I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 337 Life experience

Chapter 337 Life experience
Xie Yuan waited quietly in the ancestral hall.

He stood in front of the altar, looking up slightly, his eyes sweeping across the layers of spirit tablets that were stacked like a hill, and he felt as if these spirit tablets were looking down at him.

The Xie family's ancestral hall is extremely tall, wide, broad and deep.

Compared with an ordinary ancestral hall, it looks more like a giant palace.

If not, there would be no place to place the heroic spirits of the Xie family of Chen County who have lived there for more than 4,200 years.

But even so, the scope of the first floor of this spacious main hall is limited.

Only those ancestors who were the greatest, most prestigious, and made the most contributions in the family history can have their spirit tablets placed here.

Xie Yuan has seen many familiar names that are feared throughout the world.

For example, Xie An's spirit tablet, although not very high in number, is very prominently located;

For example, Xie Xuan is on the newest and most recent level.

Although not everyone here is a grandmaster, basically 90% of them do.

Those heavy names were engraved on the spirit tablets, looking down at Xie Yuan, this extremely young clan leader.

Seems to be observing silently.

Xie Yuan felt that the 4,200-year history of the Xie family and the countless great predecessors in history were all weighing on his shoulders.

He took a deep breath, bent slightly, and stood up after a while.

At this time, the Fifth Ancestor walked out from the depths of the ancestral hall and took out a brocade box.

"This is what Xie Yi left for you. You have to open it with your own blood, otherwise the box will self-destruct."

The old voice of the Fifth Ancestor echoed in the quiet ancestral hall.

Xie Yuan took it with both hands and said:

"Thank you, Grandpa Wu Zu."

He looked at the delicate box in his hand, which was not heavy at all, and felt inexplicably nervous.

What would my second uncle leave for me here?

And why is it here?
Xie Yi's action left Xie Yuan puzzled, but the mystery would be solved soon.

Xie Yuan moved his finger, and a drop of blood flowed out from his fingertips, soaking into the lock that was emitting dark and dim light.

The lock vibrated, and suddenly there was a flash of light, and it was unlocked silently.

Xie Yuan gently opened the box and saw a letter inside, and some old and yellowed papers.

He frowned slightly, with a look of confusion in his eyes. He picked up the letter and unfolded it.

It was indeed Xie Yi's handwriting.

As Xie Yuan read the long letter, his expression gradually changed.

a long time.

It took more time than it should to read a letter, so Xie Yuan slowly folded the letter and put it back.

Even though his mood was as turbulent as the waves of the sea, his expression had returned to calm except for the shock that he could hardly conceal at the beginning.

Xie Yuan opened the yellowed papers, certificates, household registrations, and road books and looked at them again, then put them back one by one and locked the box.

He was silent for a while, cleared his throat, looked at the Fifth Ancestor in front of the altar, and asked calmly:
"Grandpa Wu Zu, can I see the family tree?"

The old man who was sweeping the altar with a feather duster turned his head and nodded:

"You are the head of the family, so of course you can."

After saying that, he put down the feather duster and slowly walked into the depths of the ancestral hall.

Looking at the old, staggering figure, Xie Yuan's eyes showed a complicated expression, and he whispered:

"Homeowner..."

Soon, the Fifth Ancestor handed the family tree, which was as thick as city wall bricks, to Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan picked up the family tree and flipped through it, finding the newest pages. He pointed at the names and scanned them one by one.

When he saw the branch of Xie Xuan and Xie Yi, Xie Yuan's finger paused on Xie Xuan's name and fell silent.

The Fifth Ancestor stretched his neck, looked through the tortoise-shell mirror, and said:
"Xie Yi said that your identity was not clear at first, so he didn't put you on the family tree. Then...something happened, and he didn't take care of you."

Xie Yuan looked calm as he closed the family tree and returned it to the Fifth Ancestor:

"So that's it."

The Fifth Ancestor took the family tree and looked at Xie Yuan:

"Next time you worship your ancestors, are you going to write it down for yourself? It's not a good idea to put it off."

"Let's talk about it next time... Well, there's no rush. I want to wait for my second uncle to wake up first. Let the elders handle this matter."

Xie Yuan changed his words.

He bowed to the Fifth Ancestor:

"Thank you for your hard work, Fifth Ancestor. I'll go back first."

He was about to leave when he suddenly turned around:

"By the way, who are the people who can usually read the family tree?"

The Fifth Ancestor was stunned for a moment, and replied casually:

"Besides the family, there are the core elders of the Council of Elders. And of course, me."

The clan elders who manage the ancestral hall may not have much power, but they preside over the annual ancestor worship and have a high seniority and status, and are considered nobles of the Xie family.

After listening to this, Xie Yuan bowed, turned around and left with the box in his hand.

The Fifth Ancestor looked at Xie Yuan's back with a puzzled look on his face.

Xie Yuan came out of the ancestral hall and had not walked far when he suddenly heard a greeting:
"I've met the head of the family."

He raised his eyes and found that Xie Zhi had come closer to him at some point and was greeting him reluctantly.

Xie Yuan nodded slightly:

"Elder Zhi."

After saying this he continued walking quickly along the road, with no expression on his face.

Xie Zhi looked at Xie Yuan's back with a puzzled look on his face, snorted, and said in a slightly annoyed tone:
"Humph, you think you're so great just because you're a Grandmaster? You're so indifferent and you're still acting like a patriarch!"

But there was no way. No matter how unwilling he was, as long as the patriarch's ring was on Xie Yuan's hand, he had to give way to Xie Yuan and greet him proactively.

Moreover, there is indeed no other grandmaster as young as him in the entire Xie family.

Even if he looks up to the sky and looks at people walking with his nose up, what can I do?
I probably will never have the chance to sit in the highest seat in the stream hall.

Xie Zhi felt sour in his heart. He flicked his sleeves and continued walking forward with dissatisfaction.

However, he glanced at the direction Xie Yuan was coming from and frowned slightly:
"How did he get there?"

There is nothing else there except the ancestral hall. The clan territory is so large, Xie Yuan usually doesn't come here, I wonder what he is doing there?
Xie Yuan returned to his courtyard and nodded slightly to everyone's greetings. He looked the same as usual.

But he did not respond to anyone's greetings. He went straight into his study and locked Yunzhu, who wanted to report, outside.

Sitting behind the desk, Xie Yuan took out the box again, placed it on the table and stared at it silently.

After a long time, Xie Yuan suddenly sighed:
"Second Uncle...you really gave me a difficult problem."

What is all this about?
Xie Yuan was in a very complicated mood. After thinking it over, he still couldn't make up his mind.

He simply put the box deep in the drawer, then got up and went out to the master's courtyard.

Xie Yi's bedroom.

Cui Pingjun was still quietly waiting for Xie Yi, while Xie Yi was still full of energy but sleeping quietly.

The two of them seemed to have maintained the same posture, as if they were locked here.

The one lying down was Xie Yi, but the one suffering from amnesia seemed to be Cui Pingjun.

Xie Yuan was silent for a while, but Cui Pingjun took the initiative to turn around and asked:
"You're here to visit your uncle again? It's still the same, nothing has changed."

Xie Yuan looked at the haggard Xie Lingyun and the calm Cui Pingjun beside him, then shifted his gaze to Xie Yi and took a deep look at the handsome man.

Cui Pingjun shook her head:
"Don't worry, your uncle is still in good condition..."

She paused for a moment and suddenly asked:

"I haven't asked you recently. Is there anything in the clan that is troubling you? Is there anything you need my advice on?"

Xie Lingyun looked up instantly, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Mother is finally starting to pay attention to other things?

Great! This shows that she can still get over it... Just as he said, as long as Dad's condition remains the same, Mom will always be able to cheer up, sooner or later.

Xie Yuan was also slightly happy. This was also good news. At least Xie Yi's hopeless condition did not defeat Cui Pingjun for the time being.

But he cupped his hands and said:
"Aunt, don't worry. There hasn't been any major incident in the clan recently. It's all the old things. I can handle it. You can take a rest and don't worry too much."

Cui Pingjun thought for a moment after hearing this, glanced at Xie Yi, and then nodded slowly:

"Thank you for your hard work. I'll wait for a while before helping you."

"Don't worry, aunt. Taking care of my second uncle is my top priority. I can still handle the other nephews."

Xie Yuan stayed with the mother and daughter for a while, then looked at Xie Yi again before leaving.

After sending him away, Xie Lingyun was a little confused. She always felt that the way Xie Yuan looked at Xie Yi was a little strange today.

She even became nervous. Could something have gone wrong? No, it was probably just her overthinking... She would ask him tomorrow.

After looking at her mother's quiet back, Xie Lingyun hesitated and decided not to chase after her.

Xie Yuan returned to the study and took out the box again.

He suddenly recalled the last words Xie Yi said to him.

"...The Xie family is in a precarious situation right now. It's an extremely critical moment. Who else but you?"

Xie Yuan can still remember Xie Yi's determined, trusting, and even pleading look.

Thinking of Xie Yi who was still lying in bed, and Cui Pingjun and Xie Lingyun who were suffering, he suddenly sighed, and finally picked up the letter from Xie Yi and said to himself:
"Since you've already called me Second Uncle, there's nothing I can do about it."

Xie Yuan put the letter back into the box, and then he exerted force from his palm, and the entire box and the letter were directly ignited.

The red flames completely enveloped the box and the objects inside it, but did not damage the desk underneath in the slightest.

Xie Yuan's face was reflected in the bright firelight. He saw that the letter in the flames had just the last paragraph left:

"I originally wanted to keep the truth in my heart, but I think it's not fair to you. If it were someone else, it might just be a surprise, but I know you don't care about it. Xie Yuan, even if you are not my biological nephew, I already regard you as my closest relative. The burden of the Xie family will eventually fall on your shoulders.

"Xie Yuan, if you are willing to take on this responsibility, then burn this box. No one else in this world will know your identity."

Then the flames flashed and swallowed up all the paper. In just a moment, the box, along with the letter, household registration, and road permit, all turned into black ash.

Xie Yuan gently swept the ashes into the wastebasket, clapped his hands, and pulled out a scroll from the top of the pile next to him and began to look through it and review it.

The days have returned to calm.

In addition to practicing and handling clan affairs, Xie Yuan also visited Xie Yi regularly, very regularly.

This day is free.

A burly old man came to Xie Yuan's courtyard, knocked on his study door, and said politely:

"Patriarch, are you looking for me?"

Different from the usual elegant and handsome appearance of the Xie clan members, this old man was quite tall and strong, with powerful arms and muscles as knotty as granite.

Xie Tiexin was originally a member of a distant branch of the Xie family, but because of his extraordinary talent in forging, he was sent to the clan for training. He later became a forging master, and his cultivation also reached the level of a grandmaster. He was the most powerful craftsman in the Xie clan and presided over the Divine Weapon Hall in the clan.

"Elder Tiexin, please take a seat."

Xie Yuan asked Xie Tiexin to sit down, then took out the incomplete Baibian Xuanbing and handed it to him.

"Elder Tiexin, is there any chance that my weapon can be restored?"

Xie Yuan was looking forward to it. Xie Tiexin's forging skills were extremely high, not only in the Xie family, but also in the entire Dali.

He has created countless masterpieces in his life, but there is no need to mention the others. The Jiao Soul in Xie Yuan's hand was created by him personally.

Just by using the Jiao Soul, Xie Yuan knew what Xie Tiexin's level was.

If he can't do it, I'm afraid I'll have to find a suitable weapon as soon as possible.

Xie Tiexin took the incomplete Hundred Transformation Mysterious Weapon, looked at it carefully for a while, and gradually revealed a look of admiration:

"This Xuanbing is really powerful! Patriarch, if I'm right, when it's complete, it can change at will and do whatever you want?"

"Yes. This has always been my favorite weapon, but it was damaged last time."

Xie Yuan sighed.

Xie Tiexin turned the Hundred Changes Mysterious Weapon over and over again, his eyes fixed on it:

"Although this weapon doesn't have many other special features, its material is considered very good. To be able to destroy this weapon like this, it's probably not something that an ordinary master can do."

At this point, Xie Tiexin was suddenly stunned, and then he came to his senses and said hurriedly:

"Master, are you okay?"

Xie Yuan smiled slightly:
"Thank you for your concern, Elder Tiexin. I am already here, so I am fine."

"Oh, that's good, that's good."

The burly old man gave an awkward smile, but was very surprised in his heart.

The head of the family is a master who has just achieved a breakthrough, right? How could he be such an enemy?
Judging from the corrosion marks, it looks like the ghost gate in the Western Regions. The people there are treacherous and difficult to deal with.

It looks like the head of the family has recently encountered a master from the Western Regions?

But with his newly-breakthrough strength, how could he defeat the opponent?
Xie Tiexin was extremely knowledgeable about weapons. He could tell the strength of this ever-changing mysterious weapon just from the remains of it, and thus accurately determine the enemy's strength.

It was precisely because of this that he was so surprised. How could a grandmaster who had just broken through be a match for such a powerful grandmaster?

Maybe there is a helper?

The patriarch brought other experts with him. Two or three of them to deal with one on the opposite side?
That makes sense.

But it was still too dangerous for him, as evidenced by this weapon.

Xie Tiexin shook his head secretly.

But giving advice and suggestions was not his forte. He never participated in disputes within the family and just did his job.

He looked at the broken blade of the Hundred Transformation Mysterious Weapon over and over for a long time, his eyes were always sparkling, but his brows gradually frowned:

"This thing is really ingenious."

"I got it from an ancient relic. Is the craftsmanship very different from today's?"

Xie Yuan asked.

Xie Tiexin nodded:

"Indeed. The material is special and the craftsmanship is unique. I have never seen it before. If I want to repair it, let's not talk about the craftsmanship first. Just the materials..."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yuan took out the soft gold he had snatched from Situ Qin.

Xie Tiexin took a look and was immediately surprised:

"Such a large piece of soft gold ore? This... I said that the Divine Weapon Hall couldn't find the right material."

He picked up the soft gold and nodded repeatedly:

"This soft gold ore is perfect for repairing this thing. It's absolutely perfect. With such a large piece, there really is no problem with the material."

Xie Yuan was excited when he heard this and said with a smile:

"How long will it take Elder Tiexin to repair it?"

Xie Tiexin suddenly showed a hint of hesitation and said awkwardly:
"There is no problem with the material, but the craftsmanship is a little... um. Actually, the craftsmanship is not a big problem. Although it is completely different from today's, I was inspired just by looking at it. Maybe it will work after studying it for a while.

“It’s mainly this core formation.

"The ability of this mysterious weapon to change freely mainly depends on the formation. But its core has been corroded and destroyed, leaving only half. I can't understand it for the time being, and I'm not sure if I can restore it. After all, my formation level is only in the field of weapon forging, and I have never been involved in this kind of thing before."

Xie Yuan understood what Xie Tiexin meant.

He was not sure he could solve the most core formation.

Xie Tiexin continued:

"If we are lucky, we may be able to replicate this formation. But firstly, the chances are slim. Secondly, the materials and formation we use to make this formation may be much less powerful than the original ones."

Xie Yuan frowned slightly. In fact, the original Hundred Changes Mysterious Weapon was not as powerful as his current progress. Whether in terms of strength or sharpness, the Hundred Changes Mysterious Weapon was not outstanding, but it was only because of its changing properties that Xie Yuan favored it.

If it can't even maintain its function and has to lower its quality, even if it can still change freely, Xie Yuan might find it useless to use it.

He doesn't need this thing when facing opponents with weak strength, but when facing masters who are considered powerful to him at this stage, the enemies most likely have powerful weapons, and this Hundred Changes Mysterious Weapon will probably be broken at the first blow.

Xie Tiexin couldn't solve the problem of the formation, and there were many obstacles in the re-repair. In order to make the weapon change at the same time, he didn't understand the core of this strange change well enough.

The Xie family doesn't have a master in this area, so perhaps they can find someone to try. However, looking at the method of engraving formations on ancient weapons, the hope may not be too great.

Unless Miss Mu is here...

Xie Yuan sighed. It was just as Situ Qin said. Maybe he had to ask Miss Mu for help.

But even if Xie Yuan wanted Mu Chaoyun to be by his side, especially recently... he didn't know where Mu Chaoyun was now.

Maybe she is still in the outer world? I hope she is more careful.

Xie Yuan exhaled and said to Xie Tiexin:
"Elder Tiexin, please help me study it first."

"okay."

Xie Tiexin was very happy about it. This strange and mysterious weapon from ancient times was extremely attractive to him. He was fascinated by both the changing formations and the forging techniques that he had never seen before.

After Xie Tiexin took away the Hundred Changes Mysterious Weapon, Xie Yuan thought:

"If there is really no way to repair it successfully, maybe I will have to hold the sword myself."

Weapons are not a big problem. As the head of the Xie family, it is not a big problem for him to pick a top-notch weapon from the clan treasury, or directly ask Xie Tiexin to tailor one for him.

But besides the sword, he also needed an axe. Xie Yuan imagined himself carrying a gun, a sword and an axe on his waist, and shook his head.

If we carry this heavy load, I'm afraid we won't be able to run even with just a fleeting glance...

Xie Yuan resumed his regular life.

One day when summer was approaching, Xie Yuan quietly left the Xie clan's land and headed north of Chen County without disturbing anyone.

Yuzhou, Wei County, Beishan Village.

Xie Yuan has been here several times because this is the ancestral home of his adoptive parents and where their current graves are located.

There is a branch of the Xie family here that is very distantly related to the Xie family of Chen County, but it is still the Xie family after all, and it is not far from Chen County, so this village is quite prosperous and most people have the surname Xie.

In the Xie family cemetery in Beishan Village, there is a newly built large tomb, which is surrounded by a garden in a good location. The pines and cypresses are green, and the tombstone is clean, obviously someone cleans it regularly.

After all, the two people lying inside raised the current head of the Xie family. They were entrusted with the task at a critical moment back then, risked their lives to solve problems for the clan, and made great contributions.

After moving back with great fanfare, the entire Beishan Village gained honor and benefited greatly.

Xie Yuan stood in front of the big tomb and threw pieces of yellow paper into the fire in front of him one by one.

Compared to Xie Xuan who had no impression at all, Xie Yuan had some impression of the owner of the tomb.

But it was only a very vague childhood sketch. The couple died one after another a few years after they settled in Xiaoshi Village, and it was only Xie Lun who raised him.

I thought they were my parents, but they turned out to be my adoptive parents.

After thinking they were adoptive parents, I found out that they were still my parents.

Xie Yuan sighed and burned paper here for the first time as if he was visiting his biological parents’ graves.

Xie Yi confessed everything to Xie Yuan in the letter and listed all the evidence he had collected personally.

As soon as Xie Yi brought Xie Yuan back to his clan for blood recognition, he knew that Xie Yuan was not his biological nephew, nor was he his eldest brother's child.

Afterwards, as the matter was of great importance, Xie Yi secretly investigated and even went out in person to trace the clues of Xie Yuan's parents. After using many secret methods, he finally found the truth.

Xie Yuan is actually the couple's biological child.

The other "Xie Yuan", Xie Xuan's biological son, was handed over by the couple to another trustworthy family.

After that, there was chaos and war and he disappeared.

Xie Yuan and Xie Xuan's sons had the same birth date, which might be the reason why the first Xie clan members brought the two children together. As for what was explained at that time, no one knew.

No one knows whether Xie Yuan's parents wanted to steal the show and use their own son as bait to protect "Xie Yuan", or whether they were trying to replace the dead with a dead one or use a cat to replace the prince...

But many years later, at least the "Xie Yuan" at that time was indeed out of danger, and Xie Yuan really became the child of the former head of the family, the heir to the position of head of the family, and finally became the head of the family.

Xie Yi confessed that he sent his confidants to look for his nephew, but found nothing, so he finally gave up and just lived a stable and ordinary life somewhere.

Xie Yuan naturally accepted the wealth and heavy burden without any worries.

Xie Yuan burned another stack of yellow paper.

No wonder Xie Yi said that Xie Yuan had been gifted in bone-touching and martial arts since birth, while he himself was just an average-to-low-level talent at first, far inferior to Xie Lun.

Because his identity is not the child of a grandmaster, but the child of an old couple in the countryside.

If the Tianqing Fruit had not improved his physique and made him a martial arts genius, Xie Yi would probably have sensed something was wrong at the first moment.

"I originally said that this burden would not be mine after all, but..."

Xie Yuan shook his head. Many people's names had flashed through his mind during this period of time. In the end, he felt that if he handed over the ring, the situation would take a turn for the worse.

On the contrary, it is he, the fake Xie Yuan, who sits in this position and is best able to balance all parties and achieve the situation that Xie Yi expects.

Even though Xie Yi knew that he was just a fake, he did not have any prejudice or criticism towards him, and he still worked hard and made a lot of sacrifices.

When Xie Yuan thought back on it now, he still felt warm, but he even began to doubt whether he had anticipated this day and therefore did so.
But after thinking about it, he didn't think Xie Yi was that kind of person.

He really treats me like his second uncle.

"I've already called you Second Uncle... this is the only way."

Xie Yuan sighed, threw the last piece of yellow paper down, and clapped his hands.

Then he stood up and stared at the woods behind him:

"How long are you going to watch?"

The sound was heard, but the woods were silent and there was no response.

But after a while.

There was a sound of rustling branches in the woods.

A young man with black hair and a wide robe came out.

He looked at Xie Yuan and said calmly:

"It seems that your perception is also quite good."

Xie Yuan stared at the man with murderous intent in his eyes: