"Father, Uncle."
In an old courtyard house in Liuzhou, the entire Liu Family family, young and old, including many of the previously dejected young men, were waiting for the return of the person in question.
Liu Xie was also very excited at this moment. He was overjoyed and needed to share his great surprise with the person who most longed for his recognition.
"Okay, okay!"
Before he could say anything, the middle-aged man sitting in the hall couldn't help but stand up and help the child who had been kicked out.
Well done, well done.
"Father." Liu Xie also welled up with tears, but he couldn't utter a single word of what he had prepared.
"Okay, I know, I know." Looking at the excited child, the middle-aged man didn't scold him for lacking manliness or crying at the drop of a hat this time. At this moment, crying tears of joy is something that anyone would do.
"Ahem," the eldest uncle, the head of the family, coughed lightly, and said happily, "This time, Liu Xie has brought glory to the Liu Family. You must not slack off. Look closely, what we have been taught has not been in vain, and what we have studied for many years has not been useless. As long as you work diligently, there are opportunities everywhere in Jiangnan today, and you will eventually have your day!"
The group of young people, who had long since given up, blushed with shame and bowed, saying, "Uncle is right, we were mistaken."
A group of elders nodded in satisfaction. Most of them were well-read, but it was clear that they were out of touch with the times in Jiangnan today. But the children still had a chance. Liu Xie had set a good example. Even if they didn't have outstanding talent in science and engineering, they could still make a name for themselves through another path, just like Liu Xie.
Of course, the key is what happens next.
"Child, which Underworld are you serving in now?" the uncle beside him couldn't help but ask.
"It's from Luming County," Liu Xie quickly replied. "Since all my achievements are in Luming County Luming County, after today's publicity, my reputation there will be excellent. Wei Gongcheng has given me ten days to handle family matters. In ten days, I will take up my post as the Luming County's City God."
"Is that so?" The uncles exchanged glances, seemingly hesitant to speak. Liu Xie, observing their expressions, quickly grasped their thoughts and said, "Lord Wei said that the Lord of the Underworld can recruit five civil and military judges and several clerks for the six departments of the Underworld, with the same setup as a county town, to handle government affairs. You uncles have all studied classics on governance and will surely be able to help your nephew manage the Underworld well."
Upon hearing this, the elders of the Wei Household blushed with excitement. The eldest uncle, who was in charge, said, "It's not that we don't want to help our nephew, but going to serve in the Underworld requires... abandoning one's physical body in the mortal world."
"No need," Liu Xie quickly replied. "When taking office, the physical body can be settled at home, and the spirit can go to the Underworld to take up the post. Serving in the Underworld allows one to accumulate merit in advance, Underworld Lifespan, and prepare for a sufficiently good reincarnation in the next life."
As each condition was stated, the group of elders beamed with even greater joy.
At their age, they wouldn't normally expect anything, but the system of the Underworld has given them the determination to strive for better things.
Reincarnation is something that individuals have the least control over, but it is said that whoever has more Power of Merit and Virtue will have better luck in their next life and a better foundation for the next life. Since they have already reached the end of this life, they are naturally excited about having an opportunity to accumulate merit for the next life!
"In that case, we will set off with you tomorrow and first go to Luming County to settle in and learn about the government affairs."
"Thank you, uncles."
"You child, you're clearly working for our benefit, why be so humble?" Liu Xie's father finally spoke up.
Upon hearing this, the other uncles quickly laughed and said, "It's all thanks to Wenlong's successful child; otherwise, we old men would have truly wasted our lives."
Upon hearing this, Liu Wenlong's expression softened somewhat.
The younger generation couldn't get a word in edgewise and became somewhat anxious.
Seemingly noticing his cousins' expressions, Liu Xie spoke up, "For the younger cousins, I suggest they stay in Liuzhou to pursue their studies. The teachers in Liuzhou are far better than those in Luming County. If you cousins can seize the opportunity to study, do your best. If you can become a respected sorcerer, that would be ideal. If not, you can study at the newly established political and legal academy, which will allow you to leverage our family's previous hard work in studying the classics and law. If you become officials in the future, you might even have the opportunity to become a local Underworld, bringing blessings to three generations."
Upon hearing this, the group of young cousins exchanged glances, hesitant for a moment. They did want to follow Liu Xie back to Luming County to take up their posts. It was said that clerks in the Underworld could earn one or two hundred years of Underworld Lifespan in the Underworld, and their status was extremely high. Several old scholars in Liuzhou did this job and were highly respected both inside and outside the court.
But as the other party said, they were still young, and if they went to serve in the Underworld like this, their lives would be almost over.
Seeing everyone's silence, Liu Wenlong spoke up, "Alright, we won't make decisions for you now. The path you choose from is entirely up to you. If you want to continue striving in Liuzhou, your families will fully support you; all your family's assets in Liuzhou will be sold to fund your studies. If you want to follow Liu Xie back to Luming County to serve in the Underworld, that's also up to you. We'll be setting off tomorrow, so you have one incense stick's time to consider."
The younger generation looked at each other, their breathing quickened, and for a moment, a look of struggle appeared on their faces.
Liu Wenlong then looked at Liu Xie's uncle. "Brother, will the daughters of each family go to Luming County or stay in Liuzhou?"
"Let's take it with us," the eldest uncle said. "Our Liu Family has declined; even if we stay in Liuzhou, we won't be able to form good in-law relationships."
Upon hearing this, Liu Wenlong lowered his head. The newly wealthy in Liuzhou now consist of the families of the Fighter Army and the families of the sorcerers in the academy. Neither of them would look down on the Liu Family. Liu Xie is the City God in Luming County, Fighter Army there should still be willing to form a marriage alliance with the Liu Family family. After all, the Fighter Army have excellent benefits after death, but if they have the support of the City God ' in-laws, it will be even more helpful.
As for why they prefer to marry their daughters into the Fighter Army, it's due to the current situation. The Fighter Army offers extremely high benefits to their relatives. Even if they die in battle, their daughters can receive preferential treatment for life. This is much more practical than traditional scholarly families. As for the fact that there are too few sorcerer families, they don't even dream of it.
After thinking it over, they went back to their rooms and informed their families. When the family gathered again for dinner, the younger generation had all made their decisions.
Most chose to stay, a situation that satisfied Liu Wenlong and Liu Family uncle. They believed young people should have youthful pride; how could someone so young think of settling down in a small town?
If Liu Xie could do it, why can't I?
Of course, they hope to have more outstanding children in their family.
But what the family couldn't see was that outside their house, four or five spirits were already standing, watching them and pondering something.
The Anti-Spirit Festival lasts only one day. On the second day at Chen Shi (7-9 AM), all spirits must return to the Underworld and are not allowed to escape on their own, otherwise they will be severely punished.
For some who have just arrived in this world, this day is the time they choose.
Yes, Chen Qing gave everyone the right to choose their birth family. Of course, families like the Shen Family, which are deeply tied to their own power, cannot be chosen. They can only choose one from relatively good family environments, and the conditions vary.
Choosing a family with good conditions will result in less Power of Merit and Virtue from Chen Qing, meaning that future fortune and innate qualities will be correspondingly diminished.
If one chooses a less fortunate family background, Chen Qing will bestow more Power of Merit and Virtue upon them, allowing them to have better aptitude and luck after birth. The choice was made open from the beginning, causing many newcomers from the Federation to spend the entire night running around making their selections.
Among them, the most conflicted were the players from the Western faction.
Because once they are reincarnated, their proud white skin and self-proclaimed noble Western bloodline will be gone, and they can only become a yellow-skinned person with Central Plains appearance.
This is something many people find unbearable.
Faced with this group's dilemma, Chen Qing gave them two choices!