"Heaven and Earth, dark and yellow, the universe vast and boundless."
"Sun and moon wax and wane, the stars and constellations spread across the sky."
"Cold comes and heat goes, autumn harvest and winter storage."
Early morning, Xu Chuan taught the two little ones the Thousand Character Classic.
He had written out two copies, one for each of them to hold.
He had also personally crafted a set of tables and chairs suited to their height to facilitate their studies.
He would read a line, and the two would follow along with the words on the paper, reading after him.
Clear, childish voices echoed throughout the small courtyard. The roosters and hens had already left their coops and were strolling about the yard, pecking for food everywhere.
Wisps of blue smoke rose slowly from above the kitchen.
The two of them wrote stroke by stroke, very earnestly.
Xu Chuan, meanwhile, began work on renovating the house, designing, sourcing materials, finding helpers, keeping himself extremely busy. However, even so, he would still take time each day to make a round through the fields and the mountain forest.
He would check on the situation, pull out weeds, and such.
Then he would also practice the Lesser Dragon Elephant Technique for one hour.
Heaven Rewards Diligence, persevere consistently, only then could one reap rewards.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and a month and a half passed.
The Xu family's house had undergone a complete transformation.
It now had five main rooms, a hall, and a half-mu courtyard.
In all of Dongxi Village, it could be considered above average.
With the new house completed, there was the custom of warming the house, which inevitably meant another banquet, and of course, receiving gifts as well.
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
In a flash, it was the year-end sacrifice.
Under Xu Chuan's daily instruction and Bai Jing's strict supervision, Xu Mingwei had already learned to recognize all the characters in the Thousand Character Classic, and could write more than half of them.
Because Xu Mingyuan was still young, he was merely at the stage of recognizing characters.
After the year-end sacrifice, Xu Chuan finally made his decision to bestow talent upon Xu Mingwei.
After the birth of the second generation descendants, the Blood Lineage Genealogy had gained an additional page and five fate talent options had been generated.
They were respectively Innate Divine Strength, Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Harm, Way of Generating Wealth, Eagle Eye, and Whisper of All Spirits.
These were all unassigned talents that could be bestowed upon Xu Chuan himself but this thought only flashed through his mind momentarily.
Because even if they were all bestowed upon him, he was just one mortal man who couldn't be everywhere at once.
Just like now, even though he possessed three fate talents, Daily Divination was of little use to him at present.
If a family clan wanted to grow strong, naturally everyone needed to work together with one heart and one mind, that was the path to longevity.
"Shitou, you are the eldest legitimate son. In the future, you must support the Xu family. Father intends for you to walk the martial path. Do you have any objections?"
Xu Chuan changed from his usual gentle demeanor, his expression extremely solemn.
Xu Mingwei also sensed the gravity in the surrounding air. He lifted his small face, looked directly at Xu Chuan, and nodded, saying, "These past days, Father has taught us many principles. Shitou understands."
"I will follow all of Father's instructions."
"Shitou will set a good example for my younger brothers!"
"I will not disgrace the Xu family, and will not bring shame to Father!"
Xu Chuan nodded in gratification and took out the genealogy.
"Drip a drop of blood onto this."
In the main hall, there were only Xu Chuan and Xu Mingwei. Everyone else had been instructed not to enter.
Xu Mingwei trusted Xu Chuan absolutely and did as he was told directly.
The blood was absorbed by the genealogy. Xu Mingwei was surprised in his heart upon seeing this, but didn't ask many questions.
"Next, kneel down, close both eyes, and recite after me."
"In this year of Yi-si, we reverently worship our ancestral spirits. Virtue descends to descendants, blessings grace our household. Spring and autumn without slackening, filial thoughts are sincere. May the spirits manifest clearly, bless and enhance our family reputation. We humbly partake."
"In this year of Yi-si, we reverently worship our ancestral spirits. Virtue descends to descendants, blessings grace our household. We humbly partake."
As the first generation ancestor and the actual controller of the genealogy, Xu Chuan could directly bestow talents upon himself but others had to follow strict requirements.
If Xu Chuan presided, he could even select specific talents for bestowal, but if not, the genealogy would randomly grant one fate talent.
When Xu Mingwei finished reciting, Xu Chuan felt a semi-transparent thread from his body connecting to the genealogy.
The genealogy emitted a faint blue light, about to grant randomly, but was stopped by Xu Chuan.
He pointed his finger at Xu Mingwei's brow and directly bestowed the two talents of Innate Divine Strength and Eagle Eye.
Since he was to walk the martial path, naturally all relevant talents should be maxed out.
Innate Divine Strength would make his strength increase day by day in the future, far surpassing ordinary people. His muscles and bones would also gradually transform, making him suitable for the martial path.
Eagle Eye, as the name suggests, would make his eyes like those of an eagle or falcon, sharp and penetrating, perceiving all things.
With these two bestowed, Xu Mingwei's most skilled weapon in the future was destined to be the bow and arrow.
"All right, Shitou, you can open your eyes now."
Xu Mingwei obediently listened and opened his eyes, but didn't see that black book.
"How do you feel?"
"Just now I felt a coolness at my brow, but it's gone now. But Father, what did those words we just recited mean?"
"That is our Xu family's prayer for worshiping our ancestors, beseeching them to bless us with peace and prosperity. You must keep it firmly in your heart and pass it down generation after generation."
"I understand, Father."
Xu Chuan smiled and rubbed Xu Mingwei's head, "Tomorrow you must rise early and follow me to practice martial arts and archery. After that, study and write with Ahyuan together, then follow me to inspect the rice fields and mountain forest."
"I don't require you to be skilled at farming, but you must know the general principles so you can make decisions when situations arise."
"The rest of your time should be entirely devoted to martial practice."
"Can you do it?"
"Father, Shitou can!"
Determination shone through Xu Mingwei's tender gaze.
With Xu Chuan's teaching by word and deed, Xu Mingwei had also developed a character capable of enduring hardship.
Apart from studying and writing with Xu Mingyuan each day, he spent most of the rest of his time following Xu Chuan, learning his knowledge, how to conduct himself in the world, and so on.
Xu Mingyuan felt he was being neglected and also clamored to join his older brother, but Xu Chuan didn't agree and even sternly rebuked him.
It was Xu Mingwei who comforted him, saying, "Later when big brother practices martial arts in the courtyard, you can join me."
"Yay!"
Xu Mingyuan immediately became happy again.
Every day he looked forward to Xu Mingwei coming back to be with him.
Several nights later.
"Husband, Shitou is only six years old. Are you being too strict with him?"
"These past few days, I've clearly noticed the fatigue on his face. My heart truly aches for him."
Xu Chuan chuckled, "If my wife wants to be a loving mother, then I, your husband, can only be a strict father. If both sides are indulgent, what kind of person could we raise?"
"Perhaps husband is right, but I..."
"Enough." Xu Chuan raised his hand to stop her from continuing.
When he needed to be firm, he would be firm.
Seeing that Bai Jing's eyes still carried a worried expression, Xu Chuan sighed and said, "Our Shitou is someone with perseverance, like me. He can endure hardship. After enduring for a period of time, he should be able to adapt."
After a few months, the talents would gradually manifest.
"Now our family doesn't lack silver temporarily, there's no need to be frugal. Add more meat to the meals every day."
"Shitou is practicing martial arts, he cannot do without these."
"Your concubine understands."
"Then wife, shall we rest tonight?"
Xu Chuan's hands began to wander, but were pushed away by Bai Jing.
Bai Jing lay down on her side, her tone indifferent as she said, "Tonight your concubine feels somewhat unwell. Husband, please take care of yourself."
"Uh..."
Xu Chuan's eyes widened.
This woman had gone too far!
After staring quietly for a while, he directly put out the lamp and went to sleep.
…
The next day.
The morning darkness had not yet fully receded, while the eastern sky had already taken on a greenish-blue hue.
In the courtyard, the back of Xu Chuan's cotton shirt was soaked with dark sweat stains, and when he exhaled, white mist condensed into fine arrows.
Young Xu Mingwei imitated his movements. His chubby little arms were like lotus root segments, looking somewhat awkward.
Xu Chuan would stop from time to time to correct his movements.
He would praise when done well and strictly rebuke when done poorly.
Xu Mingwei's eyes were full of tenacity. Even if he felt wronged in his heart, he would only swallow it down without showing the slightest bit.
More than half an hour passed.
After washing up, it was time to study.
"Heaven and Earth, dark and yellow, the universe vast and boundless."
"Sun and moon wax and wane, the stars and constellations spread across the sky."
Two childish voices crisply cut through the thin mist, startling away the sparrows dozing under the eaves.
It was a brand new day once more.