I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

The gurgling stream flows slowly in the quiet and elegant meeting hall.

The Xie family's meeting hall has always been unique for its natural pleasure. Usually, three to five, seven to eight people sit in it. It is rare that it is so crowded as it is today, with even the clear stream seeming stagnant.

All the masters and elders of the Xie family, no matter they hold official titles or are just idlers, as long as they can come, are here.

Except for a few people who couldn't leave, such as Elder Zhenwu, and two masters who were indeed in seclusion and couldn't come out, all the masters of the Xie family and above gathered together.

Looking at this scene, the masters couldn't help but wonder when was the last time there were so many people.

However, at least in the past ten years, there has not been such a grand scene. If we really recall the last time... it seems to be the day when Xie Yi was appointed in a critical situation.

A bit like today.

Everyone looked at Xie Yuan calmly, wanting to see how this overly young new patriarch was similar to or different from Xie Yi.

At that time, Xie Yi was known for his indifference or laziness, which wasted his talent. When he was given this important task, he was not optimistic about it.

But at that time, he was at least a master.

Afterwards, Xie Yi quickly proved that whether in family management or martial arts, he was the only one in the Xie family who could do it, thus eliminating the controversy.

However, can this young boy, who is not even an adult yet, really do it?
The elders who held high positions of power and prestige in the Xie family did not show trust in their eyes.

Hearing Xie Yuan's announcement, his seventh cousin Xie Jun, who was sitting very close to him, stood up and began to speak.

"I have summoned you all here today to report what happened in the capital. As you can see, Patriarch Xie Yi was injured and bedridden. He has handed over the position of Patriarch to Xie Yuan when he was in danger..."

Xie Jun and Xie Yi were cousins ​​from the same clan, so they were very close, and naturally not far from Xie Yuan either. He had always been Xie Yi's deputy, handling many of the family's affairs.

Xie Jun was one of the few people who knew the inside story of Xie Yi secretly bringing the masters to Beijing. Most of the other masters who were ordered to stay behind or even go to Beijing were not very clear about the intricacies of the matter.

Now that the matter is over and the family has undergone great changes, Xie Jun started from the beginning:

"Some time ago, the emperor summoned the head of the Langya Wang family to serve as prime minister. The three families all noticed the subtlety of his move and discussed it secretly several times..."

Xie Jun talked about the correspondence and decisions of the three patriarchs, and finally said:

"Finally, the three families came to Beijing."

Many elders who were unaware of the situation looked stern, and only then did they realize that the incident in the capital was actually the result of preparations for a full-scale war, but it did not develop to this stage in the end.

But this final development was no better, if not the most drastic consequence.

"Then the emperor somehow discovered the whereabouts of the head of the family and the other two families, and summoned the heads of the families to the palace for a discussion."

Xie Jun said in a deep voice:
"The head of the family thought about it again and again. In terms of strength, we have the upper hand, so he decided to enter the palace. It would be best to discuss everything at the table so as not to cause chaos.

"But what happened in the palace? Why did it end up like this..."

He glanced at Xie Yuan and shook his head:
"We just don't know."

"Did the Cui family say anything?"

someone asked.

Xie Jun shook his head:
"The Cui family sent the head of the family back, saying only that the head of the Cui family rescued him, and then he got entangled with the witch outside the capital. There was no other explanation."

"Has the Grandmaster's battle produced any results?"

Another person asked.

Xie Jun said slowly:
"We just received news that the heads of the Cui and Wang families have returned to their respective clans. Some of them were injured, but there was no word on the outcome."

Everyone looked at each other, feeling awe-inspiring.

Since he didn't mention the result, it means he couldn't do anything to Situ Wan, otherwise the outcome would have been known to everyone.

She hadn't appeared for such a long time, and when she came out again, people didn't expect that she was still so feared, which made the people in the aristocratic family feel uneasy.

People were talking about it, saying all kinds of things about the battle situation in the palace, but they could never get the full picture.

But the elders gradually reached a consensus that all this, starting from the summons of Wang Yunzhi to the court as prime minister, was a trap set by the old emperor.

He had already understood the behavior style of this generation of the aristocratic family from what happened back then. Perhaps he had been speculating on this for many years, and at the last moment he resorted to this strategy of luring the enemy into a trap, intending to complete the unfinished work of the past.

But there are still some key points that are still unclear. For example, Xie Yi is not a reckless person. With his strength that is only a thin layer of paper away from the internal and external integration state, he can protect himself even in a battle between a grandmaster. Since he decided to enter the palace, he must have been fully prepared. How could he end up seriously injured and on the verge of death?

There are other details that are shrouded in mystery from an outsider's perspective.

"Humph, the emperor tried to harm the head of the family, and finally invited the witch to come. He shot himself in the foot, and he was the first to die! It also caused chaos in the palace and countless deaths. It's ridiculous."

Someone mocked.

However, there were also masters who shook their heads:

"With the emperor's shrewdness, how could he not have thought of this? He is putting himself in the game."

The old emperor is dying, so he might as well use himself as a stake, dragging the heads of the three families down with him, and then taking advantage of the situation to trap any potential prodigy who might disrupt order in the future.

Although many people were offended this time, as long as he died and the new emperor showed him favor, the matter would be over. As long as the others did not want to confront the court in an all-out way, they would have to swallow their anger.

In hindsight, many people figured this out and couldn't help but sigh that this emperor was tough and cruel, even to himself.

Even if time is running out, few emperors want to live for more than two days, and even less do they want to die at the hands of the Kitchen God's evil spirit.

This was a great humiliation for the emperor and would surely be heavily recorded in history books.

However, even so, the emperor wanted to drag the head of the aristocratic family down with him.

As long as he gets rid of a few grand masters, with his skills, he might have a backup plan, which could allow the top three surnames and other families to return to the same level, and then slowly divide and erode them, like the Qian and Yao families. Although it is not known whether it will take ten years or a hundred years, there might really be a chance of success.

Unfortunately, he was still too ambitious. Even though he no longer wanted to wipe out all the noble families in one fell swoop, he still wanted to attack the heads of the three families together.

But when the royal family does not have a qualified grandmaster, how can this be done even if a witch is invited?

This was the biggest mistake the emperor made. In the end, only the Xie family suffered, while the other two families suffered no losses.

But this is not good news for the Xie family.

The Xie family had originally been at a disadvantage among the top three surnames in recent years because of the lack of a grandmaster-level expert. Now even a top expert like Xie Yi who is the backbone of the family is bedridden, and the gap in strength is even greater.

The elders were a little worried, and one of the Grand Master Elders said in a low voice:

"We have been on better terms with the Cui and Wang families for the past twenty years, and there has been less competition. Perhaps the current situation is not so unbearable?"

He was a little hesitant, but still full of hope. His wife was from the Wang family of Langya. Although she was not the legitimate daughter of the master family, she also made him have a good relationship with the Wang family. Such marriages between aristocratic families were not uncommon, and the saying of "the same blood is related to the same branch" also had its reasons.

All the masters were pondering, and suddenly they heard a voice from the front:

"I have two letters here, one from Qinghe and one from Langya. I would like to invite you elders to take a look. Perhaps the letters can explain what happened in the palace."

Xie Yuan, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

He took out two pieces of letter paper with elegant covers that smelled of paper. The styles were slightly different, and the emblems on them were the family emblems of the Wang family of Langya and the Cui family of Qinghe.

This letter is the correspondence between the heads of the family.

When did he receive the letter?
The elders looked at each other, then began to pass the letter around calmly, and then their faces suddenly changed.

Xie Yuan and the other elders finished reading both letters before slowly saying:

"All the elders have read the contents of the letter. The heads of the Cui and Wang families each explained the whole story of the battle in the palace, with all their sincerity.

"However, there are some discrepancies between the explanations given by the two Grand Masters."

Xie Yuan glanced across the hall and saw that the Xie family's masters and elders had different expressions, some were indignant, some were solemn, some were confused, and some were thoughtful.

An old man spoke slowly:
"If I understand correctly, Cui Cheng's meaning is that Wang Yunzhi deliberately missed the opportunity to fight, harbored evil intentions, and arrived late, causing the strength comparison of the battle to be inconsistent with expectations, and the head of the family was injured by the witch...

"He therefore suspected that everything was a conspiracy between the Wang family and the emperor, right?"

"That's true."

"How is it possible! The emperor has always wanted to wipe out the aristocratic families. How could Wang Yunzhi seek the skin of a tiger and disregard the safety of his Wang family?"

It was the Grandmaster Xie Wen who married the woman from the Wang family who said this.

Everyone was silent, and someone else interrupted:

"You have also read the other letter. Wang Yunzhi's writing is quite good, without using a single dirty word, but he described Cui Cheng as a sinister old man. It was he who instigated the Patriarch to break the situation with his own body, just like... Patriarch Xie Xuan did back then."

The master glanced at Xie Yuan and spoke slowly.

In the last battle that year, the masters more or less knew that it was Xie Xuan who stepped forward and broke the deadlock, but at the expense of himself.

However, few people know that it was Cui Cheng who instigated it.

However, Wang Yunzhi recounted the battle situation of that year in detail and vividly, and said that he could confront Cui Cheng to see if he had lied.

He even hinted that Cui Cheng had been planning for today since that year.

An old man among the Grandmasters recalled for a moment, his voice was faint:

"The battle situation is not much different from what was said back then."

"The mistress is Cui Cheng's younger sister. A long time ago, both families were opposed to it. After all, the marriage of legitimate children is a big deal. But Cui Cheng seemed to have done his best to facilitate the relationship between the master and the mistress, and even helped them escape from the family and live freely outside."

"After Brother Xuan got into trouble, Brother Yi returned to take office. It seems that he also received a lot of support from the Cui family."

"And this time, if what Wang Yunzhi said is true..."

The elders reviewed what had happened that year one by one, and suddenly looked at each other with a chill in their hearts.

"Cui Chengxin said that we must be on guard against the Wang family. Can we ask him for help if we need it?"

Someone murmured.

"How could I let a wolf into the house? He was waiting for this moment! Everything was his conspiracy."

"What the Wang family said may not be the truth."

The elders quickly started arguing, and the quiet stream meeting hall became noisy.

The Xie family's masters were roughly divided into two factions, naturally supporting the Cui and Wang families respectively, and they occupied the majority.

The past twenty years have been a rare period of harmony for the top three surnames and even the eight major families. They visit each other frequently and have very friendly relations.

As the Xie family of Chen County did not have a grandmaster, they seemed a little weaker and were inevitably affected in the process of communication between the various families.

Xie Yuan glanced at the quarreling masters one by one. Almost the vast majority of the elders were more or less biased towards one side. Based on past intelligence, he knew that these masters had close contacts with other families.

Only a very small number of elders remained cautiously neutral and did not speak in this debate.

Xie Yuan secretly sighed, the Grand Master's influence was even greater than he had imagined.

In a world where martial arts is respected, top strong men have their own dazzling halos. The dragon-like strong men stand in the clouds, and even the masters can only look up to them.

In the past twenty years, the Xie family has not had a grandmaster, and the impact they have suffered is greater than Second Uncle imagined.

Twenty years is indeed short considering the thousands of years of history of the aristocratic family, but twenty years without a grandmaster is too long for the Xie family.

Of course, it’s not just the influence of top powerhouses, there may also be some practical benefits.

In the past, when Xie Yi was around, the parties involved might have just laughed it off; but now that it was a critical moment and there was no backbone, the inclinations in the elders' hearts automatically became apparent.

dong dong dong.

Xie Yuan knocked on the table.

The stream hall became quiet in an instant.

This is certainly not because Xie Yuan has any prestige, nor does it mean that just because he wears the patriarch's ring, he is really the patriarch.

It was because even though the elders were arguing with each other, their attention was always on Xie Yuan.

The topic of today's elders' meeting is the great changes in the capital and the change of family heads, and today's protagonist is Xie Yuan.

"Elders, why are you arguing about who is real and who is fake?"

Xie Yuan said slowly.

When the elders heard this, they were slightly startled and a little confused, but some of them looked thoughtful.

Xie Yuan didn't wait any longer and continued:

"If Wang Yunzhi really colluded with the emperor and wanted to harm my Xie and Cui families, it would make sense. The emperor has indeed spent his entire life, since he was a prince, thinking about how to eliminate the threat of the aristocratic families. However, when he was old, he should have realized that this was not the achievement of his generation alone, so he chose the fourteenth prince as his heir.

"From what I saw in the palace, the fourteenth prince is both brave and resourceful, thoughtful, and has extraordinary means. He is indeed a hero. The old emperor chose him, which shows that his ambition to eliminate the aristocratic families has never faded. And what he did in the end was to use the remaining life of the emperor to strike at the aristocratic families and pave the way for the next generation of emperors.

"He should know that without a grandmaster, let alone the eight great families, even the three great royal families are no match. If I were the old emperor, I would also face reality and know that you can't get rich overnight. Only by winning over and dividing them can we see results.

"In my opinion, the emperor appointed Wang Yunzhi as prime minister because the two of them had a tacit understanding. He planned to win over the Wang family and deal with our Xie and Cui families. If we can eliminate the top masters of the Xie and Cui families in one fell swoop, two of the three surnames will be severely damaged, and the rest will be left to the fourteenth prince who has high hopes for him. There will be great potential.

"As for the Wang family, they would be willing to attack the other two families and become powerful. The Wang family is a disciple of the saint. They have the most officials in the court and are the most strict about the relationship between the ruler and the minister. In history, there are few families that openly oppose the royal family in power. If they really have to choose a leader, the Wang family is naturally the best for the royal family.

"So the two hit it off immediately, and Wang Yunzhi didn't need to do anything behind the scenes. If he arrived a step later, Second Uncle and Patriarch Cui would be at a disadvantage in the palace."

Everyone felt that what he said made some sense and nodded slightly, but some people still had doubts:
"What you said is just speculation. How can you be sure that what the Cui family said is the truth? What if the Cui family is the real culprit behind this?"

Xie Yuan looked at the elder who spoke and nodded slowly:

"I never said that the Cui family was on our side."

When the elders heard this, they looked surprised.

Just now, when they heard what Xie Yuan said, they all thought that he was more inclined to the Cui family and talked about the possible plans of the Wang family. After all, Cui Pingjun was his second aunt, so it was normal for her to have such an influence.

However, Xie Yuan's current meaning did not seem to be that.

"What I just said was the fault of the Wang family. But the letter from the head of the Wang family is not necessarily false.

"I was not present at the battle between the Grandmasters, so I cannot tell you clearly. But let's just look at the present moment. If I or the elders were Patriarch Cui, what would we think?"

All the elders were silent, even those who were related to the Cui family by marriage or had a very good relationship with them.

The two families were originally evenly matched, but one of them fell into a huge dilemma. The two families also had very close in-laws, and even the mistress was a legitimate daughter of the other family.

If it were an ordinary family, in this situation, the whole family would often be wiped out.

And if it is one of the two major families, then taking advantage of their weakness, even at the cost of their lives, to erode, infiltrate, disintegrate and suppress them, is what a truly qualified head of the family should consider.

After all, the size of the upper three surnames could be called a vassal state in many dynasties; the status of the heads of the upper three surnames was actually no different from that of the great vassal states.

Before today's meeting, Xie Yuan consulted Cui Pingjun.

The mistress of the Xie family and the sister of the head of the Cui family looked at Xie Yi lying on the sickbed with a calm expression:
"Given my eldest brother's character, I don't believe he would secretly harm Lingyun's father.

“With my eldest brother’s vision, I don’t believe he will miss this opportunity.

"Xie Yuan, now that you are in this position, you have to consider things from this perspective, and then you will understand what my elder brother should do."

Xie Yuan looked at the elders in the hall and said in a low voice:
“I really want to avenge my second uncle, but the current Xie family does not have the strength to do so.

"What we need to think about now is not who is telling the truth, but what the two families will do, and how the Xie family should respond.

"It doesn't matter whether it's true or not. We should prepare for the worst - both the Cui and Wang families are coveting the Xie family.

"I know that after the incident with the King of Pingxi, the three surnames of Shang had a period of peace. Twenty years is not a short time, but you must know that this peace will eventually come to an end.

“The incident began more than ten years ago, and it has only come to an end in the capital this time.

"The relationship between the three surnames above is the same.

"Giving up illusions and preparing for battle is what the Xie family should do. From now on, our Chenjun Xie family will face the oppression and challenges from the Qinghe Cui family, the Langya Wang family, the royal family and other families, just like the past thousand years."

After hearing these words, the elders raised their heads slightly and looked at Xie Yuan who was sitting in the first seat.

Their eyes were all touched, and even an inexplicable feeling arose in their hearts.

He is quite suitable for that position.

"I think that soon after the new emperor's coronation ceremony, the head of the Wang family will be appointed prime minister, and the reputation of the Wang family of Langya will rise again. And since the head of the Cui family was not injured this time, the two families will definitely clash and stage a fierce battle."

Xie Yuan shook his head:
"However, after testing each other, the two families will eventually find that they can't do anything to each other, and will turn their attention to us. The royal family and the Wang family will not be friendly to us, but if we ask the Cui family for help, it will be like seeking the skin of a tiger. Everyone, we will face a challenge soon, so please be careful in your respective positions. If it doesn't work, it is important to preserve your strength and never confront head-on."

Xie Yuan reviewed the incident many times afterwards and he was more convinced that it was Wang Yunzhi who secretly teamed up with the emperor to frame the Cui and Xie families, resulting in Xie Yi being seriously injured.

However, based on the old emperor's determination and ruthlessness that he had witnessed at the Qianlong Banquet, he estimated that the old emperor's purpose was probably to lure the Holy Maiden, Cui Cheng, and Xie Yi to death together, so as to make the relatively conservative Wang family stronger.

Then, when the Wang family goes to fight with the Xie and Cui families, the royal family will take the opportunity to bide their time. If a great master can emerge in the next generation, it will become a battle between the Xue and Wang families. By then, relying on the royal family's foundation of controlling the world, they may be able to suppress all the aristocratic families. Then, slowly, they will bring all the aristocratic families under their control, just like they divided the Qian and Yao families.

However, the Grandmasters' battle, which the old emperor could not control the most, did not go according to his idea. Cui Cheng seemed to be fine, and in the end, only the Xie family suffered a great blow. But An Zhi was not what the old emperor had expected? Now the strong are always strong, and the weak are weaker. The balance of the three families has been completely broken, and fighting is bound to happen, which is also the situation that the royal family wants to see.

The eight great families have never been of the same blood. Fighting among themselves is in line with the rules and is more in line with the interests of the royal family.

Xie Yuan let out a sigh. Reducing the power was the strategy that Xie Yi had decided before he fell asleep. After he finished speaking, Xie Jun would go and finalize the details with the elders. He was no longer needed here.

He nodded to the elders, then slowly stood up. His back, set off by the black robe, looked quite imposing, making people inexplicably feel that he was somewhat similar to the prestigious Xie Yi.

The old Taoist sitting in the upper seat on the left twitched his ears slightly, then stroked his white beard and smiled:

"The Xie family has Jia'er."

Many masters nodded slightly. Judging from his performance today, Xie Yuan looked like a fairly qualified new patriarch, and his age was even overlooked.

Although everyone didn't quite believe that the summary and speech were all Xie Yuan's own ideas, his calm demeanor and orderly attitude alone were much better than many people imagined.

"I thought it was a yellow-haired kid. It seems Xie Yi didn't choose randomly before going to bed."

The famous rough elder patted his knees and said with a chuckle.

Many masters expressed their admiration. The fact that so many people came today might be an attempt to "interview" Xie Yuan.

Although he was very considerate and didn't raise any questions in such an occasion, he could tell who the elders were by just a few glances.

The elders had no objection to the guidelines left by Xie Yi and the instructions of Xie Yuan. Xie Jun was responsible for confirming with everyone, and everything was not completed until late at night.

Everyone felt uneasy, knowing that the Xie family might face considerable challenges.

Can this young man really lead the Xie family?

Many people felt very solemn.

“He played well today.

"But it's not a good thing. It would be better for us if it was just an ignorant child."

In a quiet room, several elders with stern auras gathered here.

The day's meetings did not seem to be over for them.

"It doesn't matter. He has no foundation. The important positions in the family are all in your hands. Even if Cui Pingjun helps him, what kind of trouble can a yellow-haired boy cause? What he is like has nothing to do with the overall situation."

"That's right. Xie Yi and his family have been holding the position of patriarch for too long."

"That's right! Now that he himself is incompetent, he wants to pass the position to Xie Xuan's son, who is not even a Grandmaster. If this gets out, won't my Xie family be laughed at? When he came to power, I didn't accept it. Later, I saw that he was doing a good job, so I let it go. But now it becomes a family empire for their branch?"

"My Xie family is the Xie family of the Chen County Xie clan, not the Xie family of his lineage. Counting back three generations, they also took over the position of head of the family from another branch. Now that there is no successor, only the young boy is holding up the main responsibility. I think... it's time for him to abdicate and let others take over."

The Grandmaster who spoke first said quietly.

The other powerful figures looked at each other and spoke slowly.

"I agree. This is for the good of the family."

"agree."

"agree."

……

Xie Yuan returned to his own courtyard, took off his black robe with the help of Yunzhu and Shijian, and breathed a sigh of relief.

This dress is troublesome to wear, and pretending to be serious makes people feel stiff.

He changed into casual clothes, tapped his shoulders, and finally felt at ease.

Then Xie Yuan went out again and rushed to the master's compound to visit Xie Yi.

Naturally, there is no need to change residence. Now Xie Lingyun has moved back to her parents' courtyard and takes care of Xie Yi together with her mother Cui Pingjun.

When he arrived at the bedroom and saw Xie Yi's rosy but motionless face, Xie Yuan sighed inwardly.

"This is a case of amnesia. When masters above the Grandmaster level fight and their souls are damaged, and their bodies are too strong to be rescued, they will look like this."

Cui Pingjun said quietly.

Xie Yuan looked at the woman who stayed by the bed and nodded silently.

"Second Uncle will definitely wake up."

"Of course. I went to have my fortune told with him when I was young, and he is not a man without good fortune."

Cui Pingjun whispered.

Xie Yuan didn't know how to respond, so he could only stand there silently.

"Let's go out and tell those old guys what they think. Don't bother him here. He doesn't want to be the head of this family anyway."

Cui Pingjun sat quietly for a while and then took the initiative to speak.

Xie Yuan and her came to the outer room and watched his aunt gently pour him a cup of tea. After thanking her respectfully, she told her what happened during the day.

In fact, Xie Yuan had no access to the two letters from the head of the family.

But as the matriarch, Cui Pingjun actually has considerable power in the family.

Those two letters were given to Xie Yuan by her, otherwise Xie Yuan would probably have been kept in the dark.

It's not easy to be the head of a family.

After that, Xie Yuan and Cui Pingjun read the two letters together and talked for a long time.

Only then did Xie Yuan realize that Cui Pingjun not only managed the family affairs in an orderly manner without any mistakes, but also handled these external affairs with ease and could see the key points at a glance.

No wonder she could become Xie Yi's virtuous wife, and as a direct descendant of Cui family, she became the undisputed mistress of Chenjun Xie family, and made Xie Yi, whose talent was not much worse than Xie Xuan's, give up everything and elope with her to wander around the world. She was really an extremely intelligent and extraordinary woman.

Although Xie Yuan was not stupid and had long been mentally mature, he was very unfamiliar with these family politics.

If Cui Pingjun hadn't given him the start, he probably wouldn't have been able to take full control of today's elders' meeting in an orderly manner.

With Cui Pingjun's support behind him, Xie Yuan would not be a lone commander who could do nothing.

But Xie Yuan was also very smart. Cui Pingjun did not give him a script, and all his speeches were what he had conceived in his mind.

Cui Pingjun gave him a few pointers, but a smart person doesn't need to say much. He just needs to be familiar with it to realize that these things are essentially the same.

If he wasn't a smart person, he would have come down earlier. If everything was said, then Cui Pingjun would be the head of the family, and she didn't want that.

But in retrospect, Xie Yuan did a good job.

Cui Pingjun had naturally received the news before Xie Yuan came.

“The family’s heart is no longer together.”

Cui Pingjun listened and nodded slightly:

"It's also to be expected. Such a big mess has never been truly complete. So the head of a big family must be a grandmaster, otherwise he won't be able to convince the crowd."

Xie Yuan sighed:

"I am young, my cultivation is low, and my family foundation is shallow, so it is natural that I cannot convince others."

"But you were chosen by your second uncle himself. I have been with your second uncle for decades, and I know he is definitely not a reckless person. Since he chose you, it means you are capable, and no one in the Xie family is more suitable than you."

Cui Pingjun looked at Xie Yuan with sharp eyes and said in a firm tone:

"You have to believe in yourself and not give up, otherwise you will let your second uncle down."

Xie Yuan nodded and said in a deep voice:

"I know, although there is pressure, I have never forgotten my second uncle's instructions."

"That's good."

Cui Pingjun smiled:
"Since you dare to take on this important task, I will help you."

Xie Yuan felt relieved. Without a helper like Cui Pingjun who was familiar with clan affairs, he would be completely lost. Without someone around, how could he sort out the myriad of issues within and outside the clan, and fight against those worldly-wise Xie elders?
"Aunt, people are not united, what should I do next?"

Xie Yuan asked humbly.

"Don't worry about anything."

Cui Pingjun gave an unexpected answer.

"Leave the internal affairs to me, and as for the external affairs... Xie Jun is your cousin, and he is on our side, so you can rest assured leaving the external affairs to him.

"All you need to do is practice."

Cui Pingjun looked at Xie Yuan and continued:

"Your second uncle... although he didn't have much time, he said everything he needed to say. He said you should focus on cultivation, so you should focus on cultivation. As for the family affairs, let them do whatever they want. As your second uncle said, at the very least, Chen County will be left. The Xie family's huge foundation will not be destroyed.

"You must improve your strength as quickly as possible and become a Grandmaster as soon as possible. I can help you withstand the storm in the short term, but in the end you still have to rely on yourself. If you are not even a Grandmaster, I am afraid it will be difficult to keep this position, and it is unknown where the Xie family will go by then.

"The Xie family is about to face a huge challenge, Xie Yuan, and you too."

With Cui Pingjun's promise, Xie Yuan knew that he didn't need to worry too much, so he just focused on practicing martial arts.

No matter what, this is the only fundamental thing.

However, shortly after the elders' meeting, many rumors began to spread within the tribe.

For example, Xie Yuan had no idea how to manage the family and was just a military man; Cui Pingjun monopolized power with the instruction of the Cui family; Xie Yi's lineage established a family dynasty, which violated the Xie family motto of "the capable should take the throne", and so on.

And what was even faster was that the problem was directly put on Xie Yuan's head.

"Master, Master..."

Yunzhu found Xie Yuan practicing martial arts, looking embarrassed.

"What happened? Tell me slowly."

Seeing this, Xie Yuan stopped and asked Yun Zhu gently.

Yunzhu pursed her lips:

"The pharmacy said that you don't need the family head's subsidy yet, after all, you... are not a master. They said that the family is in a difficult time now, and they guarantee that your cultivation resources will be no problem, but the extra resources may be..."

As soon as Xie Yuan heard it, he understood that some people had already started and this was just a test.

Although his expenses are guaranteed now, it seems that he is not as well off as before.

After a period of time, how can we be sure that these people will still have any sense of decency?
He sighed. When a building is crumbling, there are always people who only think about fighting for power and profit, regardless of the flood.

Shaking his head slightly, Xie Yuan said calmly:

"It's okay. There's enough in the mansion for me to use for a while. You don't have to go."

"Eh? Master, are you just going to leave it like this?"

Yun Zhu gritted her teeth, feeling very angry. The young master was such a genius, and not letting him practice would be bad for the family. I really didn't know what those people were thinking.

But, Master, don't you even try to fight for it?

Yunzhu felt a little sorry for Xie Yuan, and Shijian was sharpening his sword nearby.

But if Xie Yuan didn't say anything, there was nothing they could do.

A few days passed like this, and suddenly something not too big or too small happened in the tribe, sparking discussion among everyone.

Wang, the wife of Xie Wen, the elder of the pharmacy, was called in for questioning by Cui Pingjun. Afterwards, all descendants of this branch with Wang family blood were temporarily banned from entering the clan territory.

Cui Pingjun just said gently:
"I'm not saying that the Wang family must have harmed the head of the family, but I always feel uneasy after asking them again and again. Anyway, the family has been in trouble recently and the clan land is crowded, so I asked them to go out and relax.

"When will you be back? Wait until Xie Yi wakes up."

Xie Wen naturally cursed loudly. All his people were driven out of the clan. Not to mention the great shame and humiliation, the study, martial arts training and training of future generations could not be compared with the clan. It was a real delay.

However, no matter how he said Cui Pingjun was a spy of the Cui family, everyone saw how Cui Pingjun acted, and no one had said anything about it in the past ten years. She was even more cautious at this point, not even attending the elders' meeting, never interfering in external affairs, but keeping the internal affairs of the clan firmly in her hands.

But it seems that Xie Wen is not just one person. There are other elders behind him who oppose Cui Pingjun openly or secretly, which brings great pressure.

Although Cui Pingjun is now in charge of the internal affairs of the entire Xie clan, it is still unknown whether she can always say goodbye in one word.

It was not until the Zhenwu Elder Xie Fu spoke for the first time and the Xie family armory temporarily banned the people from the pharmacy from going up the stairs that the conflict was immediately settled.

The top floor of Xie’s Armory.

The old man Xie Fu looked at Xie Yuan and smacked his lips:

“Xie Yuan, your cultivation is guaranteed, I won’t allow anyone to cause trouble here.

"But it stands to reason that the Zhenwu Elder should never interfere in clan affairs. I can only take care of your cultivation. I can't help you with other things."

Xie Yuan bowed deeply and said sincerely:
"Thank you, Elder!"

Although Xie Fu said this, this time it was an exception after all. The other elders didn't know what he was thinking, so they would definitely stop for a while.

Even if it was only temporary, it relieved Xie Yuan's pressure and ensured that he had everything he needed for his practice.

Xie Fu waved his hand and sighed:
"When Xie Yi fell asleep, all the accumulated problems of the family were exposed. Xie Yuan, you must work hard on your cultivation. Practice a few more moves of the Burning Heaven and Destroying Dao Spear until you reach the level of mastery. Who will dare to look down on you?"

Xie Fu clicked his tongue.

The family was undergoing changes and was under great pressure. Xie Yuan devoted himself to cultivation, while Xie Fu taught him everything he knew.

However, on the first day after returning, Xie Fu asked Xie Yuan to practice, and saw that Xie Yuan's human peace had made a breakthrough, and he almost popped his eyes out.

With just this little effort, you have reached a higher level?
Is this the talent that allows one to see through the entire shooting technique for the first time?
Xie Fu suppressed the urge to call his ancestors, and became more motivated to teach Xie Yuan. After all, which teacher doesn't like smart students? And Xie Yuan is not just smart, he is a cheat.

In this way, there is no need to consider other things, and no one dares to make trouble for him. With Xie Fu's careful guidance and sufficient resources, Xie Yuan's strength is rising rapidly, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is improving by leaps and bounds.

Xie Fu naturally sighed every day, as if he had seen a god.

If it were normal times, when the Xie family produced such a genius, Xie Fu would be overjoyed and unable to suppress his smile.

But the Xie family is now in trouble both internally and externally. Xie Fu looked at Xie Yuan's gun mist, with a look of approval and amazement hiding his worry.

This kid has such a heavy burden, I wonder if time will wait for him?
In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed, and Xie Yuan's cultivation naturally improved by leaps and bounds, which was very gratifying.

However, he is still a long way from becoming a master and he cannot achieve it overnight.

"You still have to work hard."

Xie Yuan soaked in the medicinal soup pool, thinking silently.

dong dong——

The bathroom door was knocked softly. Xie Yuan had already heard Yun Zhu's footsteps and called out:

"Come in."

Squeak.

Yun Zhu pushed the door open and came in. She bowed slightly in front of the misty bathtub and said softly to Xie Yuan who had his back to her:

"Master, the concierge has informed us that there is a guest looking for you and he is waiting at the gate."

"who is it?"

Xie Yuan raised his eyebrows and asked.

Since he was waiting at the clan gate, it meant that he was not someone familiar to Xie or any of the friends that he had greeted. Then who else could be looking for him?
Yunzhu Road:
"It's a woman who claims to be from Zhikong Mountain."

There was a crash.

Xie Yuanteng stood up from the bathtub, turned around and looked at Yun Zhu, and said in surprise:

"Zhikong Mountain?"

Zhikong Mountain?
How could I know anyone from Zhikong Mountain? He is clearly the one who raised the fire and made Yunxing!

Why would she come to find me? And she came directly to Chen Jun. Is she not afraid of death?

Yun Zhu looked at Xie Yuan's well-proportioned naked upper body, with water drops flowing down along the curves of his muscles. She blushed slightly and lowered her eyebrows:

"Well, the guest said she was the young master's friend, and she also brought something her teacher wanted to give to you." (End of this chapter)