Chengping Year 2, fourth month, fifth day, Start of Summer
Early this morning, a major piece of news spread throughout Cloud Sun City: the Old Ancestor of the Pan Family had passed away.
Jiang Liu was stunned when he first heard the news. After all, on New Year's Eve, he had still heard Lin Hai mention that the Pan Family's Old Ancestor was not doing well. He had never expected the old man to pass away just three months later.
At noon, Jiang Liu went to the Dining Hall. After hearing the apprentices discussing how they had seen the brothers Pan Duan and Pan Hou rushing home early that morning, he finally believed the news.
A Sixth-Rank expert had passed away just like that. Cloud Sun City would probably be thrown into chaos for a while. The Pan brothers should be too busy looking after themselves now, right? Jiang Liu thought darkly.
Jiang Liu could not imagine what a Sixth-Rank expert represented in Cloud Sun City. After all, how many Sixth-Rank experts were there in the entire city?
North District, the Pan Family residence. At that moment, the resplendently decorated estate was draped in white cloth inside and out. In the main hall, the Old Ancestor's body lay in the center. Several Entry Grade experts who cultivated the Frost Arts sat cross-legged beside it, occasionally striking the coffin with a stream of Frost True Qi to prevent the corpse from decaying. Farther outside, a crowd of women and children surrounded the hall, their wails rising in waves.
The atmosphere in the side hall was heavy. All seven second-generation children of the Pan Family's Old Ancestor—three sons and four daughters—were present. Pan Yunlong, the current head of the Pan Family, sat in the high-backed chair at the center. Pan Yunhu, Pan Yunyi, and Pan Zhu sat to his left, while Pan Yunbao, Pan Jin, and Pan Jiao sat to his right.
Under the Old Ancestor's painstaking cultivation, the seven second-generation siblings of the Pan Family had achieved fairly impressive martial strength. The eldest, Pan Yunlong, was Fifth Rank; the second, Pan Yunhu, was Fifth Rank; the third, Pan Yunbao, was Fourth Rank; the fourth, Pan Yunyi, was Fourth Rank; the fifth, Pan Zhu, was Third Rank; the sixth, Pan Jin, was Third Rank; and the seventh, Pan Jiao, was Fifth Rank.
"Big Brother, what did the Hu Family and Ma Family say?" the hot-tempered Pan Yunhu asked Pan Yunlong, who had remained silent.
"What could they say? During our previous cooperation, they saw that Old Master's health was deteriorating by the day and took advantage of us, making us suffer a small loss. Now that Old Master has passed away, they're bullying us even more," Pan Yunlong said helplessly.
In fact, the Pan Family's Old Ancestor had died three days earlier. They had kept it hidden to prevent their cooperation with the Hu Family and Ma Family from being affected and to allow them to wrap things up as quickly as possible.
Who could have guessed that the Hu Family and Ma Family would discover the old master's death? Left with no choice, the Pan Family had been forced to reveal it. Now, the Pan Family was on the back foot.
"Then, Big Brother, should we discuss this with the family elders and see what we should do?" Pan Yunbao suggested.
Hearing this, Pan Yunlong said disdainfully, "That bunch of old fools? They're eager enough whenever there's an advantage to be seized! As for counting on them to contribute? Don't even bother!"
"This concerns the Pan Family's future. We can't keep them in the dark, can we? I'm afraid the conflict will deepen later!" Pan Yunyi said worriedly.
After all, Big Brother had often fallen out with the various family elders over family affairs. With the old master suppressing them before, things had remained peaceful enough.
It was no wonder Pan Yunlong looked down on those family elders. Every one of them was over a hundred years old. In the past, when the Pan Family had fought for territory and profits, they had still been willing to risk everything. But after living comfortable lives for decades, they had long since lost their spirit and drive.
Pan Yunlong thought for a while before saying, "That's true. Third Brother, go notify all the family elders to gather in the council hall."
"Yes, Big Brother!" Pan Yunbao rose and replied.
The surviving family elders of the Pan Family were all the Old Ancestor's nephews and nieces by generation. They were only around forty or fifty years older than Pan Yunlong and the others, though even the oldest was more than sixty years their senior.
The Pan Family's Old Ancestor had married and had children only after realizing that he had no hope of advancing in martial arts. By then, he had already been in his eighties or nineties. Thus, his seven sons and daughters were the youngest among the Pan Family's second generation.
Once martial artists reached Entry Grade, their lifespans increased greatly. Most could live beyond a hundred and fifty years. The stronger they were, the longer they lived. After breaking through to Grandmaster, they could live for more than three hundred years. Thus, martial artists cultivated not only to live better in this world, but also for longevity.
At the Pan Family council hall, the family elders arrived one after another.
As the seven siblings led by Pan Yunlong filed in, the doors to the council hall closed.
"Family Head, did you summon us to discuss the Old Ancestor's funeral?" Once Pan Yunlong and his siblings had taken their seats, Pan Qi, the oldest family elder and a member of the second branch, asked.
The Pan Family currently had eight branches, with one family elder position for each branch. The position could be filled either through nomination or appointment, with each branch deciding for itself. The family elders had the right to speak and vote in the council of elders. Ordinary appointments of family managers and day-to-day affairs were not brought before the council.
Only matters concerning the family's survival, its long-term development, or the crucial cultivation of its descendants were discussed by the council of elders.
The Old Ancestor's funeral concerned the family's reputation and was certainly a major matter for the council. That was why Pan Qi had asked.
"Elder Qi, it isn't about that. It concerns our previous cooperation with the Hu Family and Ma Family to mine the Cloud Crystal Mine," Pan Yunlong said.
Pan Qi asked, "Wasn't the cooperation going smoothly? What happened?"
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