The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

These kids, they're all leaving and they still haven't settled down.

Xu Changqing watched this scene, a slight smile playing on his lips, and walked down the steps with his hands behind his back.

With his feet still slippery on the bluestone path, he walked around the corridor and headed towards the backyard of the ancestral hall.

The backyard was quiet. Most of the snow beside the dry well had melted, revealing a large area of ​​damp soil.

The purple-veined golden peach tree has grown taller in the past few days.

The purplish-black bark gleamed with an oily sheen in the sunlight, and the branches and leaves stretched out gracefully.

Xu Changqing moved closer, his nose twitching.

A very faint, almost imperceptible fragrance wafted into my nostrils.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed several tiny, pinkish-purple flower buds, no bigger than grains of rice, emerging from among the lush foliage.

It's about to bloom.

Xu Changqing was overjoyed.

The Blood Spirit Mud is indeed incredibly potent, shortening the flowering period to just a few months.

Once the flower blooms, the fruit is not far away.

He crouched down and gently touched the delicate flower bud with his finger.

"Take good care of yourself. Our Xu family's future spirit stones depend entirely on you."

......

The seven-day period passed in the blink of an eye.

At the Cangwu Island ferry crossing, though the cold wind has subsided, the morning dew remains heavy.

The Xu family, consisting of dozens of people, regardless of age or gender, all got up early today and crowded together on the shore.

Jiang Rou straightened the clothes of the three children, then took out four talismans that glowed with a pale yellow spiritual light from her sleeve and stuffed them into the palms of the four children.

Her eyes were slightly red, but she forced a smile.

"Keep these communication talismans safe. If you miss home, send a message back home. It will always be something to keep you thinking about."

Xu Dayou stood to the side, his lips slightly moving, intending to offer some wise words such as "The world of cultivation is treacherous, do not easily trust others."

But the words stuck in his throat.

There's no point in saying more; you have to suffer the consequences yourself to learn from your mistakes.

Xu Changqing reached out and gently patted Jiang Rou's shoulder twice. His palm was warm, conveying a silent comfort.

"Alright, it's getting late, don't keep Elder Li waiting."

Jiang Rou stiffened, finally letting go of Xu Xiyue's small hand, turning her back, her shoulders trembling.

Xu Changqing turned around, waved his sleeves, and stepped onto the spirit boat that had been docked for a long time.

At the bow of the boat, Li Shan, dressed in his dark red robe, stood with his hands behind his back, looking out at the river without a fan in his hand.

Hearing the noise, he turned around, a smile spreading across his face, but in that smile, there was also a hint of sadness at parting with his younger relative.

"Clan Chief Xu, is everything ready?"

"All set, let's set sail."

As the array patterns lit up, the spirit boat trembled slightly and moved away from the shore.

On the shore, Xu Dayou led his clansmen in waving goodbye. Jiang Rou stood at the front of the crowd, tiptoeing, and refused to leave until the spirit boat turned into a small black dot on the river.

At the stern, Xu Xining's four children clung to the railing, watching the Cangwu Island grow smaller and smaller, and the figures gradually fading into the distance.

The excitement of venturing out into the world that I felt earlier has been somewhat dampened by the sadness of parting, leaving me with a bittersweet feeling in my heart.

But as the spirit boat broke through the morning mist, the vast swamp was revealed before their eyes, and the longing and anticipation for the unknown world once again took over.

He was still young at heart; his sorrows came and went quickly.

Speechless all the way.

Two hours later, the familiar hustle and bustle of Qinghe Market returned to our ears.

Xu Changqing led the four of them off the boat and went straight to the magnificent "Qingyun Temple" without going anywhere else.

The two young Taoist boys at the entrance remained unmoved, one lively and the other dull.

When Xu Xining passed by the wooden Taoist boy, he subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch it, but Xu Changqing glared at him and he could only awkwardly withdraw his hand and stand obediently.

At this moment, the gate was wide open, and many deacons of the Qinghe Sword Sect were already inside to guide the disciples who had passed the test. Once they crossed this threshold, they would be considered to have officially entered the immortal sect.

Xu Changqing stopped and did not go any further.

Newly recruited outer disciples from all walks of life gathered here, their cries, laughter, and words of advice mingling together.

He turned around and looked at the three children in front of him, one adult and three children.

Xu Yanfeng was the tallest, carrying the magic knife on his back, with a solemn expression.

The three children stood beside him, looking up at Xu Changqing.

"Yanfeng".

Xu Changqing spoke, his voice calm.

"You are the elder brother, and a few years older than them. Once you enter the sect, it's not like you'll have anyone to protect you at home."

"These three little ones are in your care. If anyone bullies them, fight back if you can, and remember the ones you can't beat. Don't act rashly."

Xu Yanfeng nodded emphatically.

"Rest assured, clan leader."

Xu Changqing nodded, then looked down at Xu Xining and the other two.

"As for the three of you."

Xu Changqing paused, his expression turning serious.

"Once you enter this gate, the arduous days of cultivation have only just begun."

"But whether it's for the Xu family or for yourselves, you have to grit your teeth and persevere."

"The path to immortality is long and arduous, littered with countless bones. If you don't want to be trampled on like an ant in the future, you have to prove yourself."

The three children stood there, stunned.

Although they had suffered these past few days, they always felt that the clan leader was there to support them and that their family was there to rely on.

But now, hearing these words and looking at that tall gate, a huge sense of panic belatedly welled up in my heart.

The clan chief is leaving.

If I suffer any more injustices in the future, I'll have nowhere to cry.

"Wow--!"

Xu Xining was the first to lose his composure. The usually mischievous devil pouted and pounced on Xu Changqing, clinging tightly to his left thigh, wiping his snot and tears all over his robe.

"Chieftain!"

Xu Xiwen silently stepped forward, hugged Xu Changqing's right thigh, buried her face in it, and her shoulders trembled.

Xu Xiyue was left dumbfounded.

It only has two legs, and both of them are taken up by its older brothers.

She circled around Xu Changqing twice, but couldn't find a place to make her move.

"Wow—! There's no room left! I want a hug too!"

The little girl was so anxious that she stomped her feet, stood there with her mouth wide open, and cried out even louder than the two girls who were clinging to her legs.

The cultivators passing by all turned their heads, some covering their mouths and chuckling, while others looked on with pity.

Xu Changqing's body stiffened as he looked down at the two pendants and a loudspeaker. The sadness of parting in his heart was completely washed away by this comical scene.

He sighed, reached out, and patted each of the three men on the head.

The force was not heavy, but it was very steady.

"Alright, stop howling. You'll make a fool of yourself."

Xu Changqing gently comforted him, his voice carrying a hint of tenderness.

"Leaving home for thousands of miles, I must strive to be the best I can be."

After saying that, he straightened up, exerted a little force with his legs, and shook the two pendants away. Then he looked at Xu Yanfeng to the side.

"Take them away."

Xu Yanfeng wiped his face, stepped forward, picked up Xu Xiwen and Xu Xining with one hand each, and then called to Xu Xiyue, walking towards the vermilion gate with every step he took and every step he took, looking back three times.

The figures of one adult and three children passed through the vermilion gate and stepped over the high threshold.

As the incense smoke curled, the figures gradually became blurred.

Xu Changqing only looked away when the object was completely out of sight.