Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 151 Zhou Family Meeting, Xu Clan Meeting (Two Parts Combined)

"Mingwei, you will join the Elders' Hall and concurrently serve as the Hall Master of the War Hall. Mingyuan, you will join the Elders' Hall and concurrently serve as the Hall Master of the Discipline Hall. Mingxuan, you will join the Elders' Hall and concurrently serve as the Hall Master of the Mission Hall."

During the conversation, Xu Chuan looked at Xu Mingshu again, "Mingshu, you will join the Elders' Hall and serve as the Deputy Hall Master of the Immortal Arts Hall, in charge of cultivating the family's spirit beasts."

"The deputy?"

"Do you perhaps want to compete with your father for the position of head of the Immortal Arts Hall?"

Xu Mingshu waved her hands repeatedly and said with a smile, "Xueji wouldn't dare, Father is truly deserving of the title."

"Besides the Immortal Arts Hall, I will also serve as the Grand Elder of the Xu Family. I don't think there are any objections, do I?"

"Of course," everyone said in unison.

Xu Chuan smiled and looked at Xu Mingxian, "Mingxian, you will join the Elders' Hall and serve as the Deputy Hall Master of the Immortal Arts Hall, in charge of the family's array affairs."

"Entering the Hall of Immortal Arts not only improves one's own immortal skills, but also fulfills the responsibility of teaching suitable disciples in the clan in the future."

"Yes, Father," Xu Mingshu and Xu Mingxian said, clasping their hands in greeting.

"Mingwei, you will continue to serve as the head of the family for the time being, and Mingyuan, you will also be in charge of the family's finances for the time being."

"Yes, Dad."

"This is the initial stage. We will need to gradually fill the positions with staff, and each hall will also need to formulate its own rules. These rules will then be discussed and approved by the elders' hall before being implemented."

Xu Chuan continued, "Wanqing, you will join my Immortal Arts Hall and learn alchemy from me. You don't need to rush to choose the others. First, see which hall suits you best before deciding to join."

Once you join, you cannot easily leave without the permission of the head of your branch.

Xu Deling and Xu Dezhao looked at each other, both seemingly lost in thought.

"That's all for today. Go back and think carefully about the clan rules. We'll discuss the specifics of the clan rules again in five days."

Everyone bowed their hands.

at the same time.

The Zhou family, along with other key figures, gathered in the council hall to discuss the damages and gains from the previous conflict between Su and Zhou.

A semi-circular rosewood square table, resembling a crescent moon, rests in the hall. The table's edge is engraved with mythical beast patterns. Behind the main seat hangs a painting titled "Nine Luminaries Patrol the Heavens," in which Venus points directly at the head of the household's golden nanmu seat. The armrests are carved in the shape of Yazi swallowing a sword.

The bronze crane lamps on both sides emitted blue smoke, illuminating the twelve huanghuali folding chairs in a half-light, half-dark manner.

Zhou Shaoyuan, the head of the Zhou family, wore a light blue satin robe and had a set of mutton-fat jade pendants hanging at his waist. He sat in the main seat of the council hall.

The first person on the left has white hair and a youthful face, with a full head of white hair and a silver beard hanging down to his chest. He is none other than Zhou Sen, the number one alchemist of the Zhou family.

Those sitting in the council hall were either elderly elders of the Zhou family or outstanding figures among the younger generation, both men and women.

The men were either dignified and composed, or handsome and refined.

Among the women were those adorned with gold hairpins and bright moon earrings, exuding elegance and nobility, and others who wore white robes, green crowns, and peach wood hairpins, displaying a simple and aloof demeanor.

"Elder Zhou Sen, how are your pills being used up in this battle?" Zhou Shaoyuan suddenly asked, looking over at him.

"The prepared pills have been mostly used up, and the spiritual herbs are running low. We need to slowly accumulate more."

"Ah."

Zhou Shaoyuan nodded slightly, then looked at the first person on his right.

He is the Grand Elder of the Zhou family's Elder Hall, with the strength of the ninth level of Qi Refining. He is also Zhou Qingfang's grandson, holding an extremely high position and having many followers. He wields considerable influence within the Zhou family.

"Elder, what are the casualties among my Zhou family members?"

"Three people died in the late stage of Qi Refining, twelve people died in the fifth and sixth levels of immortal cultivation, and a total of thirty-six people died in the Innate Perfection and Grandmaster levels."

"As expected," Zhou Shaoyuan said calmly. "The families of the fallen clansmen will be given special attention if they have some talent, and the rest will also be treated well."

"Yes, master."

"Next, let's talk about the gains from this battle. We captured the Su family's territory, which is one of the few spiritual energy nodes around the county city, with 4,300 acres of spiritual fields."

Some members of the clan can be relocated there to cultivate medicinal herbs and rice for the family.

In addition, it stores countless amounts of spirit rice, a large quantity of spirit stones, over one hundred low-grade magic artifacts, fifty to sixty mid-grade magic artifacts, thirteen high-grade magic artifacts, and one fine magic artifact.

Everyone present beamed with joy.

After all, not everyone possesses high-grade magical artifacts, let alone exquisite ones.

Previously, even the head of the Zhou family, Zhou Shaoyuan, did not possess any high-quality magical artifacts. The only high-quality artifact in the Zhou family was in the hands of the family's patriarch, Zhou Qingfang.

"There are also countless Taoist scriptures, as well as a number of elixirs for martial artists and cultivators."

"Patriarch, the Su family has such a deep foundation, yet you only have one fine magic artifact? There should be more than that number of high-grade magic artifacts." The First Elder frowned slightly.

"There are one or two more items, but they were taken by other clans during the battle, and their loot was naturally taken by them, including the magical artifacts and items on Su Yuanze's body." Zhou Shaoyuan said, "The Grand Elder doesn't want me to go and ask for them back, does he?"

"If we act so domineeringly, leaving no way out for others, we will also leave no way out for ourselves. I fear that a hundred years from now, my Zhou family will repeat the mistakes of the Su family."

Upon hearing this, the Zhou family elder clasped his hands and said, "It was my oversight."

"Now that the Su family has been wiped out, it's time to round up the remnants they secretly sent out. Second Elder, lead some of the clan members to carry out this task tomorrow."

"Understood," the Second Elder said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

Cut the weeds without leaving any roots, and they will grow back in the spring breeze.

"Besides that, there is the matter of the distribution of spoils of war, in which all families have contributed."

The First Elder said, "According to the previous agreement, taking out 20% is enough to feed the Qi Refining families in Yuehu County who previously sided with my Zhou family. As for the martial arts families, there is no need to worry too much about them; just give them the benefits we agreed on before."

"The Grand Elder is right." Two or three elders stroked their long beards and smiled in agreement.

Zhou Shaoyuan glanced at everyone and sighed, "This matter has taken an unexpected turn. Of the Su family's gains, 30% was promised to others by the patriarch, namely the person who suddenly appeared on the battlefield and then left in a hurry."

"I do have some recollection of this person; he once stood with the Ancestor," an elder mused.

"Our ancestor's helper must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator. There's nothing we can do about it. But this is really strange. Our ancestor never mentioned it to us before."

"No, he is just a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining."

"What?!" The First Elder exclaimed in disbelief, "A mere Qi Refining stage cultivator dares to ask for 30% of the Su family's resources? On what basis does the Ancestor agree to such a request?"

"It was because he saved the patriarch's life and helped to restrain the Su family's Foundation Establishment reinforcements that the patriarch had the opportunity to kill the Su family's patriarch and completely secure the victory in this battle."

Zhou Shaoyuan said calmly, "If the Grand Elder feels it's not worth it, he can go and argue with the Ancestor."

Everyone's pupils contracted.

Everyone thought Zhou Shaoyuan's words were like a fantasy, but that's precisely why the patriarch agreed to give him 30% of the Su family's resources.

If their ancestor had been seriously injured and died back then, the Zhou family might be the ones facing annihilation today.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Sen looked at Zhou Shaoyuan and asked, "Who is he? Could he be from the capital? Or perhaps a prominent family from a high-ranking prefecture?"

Zhou Shaoyuan shook his head. "I've never heard of the Xu family before."

“He said he came from Qingjiang and was from the Xu family of Dongxi.” Zhou Shaoyuan added, “I have already checked. Qingjiang is one of the most remote counties in my Yuehu County. As for the Xu family, they are a prominent family that has risen to prominence in the area.”

"How dare a small family from a county town interfere in the dispute between the Su and Zhou families, save our ancestor, restrain the Foundation Establishment cultivator, and gain 30% of the Su family's resources?"

The Grand Elder stared blankly and said, "Why does it seem more and more absurd to me the more I listen to it?"

The crowd also began to discuss this small clan in the county.

"I have consulted the Ancestor about this matter, so the Grand Elder need not have any doubts."

"So it was them." Zhou Sen suddenly exclaimed in surprise. The people around him looked at him with astonishment and asked, "Elder Zhou Sen, do you know the Xu family?"

"When I was trying to win over the Chang family, they mentioned all their interactions with my Zhou family's guest, so I had Shaocheng take a look and confirmed that there was no major connection."

"My guest elder of the Zhou family? Who is that?" Zhou Shaoyuan asked.

"The Three Vertical Taoists".

"It was him?!"

Everyone looked surprised, as they had only heard of this alchemy guest but had never seen him in person.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Shaoyuan said, "The Zhou family must keep its promises. Since Elder Zhou Sen has sent Shaocheng to the Xu family before, then this time he will be sent to deliver the remaining 30% of the resources to the Xu family."

"I will go with you then."

"Then I'll have to trouble Elder Zhou Sen."

"Giving such a huge amount of resources to a small clan in a county town is really too good for them."

One of the elders was truly unwilling and said, "Patriarch, could we instigate conflict between the Xu family and other aristocratic families, and use them to destroy the Xu family?"

"Then my Zhou family will step in and rightfully reclaim these resources."

"That's a good idea. Those Qi Refining families will definitely feel resentful and greedy, and they will never let go of such a remote little clan."

Zhou Shaoyuan sighed slightly, "No, the Xu family is really not simple. Putting aside their background, Xu Mingwei has already reminded me, intentionally or unintentionally."

The Xu family has no intention of being enemies with my Zhou family, but they shouldn't engage in underhanded tactics or stir up trouble behind my back.

My Zhou family has swallowed up the Su family, and our clan members have suffered considerable losses. At this time, the most important thing to do is to recuperate and strengthen our Zhou family's foundation and strength.

If we were to launch another major attack now, the other powerful families would likely unite to resist the Zhou family.

Zhou Sen nodded and said, "What the patriarch said makes sense. No matter what the Xu family is like, we should not start a war at this time. As long as my Zhou family fully digests the Su family's foundation, we will be the unshakeable overlord of Yuehu County in the future."

If the Xu family truly harbors ill intentions towards my Zhou family, we can simply eliminate them in the name of righteousness.

"I support Elder Zhou Sen," several people echoed, supporting Zhou Sen.

"Since the patriarch and Elder Zhou Sen have both said so, then we should wait and see how things develop regarding the Xu family. However, the compensation that could have been given to the other Qi Refining families should be reduced to 10%, or at most 15%."

Zhou Shaoyuan nodded upon hearing this, "Let's do as the Grand Elder says."

The next day.

The families that initially supported the Zhou family were all invited to discuss the distribution of the spoils of war.

However, what they received was far less than they had expected, and they all showed signs of dissatisfaction.

Zhou Shaoyuan also explained that the Xu family deserved the most credit in this battle, accounting for 30%.

They were all horrified by what Xu Mingwei had done. The fact that he could do this was enough to show that the Xu family was unfathomable, and the Zhou family seemed to have no intention of dealing with the Xu family at present.

They could only grit their teeth and swallow their grievances.

After leaving the Zhou family's territory, they devoted themselves to investigating the Xu family's whereabouts.

The Zhou family possesses Foundation Establishment, which means they lack some of the Su family's foundation. They are still the dominant family in Yuehu County, but the Xu family is a rising force for them.

If left unchecked, it could squeeze their resources and living space.

----------

Several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Under Xu Chuan's leadership, everyone pooled their wisdom and efforts to discuss the Xu family rules.

“Father, I think firstly, cultivators should not bully or take other people’s things at will; secondly, mortals should show respect to cultivators, otherwise cultivators can teach them a lesson.”

Thirdly, when cultivators or mortal disciples make mistakes, the family should have a corresponding discipline team to arrest and interrogate them;

Fourth, establish a secret police force to monitor all families, to prevent their families and members of the Xu clan from committing misconduct; such behavior should be severely punished.

“Alright.” Xu Chuan nodded slightly. “Mingyuan, you will be in charge of building the Dark Division.” With this in mind, Xu Chuan decided to pass on the third-generation talent [Insightful Insight] to Xu Mingyuan, since the Dark Division was responsible for supervision, and he was also the head of the Discipline Hall.

This person's destiny and talents are perfectly suited to be entrusted to him.

Those who are in charge of punishments are also in charge of people's hearts.

It requires even more insightful observation and keen observation.

Xu Mingshu opened her mouth and said bitterly, "Second brother, you've said everything I wanted to say, and I have nothing more to say."

Everyone laughed.

Xu Mingxian said, "Fourth Sister, what good ideas can you come up with? Let's leave this matter to our eldest brother, second brother, and father. What we can think of, they can also consider."

“What you said makes some sense.” Xu Mingshu immediately gave up.

Xu Chuan shook his head slightly and looked at Xu Mingwei, asking, "Mingwei, what about you?"

Xu Mingwei said, "Since we take immortals as the core, then from now on, the members of my Xu family who cultivate immortality will be the true core, and the others can temporarily be distinguished as direct descendants and collateral branches."

Resources are allocated based solely on qualifications.

Even if someone has average talent, their family can secretly provide assistance if they are diligent and ambitious.

The rest must strive and fight for themselves; if they are unwilling to fight, then a mediocre life is perfectly acceptable.

These words caused the others to look thoughtful.

Xu Chuan nodded slightly, "Everyone else can speak freely as well."

“Then let me say something too.” Xu Mingxuan said with a smile: “My eldest brother and second brother are both thinking long-term. In the short term, we should focus on cultivating those who are worth nurturing, whether they are members of our Xu clan, vassal families, servants, or tenant farmers.”

We should first try to build up the framework of my Xu family.

Otherwise, based on its current state, it would be far from reaching the scale of a cultivation family.

Everyone had their own opinions, and they began to share their thoughts.

Zhang Wanqing was responsible for recording these things, and afterwards handed them over to Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan, from which they formulated more detailed clan rules and regulations.

After the clan rules were issued.

With everyone's responsibilities clearly assigned, the Xu family members began to work together.

Xu Mingyuan sent people out to find orphaned children, brought them into the Dragon Elephant Martial Arts School for training, and expanded the school's scale, allowing it to flourish in various counties and cities of the prefecture.

Gu Yiping was naturally delighted.

Over the years, he has married and had children, settled down in Qingjiang, and become an appendage of the Xu family.

Now that he is over sixty years old, with the help of the Xu family, his strength has reached the mid-stage of Grandmaster. With his innate talent, he still has a chance to go further.

As for the Grandmaster level, that's hard to say.

Following the changes within the Xu family, the heads of its vassal families were summoned to discuss the future of the Xu family and the Xu clan rules.

The Xu family's recent plans to focus on cultivating talented individuals from their various vassal families have greatly encouraged them.

Each family was aware that such benefits were not always available.

This even triggered a baby boom.

With many children, there are bound to be a few with good aptitude.

Perhaps, a child with the aptitude for cultivating immortality will be born, nurtured by the Xu family, and will be able to enter the Xu family's power center in the future and assume an important position.

Xu Dezhao, Xu Dewen, Xu Dejing, Xu Deling, and other members of the Xu family naturally received full support and training because the Xu family was small.

The news that the Xu family was about to become a family of cultivators gradually spread.

This has sparked much discussion in Dongxi, Qingjiang, and surrounding counties.

After all, this was the first time that a celestial clan had been established in a county town.

Because the prominent families in the county town paid special attention to the news about the Xu family, it was not long before the news spread to all the prominent families in the county town, causing quite a stir.

However, for the vast majority of aristocratic families in the prefectures...

The Xu family was completely unfamiliar, like an aristocratic family that suddenly sprang out of the grass.

someday.

Zhou Sen, along with his grandson Zhou Shaocheng and four Grandmaster-level martial artists, arrived at the Xu Clan of Dongxi.

“Grandfather, the Xu family of Dongxi will be located soon along this main road. There will be guards patrolling the road to prevent outsiders from entering.”

A few moments.

Zhou Sen and his party's carriage suddenly stopped.

"What happened?" Zhou Shaocheng asked.

"Young Master Shaocheng, the area ahead is shrouded in mist, which may be the work of a celestial master."

Zhou Shaocheng pushed open the windows on both sides of the carriage, stuck his head out, and saw that the fog was indeed thick and covered the entire area.

“How strange, I didn’t see this mist last time I came.” Zhou Shaocheng pulled his head back, scratched his head and looked at Zhou Sen, saying, “Grandfather, from what I see, it should be a formation of cultivators. I’ll have to trouble you to go out and take a look.”

Zhou Sen nodded slightly, and then everyone got off the carriage.

Zhou Sen looked into the distance and extended his divine sense, but his divine sense was restricted when it touched the mist, and could only extend a few meters before it could not continue.

"To be able to influence divine thoughts, that's truly a remarkable technique," Zhou Sen murmured.

"You can't even see through it, Grandfather, a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining?" Zhou Shaocheng was horrified.

"What's the panic? Cultivators have many methods. My grandfather was only good at alchemy. How could the Xu family rise so quickly without some means? Perhaps they have inherited some ancient cultivation formation techniques."

Zhou Shaocheng quickly cupped his hands and said, "Grandfather is right."

Zhou Sen glanced around, then said to one of the grandmaster followers, "Go in and see what's going on?"

"Yes, Elder Zhou Sen."

The attendant had only been inside for a dozen breaths when he came out again, looking surprised, as if to say, "How did I get out?"

"Ordinary illusionary formations, combined with methods of divine sense interference, are not easily seen through even by cultivators."

After explaining for a while, Zhou Sen said after a moment's thought, "The Zhou family of Yuehu, Zhou Sen has come to visit the Xu family."

The sound entered the mist, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight people emerged.

"Oh, Young Master Zhou, you're here again."

The patrolmen were the same patrol team that had stopped Zhou Shaocheng before.

The captain of the guard clasped his hands and smiled, "We usually guard the boundary marker, but we can't see if there are people outside the fog. We can only wait for someone to make a sound before we go out to check."

"Then why not just stay outside the fog?" Zhou Shaocheng frowned slightly.

"Please forgive me, Young Master Zhou, but this is the order of the patriarch. Now that our Dongxi Xu Clan is about to become a family of cultivators, if any enemy attacks, we outside may lose our lives instantly."

With this formation in place, even cultivators could withstand some of it, and our timely discovery would also serve as a warning.

“The Xu family is indeed a family that cherishes its people,” Zhou Sen said, stroking his beard.

The captain of the guard clasped his hands in salute from afar, saying, "My Xu family is a family of benevolence and virtue!"

"I've said too much. The Zhou family of Yuehu are honored guests of my Xu family. The patriarch has already instructed that everyone please follow us and not stray more than a foot from us, otherwise we will be obscured by the fog and become impossible to find."

Zhou Sen nodded slightly and said, "Go in with them."

As the group entered the misty formation, they saw that the jade pendants on the waists of each patrolling guard emitted a faint glow, dispersing the mist.

A short while later, they emerged from the fog.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared before them: a blue stone road, like a sword cleaving through the chaos, stretched straight into the depths ahead.

Wild crabapple trees by the roadside are laden with dew, threatening to wet my clothes.

Looking around, the fields stretch out in all directions, with new rice seedlings rippling like green waves. Farmers in white clothes drive their calves past, their flutes playing in the breeze as they chase after mountain sparrows.

Further away, wisps of smoke rose from chimneys, disappearing into the horizon.

Not far ahead, on the right side of the road, stands a boundary marker with the four characters "Dongxi Xu Clan" inscribed on it.

"Zhang Wu, lead these distinguished guests from the Zhou family to the main residence."

The guard named Xiao Wu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, Captain."

Zhou Sen and the others followed Zhang Wu along the official road, and after a short while, they arrived in front of the Xu family mansion.

"The surrounding scenery and this mansion haven't changed much," Zhou Shaocheng said casually.

Zhang Wu smiled slightly and said nothing more. He then said to the guards watching over the Xu family mansion, "These are the Zhou family of Yuehu. The patriarch gave them instructions."

After saying this, Zhang Wufu clasped his hands in greeting to Zhou Sen and the others, saying, "Distinguished guests, I still have patrols to guard, so I'll take my leave first."

"Please come in, everyone."

The guards led the group to the main hall, while another went to inform the family head, Xu Mingwei.

Before long, Xu Mingwei arrived at the main hall, smiling and clasping his hands in greeting, "You've been waiting for a long time."

Upon seeing Zhou Shaocheng, he said again, "Young Master Zhou, we meet again."

"Master Xu," Zhou Shaocheng replied, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Please sit down." Xu Mingwei nodded slightly, then added, "Serve some tea!"

A short while later, a beautiful young maidservant brought in tea.

The four masters were merely servants and did not take their seats. Instead, two of them stood behind Zhou Shaocheng and Zhou Sen.

"So you are Xu Mingwei?"

"That is indeed me. May I ask how this senior is addressed?"

"I am Zhou Sen," Zhou Sen said calmly, stroking his beard.

"So you are the alchemy master of the Zhou family. Your personal visit is truly an honor for my Xu family," Xu Mingwei said, clasping his hands in greeting, his eyes sparkling.

"That sounds familiar."

Zhou Shaocheng muttered something under his breath, then suddenly remembered that the last time he came, it was a similar routine.

"Master Xu, you are too kind. We are very grateful for your help in the conflict between Su and Zhou. You have done our Zhou family a great favor. This is the gift that our Zhou family has promised to give in gratitude."

Because there were many items, Zhou Sen specifically used a mid-level storage bag.

The entire Zhou family only had one, which was only used when a large amount of resources were needed. After annexing the Su family, they gained two more.

The Su family possesses 30% of its resources, including countless copies of Daoist scriptures, as well as abundant spiritual rice and herbs. As for magical artifacts and spirit stones, they occupy very little space.

Zhou Sen controlled the mid-level storage bag to fly to the square in front of the main hall and made a simple hand seal.

Then a large number of ancient books flew out and landed to one side, followed by spirit rice and spirit medicine, and finally spirit stones and magic artifacts.

　The third watch has been temporarily changed to two watches, still with 10,000 words.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)