The Sheng Family Ancestor

"I refuse to accept this! I simply refuse!"

Inside Caution Hall, a woman's wailing nearly tore the roof off.

"You insolent fool! The ancestor has already said no, yet you're still here howling like you're at a funeral? If you want to cry, get out and cry. Do not disturb the ancestor's peace!"

A deep male voice barked a stern rebuke.

The moment Sheng Changming entered Caution Hall's courtyard, he heard the two voices locked in a fierce quarrel.

He knew both voices extremely well and muttered inwardly, "Is the patriarch putting on another double act with Minglan for the ancestor?"

That was right. The two people arguing inside were none other than the Sheng Family's current patriarch, Sheng Changhong, and his beloved daughter, Sheng Minglan!

Sure enough, though the woman inside had been berated, she acted as if she had not heard a thing and continued wailing, "I grew up at the ancestor's feet. After suffering so many years of grievances, am I not even allowed to cry a little? While He Sheng was alive, how badly did he bully our Sheng Family? We were both Foundation Establishment families, yet he dared to seize Sister-in-law's younger sister by force and subject her to every kind of humiliation. Those arrogant brats of the He Family followed his example, always looking for chances to bully disciples of our Sheng Family and the Liu Family. Even when He Family disciples swaggered through the market, it was we law-abiding people who had to step aside for them. The ancestor says that strength reigns supreme in the cultivation world. Fine! He Sheng was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. My aptitude was inferior to his, so I buried myself in cultivation, thinking that one day I would surpass him and grind him beneath my feet. But now that He Sheng is dead, why is the ancestor still stopping everyone from marching to their door and venting the foul anger we've swallowed for over a decade?!"

Tsk, tsk...

Hearing this outside, Sheng Changming felt his head ache. What Sheng Minglan said was the truth. Over the years, everyone had indeed been bullied terribly by the He Family, and they had all been holding their breath in resentment.

But ordinary people—even if Sheng Changming himself was angry—could only swallow it down. He would never dare to cause a scene in Caution Hall.

Sheng Minglan, however, was different. She was not merely the patriarch's daughter; among the Sheng Family's younger generation over the past fifty years, her aptitude could be called second to none but one.

What was more, she had grown up beside the ancestor in Caution Hall. A place where ordinary Sheng Family disciples scarcely dared breathe was, to her, no different from her own little nest.

"The patriarch is truly blessed."

Sheng Changming felt considerable envy toward Sheng Changhong. The three most outstanding disciples of the Sheng Family's "Ming" generation had all been the fruits of Sheng Changhong's diligent labor.

The eldest, Sheng Mingyi, possessed only a mid-grade spirit root, but he was steady of temperament, capable and perceptive. Not only had he already become Sheng Changhong's right-hand man in clan affairs, but even the ancestor had appraised his cultivation with the words, "A great vessel matures late."

The sixth, Sheng Minglan, possessed high-grade spirit roots in three elements. Though her aptitude did not compare to He Sheng's, it could still be called the aptitude of a prodigy within the Silver Sand River region.

Her twin brother, Sheng Mingze, was the Sheng Family's foremost talent of the past fifty years!

Not only were his spirit roots of the highest grade, merely a hair's breadth away from earth spirit roots, but his aptitude even surpassed He Sheng's.

Moreover, he had been noticed early on by a False Core elder of the Core Formation sect, Cloud Marsh Sect, and taken in as that elder's final disciple before being brought back to Cloud Marsh Sect to cultivate.

Yet despite the Sheng Family's promising succession, they had still been bullied badly by the He Family over these years. The sister-in-law Sheng Minglan spoke of was Liu Yunxiu, Sheng Mingyi's Dao companion.

The Sheng Family and the Linked Moon Lake Liu Family had intermarried for centuries, so Sheng Mingyi's Dao companion was naturally of the Liu Family's direct bloodline.

Yet even with such an identity, Liu Yunxiu's younger sister, Liu Yunxi, had been seized by He Sheng and taken back as a bed-warming maid despite already being married with children.

It was a glaring slap, dealt squarely across the faces of both the Sheng Family and the Liu Family.

Thinking of this, Sheng Changming also felt that Sheng Minglan had a point. While He Sheng had been alive, everyone could only endure it—but now that He Sheng was dead, why shouldn't they march to the He Family's doorstep?

Sheng Changhong spoke again from inside the hall.

"The ancestor has the ancestor's considerations. Do you youngsters intend to turn the heavens upside down? How dare you spout such nonsense in Caution Hall!"

But Sheng Minglan yielded not an inch and immediately shot back, "The ancestor may have his considerations, but surely we juniors also have the right to voice our thoughts? I am not being unreasonable. With He Sheng gone, aren't the remaining families of Silver Sand River all looking to our Sheng Family as their leader? So long as the ancestor raises his arm and calls..."

Before Sheng Minglan could finish, an aged voice sounded from the rear hall. "Changming, you returned through the night. Have you come to report on the matter of the Celestial Sea Commerce Association?"

Sheng Changming jolted at the words and hurriedly replied:

"Indeed."

He was not surprised that the Patriarch had received word in advance. After all, a message-bearing flying sword was far faster than his own artifact flight back.

"Come inside and report in the front hall."

Sheng Changming then stepped into the hall. Under the gaze of Sheng Changhong and his daughter, he recounted everything he had learned toward the direction of the rear hall.

Sheng Changhong and his daughter had clearly only just learned of the Celestial Sea Commerce Association's affairs, and both were quite startled by the news.

"Changming, you have spent many years in the market district and have dealings with people from the Celestial Sea Commerce Association. What do you make of this?"

Me... I'm standing here watching.

Sheng Changming knew perfectly well that although he was the steward of Ten Thousand Spirits Studio, he was merely a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator. Both sides involved in today's matter were Foundation Establishment cultivators. This was so far beyond his reach that he could hardly have any insight to offer.

Still, he was a perceptive man. His gaze flicked over Sheng Changhong and his daughter, and he understood that the Patriarch intended to use him as a foil to speak indirectly with the two of them. Thus, he said:

"I beg the Patriarch for guidance."

Sure enough, the moment he finished speaking, the Patriarch's voice rang out once more:

"I have never met that Steward Wu, but for the Celestial Sea Commerce Association to send him to a small place like our Silver Sand River, he was presumably nothing more than a Rogue Cultivator with no background or backing.

"As for that Elder Xu, he has some pedigree.

"There is something you likely do not know. When Lin Wanrou first arrived at Silver Sand River to take charge of the Lower River Branch, she secretly invited the patriarchs of every family except He Sheng.

"That woman was skilled at scheming. She decisively seized upon the conflicts between the various families and the He Family, revealing that she had some intention of dealing with the He Family. In doing so, she gained the support of the families for a major undertaking.

"And to show that she possessed the strength to do it, she had Elder Xu spar with the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the various families during the gathering.

"It was not a one-on-one spar. Elder Xu faced the Foundation Establishment cultivators of our Sheng, Liu, Zhou, and Wen families all at once. Can you guess the result?"

Sheng Changming was nearly dumbfounded, his eyes bulging as he stood speechless.

Meanwhile, Sheng Changhong's brows drew tightly together.

Sheng Minglan, however, was quick-witted and immediately said:

"What you mean, Patriarch, is that Elder Xu cannot be judged by the standards of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator. His combat strength and methods may even be no weaker than He Sheng's. That is the confidence Manager Lin has in daring to move against He Sheng.

"And someone like that could not possibly have been killed by some obscure Steward Wu?"

"Whether Elder Xu could defeat He Sheng is another matter. But he has mastered at least one immortal cultivation technique from a higher sect. He is indeed not someone comparable to cultivators of the same realm from small places like ours.

"But if such a person was truly killed within the Celestial Sea Commerce Association, then who, exactly, was the one who struck?"

Before the words had faded, a figure slowly emerged from behind the hall.

The figure's steps were heavy, his body deeply hunched, as though he bore an invisible mountain upon his back.

The newcomer was the Sheng Family's Patriarch, Sheng Wancheng.

His beard and hair were entirely white, his face deeply furrowed. Every wrinkle seemed carved with hardship and exhaustion, and he looked as though his allotted years were nearly spent.

Yet whenever those half-lidded old eyes opened to a narrow slit, their light was razor-sharp. His vigor surpassed even that of an ordinary brawny man.

Sheng Wancheng walked before the seat of honor in the hall but did not sit. Instead, his eyes, as if capable of seeing through men's hearts, slowly swept across Sheng Changhong and his daughter.

"Patriarch!"

Sheng Changhong and Sheng Minglan promptly bowed in salute.

Sheng Wancheng waved a hand, signaling that they need not stand on ceremony. Then his gaze settled on Sheng Minglan, his tone carrying the helplessness of an elder and profound concern:

"The situation now is as treacherous and unpredictable as shifting clouds and twisting waves, and the Celestial Sea Commerce Association's infighting is far too strange.

"Whether this is true or false, it means these waters run deep—deep enough to swallow fools, madmen, and rash men!"

As he spoke, Sheng Wancheng's voice suddenly rose. His gaze flashed like lightning as it bore straight into Sheng Minglan, clearly aimed at someone in particular.

Sheng Minglan's heart trembled beneath the Patriarch's stare. Yet she had always been proud and arrogant. Even under his pressure, she merely pursed her lips and forced out a defense:

"But Patriarch, He Sheng..."

"Enough!"

Sheng Wancheng's stern shout cut her off.

Looking at this direct descendant who had trailed at his heels since childhood, he let out a long sigh. That sigh seemed to carry the weight of the entire Sheng Family:

"Minglan, you have always been intelligent, and your cultivation has been diligent enough. If your elder brother fails to achieve Foundation Establishment, the Sheng Family will most likely be placed in your hands in the future.

"You are good in every way, but there is one flaw that may yet plunge the family into a doom from which there is no return!"

Sheng Minglan felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her eyes instantly lost focus, and her lips parted as though she wanted to say something, yet she did not know where to begin.

She had never imagined that the Patriarch would entrust the family's future to her.

Sheng Wancheng paid no heed to her loss of composure and continued:

"Impatience!

"You are far too impatient!"

Take the matter at hand: if He Sheng truly died, could the He Family escape unscathed?

The protection of a Star-Backed Black Turtle alone was nowhere near enough to support the He Family remaining on Long Sun Mountain. There was a second-tier spirit vein there; it would soon have a new owner.

When that time came, we would simply beat the dog that had fallen into the water!

But have you considered this? In the current situation, if Elder Xu really was killed, who exactly did it?

And was He Sheng truly dead?"

As he spoke, Sheng Wancheng turned to look at Sheng Changhong, his tone turning severe:

"I know what you are thinking. You believe that Mingze has already reached Foundation Establishment in the Cloud Marsh Sect and risen greatly in status, so you think our Sheng Family now has someone to lean on.

Some of you even think that as long as Mingze invited one or two fellow disciples and promised them generous rewards, he could directly kill He Sheng!"

Sheng Changhong broke out in a cold sweat at the ancestor's words and could not help lowering his head. That truly had been his thinking.

"Utterly foolish!"

Sheng Wancheng scolded him bitterly, furious at his failure to live up to expectations:

"This is not how favors are used!

If they come and help you wipe out the He Family, what price should you pay?

Would you be willing to give them all the He Family's wealth?

If not, then how much do you intend to give?

And what if they are not satisfied?

Would you turn a favor into a grudge?

Favors are like water; they must be saved for moments of life and death, for great crises where death and clan destruction loom!

That is the way for a family to endure!"

Under Sheng Wancheng's harsh rebuke, Sheng Changhong did not even dare breathe loudly. The ancestor's accumulated authority over one or two hundred years was no laughing matter.

Sheng Minglan, however, had tears welling in her eyes. She stepped forward to support Sheng Wancheng's arm and said through a choked voice:

"Ancestor, please calm your anger. Minglan was the one who thought wrongly. In the future, I will certainly think thrice before acting. Please do not be angry anymore, Ancestor. Great anger harms the body."

At that, Sheng Wancheng truly felt like laughing from anger. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly.

That sigh instead eased the tension. Sheng Changhong hurriedly seized the chance, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and carefully asked:

"The situation is murky at present. Not only the juniors—even I, as the clan head, cannot get a grasp on it. I ask the Ancestor to guide us: how should we act now?"

Sheng Wancheng had long since made plans for this and said slowly:

"I already discussed matters in private with the Liu Family's ancestor. He has sent Liu Haichao to the Golden Cloud Sect to learn whether it was truly that False Core Supreme Elder of the Golden Cloud Sect who struck down He Sheng.

As for the market district, send more manpower to Changming. In the coming days, we must keep a close watch on the movements of the Celestial Sea Commerce Association and see what exactly is going on.

As for the rest, go find Li Xiuning. She is He Sheng's junior sister. The Star-Backed Black Turtle's water estate on Heaven Capital Mountain—its protective grand formation was laid by her father together with her before his death.

Have Li Xiuning go to Longevity Pool under the pretext of maintaining the formation and sound them out."

Li Xiuning was the orphaned daughter of the formation master Li Daoyun, and she was indeed He Sheng's junior sister.

Though Li Daoyun was known as a formation master and had even cultivated the path of formations to the mid-grade second tier before his death, he had ultimately only been a Qi Refinement cultivator. His hundred-year lifespan had run out, and he had passed away several years ago.

In her early years, his only daughter, Li Xiuning, had been married off at his arrangement to Sheng Changgong, Sheng Changhong's cousin.

Sheng Changhong did not dare delay. After repeatedly agreeing, he took Sheng Minglan away to make the arrangements.

Sheng Wancheng then gave Sheng Changming a few more instructions.

After everyone had withdrawn, only Sheng Wancheng remained in Caution Hall. Looking in the direction of Long Sun Mountain, he murmured:

"He Sheng, He Sheng... are you dead or not?"