From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 251 The Immortal Official's Demise, The Coldness of Human Nature

Yang Ertian left Ruanshan and spent two days preparing at home before setting off for Gunancheng.

It took him a full month and many hardships to finally arrive.

The fatigue of the journey was secondary; the most difficult thing was being in an unfamiliar place, traveling such a long distance for the first time, and encountering all sorts of people along the way.

Various scams and thefts are hard to guard against.

Just a few days after he set off, his purse was stolen at a remote inn.

Fortunately, he was prepared and hid banknotes under his underwear and shoe insoles.

Even so, he had spent all his money before he even reached Gu Nan City.

Fortunately, he had experience traveling, so he shamelessly followed the caravan, saying nice things and doing odd jobs to earn a living.

"Is this the ancient southern city, the capital of Zhennan Prefecture?"

He was awestruck as he gazed upon the magnificent city before him.

He rarely left his hometown, and his activities were limited to mountain villages and county towns. The farthest place he had ever been was Yuanli City.

"I've really learned something new."

Yang Ertian felt that although the journey was arduous, it was worthwhile.

As he walked into the ancient southern city, he felt increasingly insignificant.

The wide streets were bustling with people, luxurious carriages shuttled back and forth, passersby were adorned with gold and silver, and buildings lined both sides of the street...

He didn't forget his main task and found out the location of the government office.

Upon arriving at the government office, he looked up at the "island" suspended hundreds of feet in the air.

The government office was too high; ordinary people could only look up at it.

Just as Yang Ertian was worrying about how to get up there, someone flew over from not far away.

He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Li Si'an, who was specifically responsible for receiving mortals who came to the government office.

Essentially, they were like gatekeepers, not officials in the government or celestial bureaucracy.

"Who goes there? What brings you here?"

Li Si'an could tell at a glance that Yang Ertian was not from Gu Nancheng.

Yang Ertian was dressed in old linen clothes and looked exhausted, clearly having traveled a long way.

"Greetings, my lord."

Yang Ertian first bowed in greeting.

"I am Yang Ertian, a commoner, and I have come all the way from Yuanli County. I am Yang Zhen's father, and I have come here specifically to find him. I would be grateful if you could inform him, sir."

"Who? Who do you think you are, your father?"

Li Si'an doubted that she had heard correctly.

“My son Yang Zhen is a celestial official in the government office of the Earth Spirit Root.”

"Yang Zhen? Yang Zhen from the Inspection Division?"

Li Si'an couldn't believe it. He looked the mortal old man in front of him up and down. This man had the son of a celestial official in the government office.

"How do you prove that?"

It's no wonder he was so suspicious. If he went to report to Yang Zhen and found out that the man was lying, he would have made a huge fool of himself.

There is precedent for this.

In order to see the celestial official, many commoners who come to seek justice will make up various excuses, and many of them will "make up lies".

“I am my son’s father, do I need to prove that? I am from Kanshan Village, Suhe County, Yuanli Prefecture. I have three sons and one daughter. Zhen’er is my second son…”

Yang Ertian spoke earnestly, and it didn't sound like he was lying.

Li Si'an already believed it, but he had a gossipy streak and lowered his voice to say, "Uncle, it must be ten thousand miles from Yuanli County to here. How did you manage to come all by yourself?"

"Didn't Lord Yang send someone to escort you here?"

Given Yang Zhen's status, he could send a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator to fly over with him, which would be both safe and convenient.

"This, sir, is a private matter for my family..."

Yang Ertian hesitated, as there were some things he couldn't say.

"Wait here while I go and inform them."

Li Si'an didn't inquire further, guessing that Yang Zhen treated his family badly, which was why his father had come all this way.

Yang Zhen usually lived in the government office. When he heard Li Si'an say that his father was coming, he became impatient.

Yang Ertian has found his way here?
He couldn't show it on his face, so he quickly flew outside the government office to find Yang Ertian.

"Why are you here?"

Yang Zhen rarely called Yang Ertian "father" because in his heart Yang Ertian was not his father.

"You haven't replied to my letter for over a year, and I..."

Before Yang Ertian could finish speaking, Yang Zhen interrupted him: "This is not the place to talk. Come with me."

After saying this, Yang Zhen used his spiritual power to lift Yang Ertian up and fly away from the government office.

Li Si'an watched the two fly away and laughed to himself, "Being a guard in the government office means I'll get to see all sorts of good shows, haha."

Who would have thought that Lord Yang, who came from a common background, would be such an unfilial son?

He had just overheard Yang Ertian say, "He hasn't written home for over a year."

Li Si'an will definitely spread this kind of gossip as conversation starters.

Yang Zhen's background meant that few people in the government office would be afraid of him.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Ancient Nancheng.

A restaurant that specializes in catering to cultivators.

Yang Zhen led his father into a private room. The room was extremely private, with a shielding array, so their conversation would not be overheard by others.

The two sat down and looked at each other in silence.

Yang Zhen remained expressionless and silent, his eyes subtly revealing his dissatisfaction with his father's unannounced arrival.

Yang Ertian didn't know how to start the conversation.

He traveled a long way to come, but his son didn't say a single word of welcome when they met.
Who is the son and who is the father?

Is the person in front of him still his filial, sensible, low-key, and humble son?
After a long silence, Yang Ertian spoke first: "Zhen'er, are you looking down on our family? Now that you've become a high and mighty official in the government, you look down on your parents who farm in the village and your relatives."

There's a saying, "A son doesn't despise his mother for being ugly, and a dog doesn't despise his home for being poor." But Yang Ertian felt that his son intended to sever ties with his family; otherwise, why would there have been no reply for a whole year?

Mortals are not cultivators; Yang Ertian has at most twenty or thirty years left to live, and each year that passes is one year less. The number of times he can see his son is numbered.

"Father, you're exaggerating. I'm just too busy with official duties to deal with those trivial family matters you mentioned. Now that I've achieved my current status, my family is always asking me for help. It's either this relative causing trouble or that friend having difficulties. What do they take me for?"

Yang Zhen cannot sever ties with the Yang family yet; this is Gu Nan City, and he cannot go too far.

"Well... as the saying goes, even emperors have three poor relatives. Now that our family has prospered, we can't just sit idly by and ignore our relatives."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Yang Ertian spoke in a very low voice. Since Yang Zhen became a celestial official, his family had indeed experienced many troubles.

"..."

Another strange and awkward silence ensued.

Yang Ertian broke the silence in the private room with his words: "Your grandfather is sick."

Given Yang Zhen's age and the fact that he was nearing the end of his life, it was quite normal for him to fall ill.

What Yang Ertian didn't say was that Yang Zhen's grandfather was in relatively good health and was fine until Yang Zhen came home last time and had a big fight with his family over the idea of ​​"marrying into the family." He hadn't replied to any letters for over a year, which caused him to fall ill from anxiety.

“I’ll go buy some magic pills; they’ll definitely cure him and allow him to live a few more years.”

Yang Zhen's first thought was of elixirs.

Yang Ertian didn't pick up on that topic, but instead talked about the past: "When you were born, your grandfather was only in his forties. He was a master at working in the fields and could eat three big bowls of rice in one meal."

Back then, our family was very poor. Once, you were seriously ill, and we couldn't afford a good doctor, so your grandfather sold the pigs we raised.

He was always busy feeding the pigs after finishing his work in the fields, never having a moment's rest, and he lived frugally. He sold three out of the four pigs in the pens before he could finally hire a good doctor to cure you.

He originally planned to sell the pigs and renovate his house…

Yang Zhen had experienced countless similar things throughout his life. Aren't all farming families like this? Conditions are tough, but they support each other and manage to get by despite all the hardships.

This also fostered Yang Zhen's down-to-earth, low-key, filial, and sensible character. Before he was elected as a celestial official at the age of sixteen, he also did farm work at home every day.

However, the "Yang Zhen" at this time is not the real Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen, who came from a family of Golden Core cultivators, could not truly understand such a life.

More importantly, he had no feelings for the Yang family.

Even if he wanted to maintain his identity, genuine family affection simply doesn't exist; it can't be faked.

After hearing this, Yang Zhen remained silent for a moment before saying, "I'll go back and see Grandpa."

Hearing that his son was willing to go home to visit his grandfather, Yang Ertian was overjoyed, knowing that his son still cared about his family.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Yang Zhen bought some elixirs for mortals in Gu Nan City and returned to his hometown in Yuanli County with Yang Ertian. What took Yang Ertian a month to travel, Yang Zhen arrived in less than two days at full speed.

Thanks to a miraculous elixir that prolongs life, Yang Zhen's grandfather recovered from his illness.

Yang Zhen then stayed at home for two more days.

These past two days, everyone has tacitly agreed not to mention the matter of "marrying into the family" again.

When Yang Zhen left, he made sure, at the urging of the Yang family, that he would reply to their letters on time.

Back to the ancient southern city.

Government office.

Why are people looking at me so strangely?

A few days later, Yang Zhen noticed that many people were gossiping about him behind his back and looking at him with mocking eyes.

After making some inquiries, he learned that people were saying behind his back that he was "unfilial" for making his elderly, mortal father travel alone from Yuanli County, and that he did not reply to letters from home.

It's no surprise that Li Si'an, who relayed the message that day, was spreading gossip about him.

This infuriated him.

Whether one is a mortal or a cultivator, "filial piety" is a very important quality. At least on the surface, "filial piety" must be maintained, even if it's just for show.

Li Si'an was telling the truth and did not fabricate or slander, which Yang Zhen could not refute.

Li Si'an was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although he had a low status and was not a celestial official, he had a family background, so Yang Zhen couldn't do anything to him. Even though he resented him, he had no way to retaliate.

Yang Zhen not only harbored resentment towards Li Si'an, but also felt resentment towards Yang Ertian for coming without permission, and her desire to leave the Yang family grew stronger.

Among the celestial officials in the government office, Yang Zhen's background was undoubtedly the least valued.

After all, only a very few people knew his identity as "Wuma Haoqian".

If he had a background like the Wuma family in the government office, Li Si'an wouldn't dare to say a single word against him behind his back. That's the difference.

Those who can be selected as celestial officials in the government office are either those with earth spiritual roots or those with extraordinary talent among those with true spiritual roots.

Ninety percent of those selected based on their true spiritual roots are members of large families.

Among those with earth-spirited roots, some are from cultivation families.

Yang Zhen, born of humble origins, was the most lowly among them.

It's worth mentioning that among those with earth-elemental roots, many, like him, had "possessed" another's body. However, none of them would reveal their true identities to each other.

Many members of the Golden Core clans know about the "Body-Seizing Array" of the Lin family, the prefectural governor.

However, among those with the same earth elemental root, those who "seize bodies" are the most discriminated against and controversial.

For example, Wuma Haoqian was undoubtedly inferior to a cultivator with innate spiritual roots. This was a "stain" that accompanied him throughout his life.

Even among Golden Core cultivators, those who possessed earthly spiritual roots and cultivated to the Golden Core realm are considered "illegitimate in their attainment of the Dao" in the eyes of other Golden Core cultivators. They won't say it outright, but they will secretly despise them.

Wu Ma Haoqian must bear this price for possessing the spiritual roots of others.

However, as his reputation for being "unfilial" spread, he, who was already of humble origin among the officials in the government, faced even more discrimination, which he found unbearable.

He decided to sever ties with the Yang family as soon as possible, fake his death to escape, and return to his identity as a member of the Wuma family!

In the following months, he looked for a suitable opportunity.

Zhennan Prefecture is the southernmost prefecture of the Qianyuan Immortal Dynasty. To its south lies the desolate and swampy mountain range, which stretches for thousands of miles and separates it from the Baiyue Immortal Dynasty.

It just so happens that something has happened in the Wilderness Mountains recently; there is war there, and it is very dangerous.

Unlike the time Xu Xiaoniu was conscripted nearly a century ago, the spirit stone mine discovered then had small reserves, attracting only Foundation Establishment cultivators from a few counties in the south, such as Yunbian County, Qinghe County, and Yuanli County. In order to mine the spirit stones, a large number of mortals were forcibly conscripted as laborers to mine them.

The incident in the Wilderness Mountains alarmed the entire Zhennan Prefecture, which dispatched its troops instead of conscripting ordinary people.

As a border prefecture, Zhennan Prefecture had a large number of soldiers and strong forces, far surpassing the prefectural camp of Yuanli County.

Given Yang Zhen's position and cultivation level, the government would not send him.

However, he sought the help of Prefect Lin Shengping, who sent him to the border to patrol and supervise the army. The Patrol Office had the responsibility of supervising the celestial officials, which was in line with his status as a celestial official in the "Patrol Office".

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Kanshan Village, Suhe County.

Why isn't Zhen'er replying to my messages again?

Yang Ertian was surprised.

Since his last visit to Gu Nan City to find Yang Zhen, Yang Zhen has been writing letters home regularly for the past two months.

However, the third letter was delayed.

He wondered if Yang Zhen was simply busy and had delayed for a few days. It was also possible the letter was delayed en route.

After some time, Yang Ertian did not receive a letter from Yang Zhen, but instead received a Foundation Establishment Immortal Official from the government office.

"Is this Yang Zhen's home?"

The Foundation Establishment Immortal Official was high above, not even descending to the ground, hovering three zhang in the air.

"Greetings, sir. Yes."

Yang Ertian and the others present bowed respectfully.

The Foundation Establishment Immortal Official loudly proclaimed, "I am here on duty to deliver this message: Yang Zhen, from the Prefectural Inspectorate, was murdered by a demonic cultivator while on a mission in the Desolate Marsh Mountains. I am hereby informing his family and relatives."

These are documents from the government office, along with information about compensation.

After finishing speaking, the Foundation Establishment Immortal Official landed on the ground, placed the official documents from the government office in Yang Ertian's hands, along with a bag of spirit stones, and then turned and flew away without looking back.

Yang Zhen was murdered by a demonic cultivator?!

Before Yang Ertian could recover from his shock, he saw the Foundation Establishment Immortal Official leave.

He stood frozen in place, his body stiff, when suddenly his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground.

The others opened the document with trembling hands and saw that the document, bearing the official seal of the government, clearly stated that Yang Zhen was dead.

The bag of spirit stones given as compensation contained as many as one hundred spirit stones. It was insignificant to the celestial officials of the government, but it was a huge fortune for an ordinary family, a fortune that would attract covetousness.

The Foundation Establishment Immortal Official didn't consider the consequences for the Yang family of giving them a bag of spirit stones in public.

Without Yang Zhen's deterrent effect, this is a disaster.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The consequences of Yang Zhen's death came sooner than Yang Ertian had imagined.

The more comfortable those relatives of the Yang family used to live by using Yang Zhen's name, the more difficult it is for them now.

The people they had offended and the trouble they had caused, whom Yang Zhen had previously dared not provoke, are now all coming after them.

The open struggles and covert targeting made it almost impossible for the Yang family to move an inch.

The rise of the Yang family inevitably means that many people will lose their jobs.

The struggle for interests at the bottom of society is naked, cruel, and direct.

What saddened Yang Ertian even more was the covetousness of his own relatives. They knew that Yang Zhen had given the Yang family many spirit stones and elixirs, and countless amounts of gold and silver.

Some people also learned that the imperial court provided a substantial compensation when Yang Zhen died.

The relatives came up with all sorts of excuses, almost to the point of coming to the Yang family to forcibly seize their property.

Those immortals directly asked for the gifts. Some cultivators who had deliberately befriended Yang Zhen had sent him gifts, but Yang Zhen had given them nothing in return during his years as an immortal official.

Seeing that Yang Zhen was dead, all the gifts and favors he had given to curry favor with him had gone down the drain. Feeling resentful, he went to Yang Zhen's house to demand his money back.

Yang Ertian dared not disobey the cultivators, so he returned all the gifts that others had given him, or converted them into spirit stones and returned them.

Even the Yang family's own small household was not at peace.

Yang Ertian's eldest daughter-in-law secretly encouraged her eldest son to divide the family property.

The third daughter-in-law was actually clamoring to go back to her parents' home.

Yang Ertian couldn't help but lament the coldness of the world and the indifference of human nature.

When his son was alive, everyone came to befriend and flatter him.

His son had just died, and those people, disregarding his recent grief, all came to bully him.

……

In just one month, the Yang family had squandered all their wealth and returned to their previous state.

All the valuables in the house were sold.

Yang Ertian returned to his old trade, farming again, but his family became even poorer, and his elderly father also had to work in the fields.

This is a good result because he knows that money is just an external thing.

If he were greedy, it wouldn't be as simple as just "losing money".

An ordinary family from the lowest rungs of society can be wiped out by a cultivator with a flick of their wrist.

The Yang family could only survive by being penniless and destitute.

"Let's just live like this. Anyway, this is how the Yang family has always been. We've had a few good years and experienced the life of a wealthy family. It's not a wasted life."

Finally, Yang Ertian even thought to himself, "It would be better if my son Yang Zhen didn't have spiritual roots."

That way, his family could remain harmonious, and his son wouldn't have died so young.

(End of this chapter)