Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 60 Extreme joy leads to sorrow
No one in the clan dared to easily challenge the prestige of the fourth great-uncle of the Gao family.

This septuagenarian has been in charge of the Gao family for decades. It can be said that the Gao family's current prosperity is largely due to his leadership.

Although the Gao family claims to have a century-old heritage, it has only truly risen to prominence in the last fifty years. Before that, the Gao family was just an insignificant small family in Changshan County. It was not until the generation of the fourth great-uncle that they truly began to stand out.

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent. The elders looked at each other, but no one dared to utter a word in rebuttal.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Gao Yuanhe quickly bowed and tried to smooth things over:

"Uncle, please calm down. We are not against it, but we are worried that after Qicheng and Qinian join the upper sect, they will gradually become estranged from the family. After all, they are the most promising disciples of the Gao family in the past ten years. If they are all sent away, the clan may find it difficult to have any young people who can uphold its reputation. At that time, I'm afraid..."

These words expressed the shared concerns of the elders present.

They were not acting out of selfishness, but were genuinely considering the long-term interests of the family.

The Gao Yuanzhao mentioned by my fourth great-uncle, who had joined the upper clan of the prefecture, maintained close contact with the family for the first few years, but has become increasingly distant in recent years. He has not returned to his hometown for several years, and there are only a few letters exchanged during festivals.

In fact, the Gao family could no longer benefit much from his influence.

This is why many people are somewhat resistant to joining the upper sect, since Gao Yuanzhao in his early years was almost entirely supported by the Gao family.

"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of your family being wiped out?"

Fourth Grand Uncle snorted coldly, slamming his ebony cane heavily on the ground: "Short-sighted and utterly foolish. Changshan is too small a pond to raise a true dragon. Since there is an opportunity to send our disciples to the upper sect, we should go all out."

As for whether they will drift apart in the future, that's a matter for later. Besides, with the Golden Jade Ointment in hand, surely the Gao family can cultivate other outstanding disciples?

Since obtaining the Golden Jade Ointment, apart from Gao Yuanhe refining a small portion to break through to the Marrow Transformation Realm, the other elders are not allowed to use this treasure.

Everyone understood that such a treasure was a top-tier item even in the capital city. Using it on elders whose potential had been exhausted would be a waste of its value. Only by using it on younger generations could its greatest potential be realized.

Gao Qicheng and Gao Qinian are indeed the most outstanding juniors in the Gao family in recent years, but this does not mean that they are true geniuses; they are just more outstanding than ordinary people.

"Uncle is right." Gao Yuanhe dared not argue further and respectfully lowered his head.

Fourth Uncle looked around at everyone, then changed the subject:
Why hasn't the head of the family arrived today?

Today's gathering was not a casual chat, but a discussion of important matters, making the patriarch's absence all the more abrupt.

"Yesterday, the family found a four-leaf spirit flower, and the patriarch personally went to meet that evil monk," Gao Yuanhe reported truthfully.

Fourth Uncle nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions.

This matter concerns the heretical monk; it is indeed a matter of utmost importance.

Because the other party not only possessed the precious Golden Jade Ointment, but also promised to grant the Gao family a chance at innate fortune after their recovery. Otherwise, the Gao family would not have taken such a great risk to cover up their whereabouts and search for various precious medicinal herbs for them.

"Have any reports come back from the soldiers' suppression of the bandits?"

My fourth great-uncle's expression turned serious; this was the important matter we were discussing today.

Since the government troops left the city to suppress the bandits yesterday, the Gao family has been closely monitoring the situation.

After all, this matter was of great importance; it was a trap set by the three major families to kill Chen Sheng and his confidants in one fell swoop, thereby forcing Wu Kuang to make concessions.

However, from last night until this morning, no definite news came from the direction of Black Snake Village.

This is a cause for serious concern. When the matter of suppressing bandits was mentioned, Gao Yuanhe's face also turned grave, and he shook his head, saying:
"I sent two groups of people to Black Snake Water Village this morning to investigate. I believe news will come back soon. Don't worry, Uncle, there shouldn't be any problems."

The three major families have made ample preparations to deal with Chen Sheng.

Not only did they send people to keep a close eye on Wu Kuang's movements to prevent him from taking any surprise attacks, but they also bribed Chu Yueshan, the commander of the military camp, and added Xu Meng, the leader of the Black Snake Stronghold, to oversee the situation.

In Gao Yuanhe's view, even if Chen Sheng had extraordinary abilities, there was absolutely no chance of him surviving.

After all, the other party was just a Bone Forging Realm martial artist.

The difference between bone forging and marrow transformation is far greater than outsiders imagine.

Even if something unexpected happens, he doesn't believe Chen Sheng can turn the tide.

"We must not be careless, and we must not underestimate anyone." The fourth great-uncle frowned, his words carrying a warning.

In recent years, as the Gao family has become increasingly prosperous, he has clearly felt that the members of the clan have become more and more arrogant and have lost their former caution. Now even core elders like Gao Yuanhe are so careless, which makes him deeply worried.

Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang were no ordinary people.

If they were truly mediocre, how could they have made the three major families who had dominated Changshan for many years feel threatened in just a few months? And even conspire with river bandits to target them?
“It’s not that I’m underestimating this person, but I really can’t think of any way Chen Sheng could turn the tables. This time, he’s doomed.” Gao Yuanhe said firmly, without echoing his uncle’s words.

"You..." Fourth Uncle wanted to say something more, but suddenly a person rushed into the hall with a panicked face.

"What happened?" Gao Yuanhe's heart tightened, and he asked in a deep voice.

He knew that unless something major had happened, this clansman would never have lost his composure like this.

"Reporting to the elders and grand-uncles, we have just received news that the troops of the East and South City battalions have received an urgent order from Wu Kuang to assemble at the military training ground. The situation seems to have changed..."

Upon hearing this, the fourth great-uncle frowned and fell into deep thought.

Gao Yuanhe, however, smiled and said, "Grand Uncle, it must be that the Black Serpent Stronghold has succeeded. Wu Kuang was furious when he received the news, otherwise he would never have rushed to summon two battalions of troops!"

After pondering for a moment, Fourth Uncle also felt that this conjecture was reasonable, and immediately nodded:

"In that case, proceed according to the original plan. Immediately contact the Huang and Yang families to put pressure on Magistrate Lin Shou. At the same time, send a message to Zhang Yue and Li Cong, instructing them to make excuses and ensure that Wu Kuang cannot mobilize his troops."

He paused, then added, "Also, quickly send someone to inform the head of the family to return to the manor immediately to take charge of the overall situation."

"Don't worry, Uncle, I'll take care of it right away." Gao Yuanhe bowed and accepted the order, his face showing undisguised pride.

With Chen Sheng dead, he wanted to see if Wu Kuang could still be as tough as before.

He wanted to make this county constable understand who really had the final say in Changshan County!

However, just as Gao Yuanhe was about to step out the door, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from outside. Several members of the Gao family scrambled into the hall, their faces pale and their voices trembling:
"Grand Uncle, something terrible has happened! Outside... outside is full of soldiers!"

"They surrounded the entire Gao family compound and started killing everyone they saw!"

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.

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