Chapter One: The Village by the Hill

Volume One: The Mystic Gate Chronicles

Chapter One: The Village by the Hill

Eli stared wide-eyed at the thatched roof mixed with mud above him, covered with an old quilt that had turned a deep yellow, barely recognizable in its original form and still faintly emitting a musty odor.

Beside him, closely snuggled another person—his older brother, Hank Mason. Hank was sound asleep, sweetly snoring with varying intensities.

About half a yard from the bed was a wall made of yellow clay. Due to its age, a few insignificant cracks had appeared on the wall. Through these fissures faintly came the nagging of their mother mixed occasionally with the clacking sounds of their father puffing on his dry tobacco pipe.

Eli slowly closed his slightly dry eyes, forcing himself to fall deep into sleep sooner. He was acutely aware that failing to sleep now meant he couldn't rise early the next day to join his friends to gather firewood in the mountains.

Eli, whose full name was Eli Mason—a fine name his parents could never have come up with—got this name from his father exchanging two coarse food buns to have Uncle Zhang from the village name him.

Uncle Zhang, who had once spent a few years as a scholar's companion in the city, was the only literate man in the village. Most of the village children were named by him.

Eli was known in the village as "Simple Eli." But he was far from simple or foolish; in fact, he was regarded as the most intelligent child in the village. However, like other village children, except for family members, he rarely heard anyone formally address him by his name, Eli Mason. Instead, "Simple Eli" had stuck with him until now.

The reason for such a nickname was merely because there was already another child called "Simpleton" in the village.

This was no big deal, as other village children were often called by similar nicknames like "Doggy" or "Eggy," which weren't necessarily nicer than "Simple Eli."

Hence, although Eli didn't particularly cherish this nickname, he comforted himself with it.

Eli had an unremarkable appearance, dark-skinned, just like any ordinary farm child. However, his mind matured much earlier than his peers. From a young age, he yearned for the prosperity of the outside world, dreaming of one day leaving the confines of this tiny village to explore the vast world Uncle Zhang often spoke of.

This was a thought Eli never dared to share with anyone else. Otherwise, it would surely shock the villagers. After all, other kids of Eli's age were still chasing chickens and dogs around the village, far from contemplating leaving their homeland for bizarre adventures.

Eli's family of seven lived a tough life. They were seven mouths to feed, and only occasionally could they afford meals with meat, hovering just above the subsistence level.

At that moment, Eli was half-asleep, half-awake, yet his mind was still occupied with one thought: during the upcoming mountain trip, he had to pick extra red berries, his beloved sister's favorite.

The next day at noon, as Eli trudged home under the scorching sun with a stack of firewood half his height and a full sack of berries, he was unaware that a guest had arrived at his home, a guest who would change the course of his life forever.

This esteemed visitor was a close blood relative, his Uncle Thomas.

It was said that Uncle Thomas managed a large tavern in a nearby small town, a capable figure often spoken highly of by Eli's parents. In the Mason family's recent history, Uncle Thomas was perhaps the only relative with some significant standing.

Eli had only met Uncle Thomas a few times when he was very young. His oldest brother worked in the city as an apprentice to an old blacksmith, a position Uncle Thomas had secured for him. Uncle Thomas also often sent food and necessities to Eli's parents, showing great care for their family, which left a good impression on Eli. He knew his parents appreciated Uncle Thomas deeply, even though they rarely expressed it.

His oldest brother was the pride of the family. It was said that an apprentice blacksmith not only had his board and lodging covered but also received thirty copper coins a month. Once officially employed, he would earn much more.

Whenever their parents mentioned his brother, their faces lit up as if they were different people. Although Eli was young, he was immensely envious and had already decided on his ideal job: to be noticed by a skilled craftsman in a small town and taken on as an apprentice, thereby becoming a respectable person who could earn his living through a craft.

So when Eli saw Uncle Thomas dressed

 in a brand-new silk outfit, with a plump round face and a small mustache, his heart filled with excitement.

After placing the firewood behind the house, he timidly approached Uncle Thomas to greet him, respectfully saying, "Hello, Uncle," and then stood obediently to the side, listening to his parents chatting with Uncle Thomas.

Uncle Thomas looked at Eli with a smile, sized him up, and complimented him with a few words like "obedient" and "sensible." Then he turned to talk to Eli's parents about the purpose of his visit.

Although Eli was still young and could not fully understand everything Uncle Thomas said, he grasped the gist of it.

Uncle Thomas worked for a tavern owned by a martial arts sect called "The Mystic Gate," which had external and internal disciples. Not long ago, Uncle Thomas had become an external disciple of this sect, which allowed him to recommend children aged seven to twelve to participate in the Mystic Gate's recruitment test for internal disciples.

The once-every-five-years recruitment test for the Mystic Gate's internal disciples was set to begin next month. Uncle Thomas, being childless and sharp, naturally thought of the age-appropriate Eli.

Eli's father, Honest Joe, upon hearing unfamiliar terms like "martial arts sect," hesitated, uncertain of what to decide. He took a few heavy puffs on his dry tobacco pipe, sitting in silence.

In Uncle Thomas's words, the Mystic Gate was a significant and powerful sect within hundreds of miles.

Becoming an internal disciple not only meant free martial arts training and no worries about food and drink but also a monthly allowance of more than one tael of silver. Moreover, even those who failed the test had the chance to become external personnel like Uncle Thomas, managing the sect's external affairs.

Hearing about the possibility of earning a monthly silver allowance and becoming a respectable person like Uncle Thomas, Eli's father finally made up his mind and agreed.

Seeing Eli's father consent, Uncle Thomas was very pleased. He left a few taels of silver and said he would return in a month to take Eli with him. In the meantime, he instructed them to prepare nutritious food for Eli to strengthen him for the upcoming tests. After saying goodbye to Eli's father and patting Eli on the head, Uncle Thomas left for the town.

Eli might not have understood all of Uncle Thomas's words, but he knew that going to town to earn big money was clear.

His long-held wish seemed about to come true, and he spent several nights too excited to sleep properly.

Over a month later, Uncle Thomas arrived in the village on time to take Eli away. Before leaving, Eli's father repeatedly instructed him to be honest, to endure hardships without complaint, and not to quarrel with others. Eli's mother told him to take good care of his health and eat and sleep well.

Sitting in the carriage, watching his parents' figures gradually fade into the distance, Eli bit his lips hard, trying not to let the tears in his eyes fall.

Although he had always been more mature than other children, he was still a ten-year-old boy. His first long journey made him feel a bit sad and lost. In his young heart, he secretly made up his mind that once he made big money, he would return home and never be apart from his parents again.

Little did Eli know that after this journey, the amount of money he would earn would become meaningless to him. He was about to embark on a path unlike ordinary mortals, starting his own journey of cultivation.