When Li Gongfu met Xu Hanwen, Xu Hanwen was only eight years old. At that time, he didn't study hard and was always mischievous, which made his older sister Xu Jiaorong very worried.
Xu Jiaorong and Xu Hanwen, siblings, lost both parents at a young age and had no car or house. Xu Jiaorong worked hard to raise Xu Hanwen.
Later, after Xu Jiaorong married Li Gongfu, this brother-in-law was raised and cared for by Li Gongfu.
As Xu Hanwen grew older and became more sensible, he realized how hard his sister had worked, and he became determined to study hard.
Unfortunately, he lacked talent and wasn't cut out for studying.
During that time, Li Gongfu and Xu Jiaorong were extremely worried about their brother-in-law.
The turning point came three years ago.
That year, Xu Xian was thirteen years old, the time when his body was beginning to develop, and also the year he dropped out of the private school.
After seven or eight years of private schooling, he hasn't even memorized the Four Books and Five Classics, let alone taken the provincial examination to become a candidate for the imperial examination. What's the point of staying here if he's not going home? Is he just waiting for the teacher to kick him out?
That year, a young Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom came to Qiantang County and built a Taoist temple on a hillside in the eastern suburbs of the county, named Qingxu Temple... branch temple.
That's not the point!
The key point is that this Taoist temple posted a notice recruiting several Taoist children aged 10-14, offering room and board, a monthly stipend of 1 tael of silver, four days off per month, holidays during festivals, and holiday gifts.
Where else can you find such a good deal?
It's important to understand that the total annual income of an average family of four is only about 7-8 taels of silver. After deducting expenses, it's already quite good if they can save 3 taels.
Nowadays, a half-grown boy can receive a monthly salary of 12 taels of silver a year!
The entire Qiantang County was in an uproar, and even several surrounding counties heard the news, bringing their children to crowd at the foot of the mountain, waiting for the selection of the abbot of Qingxu Temple.
Even Xu Jiaorong was no exception; she instructed Li Gongfu to take Xu Hanwen to queue up early in the morning.
Finally, surprisingly, Xu Hanwen was selected.
After a series of tests, a total of four teenagers, including Xu Hanwen, were selected.
Three years have passed, and the little boy has grown into a handsome young man. He eats much better than he did at home, and each of them is over seven feet tall.
Not only that, they also learned excellent martial arts skills.
With this in mind, Li Gongfu quickened his pace.
After returning home, Li Gongfu didn't even have time to drink a sip of water. After saying goodbye to his wife, he went to the west wing and knocked on the door.
A response came from inside the room: "Who is it? The door's unlocked!"
"Squeak!"
The door was pushed open, and Li Gongfu, holding a broadsword, walked in. He didn't stand on ceremony and poured himself a cup of tea as soon as he entered.
That makes sense; there's no need to be polite with one's brother-in-law.
But then they saw a handsome young man in a Taoist robe sitting cross-legged on the bed, his eyes closed, his body steaming with heat, looking very much like a Taoist master.
Upon seeing this, Li Gongfu narrowed his eyes and said with envy, "Hanwen, you must be practicing internal energy cultivation. The abbot is so good to you, providing you with food and lodging and even teaching you martial arts. If I were a few years younger, I might want to become a Taoist priest too."
Upon hearing the voice, the boy stopped his practice and stood up, greeting, "Brother-in-law, you're back!"
After getting out of bed and sitting down at the table, the young Xu Xian pouted and said, "But don't let my sister hear me say that, or she'll be heartbroken!"
"Haha, I was just saying that casually, but don't tell your sister, okay?"
Li Gongfu scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
For some reason, he felt a little uneasy when facing his brother-in-law, as if he were facing high-ranking officials.
Xu Xian, of course, wouldn't dwell on this matter. He changed the subject and asked, "It's so late, brother-in-law, what brings you here?"
"Well, Hanwen, your brother-in-law is asking you, how good are your martial arts skills? I'm not sure, and there are some things I don't dare to tell you."
Li Gongfu put down his broadsword and stammered as he spoke.
Actually, he made the decision to ask his brother-in-law for help on a whim. It just so happened that Xu Hanwen was on vacation these past few days, had come down the mountain, and had gone home.
Besides, the county magistrate has already decided that he must take credit for this achievement.
Therefore, Li Gongfu had no choice but to obey the magistrate's orders, even if he didn't want to be promoted. Otherwise, he would be in trouble.
But now, when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he couldn't say them.
After all, he knew in the past that his brother-in-law had learned martial arts and was very skilled.
However, he had no idea just how powerful it was.
If his brother-in-law were to go along to suppress the bandits and suffer even the slightest injury, how would Li Gongfu explain it to his wife?
Hearing Li Gongfu's words, Xu Hanwen was completely confused and couldn't figure it out. He pondered for a moment and said, "Skills... well, I'm currently at the peak of the Acquired Realm. If I were to deal with ordinary people, taking on a hundred of them wouldn't be a problem!"
Then he asked, "Brother-in-law, why are you asking this?"
Upon hearing this, Li Gongfu's expression hardened, and he said, "Hanwen, is it real or fake? Don't talk big!"
He was somewhat worried; what if Xu Xian was just bragging? That would put them all in danger.
Xu Xian said seriously, "Of course! I would never lie to my brother-in-law, no matter who I lie to. In this world, besides my sister, brother-in-law, the abbot, and my fellow disciples, I have no other family!"
"Let's not talk about the past!"