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

After seeing Gu Yuxiao off, Lin Xiao didn't immediately head up the mountain. Instead, he pulled out Qin Jianghe's letter again.

The letter contained more than just the earlier information; it also provided background on Gu Yuxiao.

Gu Yuxiao was the daughter of Gu Biaotou, a head guard at Luo's Escort Agency in Anfeng County, where Qin Jianghe had first stayed. Gu Biaotou was one of the top three escorts in the agency, and he had taken care of Qin Jianghe when he first arrived, mentoring him during their journeys together. Over time, the two became quite familiar with each other.

Gu Biaotou's wife had passed away a few years ago, leaving Gu Yuxiao as their only daughter. Despite many matchmakers knocking on his door, Gu Biaotou had no intention of remarrying. But fate took another turn—during one escort mission, Gu Biaotou encountered bandits and was killed in the ensuing fight.

Gu Biaotou had been an orphan, having grown up on the streets, learning to survive through hardship. His wife's family situation was complicated, and they were unwilling to take Gu Yuxiao in. Thus, Gu Yuxiao went from being the beloved daughter of a guard captain to a helpless orphan.

When her father's body was brought back by the surviving escorts, Gu Yuxiao took it upon herself to arrange the funeral. Along with his remains came his final words—entrusted to Qin Jianghe. Gu Biaotou's dying wish was for Qin Jianghe to take care of his only daughter.

But everyone at the escort agency knew what this really meant. Gu Biaotou had been worried about his daughter's future, and seeing that Qin Jianghe was a decent young man, he hoped to entrust his daughter to him.

However, Qin Jianghe hadn't thought of it that way. Having just recently ended an engagement, he didn't consider the possibility that Gu Biaotou might have been thinking of him as a future son-in-law. Instead, he felt the weight of responsibility growing heavier on his shoulders, believing that not only did he have to work hard to support the sect, but he now also had to find a way to take care of a young girl.

In his letter, Qin Jianghe rambled on about how he would have to earn more money to provide for Gu Yuxiao, mentioning how girls would need dowries and expensive items like makeup, unlike men who could survive on simple meals.

Lin Xiao couldn't help but laugh as he read the letter. They want him to marry their daughter, and he's thinking about raising her like a daughter.

After finishing the letter and putting it away, Lin Xiao closed the door and headed up the mountain.

When he reached the training hall, he learned about the situation with Tietou being forced into conscription. He immediately called Jiang Youfu, Liu Yunan, and Tietou outside the training hall and took out the silver that Qin Jianghe had sent. After explaining where the money came from, he distributed it: five taels each to Tietou and Youfu, and one hundred wen to Yunan.

This wasn't a regular stipend but an emergency relief fund, so Lin Xiao didn't divide it equally; he distributed it based on their needs. As for Qin Jianghe's family, Lin Xiao planned to deliver the money to them personally at noon.

However, Tietou hesitated when Lin Xiao handed him the silver. After a moment of silence, he forced a smile and said, "Brother Xiao, I don't need this money. My father isn't home, so even if I hand over the silver, my family will just take it and still force me to do the labor. I don't want to waste the sect's money."

Lin Xiao quickly responded, "Don't give it to them. We'll quietly go to the village chief and pay the fee directly. In the meantime, you should just move up the mountain. Your house is empty anyway, and you should bring your mother too, so she won't be alone and helpless."

Hearing this, Tietou's lips quivered, and despite trying to hold back, his eyes reddened. He stepped forward, hugged Lin Xiao tightly, and sobbed, "Brother Xiao! It's not that I'm afraid of the labor... but they've been bullying me and my mother for so long. It's tearing me apart!"

The usually tough and honest Tietou broke down, his tall and sturdy frame making Lin Xiao appear particularly slight as he hugged him. For a moment, Lin Xiao was taken aback—not by the hug, but by seeing Tietou cry for the first time in all these years.

Jiang Youfu and Liu Yunan were also stunned and quickly offered their own comforting words.

Together, they managed to calm the weeping Tietou down. Lin Xiao patted his shoulder and urged him to go pay the village chief, handing him the five taels meant for Qin Jianghe's family and instructing him to deliver it quietly to his parents.

Tietou nodded, wiped his tears, and ran down the mountain with the money.

With Jiang Youfu and Liu Yunan back in the training hall to continue their cultivation, Lin Xiao didn't join them. Instead, he turned and headed to the crafting hall opposite the training hall.

Ever since hearing that the government was recruiting labor to repair the dam, he had been feeling uneasy. Dams were notorious for breaking whenever repairs were needed. If the Gu Yue River was a large river, a breach could flood the entire region, even reaching the remote Xiushui Village.

So Lin Xiao decided to see if he could craft some useful magical tools. Although he had the item synthesis function, he wanted to try crafting tools himself. After all, relying solely on synthesis felt too mysterious—mastering the craft of tool-making seemed more reliable.

Besides, if he couldn't create anything useful, he could always fall back on synthesis when the need arose. It was a quick process anyway.

Since he wasn't in any immediate danger, Lin Xiao felt it was a good time to practice crafting tools.

Entering the crafting hall, he pulled out the "Basic Tool Crafting Techniques" book and sat down to study it thoroughly.

After going through the basics, Lin Xiao felt confident in his understanding of the crafting process. Basic crafting seemed relatively straightforward—refine the materials, shape them, and then inscribe the spiritual patterns. The final form of the item could be anything as long as your skills were good enough.

The book also included the basic spiritual patterns, and Lin Xiao found the one he needed for crafting a spirit boat.

He had already decided to create a spirit boat that could travel both on water and in the air. Even if the dam didn't break and the boat wasn't needed, it would still be a valuable tool to have.