he turned his head to see a tall man with a scar on his face standing on the stone steps not far away waving to him.

"What's the matter, Daddy?" replied, and got up and left the stone bench, walking over to the man.

The middle-aged man's name is He Qingguo, the second son of the He family, and the commander of the Anyang County Garrison. And this young man is his son, named He Ding.

"Do you know what day tomorrow is?" He Qingguo was tall and mighty, his masculine face revealed kindness, and his eyes were full of love for his son, he smiled and stroked the back of He Ding's head and asked.

"You know, isn't it the day when the Righteous Qi Alliance went down the mountain to select disciples. He Ding blinked.

"It's good to know. The Zhengqi League accepts disciples once every four years, and only recruits sixteen, people under twenty, you just turned sixteen this year, you had better pay attention to it, after this village, there will be no such shop," He Qingguo said, "In addition, my father also wants to understand clearly, what does Ding'er want to do in the future? Is it to join the officialdom and serve the imperial court? Or to gallop on the battlefield like a father, Jin Ge Iron Horse, or do you want to cultivate immortals in pursuit of immortality?"

"The child has said many times that the child does not like to go into battle to kill the enemy. He Ding arched his hand, thought for a while, and said, "The difficulty of cultivating immortals also understands that not everyone has the opportunity to cultivate the right path. If he fails tomorrow's trial, it means that the child has no chance with the Tao, and he will put his mind on the imperial examination and serve the country in the future. ”

"Well, it's good if you're prepared, and I don't bother with it. He Qingguo nodded, turned around and left, "Rest early, tomorrow you have to get up early to greet the immortals of the Zhengqi Alliance." ”

"I know, my father went to bed early. He Ding nodded slightly, and after watching his father walk away, he also turned around and entered his room.

He Qingguo stood in the darkness at the end of the corridor and did not go far. Looking at the light in his son's room, his thoughts were confused for a while. If He Ding successfully passes the selection tomorrow and is accepted as a disciple by the Righteous Qi Alliance, he may have to be separated from his son. Immortal cultivators like to practice in retreat, and the next time they meet, it may be the Year of the Monkey, and some things may never have a chance to say if they don't say it now.

"Do you want to tell him now ... He Qingguo pursed his lips, hesitating in his heart.

I don't know how long later, a cool breeze interrupted He Qingguo's musings. He came back to his senses and found that the lights in He Ding's room had long been extinguished, sighed, and turned to leave.

......

In fact, He Ding was not asleep at this time, he crossed one leg, pillowed his head with his hands, and looked at the ceiling thoughtfully.

He Ding was born without a mother, and it is said that he died of excessive blood loss, and the name He Ding was also named because he had a dark birthmark on his chest that resembled Xiao Ding. He Ding always felt a little guilty about his father, feeling that he had killed his mother. I don't know if it's because of this, He Qingguo rarely talked about his mother in front of He Ding. He Ding was frail and sickly since he was a child, and when he was a child, he asked the Taoist to watch his fate, and the Taoist left the words "fate is ill-fated, and the will of heaven is unpredictable" and shook his head and left, after which He Qingguo protected He Ding in everything, for fear that he would be hurt a little. After the age of twelve, He Qingguo asked He Ding to practice He Jiaquan every day, in order to strengthen his body. After several years of boxing practice, his body has become much stronger, and there are many fewer cases of illness than before, which is indeed fruitful.

What made He Qingguo quite distressed was that as the commander of the garrison of Anyang County, his son did not like to fight on the battlefield at all. For not wanting to join the army, He Ding has only one reason: he doesn't want to take other people's lives. In one sentence, all He Qingguo's words were blocked, and he said so, what else could he do. Fortunately, He Jie, the son of his eldest brother He Qingshan, is brave and good at fighting, has a strong personality, and serves as the captain of the garrison army, which is quite like him back then, at least he will be able to inherit his mantle in the future.

So what does He Ding usually do besides playing?

Reading.

He Ding was literate relatively early, and when he could babble and speak, he could hold a small book and study for a long time, and at the age of six he had read a book effortlessly, and he had the ability to never forget, and he could recite it word for word after reading it. At the age of twelve, he read all the books in the family library, and when he didn't have a book to read, he instigated Qiu Shiyue, a little friend in the Qiu family's compound next door, to steal the books from her house, and this matter was discovered by the Qiu family a year later, but at that time, He Ding had already read the Qiu family's books. Looking at He Ding's innocent eyes, He Qingguo didn't know how to punish this child, after all, it's a good thing to like to read!

Ding'er is suitable to be a civil official in the future... He Qingguo comforted himself like this.

He Ding read a wide range of books, and the knowledge he absorbed was naturally rich, and sometimes the gadgets or ideas he made were admired by his younger brother He Ting, the son of He Qingfeng, the third son of the He family. Since then, He Ding has had a small follower.

He Ting is fourteen years old this year, his body is not fully developed, he is a head shorter than He Ding, innocent and cute, lively and cheerful, He Ding likes this younger brother very much.

Qiu Shiyue of the Qiu family, He Ding still remembered that when he talked to her for the first time, he didn't know that she was the eldest lady of the Qiu family, he only knew that she was a member of the Qiu family. In this way, he made his own strange request to Qiu Shiyue, wanting her to steal a few books from her family. Qiu Shiyue thought it was funny and strange, but she still helped him steal it. Since then, the two have often been together, discussing the content of the book, and sometimes arguing for a character for a long time. Qiu Shiyue likes to listen to He Ding tell her all kinds of stories, and the two slowly became familiar with each other. He Ding also likes her very much.

But the key is...... If tomorrow is really accepted as a disciple by the Righteous Qi Alliance, you may not be able to see them in the future. He Ding thought so.

You must know that the lifespan of an immortal cultivator is not a star and a half longer than that of ordinary people, and He Ding vaguely knows that it is not a problem for a powerful immortal cultivator to live to thousands of years. If you become an immortal cultivator, your relatives and friends may quietly pass away in a short retreat in the eyes of immortal cultivators, and you can't do anything about it.

As soon as he thought of this, He Ding's heart throbbed faintly.

Forget it, or else, or not, don't you go to cultivate immortals...... He Ding closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

......

The night had not yet completely faded, and the sun had risen over the horizon, dispelling the silence of the night.

"Third brother, get up, get up, get up, everyone is ready!" a figure crouched outside He Ding's door and shouted.

"I know, what's the hurry, the immortals of the Righteous Qi Alliance still have an hour to arrive. He Ding naturally got up, but he was a little depressed by He Ting's shouting.

Who the hell is participating in the trial, hey...... He Ding said secretly.

After washing and tidying up his clothes, He Ding pushed open the door. He Ting had been waiting outside the door for a long time, and when he saw He Ding coming out, he pounced.

"Third brother, hurry up and go! everyone is waiting for you!" He Ting pulled He Ding and ran to the main hall, his eyes full of excitement.

"Isn't he just an immortal? He Ding had no choice but to let He Ting drag him forward, "Hey, you slow down! ”

He Ding had already met the immortals of the Zhengqi Alliance once four years ago, and he had not forgotten the shock he had brought at that time, and that shock was the shock that subverted his worldview. Looking back now, I still can't calm down. Speaking of himself, four years ago, he was no better than He Ting at this time.

The two stumbled to the main hall, where everyone had sat down around the table. Morning tea and pastries are so dazzling that almost the entire table is filled.

"Just sit down. He Qingguo glanced at He Ding and said.

"Yes. The two bowed and sat down on two empty stools.

He Jun, the current head of the He family, sat in front of the table. He was in a wheelchair, his hair was gray, and wrinkles were crawling all over his face, but the old man's eyes were unusually bright. He slowly glanced around, his eyes lingering on He Ding and his second sister He Ying for a while.

"Today is a big day for the two dolls, Ying'er and Ding'er, don't be discouraged if you don't get selected, after all, mortals like me can't ask for immortal cultivation, and we can't force it if we don't have a chance. If you choose, it is the honor of my He family, if you can't choose, forget about it. He Jun said slowly.

"Remember, child. He Ding and He Ying said in unison.

He Ying is He Ding's second sister, the daughter of He Qingshan, the eldest son of the He family, is eighteen years old this year, tall and tall, as tall as He Ding. Danfeng eyes, melon seed face, willow eyebrows and cherry lips, is a complete cold beauty. On weekdays, the relationship with He Ding is not bad, because she has no common language with He Jie, who likes to fight and speaks foul all day long, but there are many topics to talk about with He Ding.

"Let's go on the road after eating, don't let the immortals of the Righteous Qi Alliance wait. He Jun said, and everyone picked up the dishes and chopsticks and began to enjoy breakfast.

He Ding gulped down the pastry, his mind was a little messy, and he finished the breakfast in a daze.

Outside the house.

It was still early, and there were no pedestrians on the road, only the constant sound of roosters from house to house. Jia Ding had already prepared a few carriages, and He Jun did not plan to go because of his inconvenience. After the three sons of the He family got into the carriage separately, He Jun waved goodbye to them, and the maid pushed the wheelchair into the house.

The carriage moved slowly, and there was a bit of a bump in the bluestone street.

He Ding stuck his head out of the window of the carriage and looked at the courtyard that was gradually moving away, and a strange emotion surged up in his heart. He opened his mouth, but he couldn't say anything. When the compound disappeared around the corner of the street, He Ding stuck his head back.

However, He Ding later recalled that this was the last time he saw the He family's compound.