Han Family Strife, Marrying a Fair Bride!

Just when the two households were feuding and arguing incessantly, "Enough!" An aged voice overpowered all opinions. Only the Han Ancestor, a decrepit and fading old man, walked out slowly from the ancestral hall, and everywhere his gaze reached, everyone lowered their heads. From this it could be seen how high his prestige was. "It's just a low-quality precious pill, what on earth are you all getting so impatient about?!" "Do you see that the old man is old and can no longer suppress you, so you've begun to rebel? Or is it that the old man must personally take action and execute a few clansmen according to the law?" "The two households fighting each other is simply absurd!" The Han Ancestor walked over and personally took away the medicinal pill. Immediately in front of everyone, he swallowed it into his belly to refine it. "Very well, let this matter end here." "With the efficacy of this pill to replenish blood essence, the old man can hold on for at least another two years." "As for what Han Zhen did, it was at my instruction." "Disperse, all of you. Do not let others make a laughingstock of our Han family, disgrace our Han family's countenance, and lose our status." Hearing this, the crowd could naturally only let the matter drop. Since the old ancestor had spoken, what else could they say? Only this action ultimately wounded the affection between the two households. Especially the manager of the second household, Han Xuan, who was the most vexed and furious! His eldest legitimate son, Han Qing, was naturally intelligent and had been tested very early on to possess spiritual intelligence in his bodily essence, meaning that with gradual accumulation, he would surely become a Warrior in the future. Now, he had finally obtained this precious pill with great difficulty. Although its medicinal efficacy was inferior to an authentic one, he figured it would still suffice for Han Qing to break through his barrier. Yet precisely that brat Han Zhen would not allow it! His first-household lineage had already produced two Warrior seedlings, but right now they refused to leave a path of survival for his second household, insisting on oppressing his second household! What reason was this?! Could it be that the lineage could only be controlled by your first household, and it was never the second household's turn to be the master of the household? The more Han Xuan thought about it, the angrier he became, and hatred grew in his heart. His son's Dao Path was right before his eyes, yet it was cut short by this shameless scoundrel Han Zhen-how could he not hate, how could he not be angry! "No..." "My son is a natural dragon and phoenix; he must never stop here!" "Right, I'll go find Qin Lu. Since he was able to brew one cauldron of Wood Essence Pills, he can definitely brew a second. I must think of a way to win him over." "If my second household cannot stand on its own and achieve autonomy, we will only end up as lackeys of the first household." "Then this Han family..." Thinking of this, Han Xuan shuddered. Yet hardening his heart, he solidified his notion. He too bore the surname Han, and in this Han family, he might just as well replace them! Why shouldn't he sit in this position of head of the household! ... ... Although the Han family's strife had not spread outside, the situations of the other households were much the same. The larger the lineage, the more clansmen there were, and the harder it was for people's hearts to be of one mind. In the end, everyone harbored their own sinister intentions, distinctions of closeness and distance existed, and sordid affairs were incessant. Among them, the Wei Family's situation was not much different from the Han family's. Though pacified, it still kicked up quite a bit of a disturbance. The Qi and Yan families were the weakest, yet instead they were united as one, with brothers acting in friendship and respect toward each other, continuing to strictly guard their own acre and three parts of land, remaining peaceful nonetheless. As for the Zhao and Chu families- though there were disputes, the problems were not major. Having already allied through marriage with Qin Lu, their conflicts naturally dissolved. On the contrary, over marrying off their daughters, the various households and branches argued fiercely. After all, whichever family's daughter married over would be the mother of the household. A mother gaining honor through her daughter meant future wealth and freedom from worry for days to come! Those with discerning eyes all knew- was Qin Lu not a living, breathing golden turtle son-in-law? They rushed to their doorsteps to offer their daughters. Even unmarried maidens wanted to send themselves over to the estate to serve as concubines, which was still far better than cheapening some wild mountain boor! ... ... Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye winter had arrived. Muxuan Mountain grew increasingly complete as time flowed on. The triple-courtyard compound was also finished before the new year. Maids and servants hung up red lanterns early on, plastering red double-happiness symbols everywhere, evidently preparing for the grand wedding. Following that- the news of Qin Lu's marriage alliance with the Zhao and Chu families spread like a flood or ferocious beast. It was even proclaimed that a three-day banquet would be grandly held. All who came to the door to offer congratulatory wishes for the new marriage would be permitted to enter the banquet and partake, so as to add to the auspicious cheer! Ever since the news spread- the desolate streets became much livelier. The people in the town passed it from mouth to mouth, and it became the best topic of conversation after meals, with many village lasses feeling all the more envious of the bride being married off. They only resented their own families for being poor and destitute rather than some great influential clan. Otherwise they would have had to marry over together! Just thinking about that pomp and array-how imposing it was! How glorious it was! With such a marriage, this lifetime could be considered worthwhile. -- Inside the Qin Estate, Qin Lu had already moved in. Every day he either practiced his Cultivation Method in the study or delved into the art of alchemy in the Alchemy Chamber, and his cultivation base grew rapidly as well, having already grazed the edge of the Second Layer of the Martial Realm. This was largely thanks to the three remaining Wood Essence Pills from before. They had saved him a great deal of time. Yet without the enhancement of medicinal pills, his cultivation speed slowed down considerably, crawling like a tortoise, and he could only rely on the grinding effort of flowing water wearing away stone. Still, this naturally counted for nothing. After all, he had endured the past few years; now it was merely a bit slower. "With the wedding date approaching, this betrothal gift shouldn't look cheap either." "Just right, a few days ago Han Xuan sought me out, spending a good deal of silver to have people search for a twenty-year-old precious ginseng, begging me to refine pills for him." "Today I'll just resolve it all in passing." Qin Lu stood up and stretched his joints a little or two. His whole body's tendons and bones immediately emitted a rapid clatter like popping beans. Following that- Qin Lu manipulated his true qi to process the medicinal herbs. Having had previous experience, this alchemy session went exceedingly smoothly, and because he had true qi to assist, the medicinal herbs were processed even more appropriately. Taking only a few short days, Qin Lu had already refined pill embryos, and their color appeared even purer! The previous Wood Essence Pills had revealed an emerald green color, whereas this time they manifested a jade-like luster, appearing exceptionally translucent. When dawn arose on the second day- and misty purple qi came from the east, a thread of pure purple qi was likewise guided by true qi and merged into the pill embryos! Until the pills finally formed, tainted with a touch of purple charm. Even Qin Lu could not help sighing aloud in praise: "This is the true aspect of the Wood Essence Pill; what was refined previously was merely a semi-finished product. With this wisp of purple qi, it is truly a precious pill!" "Although there are only nine formed pills, this is the normal number of formed pills." "Nine is the extreme of numbers; it ought to be this way by rights." "If my cultivation base advances by another few layers, I daresay I could draw in even more purple qi until, ultimately, the pill's efficacy equals that of the Yang-Strengthening Pill." "A single pill can be sold for a hundred taels of silver, so this single cauldron's value can match a thousand taels!" From this one could imagine- the massive profits of the Yang-Strengthening Pills sold in the county were probably even greater than those of the Wood Essence Pills. At least the main ingredient of the Wood Essence Pill still required a precious ginseng of over twenty years of age, bringing the total cost to no less than sixty or seventy taels of fine silver. Amidst his delight, Qin Lu with a clear conscience embezzled four of them for himself, while handing the other three over into Han Xuan's hands. As for the final two, he sent one each to the Zhao and Chu families to serve as betrothal gifts. This dowry ranked as top-tier throughout the entire Bayi Town. Both face and substance were given to the fullest, and his sincerity was fully displayed.