I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

As a result, Li Xingtuo left without waiting for the dinner.

Xie Yuan took the Sword Sect leader to the famous Chenjun East Mountain and enjoyed the scenery. Then he went back directly, rejecting Xie Yuan's request to stay without any hesitation.

"Would you like me to wait one more day to deal with the backlog of clan affairs files? Three days is still a break from the busy schedule, but five days will make me feel a little heavy."

Li Xingtuo also sighed deeply and frowned, as if he had already imagined the mountain of files in the study, and the scene of Qin Zhenyang holding a small notebook and reporting things to him.

Xie Yuan was still hesitating whether to invite his aunt and the clan leader to meet old friends, but Li Xingtuo shook his head and said that he was young and frivolous at that time, and he said a few flirtatious words to a beautiful girl, not knowing that she was taken, which led to a conflict with Xie Yi.

In fact, Li Xingtuo, Xie Yi and Cui Pingjun were only friends who met once and had a fight with each other. They were amazed at each other's talents, but they never met again.

Watching Li Xingtuo transform into a streak of rainbow light in the sky and disappear in the blink of an eye, Xie Yuan bowed respectfully towards the northwest from the top of East Mountain.

Once the situation stabilizes, it’s time to go back to Yunshan.

When it was time for the dinner, the elders discovered that the host had already left and looked at each other in bewilderment.

He came and left in such a hurry, as if he came only to solve the Xie family's predicament and did not even have a meal.

The word "knight" is not enough to describe this person, this person must be the Snail Girl.

Especially when Xie Yuan told the elders that he was planning to open a branch of Yunshan Sword Sect in Chen County, the elders' expressions changed a little.

After all, this kind of core territory will not allow other forces to interfere unless they have a particularly good relationship and can be regarded as a staunch ally.

Xie Yuan's suggestion was of great importance, and the elders all had some thoughts in their minds. However, he had just invited Li Xingtuo to solve the Xie family's dilemma, and no one had said much.

The reason why the elders didn't say much was because Xie Yuan's next sentence said that Li Xingtuo actually took the initiative to refuse.

Li Xingtuo refused for the same two reasons as for not going to the armory to watch the sutra.

Firstly, he didn't come here for reward, and secondly, he was afraid of the impact on Xie Yuan.

But he didn't want any reward, so Xie Yuan couldn't just say nothing.

So Xie Yuan proposed to establish exchanges between the Yunshan Sword Sect and the Chenjun Xie clan disciples.

Xie Yuan sent a group of young people to Yunshan to learn swordsmanship, and the outstanding disciples in Yunshan could also come to Chenjun to study, and even climb the tower to challenge in the armory and read classics.

result.

Li Xingtuo still refused.

"I welcome you to send me outstanding disciples. As long as they are dedicated to learning swordsmanship, have a pure heart and a strong will, the Sword Sect never refuses anyone - hehe, I don't think you will send someone with poor aptitude, but if someone has poor aptitude and the determination to make up for it, he can also practice.

"But are the disciples of the Sword Sect coming to Chen County? It would be great if they had the opportunity to travel around. The scenery here is quite nice."

He did not comment, but his meaning was very clear: there was no need for the disciples to communicate.

It was not until Li Xingtuo had been gone for a long time that Xie Yuan was impressed by his character and understood his wisdom.

The leader of the Sword Sect, who wanted to use his sword to fight for the injustice of his disciples, also wanted to prevent the sect from getting involved in trouble.

So Xie Yuan didn't bother about it and just thought about reporting it another day.

After hearing this, the elders were delighted and sighed.

Unexpectedly, a big problem that has troubled the Xie family could be solved so easily - it's not that the process was easy, but the price was really easy.

I thought that at least an extremely rare magical medicine, or an alliance deal between the two major forces, would be needed to compensate for this time of asking people to come from thousands of miles away for help.

As a result, others don't want anything.

According to Xie Zhi's point of view, he was simply being taken advantage of.

But is there anyone in the world who doesn't care about anything? Especially the leader of the Yunshan Sword Sect, a large sect that has been thriving in recent years?

After thinking about it, they were afraid that the only reason could be Xie Yuan.

At the banquet without the guest of honor, the elders glanced at Xie Yuan openly or covertly, secretly speculating on the relationship and origin between him and Li Xingtuo.

Although everyone knew more or less that Xie Yuan had sought help from a Taoist priest on Yunshan Mountain, no one knew what kind of relationship Xie Yuan and Li Xingtuo had.

Could it be that they were really a master-disciple relationship in secret? But there was nothing to hide.

If they were not master and disciple, this friendship would be too much and too heavy.

It would be fine if he valued Xie's background, but Li Xingtuo didn't take a penny, so... he could only value Xie Yuan himself?

In Li Xingtuo's eyes, the Xie family, even the Wang family and the royal family, might not be as good as Xie Yuan?

The elders were all filled with doubt and uncertainty.

If we only measure it by interests, it will be impossible to understand.

But at least this time, the problem was solved satisfactorily, and I am afraid that for a long time, at least in Tianyunpu, the Wang family will not make any more plans.

Xie Chen and Xie Lin have returned, and everyone realizes how powerful Li Xingtuo is.

He defeated three top masters with one sword.

This is the strength of the Sword Sect's leader.

Although Li Xingtuo is now ranked high on the Flying Dragon List and is very famous, with such strength, unless they have really fought each other, the masters don’t know who is better.

However, as soon as Li Xingtuo made a move, everyone realized that his ranking was probably still low.

This is a top master who is better than the average top master, probably at the level of Xie Fu and Xie Yi.

With the help of such a master who is close to the grandmaster level, the Xie family is naturally spared from danger, and the opponent will have many concerns when he takes action again.

At least in the short term, Chen Jun's situation will be better.

The siege of Tianyun Garden was lifted, and although the distinguished guests had left, the dinner was still very lively.

Whether it was the ordinary members of the tribe in various places or the grandmasters and elders in the banquet hall, they all showed their joy.

Masters toasted Xie Yuan one after another, and even Xie Zhi drank a small cup with him. On this occasion, everyone's attitude was tacitly understood.

But even after the banquet, the Xie family's crisis was resolved and everyone was full, it seemed that they could start fighting among themselves again -

Perhaps no one will attack Xie Yuan again for a while.

In the stream hall, Xie Yuan had taken the opportunity to unify 90% of the elders. At least at that time, there was only Xie Yuan's voice.

Although it was not used in the end, Xie Yuan proved that he did not necessarily need the elders to obey him in order to get things done.

The Xie clan's great masters and elders, especially those who had previously thought they could easily control Xie Yuan, were feeling a little strange, even though they didn't say anything.

Xie Yuan did not grow up in the family, so his roots were shallow and his influence was not high;
But because of this, he seems to have quite a few connections outside.

The elders did not forget that when Xie Yi was in the capital, he needed the best natural treasures to survive. Everyone was at a loss for a moment. It was Xie Yuan who found a way to bring back the thousand-year-old ginseng essence and asked for elixirs from the new emperor, thus avoiding the life-and-death race by getting medicine from the clan.

In addition, Li Xingtuo showed his astonishing swordsmanship and strength. The enemies of the Xie family, who were divided, and even the Wang family hiding in the dark, were no match for Li Xingtuo's sword.

And such a powerful master came because of Xie Yuan alone.

Due to the reasons mentioned above, the masters and elders suddenly realized that Xie Yuan seemed to be very stable in that position.

Whether it is his strength, influence, or ability and skills.

The crisis in Tianyunpu is like a big test, which tests both the Xie family and Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan submitted an unexpected but extremely powerful answer.

Thus, the examination established Xie Yuan's position as the true head of the family, and the Xie family would surely be able to enjoy a peaceful time.

As for how long it can last, it all depends on how fast Xie Yuan's strength improves, as well as how he handles the external pressure and the tests that follow.

However, when everyone thought about Xie Yuan's progress in martial arts, and the combat power and talent he had shown, they all felt that now that he had firmly established himself as the head of the family, it would probably be difficult for him to step down.

This will allow some people to gradually give up their thoughts.

……

Summer is gone, autumn is here, and then the cold gets deeper
It's the end of another year.

The days of practice always pass quickly.

After the incident at Tianyunpu, there were almost no people in the Xie clan who were looking for trouble, and many of them were polite to Xie Yuan and called him the head of the family.

Suddenly, the government was in good order and the people were harmonious. The superiors followed suit and suggestions were made on all matters, but no one objected.

This made Xie Yuan very uncomfortable.

Since no one is against me, being the head of this family is not very challenging.

Seeing this, Xie Yuan waved his hand and handed over the external affairs to Xie Jun and the internal affairs to Cui Pingjun, so that he could practice with peace of mind.

Seeing that he was so willing to delegate power and did not engage in any acts of settling scores later, taking over clan affairs, or holding on to all the power, everyone felt relieved and no one said that he was lazy in governing.

Although there is still pressure from the outside world, the Wang family will not easily let go of the opportunity to weaken and erode the Xie family.

However, after largely eliminating internal problems, it was still possible for the Xie family of Chenjun to adopt a defensive stance.

For nearly half a year, Xie Yuan practiced wholeheartedly and improved his strength rapidly.

[Chopping wood: (71556/100000)]

[Immortal Golden Bell Cover·Third Level: (2983/3000)]

[Dajinhe Gong·1069th level: (11000/)]

[Heaven-Burning Spear - First Style - Peace on Earth - Mastery: (688/4000)]

[Burning Heaven and Exterminating Dao Spear·Second Style·Ten Thousand Enemies·Proficient: (1971/3000)]

[Burning Heaven and Exterminating Dao Spear·Third Style·Nine Netherworlds Destroying Demons·Proficiency: (1024/3000)]

【…】

Xie Yuan's progress is enormous.

With Tianyun Garden under their control, the Xie clan's resources were replenished again. Many clan members even took the bait in retaliation, and many of them showed symptoms of blood rage.

As the clan leader, Xie Yuan has inexhaustible natural resources, and they are more abundant than before.

With sufficient resources supplied, Xie Yuan put 90% of his mind on practicing. He finally reached the peak of the third level of the Indestructible Golden Bell Cover, a top-level external training method. There was nothing more he could practice and he was just waiting for a breakthrough.

In fact, the progress in the last ten points has been extremely slow. Only when the quality of blood and qi is improved can there be some slight progress.

If it is an ordinary cultivator, this stage is already perfect and he can start preparing for a breakthrough to the Grandmaster level.

That tiny gap is neither noticeable nor attainable by everyone.

But Xie Yuan had the support of a panel, so he could clearly see the progress and difficulties approaching the limit.

Since it was such an important node, he naturally had to strive for perfection, so even if the progress was slow, he practiced over and over again.

Xie Yuan is now at the peak of the Third Transformation Realm. In terms of realm, he has finally caught up with those powerful enemies he had met and fought before.

As for his strength, with the help of his skills and the realm of internal strength that cannot be measured by common sense, he has long surpassed the level of his own skills.

"It is not easy to perfect the Immortal Golden Bell Cover."

Xie Yuan looked at the final progress and was quite impressed.

Without special methods and extraordinary talent, it would be impossible to practice this most powerful fundamental method to the highest level.

But Xie Yuan also has other top-notch skills to help him.

The Burning Heaven and Destroying Dao Spear has the effect of tempering blood and qi. Practicing spear techniques over and over again allows the strength to flow through the body, like a flame burning blood, forging real gold, and constantly improving the quality of qi and blood, which is very effective in helping the Immortal Golden Bell Cover to improve.

The same goes for the Great Golden River Technique. The rich, high-quality internal energy washes over the body, nourishing the physique, and also allowing Xie Yuan's Indestructible Golden Bell Cover to move forward slowly but firmly.

With such conditions to assist him, if he still cannot practice it to perfection, then Xie Yuan will not have to aspire to reach the top.

The realm of the Double Bridges of Heaven and Earth is a special realm. Every bit of accumulation and every breakthrough before this can make the subsequent steps more stable.

Xie Yuan was in no hurry to break through to the Grandmaster level, and since he had to practice the Burning Heaven and Destroying Dao Spear, he made preparations patiently.

During this period, his marksmanship also improved greatly.

The second and third forms have been successfully advanced to the proficient level, which is already a level that can play a considerable role in actual combat.

The sharpness and murderousness of Ten Thousand Enemies and the changes and boldness of Nine Netherworlds Demon-Slaying all make up for the slight thinness of the first move, Peace on Earth.

Xie Yuan now only needs the Burning Heaven and Destroying Dao Spear to deal with 99% of the situations.

He would need another axe to get the last bit.

In such a short period of time, both types of spear techniques had made such rapid breakthroughs, which naturally shocked Xie Fu again.

But Xie Fu was already somewhat accustomed to it. He just felt that Xie Yuan could always give him some new surprises, but he felt a little numb in his heart.

He just felt that no matter what Xie Yuan practiced, it would exceed his expectations, and he always felt that he had no experience in all these years, and it almost became a routine.

However, this progress was not entirely due to Xie Yuan's own efforts. The Wanbing Zhuying that he carried with him at all times played a huge role.

Frequent flashes of insight and regular bursts of progress were the key to Xie Yuan's mastery of the Burning Heaven and Destroying Dao Spear.

With this magical weapon in hand, Xie Yuan could use almost any weapon he wanted, and he could master high-level skills after practicing them once. This top-level skill could also lead to steady and rapid progress.

Similarly, after several times of understanding Wanbing Zhuying's power, Xie Yuan's firewood chopping ability has exceeded 70,000, bringing him one step closer to the 100,000 mark.

Thirty thousand doesn’t seem that far away.

At one point, Xie Yuan estimated that it would take another ten years before he could make any progress in chopping wood again.

With the help of these black books, this process has been greatly shortened.

It seems that in a year and a half at most, or a year at least, Xie Yuan can make some progress in his true fundamental law.

"Grandmaster..."

Xie Yuan muttered to himself.

A word that was once so far away is now so close to him, but Xie Yuan doesn't feel much.

It’s not that he wasn’t happy, but after so much practice, he felt that all this was a natural result.

After all, he had killed and defeated true masters before. When he was weak, he felt that they were great figures standing in the sky. Now, Xie Yuan can look at them calmly.

However, Xie Yuan was still unsure how to break through.

The Great Golden River Technique gave him combat power beyond his realm ahead of time, but it also brought him some troubles now.

He had two ideas before.

One is to constantly refine the blood and energy, strive for perfection, until it reaches the limit of the limit, and then seek treasures like the Snow Dragon Pill that can improve the quality of blood and energy, imitate the breakthrough of the Great Golden River Gong, and let the blood and energy break through directly. Then, when the realm is reached, you will naturally comprehend the world.

This is a method that can defeat ten skills with one force, and it is theoretically feasible. Since internal energy can break through the realm, why can't blood and qi, which are the foundation of a warrior, do the same?
However, this method requires a lot of effort and opportunities. At least Xie Yuan has no clue about the elixir yet. And looking at the last practice of the Indestructible Golden Bell Cover, if he wants to break through again without comprehending the world, it will be extremely difficult.

The second method is to use health-preserving exercises.

Health-preserving exercises can harmonize the internal breath, which can both transform the past and transform it back.

Then as long as the excess Dajinhe Gong is transferred back and the realm drops to the tenth level, wouldn't it have the effect of accurately dispersing the power without actually losing the power?
But the idea was good. Later, Xie Yuan tried it himself and found that it was difficult to implement.

One is that the Great Golden River Technique has already advanced to the Grandmaster realm. The internal force has already possessed the natural meaning of the vastness of a river, the depth of still water, and so on. Its essence has changed. Even if the eleventh level of skill has been transferred away and only the tenth level is left, it is not the complete Three Changes realm.

Secondly, it is such a powerful inner energy of the Grandmaster that only five levels of health-preserving exercises are needed to transform it, just like Yugong moving the mountains.

Moreover, the transformed internal energy must be followed by a method of practice. Although Xie Yuan knows the internal skills of the Yunshan lineage, such as the Sword Qi Jue and the Sword Intent Sutra, and the Xiaojinhe Gong, which can be considered as well, his haphazard approach is not only inefficient, but also makes the internal energy chaotic, which is not good for breakthroughs.

If we really want the most reliable method, I think it is still better to use health-preserving exercises to disperse the energy. This is feasible.

But lowering one's state of mind has some philosophy of risking one's life in order to survive, but Xie Yuan feels that it has not reached that point yet and is not a dead end yet.

"Both methods have their own problems. If we want to break through, we have to find another way."

Xie Yuan instantly thought of what Li Xingtuo had said to him.

Perhaps, Yunshan will have to ask the sect leader for help in the end?

Sitting in the pavilion in the garden, Xie Yuan looked at the wind and snow in the yard, thought for a long time, and nodded slightly.

"Why are you nodding your head? You don't even say anything, it's boring!"

There was a teapot on the stove, and opposite the teapot sat a beautiful girl with a radiant look, watching over the fire. It was Xie Lingyun.

Seeing his actions, Xie Lingyun curled her lips and looked at Xie Yuan with her lively eyes:

"You're becoming more and more like an old man!"

"Don't talk nonsense. I haven't taken care of clan affairs recently. Let your mother worry about it."

Xie Yuan laughed.

Xie Lingyun fiddled with the teapot, and when she saw that it was almost done, she picked it up and poured herself a cup first. She glanced at Xie Yuan, snorted lightly, and poured him one as well.

The emerald green tea soup is poured into the jade cup. Smoke rises from the cup, condensing but not dispersing, like morning mist.

The name of the tea is Lingwu, and it is also a top-notch spiritual item that is priceless.

The aroma overflowed, Xie Yuan took a sip and asked:

"I have broken through the third level of transformation. What do you feel?"

"Pooh."

Xie Lingyun spat at him directly and frowned:
"You really act like an old man!"

"Aren't you concerned about your practice?"

Xie Yuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Xie Lingyun was still lively and outgoing, but only in front of Xie Yuan.

After her father was seriously injured, and then Xie Yuan made a rapid breakthrough, coupled with the chaos within and outside the clan, the young lady also grew up a lot.

Xie Lingyun, who was usually like her, became a little quieter and more reserved, and even her face seemed to have become more mature. The tribesmen all said that Xie Lingyun had grown into a grown-up girl.

Only in front of Xie Yuan was he still as chattering as before.

The more mature Xie Lingyun has become more diligent in her practice than before. She has just broken through the third level of transformation, which is extremely extraordinary for her age. It can be said that she is better than her teacher.

but……

Xie Lingyun looked at Xie Yuan and said suspiciously:

"Are you a Grandmaster?"

"It's still early." Xie Yuan said casually.

Xie Lingyun was half-believing and half-doubting:
"I've clearly made a breakthrough, so why do I feel like the gap between us is getting bigger?"

“Sometimes, the more you know, the more you realize how little you know.”

Xie Yuan said slowly.

"Pooh."

Xie Lingyun spat again, feeling somewhat indignant at Xie Yuan's pretentious tone.

Holding the teacup with wisps of white steam coming out of it, she turned her head to look at the wind and snow outside the pavilion, lost in thought for a moment.

I have to practice harder, otherwise it would be sad if I had fewer opportunities to make tea and enjoy the snow with him.

Although most of the Xie family’s internal troubles have been resolved, there are still many external threats.

However, Wang saw that the Xie family turned the situation around at the critical moment and even unified their thoughts, so she knew that she could not force them too harshly.

No matter how weak it is, the Xie family of Chen County is also an aristocratic family with thousands of years of accumulation. There are top masters in the family, as well as magical weapons, a dozen masters, and thousands of martial artists.

If they really do it too blatantly, forcing everyone to unite and fight to the death, then the Wang family might be in danger.

The Cui family is still eyeing them covetously, and the royal family is not as peaceful as it seems.

Now that the internal strife in the Xie family has subsided, Wang has changed his strategy. He no longer greedily eats the flesh, but slowly suppresses, nibbles away at it step by step, and takes his time.

If one wants to truly annex a thousand-year-old family, it would take decades of planning and many coincidences in between.

The Wang family is quite patient. They have treated other families in this way many times in history, and have also been surrounded by powerful enemies in this way when they were weak.

Maybe it won't work in the end, but we still have to do it. Who knows what will happen in the future? At least the newly occupied resources are real.

Under this slow offensive, the Xie family was able to implement the previous strategy of gradual contraction and hold on firmly. With the elders all united against the outside world, they entered a slow balance.

"Master, this is the account book of the pharmacy this month."

In Xie Yuan's study, the slightly plump Xie Wen presented an account book.

Xie Yuan glanced at him, flipped through the account book carefully, and then said:
"Elder Wen, I will return the account book to..."

"I have already given it to the mistress."

Xie Wen said directly.

Since Xie Yuan hadn't gotten married yet, everyone just followed convention and called Cui Pingjun the queen mother.

In the past few months, Xie Wen has been very proactive in handing over the pharmacy account books.

Xie Yuan was a little surprised at first, but after figuring out Xie Wen's attitude, he understood it tacitly.

As Cui Pingjun said, this is a smart man and very cunning.

The smartest thing was that he seemed to understand Xie Yuan quite well, understood his temperament and vision, and knew that he would not settle scores later.

Unlike Xie Zhi, who had clearly planned to stop, he was reluctant to express his stance, fearing that if he surrendered he would be beaten by Xie Yuan and lose his Xinglongtang.

Xie Wen followed the usual practice and consulted Xie Zhi:
"You're still unwilling to hand over Xinglongtang's account books? Is Xie Zhi secretly coveting the family's supplies?"

"Elder Zhi has already said that he will hand over a full-year ledger next month."

Xie Yuan said calmly.

Xie Wen paused for a moment, then whispered:

"Maybe they're balancing their accounts."

"I will carefully review every account book that is submitted."

Xie Yuan said this with a hint of meaning.

Xie Wen coughed lightly:
“The pharmacy has always been run and resourced according to the wishes of the owner and the Council of Elders.

"By the way, Patriarch, Xie Shi has also managed a caravan. The position of deputy manager of Xinglong Hall has been vacant for a long time. After the New Year, I want to recommend him. Although he is my brother, it is not wrong to recommend relatives."

Xie Wen had mentioned this matter for a long time, but Xie Yuan had never agreed.

He still said:

"This is Xinglongtang's internal affairs. Xinglongtang is doing its job properly, so I won't interfere. This is the same for any department. And Elder Shi is still a little lacking in strength. I'm afraid he won't be able to convince the public for the position of deputy elder."

There was some disappointment in Xie Wen's eyes, and he thought to himself that Xie Yuan was stubborn!
After the incident at Tianyunpu, although his attitude was obviously very good, he was neither indifferent nor distant, and was very careful in being absolutely fair. No matter how many strategies he tried, he could not gain Xie Yuan's "favor".

He could sense that Xie Yuan was not holding a grudge against him because of what happened before, but that he was treating all the elders equally and examining them all together.

Even if he thought he had done a good job of flattering others and finally found out that it had no effect, Xie Yuan would never be biased in his judgment or ignore the details because of his emotions.

Not at all like a young man.

Xie Wen sighed slightly in his heart, but he also felt that this was good, at least there was no messing around.

Not like Xie Zhi.

"However, if Xinglong Hall still suffers losses next year and is unwilling to submit its account books on time, the managing elder may not be able to do so, but the supervising elder may be asked to take on the role of the elder in charge. Of course, the elders' council will have to discuss this together at that time."

Xie Yuan added.

Xie Wen was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then smiled:

"The master is wise!"

After Xie Wen left, Xie Yuan pinched his forehead slightly.

It's not easy to balance the forces within the tribe.

But since they don't cause any big trouble, it's not that difficult, it just does take a lot of effort.

Xinglongtang’s continuous losses have a lot to do with Xie Zhi’s ability.

If next year is still like this and he has too many thoughts, Xie Yuan is ready to take advantage of the situation and take action against him.

After all, Xinglongtang is an extremely important department, which is related to the family's income and expenditure.

At that time, Xie Yuan had a stronger control over the clan, and he should find a time to let people know that he was not just good at making peace, so as to avoid causing trouble in the end.

It is already the twelfth lunar month.

There were no major disturbances in the clan affairs, and Xie Yuan was now able to handle all the minor issues.

Foreign enemies were also quite cautious. The more united the Xie family was, the less the Wang family would dare to act rashly. The best way to keep the enemy out was to become stronger.

Originally they thought things would be relaxed until the Chinese New Year, but Wang's move made the Xie family alert again, knowing that Langya was constantly making small moves and using evil intentions.

In the hall of the Xie family.

"…Therefore, I wish to see the good relationship between Wang and Xie. Miss Wang Qishi and Master Xie Yuan are close in age and have a deep friendship. They are indeed a good match. I hereby grant them marriage. The two surnames will be united to form a happy marriage, and they will enjoy the sound of bells and drums. They will have a peaceful and harmonious relationship for a hundred years, which is suitable for their families. I decree this."

An old eunuch with white hair and a dragon robe read out the imperial edict and handed the bright yellow edict to Xie Yuan, who bowed to receive it - for the heads of the three upper surnames, bowing was already a great courtesy.

The old eunuch smiled kindly:

"Thank you, Master. Congratulations! The emperor has granted you the marriage. You are so lucky!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Eunuch Li too."

Xie Yuan took the imperial edict calmly and asked Yunzhu to hand a brocade box to the eunuch as a gift.

The old eunuch received the brocade box, shook it for a moment, and a greedy smile appeared in his eyes:
"Master Xie, hey, why are you so polite?"

He put away the things with a smile and asked again:
"The emperor said that he wants to see the two families' important events before the Mid-Autumn Festival next year, so Patriarch Xie should hurry up."

"Thank you for telling me, Eunuch. Eunuch, Chen County also has some beautiful scenery and delicious food. Please stay here for a few days and let me treat you well."

Xie Yuan said.

The eunuch waved his hand:
"Hey, His Majesty is short of people to serve him, and I have always been there. If it weren't for the decree for a noble like Patriarch Xie, I wouldn't want to send anyone here. I should go back and serve His Majesty now, and I dare not linger here with Patriarch Xie."

"Since His Majesty has summoned you, I will not keep Eunuch Li here. Eunuch Li, please go."

Xie Yuan escorted the eunuch to the outside of the clan's territory, and the eunuch boarded the carriage with the help of his entourage.

The carriage started slowly, the eunuch opened the curtains and waved enthusiastically at Xie Yuan outside.

Not until the car had gone far away did he retract his head, lower the curtains, and the smile on his face instantly disappeared.

He took out the brocade box, looked at the precious medicine inside, and sneered:
"These aristocratic families are really willing to give away things. But they didn't kneel when they saw the imperial edict, and they didn't express their opinions on the decree. They really deserve to be killed! Humph, wait until the two families really get married..."

He threw the brocade box aside, closed his eyes and began to rest.

Xie Yuan watched the eunuch go away, then handed the imperial edict to Yun Zhu beside him and said with a smile:

"This Xue Shisi has not even had time to warm up his seat yet, and he dares to meddle in my affairs?"

Yunzhu whispered:
"Master, this is an official decree from the court after all. What should we do?"

That time, Wang sent the siblings Wang Qiwen and Wang Qishi to discuss the marriage, but after they were perfunctorily answered, they were attacked by the Fire Envoy.

And because they later saw an opportunity to seize Tianyun Garden, they put the matter of marriage on hold for the time being.

Until now, they seem to have thought about it for a long time and decided to restart this move.

It was naturally impossible for Xie Yuan to agree to this, both morally and logically.

If a marriage were to take place at this time, Wang Yunzhi's status as the father-in-law of the Xie family's head and the mistress's father would give him a legitimate opportunity to interfere in the Xie family's affairs.

A prime minister who is extremely powerful and in the limelight, plus one of the greatest masters in the world, under his control, if the flaws are uncovered from within, the Xie family may find it difficult to resist, and there may be a risk of being swallowed up in just one generation.

However, the Wang family had the emperor issue the decree in person, and since everyone respects the court on the surface, if they disobeyed the decree, it would be a big trouble.

This news quickly spread throughout the Xie clan, causing many elders to frown.

I can neither accept it nor come up with sufficient reasons to deal with it.

However, since Wang had asked the emperor to issue an order directly, she must have made sufficient preparations and would not let Xie Yuan delay any further.

what can we do about it?

The elders came up with many ideas and presented them to us.

Some suggested finding someone to marry on the spot, some said to burn the soles of the feet until they were disabled in order to cancel the engagement, and some asked people to claim that they had a homosexual fetish - this was considered the elegance of a gentleman, and it was not too outrageous.

Forget about it. Even though they are bad ideas, they are still good ideas.

But some people said that they asked Xie Yuan to claim that he had taken too much powder and was inhumane. Xie Yuan's face turned slightly blue when he saw it.

At first glance, it was Xie Zhijian's suggestion.

Good man, do you think you have no chance and plan to start from the next generation? If Xie Yuan's marriage possibility is cut off and there are no offspring, then the children will naturally be very competitive.

However, given Xie Yuan's talent and potential, he will probably live longer than Xie Zhi's eldest son who is over 30 years old and his youngest son who has just reached full-term. So they have to think about their grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.

The elders didn't know what Xie Yuan was going to do. In fact, the most reasonable thing might be to get married?

Although this can be considered as open disobedience, he is the head of a large family after all. As long as this kind of willfulness has a reason, it is better than other methods.

Moreover, everyone knew that Xie Yuan had a lover, the daughter of the King of Pingxi. Given their identities, if the two really got married quickly, the emperor probably wouldn't be able to say anything.

It can be called the best choice. Compared with this situation, they feel that even the embarrassment of Situ Qin's identity may be tolerable.

Of course, when Xie Lingyun heard this idea, she was furious.

Cui Pingjun also rarely showed her disapproval.

"If you want to marry her now, I will..."

Xie Lingyun kept saying "I will" in Xie Yuan's ear for a long time, but she didn't come out and just walked around in the room.

Xie Yuan sighed:

"Okay, stop turning around. My eyes are getting dizzy. I won't marry Miss Qin."

"Great!"

Xie Lingyun smiled.

"The only option is to marry Wang Qishi."

"No !!!!"

Xie Lingyun's face darkened.

Xie Yuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry:

"So what do you think we should do? Hey, Lingyun, didn't you say before that Miss Qin is..."

"Stop! I don't want to hear it now!"

Xie Lingyun covered her ears.

Xie Yuan sighed, shook his head, and said he would persuade her later.

But he had no intention of marrying Situ Qin this time.

He and Situ Qin loved each other, but he did not want to get married for such an impure reason. It was neither respectful of their friendship nor of Situ Qin.

What's more, Situ Qin hadn't agreed yet. If he asked for marriage for the reason of just solving a problem, it was unclear whether she would agree, but Li Tai, Aunt Hong, and even the one from Tianwaitian would definitely not agree, and they might even rush to Chenjun to beat him up.

However, Xie Yuan still half-jokingly wrote about this matter in his correspondence with Situ Qin, asking her if she could help.

Half a joke, half a test.

If I wanted to marry you, how would you respond?

A few days later, Situ Qin's reply arrived, also half-joking.

"…I am willing to serve!"

The signature on the letter was still the playful and vivid guqin mark.

In response to Xie Yuan's inappropriate jokes, she remained calm and responded to the jokes, or perhaps, expressed her feelings.

When Xie Yuan read the letter, he felt dizzy for a moment and he really had the urge to turn the fake into real one.

Get married! Get married first!

However, at this time, Xie Yuan had already used other solutions, and they were very quick.

He carefully put away the letter. Although he had kept every letter with Situ Qin properly, he marked this one and kept it carefully as evidence.

Within two days after Eunuch Li brought the imperial edict, the Xie family of Chen County announced it to the world.

The head of the family, Xie Yuan, began to retreat indefinitely, seeking a way to break through to the master level, and he would not leave the retreat until he broke through.

By the way, they also added Xie Yuan’s age - he would be a young man in his twenties.

This news spread very quickly through the official channels of the Xie family and reached the capital before Eunuch Li.

Such a quick delay tactic naturally showed no mercy to the royal family.

"The Xue family is openly following behind the Wang family and going against us. First it was Tianyun Garden, and then this time.

"No matter how we deal with it, they will not let us go easily. I know Xue Shisi a little bit. When he was weak, he pulled the king to thank him. If the royal family becomes powerful one day, they will not be polite to us.

"So, since we are all enemies now, why should we save face? My Chenjun Xie clan can retreat and defend for a while, but we will not be submissive."

This is tantamount to direct disobedience, but there is nothing wrong with it.

Martial arts are respected, you can’t let other people’s heads fail to break through to the Grandmaster level?
It’s just that Xie Yuan is so old and has such a high level of cultivation, but he wants to go into seclusion to break through to become a grandmaster, and he even specifically marks his age... What an obvious excuse, so obvious that it’s deliberate.

Everyone thought that the Xie family was deliberately trying to please the royal family.

She is truly worthy of the temperament and character of a thousand-year-old family. Even if she is a little bit declining, how could she accept the emperor's arranged marriage?
There was a rumor in the palace that a new batch of vases were replaced in the imperial study that day.

It's New Year again.

On New Year's Eve, the head of the family held a banquet as usual.

This was the second New Year’s Eve reunion dinner hosted by Xie Yuan.

But unlike last year, this year there were a lot of people coming.

Xie Lei, who has come out of seclusion, walks like a dragon and a tiger, and looks very happy;

Xie Bing, who had long recovered from his injuries, was impressive, deep and serious.

This is the old man who came here last year.

However, the most respected old man last year is still in seclusion.

In addition to familiar faces, there are former opponents such as Xie Wen and Xie Zhi, who can now gather in the same hall to eat, just like the Xie family in the past.

Although Xie Zhi still had a bad face, because the annual account he submitted was carefully reviewed by Xie Yuan, several elders, Xie Jun and Cui Pingjun, who pointed out many problems and omissions, and their words were extremely serious.

Moreover, Xie Yuan also hinted to him that Xie Wen was eyeing his Xinglongtang, which put Xie Zhi under great pressure. He was secretly surprised that Xie Yuan actually told him this news, and he couldn't help but pay attention and felt a lot of urgency.

But, since when did I have to work so hard? It wasn't so difficult before when Xie Yi was here.

It was still a happy reunion dinner for the family heads. Everyone looked at the calm and composed Xie Yuan and thought that his retreat to achieve a master's level breakthrough was just a pure excuse.

Many elders couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Not only is their strength high, everyone can also comfort themselves by knowing that their realm is overwhelming.

To become a master at a young age is rare even in history, and the elders will no longer be able to act like seniors in front of the young master.

After all, with Xie Yuan's strength, if he really breaks through, how can he be an ordinary Grandmaster? I'm afraid that everyone below the high-level Grandmaster will be in danger.

Fortunately, there seems to be no sign of a breakthrough.

[Immortal Golden Bell Cover·Third Level: (2998/3000)]

Looking at the progress that was only two points left, Xie Yuan just pondered.

The Lantern Festival has passed, and the Spring Festival is over.

Xie Yuan was thinking about a breakthrough when Cui Pingjun called him over.

It is said that Xie Yi's situation has changed. (End of this chapter)