[The Chen Clan was one of Mount Fangcun's three great families. Its ancestor and Zhou Tai had both once been Mount Fangcun disciples who returned to secular life, sharing the same sect and origin.]
[In recent years, the Chen Clan's influence had steadily flourished, no longer inferior to the Zhou Family's. Last year, two Chen Clan descendants had even been selected to cultivate at Mount Fangcun, making the Chen Clan's prestige soar higher still, unrivaled for a time.]
[The Song Family had always been on good terms with the Zhou Family; your mother had come from the Song Family. Yet now, the Song Family had close dealings with the Chen Clan. The implications were thought-provoking.]
[You returned to the Zhou Family as scheduled. Your grandfather had long been waiting in the hall, knowing that you always kept your word and that you would indeed return on time today.]
[From your grandfather, you learned that today happened to be Mount Fangcun's triennial disciple-recruitment ceremony. By custom, Mount Fangcun would send disciples to various places to test the depth of one's cultivation. Any with outstanding aptitude could enter the mountain to cultivate.]
[Yet this year differed from previous years. Whenever Mount Fangcun disciples came to Clear River Commandery in the past, they would take turns staying with the three great families.]
[Whether scions of prominent families or commoners of the commandery, all could go and have their aptitude tested.]
[Unexpectedly, the people from Mount Fangcun had remained at the Chen Clan all this time and had yet to visit the Zhou Family.]
[Your grandfather, Zhou Tai, had personally gone to the Chen Clan twice to extend invitations, yet both times he had failed to persuade them to come.]
[Your father frowned. "It seems that woman of the Chen Clan truly became the