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

The young boy carried a simple bundle on his back and walked into Xiushui Village, with only a few rays of morning light piercing through the persistent rain clouds. Despite the muddy road splashing his shoes and soaking their tips, he paid no mind and strode confidently into the village. Approaching the first house he saw, he knocked on the door and called out in a high-pitched, clear voice that cut through the gloomy morning.

"Is anyone home? I need directions!"

The family inside didn't expect visitors so early and took a moment before opening the door. When the woman of the house saw the young boy standing outside, she asked curiously, "Who are you looking for?"

The boy flashed a harmless, wide grin and asked, "Auntie, could you tell me where Uncle Lin Dayou lives?"

Recognizing the name, the woman felt reassured by the boy's youthful appearance. She pointed to the right and said, "Just head down this way; it's the third house."

The boy followed her directions and thanked her with a bright smile. "Thank you, Auntie!" Then he adjusted his bundle and made his way to the Lin family's home.

Arriving at Lin Dayou's house, he knocked on the door and called out again, "Is anyone home? Is this Uncle Dayou's house?"

At that moment, Lin Xiao was in the middle of splitting the last steamed bun with Lin Yun. Hearing the knock, he quickly stuffed the bun in his mouth and dashed to open the door. Upon seeing a stranger, a young boy, Lin Xiao asked curiously, "You're looking for my dad?"

The boy's eyes lit up when he saw Lin Xiao. "You must be the sect leader! I'm here to deliver a message from Brother Qin!"

Lin Xiao froze for a moment. Brother Qin? Could it be Jiang He? He stepped aside to let the boy in, noticing that the curious neighbor lady was already peeking out from next door.

"Come on in first, then we'll talk..."

The boy hurried into the Lin family's courtyard.

"Yes! That's right! I'm Brother Qin's trusted subordinate! He told me that if I wanted to join the sect, I had to come here for your approval! Since he had something to send back, he asked me to bring it along."

Hearing this, Lin Xiao looked at the... girl... in disguise standing before him, and extended his hand. "Oh, thanks. What did he send?"

Oblivious to the fact that her disguise had been seen through, the girl cheerfully took the small storage pouch out of her bundle and handed it to Lin Xiao. "Here it is! It has the silver and account books that Brother Qin wanted to send you, along with a letter!"

Remembering she hadn't introduced herself, she quickly added, "Oh, by the way, Sect Leader Lin! My name is Gu Yuxiao. So, what do you think? Can I join your sect? Please say yes! I really want to become Brother Qin's disciple!"

Lin Xiao hadn't expected Jiang He to entrust this girl with valuable items, which made him believe she must be reliable. Even though he had told Jiang He before that he could recruit disciples on his own, Jiang He insisted on having her come all the way here for his approval...

Lin Dayou and Lin Yun, who had heard the commotion, stepped out of the house. Seeing that it was a young boy brought by Jiang He, they didn't interrupt, greeting them briefly before heading out.

Lin Xiao invited the girl to sit down and offered her some water. As she sipped, he quickly but carefully read Jiang He's letter, finally understanding why he had sent the items.

Opening the storage pouch, Lin Xiao found thirty taels of silver inside. In the letter, Jiang He reassured Lin Xiao that he was doing well and that he needn't worry. He mentioned that he had been making money while traveling between the neighboring county and the provincial capital, and upon hearing about the upcoming corvée service, he became concerned that his brothers back home might be short on funds. So, he sent most of his earnings back with someone trustworthy since he couldn't leave his business at the moment.

Lin Xiao couldn't help but admire how quickly information spread in the city. It had taken the girl three or four days to travel from the neighboring county to Xiushui Village, meaning Jiang He had known about the corvée service at least a week earlier. The village, by comparison, was so isolated that news always came late. Once the sect grows, I'll need to consider establishing better communication channels, he thought. I'm starting to think like a real sect leader, always planning for the future.

After carefully folding the letter, Lin Xiao emptied the storage pouch. Then, after some thought, he took out a blank talisman from his private stash, infused it with some recorded messages, and placed it inside the pouch. The talisman, known as a Voice Recording Talisman, was a basic one he had developed during his studies. It functioned like a recording device that stored mental transmissions.

He handed the pouch back to Gu Yuxiao.

"Take this pouch back to Jiang He. As for you..."

When she heard her name, Gu Yuxiao tensed up, sitting straight and staring at him expectantly.

Lin Xiao smiled politely and said, "Miss Gu, you can tell Jiang He that if he finds someone suitable in the future, he doesn't need to send them to me for approval. He can make his own decisions. But in the future, we may have a formal disciple selection process. Once everything is set up, I'll personally inform him."

Overjoyed by his affirmation, Gu Yuxiao leaped into the air, her excitement barely contained. She quickly stashed the storage pouch back into her bundle and bowed deeply to Lin Xiao.

"Thank you, Sect Leader Lin! I'll return right away and deliver the news!"

Before Lin Xiao could even invite her to stay for a meal, she bolted out of the Lin house and was soon out of sight, sprinting through the village.

It wasn't until Gu Yuxiao was two miles out of the village that she suddenly stopped in her tracks, a realization dawning on her. Wait a minute, didn't Sect Leader Lin call me 'Miss Gu'?

She paused, stunned. My disguise, which I was so proud of, was seen through so easily by someone younger than me. No wonder he's Brother Qin's sect leader...