Independent Era

Time passed in a flash, like a white colt racing past a crack.

Twenty years slipped quietly by.

Under the trans-era ideas and concepts brought by Clan Chief Yang Yu, the Yang Clan developed rapidly. It had now grown into something resembling a small village, with more than 230 clan members.

The warriors from the previous Hunting Team had already returned to the yellow earth, but their spirit had been completely inherited by the next generation. Over these twenty years, many geniuses had also emerged within the clan, contributing to its development.

Yan had also completed his great feat of tasting every herb.

Summer.

Beneath the banyan tree.

Yang Yu's face remained unchanged as he gently pushed Lin Er on the swing. Her face was aged, though traces of her youthful beauty could still be seen.

"Yu, I feel as though my whole life has been a dream."

"I never imagined that the clan would develop so well under your leadership."

Happiness filled Lin Er's cloudy eyes as she watched the children playing and laughing. A smile hung on her face as she spoke softly.

"The future will be even better." Yang Yu gently stroked her graying hair, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Sit."

Lin Er gently patted the swing beside her. Looking at her husband, whose face remained unchanged and whose bodily functions were all still at their peak, she said, "Yu, when I sit with you, it feels as though a child is accompanying Mother through the short time that remains."

"You dead girl, what are you saying?"

Yang Yu sat beside her, a sense of sorrow filling his heart.

He had witnessed so many people die. Was his wife next?

"Yu, the clan is now under tremendous pressure."

"It is time to abolish the clan-wide family system."

Lin Er gazed tenderly at her husband and said, "I suggested this to you before. The family system and the clan system should be separated. Whether it is eating or drinking, everything should be handled separately."

"I know. I've already been making adjustments and changes as quickly as possible."

Yang Yu nodded.

Over these twenty years, it was not as though he had made no adjustments.

He had even advanced from the Age of Copper Ware into the Bronze Ware Era.

It had arrived countless years earlier than the historical Bronze Ware Era.

After he finished speaking.

He felt Lin Er rest her head against his shoulder. He did not disturb her, quietly watching the children playing and laughing in the sunlight ahead, a trace of a smile in his eyes.

A moment later, he turned to look at the Lin Er beside him, who was only in her forties, only to discover that she had long since stopped breathing. She was simply leaning against his shoulder.

"Lin... Lin Er?"

He gently pushed his wife beside him, but she did not react at all. An indescribable emotion rose within him.

It was the pain of losing a loved one.

In her forties, she was considered elderly not only in this era, but even in the era of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties.

Needless to say, this was the era of the Primitive Tribe.

He handled matters outside, while Lin Er managed everything within.

It was easy to imagine what immense responsibilities the two of them had shouldered.

Three days later.

After burying Lin Er, Yang Yu summoned every member of the clan and held the first Tribal Council.

"Chief, please accept my condolences."

Yan was about to enter middle age, yet his appearance made him look as though he were about to be buried. Looking at the somewhat haggard clan chief, he spoke softly.

"It's nothing." Yang Yu waved his hand slightly and said, "You should pay more attention to your health. Look at your age—you're only around thirty, yet you look like an old man on the verge of returning to the earth."

"Hahaha, I'm used to it."

Yan laughed heartily.

He had already contributed his value to the clan and found many kinds of medicinal herbs, solving numerous illnesses.

That was the value of his existence.

"C-Chief, why have you summoned us? Is something the matter?" Lie, once arrogant beyond compare, had long since been worn down by life. He looked old and feeble, leaning on a section of walking stick, worry spread across his kindly face.

"From this point onward, we will discuss the development of our clan."

"The clan's development has now reached a bottleneck."

"The clan era is no longer suitable for us."

Yang Yu looked at the many clan members present and said, "From today onward, the clan members will no longer eat and drink together. Each family will cook for itself."

"Chief, would that really be appropriate?"

"Could it affect the unity of the clan?"

Yan immediately voiced his objection. He was now one of the clan's elders, and his influence within the clan was considerable.

The chief's proposed plan was simply too inappropriate.

The people below began discussing it animatedly, whispering among themselves.

None of them understood why the chief wanted to do this.

"This is an inevitable stage in the development of human civilization."

"Suppose the clan's population increases a hundredfold or a thousandfold in the future. Will we still eat and drink together?"

Yang Yu asked.

At once, Yan, Lie, and the others selectively fell silent.

"As for your concern that this will affect the clan's unity..."

"Have you forgotten which clan you came from?"

Yang Yu looked at all the clan members present and asked.

"The Yang Clan."

Everyone answered in unison.

"Good, good!" Yang Yu nodded in satisfaction. His gaze fell on Yan, Lie, and the others as he said, "We are all members of the Yang Clan. We can have grudges, we can have conflicts, and even if things develop to the point where we never speak to one another again, that is fine."

"But remember this: if an outside enemy invades, or even if an outsider comes to bully you, then unite and fight the external enemy together."

"Why?"

"Because the same blood flows through your veins. You all come from the Yang Clan."

"That is my requirement of you."

"Suppose Yan and I had a life-and-death grudge and did not even want to see each other. But one day, when an enemy from outside the clan came to bully me, Yan, would you help me?"

"I would."

Yan nodded firmly.

This was beyond dispute.

Outsiders were not permitted to bully members of their own group.

If someone bullied one of their clan members, they would not mind setting aside all grudges and dealing with the external enemy first.

"Good. Very good."

Yang Yu nodded and said, "The beginnings of a family have existed in our clan for twenty or thirty years already. Now it is time for a change."

"Furthermore, your homes should also be expanded."

"From today onward, clan members may build stoves and livestock sheds at home, dig latrines, cultivate fields, and plant crops."

"If you have no livestock, you may obtain one male and one female from the clan. When they breed offspring next year, you need only return two of the young animals to the clan..."

"Additionally, each year you must pay the clan thirty percent of your annual income."

"Also, the Hunting Team may be disbanded, but you must organize warriors to protect our homeland and guard our homes."

"The clan school will continue to remain open to your descendants..."

"The warriors who defend our homeland need food and drink, and the scholars who teach your descendants need to survive. That is why the clan requires you to pay thirty percent of your annual income."

"Have you understood?"

Yang Yu explained the clan's plans to everyone present.

After all, ninety-five percent of the clan had received basic education since childhood.

"We understand."