Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

At the same time, the Xie family.

After returning from the county government office, Xie Anshi summoned all the influential people in his clan.

A debate ensued regarding the future of the Xie family.

Xie Shi'an sat on top, silently listening to the discussion below.

"If you ask me, why not just give the mine to the Wang family? Then there wouldn't be so much trouble."

A burly man slammed his hand on the table and said.

Clearly, he was a member of the surrender faction.

"The laws of our ancestors must not be changed!" said an elderly man with white hair, tapping his cane.

"What kind of time is this to still be clinging to your damned ancestral methods! You're about to lose your life!"

"That's also unchangeable!"

"In my humble opinion, we should just fight the Wang family to the death!"

"But the Wang family has at least three scholars with Sequence 8 points and five martial arts masters with Sequence 8 points. We only have five Sequence 8 points, including our ancestor..."

Then came a long silence.

Silence is more terrifying than arguing. Arguing means there's still room for maneuver; silence means there's no way out.

At this moment, Xie Shi'an spoke up.

"Soliciting allegiance to the Wang family is absolutely unwise. Don't we know what kind of family they are? If we sid with them, not even a trace of bone will remain!"

Xie Shi'an first rejected the suggestion of seeking refuge with the Wang family.

"Master, what should we do?"

The burly man looked up and questioned Xie Shi'an.

"Are we just going to stand by and watch the Wang family slaughter us all? The men have their cultivation destroyed and are being forced into labor, and the women are being forced into prostitution."

"Are you willing to let your wives and daughters end up like that?"

"That's what happens when you side with the Wang family. Fight to the death and never retreat. There will be no cowards in the Xie family!" Xie Shi'an said calmly.

A resolute look appeared on his face.

"Patriarch, we should also leave seeds for the Xie family so that they can rise again in the future."

The white-haired old man continued to interject.

Xie Shi'an hesitated for a moment, a rare occurrence, as the image of Xie Zhiwei appeared in his mind.

Then came that rascal Chen Tiansheng.

He's from Shengtian Prefecture, so he must have some tricks up his sleeve!

At this point, a hint of selfish desire inevitably arose in his mind.

At that moment, the tightly closed door suddenly opened.

An expressionless servant pushed open the door and walked in.

"Who let you in like that! Get out!" the white-haired old man shouted angrily, clearly displeased with such unauthorized overstepping of boundaries.

Especially at such a critical moment.

A cat's scratch mark flashed in the servant's eyes, and in an instant, the white-haired old man fell asleep.

Then he looked at Xie Shi'an.

"Master Xie, it's been a long time."

Xie Shi'an slumped into the chair and closed his eyes.

"Let's do it the way we agreed before!"

The servant walked gracefully and leisurely to the front of the burly man.

She gently placed her palm on his face.

"Who...who are you! Don't touch me!"

The burly man cried out in terror, only to find that he couldn't move at all.

Then, cat paw prints appeared in the burly man's eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk, your family is no good! They've already contacted the Wang family to buy you all out."

"What?!"

Her words caused a stir in the room, and everyone looked at her in disbelief.

"Who are you?! What did you do to him?!"

Xie Shi'an was the only one who remained silent, presumably because he knew something beforehand.

"Who am I? That's a question for your valiant head of the Xie family, isn't it!"

With a look of utter despair, Xie Shi'an uttered two words: "Demon race!"

The Xie family's backyard, the embroidered pavilion.

The embroidered pavilion was built for Xie Zhiwei before the Xie family declined. It is a two-story building with an old osmanthus tree planted outside the window.

In previous years, when the osmanthus blossoms in autumn, the fragrance would fill the entire backyard.

But it's not the flowering season now, and the osmanthus tree is bare, its branches casting jagged shadows in the moonlight.

He didn't really like this place, so he always lived in a simple courtyard.

The courtyard is small, but much better than this exquisite little building.

At three-quarters past midnight, a small pebble flew in through the window and gently landed on her skirt.

She glanced down at the pebble.

Those were pebbles picked up from the riverbank behind the mountain; they were round and smooth, and still carried the scent of the river.

Three months ago, someone knocked on her window with the same stone. The first time she was startled, the second time she couldn't help but laugh, and the third time she opened the window.

Xie Zhiwei walked to the window and opened it.

They found Chen Tiansheng squatting on the top of the outer wall, one hand gripping the branch of the osmanthus tree, the other hand still in the posture of throwing stones.

The moonlight made his sweat glisten.

"How did you get in?" Xie Zhiwei lowered her voice. "There are guards at the back gate, and alarm bells on the wall."

"Of course, we'll climb over the wall. As for the bell, we'll avoid it."

Chen Tiansheng nimbly jumped from the wall to the osmanthus tree, and then climbed from the osmanthus tree to the windowsill, his movements as practiced as those of a seasoned thief.

"Have you forgotten? When I first came to Qingshan County, I had nowhere to stay, so I slept in a dilapidated temple outside the city for half a month. Anyone who has slept in a dilapidated temple knows how to climb over walls."

His clumsy joke didn't make Xie Zhi smile.

She looked at him.

Looking at this boy who had been expelled from his family, was penniless, and had nowhere to live.

"You shouldn't have come. If my father finds out, he'll break your legs."

"Then let him interrupt."

Chen Tiansheng sat down on the windowsill, dusted off his hands, and said, "Anyway, one of my legs is yours, and the other is mine. If he wants to break yours, I won't give it to him."

Xie Zhiwei turned her face away.

The moonlight shone on her profile, and Chen Tiansheng saw a very thin trail of water sliding down her cheek, but she quickly raised her hand to wipe it away.

He knew she wasn't the kind of girl who would cry in front of others three months ago when she was distributing porridge outside the city.

That day, the wind was so cold, and so many people were pushing, shoving, and cursing in front of the porridge stall. She stood upright the whole time, ladling porridge bowl by bowl, without a trace of impatience on her face.

"How did you decide?" Chen Tiansheng asked.

"It's not decided yet, I don't know either," Xie Zhiwei's voice returned to calm.

She looked in a certain direction, her voice filled with sorrow.

"They're probably having a final argument, but anyway, it's none of my business."

Suddenly, Xie Zhiwei looked at Chen Zhuo.

"I can go with you, right now. Let's climb over this wall, leave Qingshan County, and go anywhere."

Chen Tiansheng opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Of course he wanted to take her away.

He's been thinking about this every day for the past three months.

He wanted to take her away from this treacherous place, to a place where no one knew them.

But at the same time, he also knew that if he did that, Xie Zhiwei would never forgive herself for the rest of her life, and she would live with guilt.

She is the daughter of the Xie family.

The Xie family can use her as a bargaining chip, but she won't treat them as a burden. She can't abandon her family, just as he can't abandon her.

"I won't take you away now, because I know that if I do, you'll spend the rest of your life looking back at this wall."

I will stay and help you. Although I am an abandoned child who was kicked out, I have lived in Shengtianfu for eighteen years and know at least a few things and a few people.

I may not be able to turn things around, but I will definitely be by your side.

Xie Zhiwei lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, a kitten silently climbed onto the roof.

She looked at the two of them and said, "Come with me, and I'll keep you safe."

After saying that, he shook his head to signal to follow, then turned and left.

The two exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, and then followed.