From absorbing the essence of the sun and moon to achieving divine mastery in martial arts

The atmosphere in the Cang family meeting room was so oppressive it felt like you could wring water out of it.

This hall, which is usually used to discuss the most important family matters, was unusually quiet today.

On either side of the long rosewood table, eight concubines gathered together. They were all noble ladies from prestigious families, and their every move exuded elegance and poise cultivated over the years.

However, beneath that elegance lay an undisguised resentment.

"Master, isn't this proposal... a bit too hasty? Is the family really going to send three men and two women to serve as 'bodyguards' for that new army general, Chu Zhaoxue?"

The fourth concubine was the first to speak.

She came from a scholarly family and always spoke with gentle grace, but at this moment, the fingers holding the teacup were slightly white.

The second concubine slammed her hand on the table. Coming from a wealthy merchant family in the north, she possessed an innate shrewdness and prudence, and immediately said in a cold voice:

"Dynasties come and go, but powerful families endure! Our Cang family is involved in every industry, from salt contracts to silk contracts, from rice from the Grand Canal to silver notes from trading ports. Is the Cang family's foundation, built over hundreds of years, made of paper?"

She unfolded a telegram with a cold smile; the family crest stamped in wax was so conspicuous it was almost blinding.

"The family just finished arranging the Western-style warships in Shengkang last year, and the family's students who went abroad for studies haven't even entered Western universities yet. Now they want to drain the Cang family's blood to fill the trenches?"

"If something happens to the Cang family, the railway in the west will run out of coal, the schools in the south will be cut off from supplies, and even the lights in the 'nationwide' will flicker three times... Do you really think those armed soldiers can keep this in check?"

"It's no exaggeration to say that if the Cang family stomped their foot, the entire country would shake! So many industries are waiting for our sons to manage, and now we're sending them to the army? How dare the new army? I disagree!"

The fifth concubine slowly spoke up, "Second sister is right! Master, you call it 'experience,' but we all know that the battlefield today is no longer the era of cold weapons. A stray bullet is enough to kill someone. It's not that we're unwilling to serve the family, but... the price of this gamble is the lives of our children. Is it too risky to stake the lives of our family members on a military group that hasn't fully taken control of the situation?"

Her concerns instantly resonated with everyone.

"Yes!" The fifth concubine's eyes darted around, her gaze sweeping over the crowd with a hint of sarcasm. "If you want to send your own children, go ahead! My sons are my precious treasures, I won't send any of them!"

"Fifth Sister, that's not right!" Sixth Concubine immediately retorted. She had always been at odds with Fifth Concubine, and now she sneered repeatedly, "Whose son isn't precious? What kind of place is the New Army? It's a battlefield that eats people alive! I don't expect my son to go there for training; I only ask that he stay safe and sound. I can't bear to send him to be cannon fodder!"

"that is!"

"Why should I?!"

"This is pushing our very hearts and souls into a fire pit!"

In an instant, the hall was filled with complaints. The concubines, who were usually jealous of each other, were now united as never before, sharing a common hatred for the enemy.

"Since everyone has concerns!" the seventh concubine timidly suggested, "Why don't we... let fate decide? Decide by drawing lots, which would be fair to all the families."

"No."

This time, it was the first wife, Shen Peiyu, who spoke.

Her gaze swept across the crowd with lightning speed, her voice carrying an undeniable authority: "Deciding by drawing lots is far too frivolous!"

Her intervention made the already tense atmosphere even more somber.

"Quiet down."

Cang Hong finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it was like an invisible hammer blow, making everyone's hearts sink.

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept across the refined yet resentful faces. "Whichever branch sends someone, I will naturally offer the corresponding reward. Of course, I won't force you; you can discuss it yourselves and give me a list within an hour. If you can't come up with one..."

He paused, his gaze turning icy. "Then let the family rules decide, with the family's interests as the sole criterion."

The moment the words "family rules" were uttered, all the concubines shuddered.

That means they will completely lose their voice.

The ensuing debate was no longer a fierce opposition, but a calm and brutal internal struggle.

The concubines, who had just been looking worried, were now all shrewdly calculating.

Various factors were brought to the forefront and weighed repeatedly.

Finally, with Shen Peiyu's skillful guidance and Cang Hong's final decision, a list of five people was finalized.

Behind every name on the list lies a reshuffling of the interests of the housing market.

Late at night, inside the small building.

Shen Peiyu poured Cang Hong a fresh cup of hot tea and said softly, "Master, although you managed to subdue the concubines today, they still harbor resentment. Ultimately, all Chu Zhaoxue wants is a 'hostage.' Will she really give the family's children a chance to rise in the social hierarchy?"

Cang Hong picked up his teacup, the rising steam obscuring the expression on his face, but his voice came through clearly, carrying a chilling insight that seemed to know everything.

"Peiyu, you're right. Chu Zhaoxue wants a hostage, so of course she'll be wary. She won't give my Cang family disciples any chance, but this is also a kind of opportunity!"

Shen Peiyu frowned slightly: "I don't understand."

"The first purpose of sending them there was indeed for 'training'," Cang Hong said, holding up a finger. "The New Army is different from other warlords; it has its own unique characteristics. Let them experience the New Army's discipline, ideology, and tactics, and understand how this new force operates. This is 'knowing the enemy,' the most basic use."

"But that's still not the most important thing."

Cang Hong's tone grew increasingly deep, and he extended his second finger, gently tapping it on the table.

"The most important layer is 'leveraging existing resources' and 'lying low'."

"Peiyu, have you forgotten what the essence of this era is? It's the clash of 'ideologies'! It's the war of ideas! What does the New Army rely on to unite people's hearts? It relies on new ideas, those slogans that sound incredibly beautiful. What does my Cang family have? We have money and businesses, but in the face of 'new ideas,' all of these seem dirty and backward. We are the symbol of the old era, the objects destined to be eliminated."

His words were like a cold knife, dissecting the cruel truth beneath the glitz and glamour.

"Therefore, I cannot confront them head-on now. I need a 'protective talisman.' My sons, regardless of their rank, have joined the new army and become 'part of the new ideology.' This identity is the Cang family's 'protective talisman.' It can temporarily save us from being defeated and purged in the storm to come. It's like 'seeking a tiger's skin,' but the skin we get can keep us warm for the time being."

Cang Hong's lips finally curled into a cruel smile. "Do you really think I would send my men to serve Chu Zhaoxue and fight for the new army?"

He stood up and walked to a huge map of the Eastern Kingdom, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate everything and see into the farthest reaches.

"What I want is 'the world belongs to Cang', what I want is to establish a country where the Cang family controls the order."

"I'm sending my sons there not to assist Chu Zhaoxue, but to teach them how to build an army of their own. To learn the new army's ideology, organizational structure, and propaganda methods. Then, like Prometheus carrying the torch, they will bring all of this back to the Cang family."

"When the New Army is locked in a fierce battle with other warlords and foreigners, when the New Army's ideals are distorted beyond recognition by reality, when the New Army's followers begin to lose hope and waver... that will be the time for my Cang family to step in. At that time, I will not only have money and property, but also an army that is loyal only to the Cang family!"

He turned around and looked at his wife.

"So, Peiyu, it's normal for Chu Zhaoxue to be wary of my Cang family members rising to high positions. Because my Cang family members have never needed to climb her ladder."

"We, the descendants of the Cang family, are here to learn how to build our own ladder to heaven."