Chapter 121: Next to Wei River

The most important place in this Xie Family was actually not this seemingly forbidding ancestral hall, but that small house next to the ancestral hall. The old man stood respectfully under the tree and began to speak. He quickly recounted the stories that happened tonight to the old person inside the house.

He spoke slowly throughout, as if afraid that the old person inside would not be able to hear clearly. By the time he finished speaking, half an incense stick's worth of time had already passed.

At this moment, an aged voice emanated from inside the room, "That young man said he grew up by the Wei River and there was nothing special about him?"

"Yes, there was a trace of emotion at his glabella when he spoke. I could tell he was telling the truth."

The old man said softly, "We haven't found anything so far. Perhaps he really is an ordinary teen, he's just a little luckier..."

Before the old man could finish speaking, a peal of derisive laughter came from inside, "An ordinary teen who's just a little luckier? Do you believe the words that you said? If he's really an ordinary teen, his background would have already been stacked on my desk at this time. His 18 generations of ancestors should be clear as day."

Hearing this, the old man quickly found himself drenched in cold sweat.

He dared not speak and just stood quietly in place.

The old person said with some annoyance, "Making you probe that young man is so that you two can contrast and complement each other. After all, you're much smarter than him too. Scram, go to the accounting room to collect some things."

Upon hearing the words 'accounting room,' the old man's expression turned extremely ugly, with a lot of painful emotions in his eyes. Except, he did not dare to say anything. He silently bowed in salute, then withdrew without making a sound.

Watching him leave, that old person sitting in front of the ancestral hall glanced at the small house over there.

Before long, some footsteps sounded, and the door of the house was pushed open. A tall elderly man with white hair but no signs of age-related clumsiness walked out. He had a hemp robe casually draped on his body, while his white hair was loosely tied with a piece of cloth rope. His eyes were full of vicissitudes of life and the essence of years.

This was the head of the Xie Family, an existence whom countless descendants of the Xie Family would have to call 'ancestor.' Though he had not left the ancestral hall for many years, he was still the master of the Xie Family. In the Xie Family, everyone, regardless of who they were, had to obey his words.

Seeing the Xie Family's ancestor emerge, the old man who had been sitting in the chair stood up and said with a smile, "The moonlight is beautiful tonight. Rare for you to come out and take a look?"

The Xie Family's ancestor got straight to the point, "I initially thought that boy might be a descendant of those impoverished families. Looking at it now, I realize I was mistaken."

Although he had not appeared when Chen Chao came to the Xie Family, since he came here, who could hide from his eyes? Even if he had not seen it, it was as if he had seen it all.

The old man asked, "How do you know?"

"Those impoverished families have been sneaking around for over two hundred years, always acting like fools. Since that young man is so brilliant, how can he possibly be a descendant of those cowards?"

The old man listened to this without doubting anything and said, "If that young man isn't a descendant of those impoverished families, then he can only be connected to those people. Actually, compared to the former, the latter is more troublesome."

The Xie Family's ancestor glanced at the moon hanging in the sky. Falling silent for a moment, he reminisced, "13 years ago, His Majesty conquered the world in one battle. We stood in the river flow of history and chose to watch as the currents surged on both sides. Now, His Majesty has governed the Great Liang exceptionally well, proving that our initial choice was correct. But in their eyes, not doing anything was a great betrayal. Now, in just 13 years, they have returned. In the blink of an eye, it's time to make a choice again."

The old man lamented, "Every time there's a major event, we are the first to bear the brunt of the storm. Each choice is extremely difficult. Once we make a wrong choice, the consequences are significant."

The Xie Family's ancestor smiled and said, "The choice isn't important for the rest of those people. They don't care about right or wrong. Even if they chose wrongly, they will persist in their mistake. Wasn't the previous dynasty's absurdity like that? They don't care about the world; their own interests come first."

"However, such a choice isn't acceptable for the Xie Family."

The Xie Family's ancestor smiled lightly and said, "Just as that young man said, my Xie Family rose together with the Great Liang Dynasty. How can we have those vicissitudes of life?"

The old man said, "However, there are likely many people in the family who don't think the same way."

The family clan was too large and there were too many people. It was extremely difficult to align everyone's thoughts, especially in a family like the Xie Family.

The Xie Family's ancestor shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter what they think. What's truly important is who will be worshiping the ancestors in this ancestral hall in the future."

The old man asked, "Do you already have an idea?"

The Xie Family's ancestor shook his head. He still had not made a final decision on who to entrust the Xie Family to.

"Are you trying to see how far that lass can go?"

The old man said with an emotional sigh, "I heard that the girl has already started cultivating the sword. In merely one month, she can control the sword. She can be said to be an unrivaled genius in Sword Dao. It seems like our Xie Family will be producing a female sword immortal."

It was difficult to hide anything from the Xie Family when it came to affairs in the Divine Capital, even if it happened in the academy.

The Xie Family's ancestor said, "That's exactly what I'm worried about. That old fogey took in 71 disciples but never made up his mind about who to pass the position to. Previously, I was concerned that Wei Xu would take up his mantle. But now, I'm worried that he has set his sights on that girl."

Worried that Wei Xu might become the next dean of the academy because in that case, the Wei Family would undoubtedly surpass the Xie Family. The rivalry between the Wei and Xie families would naturally be disrupted. Now, there was also worry that Xie Nandu might become the next academy dean because once she became the dean, the position of Xie Family's patriarch would have to be handed over to someone else.

The old man sighed and said, "All these years, you've been worried about not having outstanding descendants to take over the burden on your shoulders. Now, a descendant has emerged, and she even came from White Deer. Yet, she's too remarkable and will become someone else's successor. It's truly regrettable."

The Xie Family's ancestor said, "There's one more thing that's most painful."

The old man said softly, "That lass is a woman and will eventually have to marry."

"If she had modest ambitions, she could marry into another family. But you saw that lass tonight too, she's telling us through her actions tonight that she won't tolerate us interfering with who she wants to marry."

The Xie Family's ancestor smiled, "I quite like her temperament."

The old man said, "That young man and she seems to be a good match."

The two exchanged a glance and the Xie Family's ancestor furrowed his brows slightly, saying, "That young man said that we'll have to open the main gate to welcome him the next time he comes. He rather suits my taste too."

The old man chuckled and said, "I actually hope for such a story to unfold. I've been sitting in the ancestral hall for too long. I feel seriously bored."

"The story of His Majesty and Her Majesty is pretty good."

The Xie Family's ancestor glanced at the starry sky and ended with just this remark.

......

......

In the late night, many parts of the imperial city were still bright as daylight. The lanterns hanging under the eaves were not lit with candles but luminous pearls.

Only these luminous pearls delivered from overseas could illuminate the imperial city, making it appear as bright as daytime.

Li Heng walked within the palace walls, observing how those luminous pearls cast a different hue on the vermilion roof tiles. He carried a lantern and continued walking within the palace. Along the way, the eunuchs and palace maids who encountered him would all have to stop and respectfully bow to this Eunuch Li.

Li Heng walked expressionlessly, finally arriving in front of the Imperial Study.

The light was still lit inside.

There were candles in the Imperial Study.

The Great Liang emperor sat behind the desk, looking at several reports. His expression remained unchanged. After picking up a red brush and writing some comments, he put down the brush and looked at Li Heng. "These old fellows can't sit still anymore."

Li Heng said, "When Lord Warden wanted to meet that young man back then, the Xie Family extended an invitation to him. However, with so many things happening lately, it got delayed. Now, he finally fulfilled that appointment."

The Great Liang emperor shook his head and said. "How can it be so simple? Back in Tianqing County, the Xie Family had already made their move. These old foxes know best how to avoid the storm and how to survive amidst turmoil. Now that they took the stage early on, it suggests they might already have some ideas."

Li Heng was puzzled. "Didn't their choice 13 years ago already determine that they would stand with Your Majesty? Now, are they making a choice again?"

"Li Heng, you have been with Us for many years, but you still aren't looking deep enough at the problem. Back then, they didn't make a choice; they just chose to be bystanders. Although this can be considered a betrayal to Our nephew's family, if they come back anew and those families had to choose again, nobody will bring up the past."

"There are no eternal enemies in this world. Only interests are the most practical thing, binding people tightly together."

"However, taking the stage at this time does seem a bit hasty."

The Great Liang emperor let out a cold laugh, devoid of any emotion.

Li Heng did not make a sound and just remained silent.

The Great Liang emperor said, "Perhaps we could all be wrong. The more clearly we see things, the more likely they are false."

"On that day, Our nephew's family self-immolated in this imperial city, none of his descendants survived. There are no true successors. These stories are nothing but suspicions instigated by them."

The Great Liang emperor looked calmly at Li Heng and said, "Since he claims that he lived next to Wei River, We believe he's from Wei River."

He was very serious when he spoke and also very calm.

Brimming with confidence.

Just like he always was.