Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 185 Local Societies
In the council hall of the He family's inner residence, He Chongguang listened to the incessant arguing and sighed softly.

This Mr. He is over seventy years old this year. Because he has successfully transformed the spirit world, he did not appear old in the past.

But in the last ten days or so, he seems to have aged suddenly.

Leaning on his canes, he pressed his withered cheeks against the back of his hands, his cloudy eyes half-open as he watched the Cao and Deng families talking in the room.

The Deng family sent Deng Chengwan, a young and strong member of the second generation, while the Cao family sent Cao Heng, a young man of the third generation.

They were arguing heatedly about the loss of Deng's truck a few days ago.

"Your Deng family suffered misfortune on your own, why should our Cao family compensate you?"

"Bullshit! Sea view observation is your Cao family's job. It was your negligence that caused my sixth uncle's death!"

"If the sea god swims down from the seabed, do I have to be able to see him?!"

"Don't be stubborn, you little brat. Let me tell you, you really think I didn't know your filthy family members bought alcohol that day?"

The noise was a cacophony, all blending into a low, buzzing sound in my ears.

The old man laboriously lifted his cane and tapped it on the floor.

With a muffled thud, it was clear that he still retained some of the prestige of an elder.

Deng Chengwan and Cao Heng both stopped cursing and turned to look at He Chongguang.

The old man sighed and was about to speak when a servant stepped forward and whispered a few words to He Chongguang.

"Master, there are two martial arts practitioners who have come to pay their respects at the gate. They claim to have the cultivation level of the Open Mansion Realm."

He Chongguang is getting old, so his thinking is slower.

He nodded first, then waved his hand to signal the servants to welcome him into the mansion as is customary.

The He family is known throughout Bo County for their good relationships with heroes of the martial arts world. This has its advantages and disadvantages. Over the years, they have indeed built up a reputation and made many friends among independent cultivators. However, there are also often unsavory characters who take advantage of the He family's reputation to cheat people out of food and drink.

Therefore, He Chongguang didn't react much to the term "Opening Mansion Realm". Let alone Opening Mansion Realm, some of these rogue cultivators even introduced themselves as being in the Heavenly Consciousness Realm.

If he were to establish his own academy, not to mention the three great families, he would be qualified to be an elder in any major sect. Such a level is beyond the reach of any independent cultivator.

However, the He family is quite wealthy and won't be short of a meal or two. If you're shameless enough, just come on over. I'll just gain some reputation anyway, so it won't hurt.

Just as the old master was about to speak, he realized that he shouldn't have been disturbed by such a trivial matter. However, he also understood that his subordinates had their difficulties. Since they claimed to be the governors of the city, they would not be able to bear the responsibility if they acted on their own and something went wrong. So, he thought it would be right to ask the old master for advice.

Turning his head, just as he was about to continue his train of thought, He Chongguang glanced at Deng Chengwan and Cao Heng, who were still angry and looked unconvinced. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he called over the servant from before.

He whispered, "Go and invite the guests to the council chamber."

With outsiders present, and out of consideration for the family's reputation, they should be able to behave themselves a bit.

"Ahem!" Old Master He finally spoke, "Gentlemen, we're not here today to discuss the cargo ship losses."

That's true.

Deng Chengwan pursed his lips and breathed heavily through his nostrils, but did not respond.

Cao Heng, being younger, glanced at He Chongguang and merely snorted coldly.

Respect for He Chongguang is simply because he is an elder, not because the He family can actually outdo Cao and Deng.

The old man lowered his eyes and continued, "The last time the Sea Patrol God swam across the Eastern Continent Sea was forty years ago. You may not know how powerful that was..."

Cao Heng leaned back, raised his face, and sneered, "Oh, so you've come to teach this junior a lesson? Tell me quickly, tell me properly how you know how powerful that Sea Patrol God is."

Such disrespect immediately made the expressions of the people behind He Chongguang turn unfriendly.

But He Chongguang didn't react, remaining nonchalant as he continued, "She only deliberately conceals her supernatural powers when she's in a good mood, allowing her to sail the waves. If she's even slightly displeased, storms rage wherever she goes. Everyone knows that Deng Chengwan is a seasoned captain, but even with his level of skill, he didn't return alive. You should all understand the dangers involved." At this point, Deng Chengwan felt indignant and couldn't help but glare at Cao Heng.

Cao Heng met his gaze without flinching.

"Forty years ago, she merely patrolled the Eastern Sea, and the sea churned for several days before ceasing its course. But now, as you both surely know, the Sea Goddess has, for some unknown reason, stopped in the Eastern Sea..."

He Chongguang picked up his cane and tapped it heavily again: "Gentlemen, this is truly a matter of life and death. Our three families have relied on the East China Sea to build our wealth and status. Now that shipping has stopped and fishing boats are struggling to sail, this is the day for us to repay the people of Aocheng. We cannot waste our time fighting amongst ourselves."

Storm is a word that sounds frightening.

But as people from Aocheng who were born and raised by the sea, the Sanxing family knew better than anyone that compared to minor issues like ships being destroyed or unable to sail, the persistent and raging storms were something that would truly affect the very foundation of Dongzhou Sea.

Corals, shells, seaweed... the spawning grounds of sea fish will be destroyed, and seaweed and shrimp will die in large numbers. If the sea goddess stays in the East Sea for more than three months, even if she eventually leaves mercifully, it will take at least several decades for this sea area to recover to its former state.

In the brief silence, footsteps could be heard from outside the corridor.

A servant brought three guests who had come to visit.

When Pei Xia entered the house with Lu Li on his head, he attracted everyone's attention, and he himself was also stunned.

I originally thought they would arrange a quiet room for me to rest and wait for the He family steward to come and entertain me.

Why does the atmosphere seem a bit off as soon as I enter the room?

He Chongguang raised his head at the opportune moment, glanced at Cao Heng and Deng Chengwan, and gestured to Pei Xia: "Let me introduce you, this is the expert at the Open Mansion Realm who has come to visit today."

Looking at Pei Xia again, his gaze was gentle yet earnest, as if making a request: "These two are the best of the Cao and Deng families. We were just discussing the matter of the Sea God, and coincidentally, I took the liberty of inviting you to sit down and hear your insights."

Pei Xia quickly waved her hand: "No, it wasn't me, it wasn't me."

Then he turned around, making way for Han Youzhi behind him: "This is the one."

As a rogue cultivator, Han Youzhi indeed lacked experience.

On the contrary, she was very familiar with this scene of leaders gathering for meetings, so she clasped her hands in a friendly greeting and said, "Han Youzhi, nice to meet you."

A polite greeting is usually enough.

Unexpectedly, Cao Heng then snorted coldly, "Heh, a prefecture-level official? You've shamelessly cheated people out of their money. I say, old man, if you're really confused, you might as well just hand over the reins of the He family."

When the topic of "authority" came up, He Chongguang finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He turned to stare at Cao Heng: "The authority over Aocheng for the past three years was won by my grandson He Chen in a martial arts competition. At that time, the three families made an agreement, and you, Cao family boy, were also present. Now we are discussing the matter of the Sea Patrol God. Why are you bringing this up?"

No sooner had He Chongguang finished speaking than Deng Chengwan, who had been eagerly trying to make things difficult for Cao Heng, immediately chimed in: "Oh my, is that even a question? He must have been beaten like a dead pig by Young Master He on the stage before, and now he wants to get his revenge!"

"boom!"

Cao Heng slammed his hand on the table and glared at Deng Chengwan: "Old Deng, you think you're so great?!"

He turned to stare at He Chongguang: "Old man, let me be frank with you. Apart from our Cao family, none of you have the ability to repel the Sea God. Don't even mention the authority to take charge. Even if you hand it over, I can only talk to you about the price!"

Grandpa He narrowed his eyes slightly, his aged face twitching slightly, but the composure that came with age made him simply grip his cane tightly without speaking.

Seeing that He Chongguang remained silent, Cao Heng chuckled disdainfully. These old fogies always put on airs, but once you get their hold of them, they're nothing but cowards.

He glanced at Pei Xia and Han Youzhi: "Your He family really likes to associate with 'heroes,' huh? I heard that He Chen, that good-for-nothing dog, died while traveling. I guess he must have associated with such scoundrels."

Pei Xia originally did not want to get involved in the conflicts between local community groups.

But the other party mentioned He Chen.

Pei Xia hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke with a hint of tact: "So, you were beaten into a dead pig by that useless dog?"

(End of this chapter)