Qingjiang County, Dongxi Village.
Countless carriages and horses flowed into this ordinary village like a ceaseless stream.
More than twenty Xu Family Guards, clad in standard black-and-red uniforms, directed the traffic to prevent congestion.
"Qingping County's Wang Family Patriarch arrives with his wife and son!"
"Qingping County's He Family Patriarch arrives with his son and daughter!"
"Qingping County's Cao Family's eldest young master arrives!"
"Yan Family Patriarch arrives with his wife and children!"
"Shen Family's eldest young master arrives!"
"Qingping County Magistrate Lord Wu arrives with his wife!"
"Qingping County Assistant Lord Yang arrives with his wife and children!"
"Qingping County's Captain Fang arrives!"
Among those announced with Qingping County before their names, the ones not from prominent Families were officials. The rest were wealthy merchants or respected figures within the county.
Chen Ergou's family and Chen Daming's family had also been invited.
Seeing the wealthy merchants, prominent Families, and distinguished nobles coming and going, Chen Daming was filled with emotion. He muttered, "Er Gou, Father truly had a discerning eye. If he hadn't looked after Xu Chuan since childhood, I fear the Chen Family would never have been able to squeeze into a place like this today."
"Big Brother, that's you. Brother Chuan and I have the kind of friendship we do. It'd be normal if he didn't invite you, but there's no way he'd leave me out."
Chen Ergou was immensely pleased with himself.
Xu Yan looked around, jealousy smoldering in her heart.
"We are all Xu Clan members, descended from the same ancestor. Why is Xu Chuan's branch so illustrious while ours declines by the day?"
The woman beside Chen Daming suddenly tugged lightly at his sleeve and whispered, "husband, do you think the Xu Family might resent us for asking them about Green Jade Pear cultivation methods a few years ago?"
She was Chen Daming's wife, Madam Lü.
"It should be fine. Otherwise, they wouldn't have invited us."
"Besides, we didn't gain a single advantage from it. We planted the Green Jade Pears for years without ever seeing fruit, and nearly dragged the family business down instead."
After saying that, the two fell silent.
The group continued walking.
Suddenly, a guard stopped them. "Everyone, this road has been sealed off by the Xu Family today. Only those with invitations may pass."
Chen Ergou cheerfully stepped forward and took an invitation from his robes. Then he turned to Chen Daming and said, "Big Brother, take out your family's invitation too. They need to inspect it."
The Xu Family Guard glanced at them, nodded, and returned the invitations. Making a gesture of invitation, he said, "The invitations are in order. Go straight this way. Where the crowd gathers is the Xu Family's location."
"I know this road."
As they drew closer to the Xu Family Mansion, the crowd grew like a rising tide. At last, they arrived before the mansion gates.
Before them lay a broad, open expanse, its ground neatly paved entirely with green stone slabs.
"Second nephew!"
Chen Ergou suddenly spotted Xu Mingyuan chatting with several wealthy merchants and immediately waved as he called out.
That shout drew quite a few gazes.
"Looks like he's calling Second Young Master Xu. Could he be from a branch of the Xu Family too?"
Someone secretly wondered whether they should go over and exchange greetings.
Xu Mingyuan was now close to becoming a Second-rate Martial Artist. With keen ears and sharp eyes, he naturally heard that familiar shout.
Turning back, he immediately smiled and walked over.
"Uncle Ergou, Uncle Daming, Daniu, Fangfang, you're here."
"Where's my Brother Chuan?"
Xu Mingyuan smiled bitterly. "Uncle Ergou, there are too many guests today, and this is an important day for the Xu Family to establish our clan. The occasion is solemn and dignified. You should mind yourself a little and not speak so frivolously or casually."
"I understand, Second Young Master Xu. Then may I ask where the Xu Family Head is?"
"Father is inside speaking with several Family Patriarchs, as well as Magistrate Wu, County Assistant Yang, and Captain Fang. The clan-establishment ceremony begins at noon. If there are people you know, you may chat with them first. You can also enter the mansion and visit Grandpa."
"He'll be presiding over this ceremony."
"My father?!"
Chen Daming and Chen Ergou both cried out in shock. They exchanged glances, unable to believe it.
"Then let's go see my father first."
Both men said the same thing.
After all, there truly were not many people present whom they knew.
Noon.
Outside the Xu Family gates.
The altar table for offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth had already been arranged. Upon it were the Three Sacrifices of ox, pig, and sheep, Everlasting Candles, and various pastries.
Seven cushions had been placed behind it.
They were arranged in two rows.
Two at the front, with five lined up behind them.
Xu Chuan's family, along with the magistrate, county assistant, county lieutenant, and several Family Patriarchs, emerged from the gates.
Uncle Chen stood beside the altar table.
His beard and hair were gray-white, and his weathered face bore the marks of time. He was already sixty.
Among the people of Dongxi Village, he was considered long-lived.
He was also the Xu Family's closest elder, so Xu Chuan had invited him to preside over the ceremony this time.
"Xu Clan descendants, step forward."
"Light the incense!"
Seven Household Guards stepped forward to light the Long Incense in Xu Chuan and the others' hands, then withdrew.
Uncle Chen swept his gaze across them, his expression solemn and grave. Reading from the silk cloth in his hand, he said, "Here is the Xu Clan, offering sacrifice to Heaven and Earth: In the year Yisi, under the pitch-pipe Ruidbin. Heaven pure and Earth tranquil, the dual forces cast down their signs; clouds move and rain falls, and all things take form. Vast and radiant, nurturing us common people; may the spirits descend with blessings and grant us boundless favor. In accordance with ancient rites, we solemnly pray for your enjoyment."
After finishing, he tossed the silk cloth into a Bronze Cauldron and burned it.
"Kneel!"
"First bow! Second bow! Third bow!"
"Kneel again!"
After three kneelings and nine bows, Xu Chuan led the others in planting the incense.
They then proceeded before the Xu Clan Ancestral Hall.
Before opening the Ancestral Hall, they likewise needed to recite a prayer to comfort their forefathers and honor their achievements.
"Here is the Xu Clan, establishing a clan and building an ancestral hall, to honor ancestral virtue and order the generations. Today, we have selected this auspicious land in Qingjiang, with green mountains at its back and living waters before it. The dragon veins stretch unbroken, and the sight is majestic. The ancestral hall has three courtyards: a Ceremonial Gate at the front, a Hall of Worship in the middle, spirit tablets enshrined at the rear, and Side Rooms on both sides to store the Genealogy Records."
"With this ancestral hall completed, it is not merely a place for spirits to dwell, but the foundation for fostering kinship, uniting the clan, and educating descendants. All descendants of later generations who enter these gates must remember that founding an enterprise is hard, preserving it no easier. They must conduct themselves carefully, live frugally, and bring glory to the family name."
Once the prayer had been recited and the silk cloth burned, Uncle Chen gave a great shout. "Open the Ancestral Hall and welcome the ancestors' tablets!"
One household guard after another, their faces solemn, carried the tablets into the Xu Clan Ancestral Hall and placed them properly.
Counting from his grandfather's generation, Xu Chuan was the Third Generation, while Xu Mingwei and the others were the fourth generation.
Yet in everyone else's eyes, Xu Chuan was the true founder of the Xu Family.
For several generations before him, the Xu Family had been ordinary common folk, barely able to keep themselves alive. Xu Chuan's father had even been a long-term laborer for the Xu Family.
"I heard the Xu Family has five sons, every one of them exceptionally gifted, but the Xu Family Patriarch himself is not well known."
"I heard that too. The Xu Family rose to prominence only a little over a decade ago, and when the Xu Family Patriarch was young, he was a long-term laborer for the Xu Family in Dongxi Village."
"Two generations of the Xu Family have produced outstanding talents. No wonder they possess such flourishing fortunes!"
As everyone watched the Xu Family kneeling before the Xu Clan ancestors' tablets, envy filled their faces.
The Xu Family's five sons were all outstanding.
Their fame had spread not only throughout Qingjiang County, but even to several neighboring counties.
The eldest son, Xu Mingwei, needed no introduction. Three years ago, he had already been regarded as a First-class Martial Artist. Not yet twenty, he had reached the Houtian Peak and was publicly acknowledged to possess the bearing of a Grandmaster.
The second son, Xu Mingyuan, made friends in all directions and gathered wealth from every corner.
The Xu Family's prosperity today was forty percent due to him.
He was truly a business prodigy. In only a few short years, he had multiplied the Xu Family's wealth dozens, even hundreds of times over.
The third son, Xu Mingxuan, trained at the Tianlong Martial Arts Hall and had likewise reached the realm of a Third-rate Martial Artist. He enjoyed the reputation of a genius martial artist in Qingjiang County.
The fourth daughter, Xu Mingshu, was extraordinarily gifted. Rumor had it that she could communicate with beasts and command an Exotic White Tiger. Her fame was equally resounding, and many prominent Families hoped to seek her hand in marriage.
The fifth son, Xu Mingxian, did not stand out in outsiders' eyes, but many speculated that he was actually the most gifted member of the Xu Family.
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