Chapter 1

The sky was dark with thick, heavy clouds that seemed almost within reach. Thunder rumbled, and a heavy rainstorm was imminent. At the foot of Datong Mountain, a young boy was tying up two bundles of firewood with all his might. He kept glancing at the sky, and his movements unconsciously sped up.

The boy was only fifteen, with a delicate face, long hair that fell to his shoulders, a straight nose, and a pair of firm, well-defined lips. However, his hands were rough and strong, not matching his age at all.

Once the firewood was tied up, the boy shouldered the bundles and ran swiftly toward Song Family Village at the foot of the mountain. He paid no attention to the sweat streaming down his face, only thinking about getting the firewood back as quickly as possible.

Seeing the village courtyard in sight, a hint of joy appeared in the boy's eyes, and he quickened his pace. But at that moment, a thunderclap echoed through the sky, and suddenly, large raindrops began to fall like broken pearls, drenching everything. In a short while, his coarse cloth shirt was soaked through. The rain made Song Family Village hard to see clearly, and the boy pressed his hands against the firewood, increasing his speed even more.

Song Family Village covered over a hundred acres and was grand in scale, with hundreds of houses stretching out in a series. The outer wall, two zhang high, protected all the houses inside. In a separate area near the southeast corner, there was a large courtyard with grand buildings made entirely of blue stone, distinctly different from the other houses. This was the residence of Song Family Village's head, Song Haoran. The other houses were for the extended Song family and outsiders.

Lu Cheng, carrying the firewood, was heading toward Song Haoran's residence. He was a servant in Song Family Village, and one of his daily tasks was to cut two bundles of firewood from Datong Mountain. Besides that, he also fetched water and swept the floors, doing any odd jobs that came up.

"Cheng'er, why didn't you come back earlier?" At the side gate, an elderly man with gray hair was looking out from time to time. Seeing Lu Cheng carrying the firewood, he rushed into the rain without hesitation, his face full of concern as he forcibly took the load from Lu Cheng's shoulders.

"Dad, it's fine," Lu Cheng insisted, but he couldn't resist his father's strength.

Lu Zhong was an outsider in Song Family Village, a warrior with three layers of inner strength, ranking among the upper-middle class of the village's guards. Lu Cheng hadn't even reached the first layer of inner strength and was thus unable to resist.

"Go change your clothes quickly, so you don't catch a chill." Lu Zhong carried the firewood to the woodshed and said with concern to Lu Cheng, who followed him. Lu Zhong, with his three layers of inner strength, wasn't bothered by the rain, but Lu Cheng, being just an ordinary person without any inner strength, was vulnerable.

"It's fine, I'll go with you in a bit." Lu Cheng smiled sincerely, taking off his shirt and wringing it out at the door. He could feel his father's love, and although he had never seen his mother, the love from his father and two godfathers far exceeded that of other children's parents.

The woodshed was large, with stacks of firewood piled high, but it didn't look messy. The firewood was neatly bundled and stacked. The already split firewood was tied into square bundles and leaned against the wall.

"Old Lu, this firewood is wet; it can't be stored in the woodshed." A neutral voice came from the doorway, belonging to Song Ping, who managed the servant quarters. Although he shared the same surname as Lu Zhong and was also a guard without inner strength, his status was higher because he was related to Song Haoran.

"Brother Ping, please come in; it's raining outside. The firewood is just a bit wet; it will dry overnight if we leave it here." Lu Zhong, though disliking Song Ping, forced a smile. If it weren't for Lu Cheng, he wouldn't have given Song Ping the time of day.

"I won't come in. Old Lu, although Cheng'er is your son, everyone in the village is related in some way. Don't make things difficult for me." Song Ping frowned. He had a few servants under him, and his authority extended only to them. In terms of status, Lu Zhong might be above him, but Lu Cheng was his subordinate, and Lu Zhong didn't dare show any attitude.

"Yes, yes, Cheng'er is still young. Please bear with him, Brother Ping." Lu Zhong, who was twenty to thirty years older than Song Ping, treated him like a junior.

"Old Lu, I know you care about your son, but can you protect him forever? If you really want to protect him, you should let him take over your position sooner." Song Ping glanced at Lu Cheng and sighed.

Lu Cheng, being an outsider in Song Family Village, was almost fifteen and hadn't even reached the first layer of inner strength, making him a waste. Lu Zhong still treated him like a treasure, but in Song Ping's eyes, Lu Cheng was destined to be a servant for life. If he couldn't reach the first layer of inner strength in the next two years, he would likely remain an ordinary person like Song Ping.

Listening to Song Ping's complaints, Lu Zhong could only force a smile. It was normal for firewood to get wet, as the weather in Datong Mountain was unpredictable, with sudden rainstorms. But since Song Ping was making an issue of it, Lu Zhong had no choice. He promised to treat Song Ping to a drink after the monthly allowance, and Song Ping left satisfied.

"Dad, Song Ping is just a snob. Why do you have to be so polite to him?" Lu Cheng and the other servants had long been annoyed by Song Ping, who, relying on his surname, acted arrogantly and often punished them unjustly.

"It's just a drink. Cheng'er, how is your inner strength cultivation coming along?" Lu Zhong asked, lowering himself to Song Ping to avoid trouble for his son.

But Lu Zhong also felt that Song Ping had a point; he should encourage Lu Cheng to practice more. At sixty-two, he had no other ambitions in life, only hoping his son would succeed. He didn't have high expectations, just hoping Lu Cheng could become a guard in Song Family Village like him.

For an ordinary person to become a guard wasn't easy; at least one layer of inner strength was required. Here, strength was everything. With three layers of inner strength, he could work in Song Family Village for life. Song Family Village was one of the three major families in Datong County, with a history spanning over a hundred years. Besides the dozens of inner disciples of the Song family, there were over a hundred outsider guards. Most of these guards had one or two layers of inner strength, with only a dozen or so having three layers. As for the fourth layer, there was only one person, the head guard, Sun Boyang.

This force of guards was formidable even in the entire Datong County. The other two major families in Datong County, besides Song Haoran of Song Family Village, who had seven layers of inner strength, had their top experts at the peak of the sixth layer. Although the difference between the peak of the sixth layer and the seventh layer was minimal, it was a barrier that many could not overcome. This made Song Family Village, despite being at the foot of Datong Mountain, the most powerful in the entire county.

Lu Zhong, with three layers of inner strength, was of medium to high rank among the guards, earning three taels of silver monthly. Without Lu Cheng, his life would be comfortable. If Lu Cheng could reach the first layer of inner strength, he could become a guard and no longer be a servant. Servants received no monthly pay, and at the end of the year, they might get a piece of meat or a few feet of cloth as a reward.

After leaving the village courtyard, Lu Zhong and his son returned to their home. Before Lu Cheng was born, Lu Zhong, like other guards, lived within the village. Only married guards or extended family members of the Song clan would build homes outside the village.

Over a hundred years, hundreds of such independent houses had been built outside Song Family Village, along with taverns, general stores, blacksmiths, bun shops, and fur shops. From a bird's-eye view, Song Family Village resembled a small town. Of course, most of these shops were controlled by Song Family Village, and outsiders who wanted to do business here had to partner with the Song family.

Their home was a small courtyard with a wooden gate slightly wider than a person's shoulders. The gate was not locked; it could be pushed open and secured with a stone lock. Inside was a small yard with another stone lock and two thick wooden stakes for Lu Zhong's training. The wall was less than a zhang high and made of rammed earth, far from the grandeur of Song Family Village's walls. There were two rooms with thatched roofs. The house was small but cozy, with family living in it.

Such houses were common in Song Family Village. Not everyone could afford to build with blue stone and tiles. Those living outside the village were descendants of the inner village, still dependent on Song Family Village for work but living independently.

"Cheng'er, you're fifteen this year. If you can't reach the first layer of inner strength, you might never become a warrior." Lu Zhong, sitting at a wooden table, said earnestly. He had wanted Lu Cheng to cultivate inner strength since he was five, but by fifteen, he still hadn't broken through the first layer.

He had often wondered if Lu Cheng was naturally unsuited for martial arts. In terms of intelligence, Lu Cheng had entered the village's public school at five and worked as a servant in Song Family Village since ten. His school performance was good, and he was a top student. If not for his own limitations, he would have sent Lu Cheng to the county school long ago.

"Dad..." Lu Cheng felt helpless and looked at Lu Zhong with distress.

"Cheng'er, I'm doing this for your own good. If you don't work hard, you'll be a servant for life." Lu Zhong, hardening his heart, said sternly.

It wasn't that Lu Cheng wasn't interested in cultivating inner strength; whenever he tried, he couldn't enter a meditative state and would quickly go astray.