Is It Reasonable for Me to Start a Sect at 12?

Pulling himself out of his wandering thoughts, Lin Xiao focused his attention back on Sun Yigao, who was standing before him amidst the murmurs and gossip of the surrounding villagers. He calmly said, "Brother Sun, you can head back for now. I'll come to your house tonight to inform you about the time and place for tomorrow's gathering."

Sun Yigao nodded in agreement, turned, and left, unaffected by the gossiping voices that grew louder as soon as he was out of earshot. The villagers, emboldened by his absence, began speaking even more boldly.

An elderly woman stamped her cane on the ground in frustration and scolded, "You all need to control your tongues! Just look at the nonsense you're spouting in front of that child! Don't you have anything better to do? Why do you always have to stick your noses into every little thing that happens in the village?"

At that moment, three sweaty, energetic boys came running from a distance. They scattered, each one charging into the crowd from a different direction, shouting, "Make way!" as they barged through. They purposely targeted the younger villagers, causing chaos as they jostled and pushed their way to the front.

After enduring a few minutes of bumped elbows and stepped-on feet, some of the onlookers began grumbling, then decided they'd had enough excitement for the day and started heading home.

The three boys finally reached Lin Xiao's table, their faces full of excitement. They shouted in unison, "Lin Xiao! What's the big event, and why didn't you include us?"

"Yeah! You and Jiang Youfu have been missing for days!"

"Yesterday, we even got up super early to catch you at your house, but you weren't there!"

Lin Xiao laughed and teased the last boy, "Tie Tou, your idea of 'super early' is probably after the sun was already shining through your window, huh?"

The three boys were all equally tanned, a result of spending most of their time wandering around Xiushui Village. Among them, only one was notably robust—though only thirteen, he had the physique of a grown man. This was Tie Tou, whose real name was Hu Liang. He had a simple, honest appearance.

Another boy, about eleven or twelve years old, had a broad face and bushy eyebrows that made his already small eyes seem even smaller. This boy, one of Lin Xiao's childhood friends, was named Qin Jianghe.

The third boy, despite being the same age as the others, was skinny as a twig and had a bald patch on his head. His name was Liu Yunan, though no one in the village called him that—everyone knew him as "Baldy."

Liu Yunan was the only son of the village widow, Liu Guafu. After his father died when he was three, the village started spreading rumors about his mother, making him the target of bullying and isolation from the other children.

His grandparents had constantly told him bad things about his mother, claiming that she would eventually abandon him and his sister to run off with another man. As a result, young Liu Yunan had grown distant from his mother, harboring resentment towards her.

However, as time passed, he realized that despite the gossip, his mother never did run off. Their family was poor, but Liu Yunan and his sister always had enough to eat, and he never went hungry. His round face, often remarked upon by villagers, seemed to contradict their malicious rumors. But even though he was well-fed, the hurtful whispers persisted.

Eventually, Liu Yunan stopped eating at home, spending his days wandering the village from dawn until dusk and refusing to touch the meals his mother left for him. No one knew how he managed to survive without eating at home, except for Lin Xiao and his friends.

At the age of five, Liu Yunan had encountered Lin Xiao, who had recently found a new purpose in life. Since then, he had stopped being the target of the village children's bullying. To help the malnourished boy, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu would go to great lengths each day, foraging for food in the wild to feed him. This habit of scavenging for meals became a routine for the group.

As a result, despite growing taller, Liu Yunan still looked somewhat undernourished.

The bald patch on his head had appeared when he was eight. One day, a village child had insulted his mother, calling her a vile name. In a fit of rage, Liu Yunan fought the boy, even though his opponent had several friends with him. By the time Lin Xiao and his friends arrived to intervene, Liu Yunan's head had been bloodied, and a chunk of hair had been torn out. Yet, despite the injury, he had worn a proud expression, victorious over his tormentor.

From that day on, he was known as "Baldy." But rather than feeling mocked, Liu Yunan saw the nickname as a badge of honor, much like Lin Xiao had once told him—it was a medal of courage!

With the arrival of these three boys, the crowd around Lin Xiao's table dispersed, retreating to the edges of the threshing ground.

Lin Xiao chuckled and said to them, "Do you even know what this is all about before you declare it's something good?"

Qin Jianghe answered with a grin, "Whatever it is, if you're involved, it's definitely a good thing!"

Tie Tou nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! Following you is never wrong."

Baldy chimed in without hesitation, "No matter what it is, count me in, Lin Xiao!"

After some friendly banter, Lin Xiao said, "Alright then, help me carry this table and chair back home, and we'll talk more there."

With that, the four boys lifted the table and chair, leaving the threshing ground behind.

Seeing that the show was over, the rest of the villagers scattered and headed back to their homes.

Once they were back at Lin Xiao's house, they stored the table and chair in the woodshed. With no one else around, the four boys sat down on the ground under the eaves, and Lin Xiao began explaining the basics of the sect and cultivation.

The three boys, all born and raised in the village, listened with wide-eyed fascination, their imaginations running wild with possibilities.

"Lin Xiao, you're not playing fair! How could you keep such an amazing thing to yourself and only tell Jiang Youfu?"

Lin Xiao grinned. "I was just waiting for the right time. You guys aren't as free as Jiang Youfu and me—your families wouldn't let you slack off like we can. I wanted to make sure everything was set before dragging you into it. Besides, what if it hadn't worked out? You don't have as much time to waste as we do, right?"

The three of them scratched their heads sheepishly, knowing he was right. As they were already halfway to adulthood, they had taken on many responsibilities at home.

Following the usual procedure, Lin Xiao walked them through the initiation process.

And just like that, the roster of the Lingxian Sect gained three more members.

Now with six disciples in total, Lin Xiao only needed four more to reach his goal of ten.