owlsbooks Chapter 50 Winner Takes All
Chapter 50 Winner Takes All
Naturally, no one answered him; the lights flickered, and wisps of smoke curled upwards.
The memorial tablets of past patriarchs stand quietly on the offering table, just as they have experienced every night in the past.
This wasn't the first time Shen Qing had pondered this question. Over the past fifty years, he had traversed every inch of Qingyun Mountain. What exactly was on this mountain that could make the Huang family wait for 130 years without giving up, and that could make a cultivator like Zhao Yuanlang, who came from a major sect, repeatedly test him?
Shen Qingwei sighed deeply and slowly stood up.
This land deed was his last trump card.
As long as this piece of paper exists, no one can rightfully drive the Qingyun Sect away from this mountain.
But can a piece of paper really stop the Huang family? Shen Qing held a pessimistic view on this.
Shen Qing folded the land deed again, tucked it into his bosom, and turned to leave the Ancestral Hall.
The night wind rushed towards me, carrying the chill of late autumn.
It was extremely quiet on Qingyun Mountain. The children in the schoolhouse had already gone to sleep, and only one light was still on in the direction of the lecture hall.
Zhong Xiu was flipping through a book under the lamp when she heard footsteps. She looked up, put down the book, and walked to the window. By then, the figure had already disappeared into the depths of the pine forest.
It was nearly midnight when I returned to the quiet room.
On the system panel, there are less than 15 minutes left in the countdown for the daily spiritual energy extraction.
Shen Qing sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
On his way back from the banquet, a bold idea gradually took shape in his mind, but it was not the right time to put it into practice.
The next day, everything on Qingyun Mountain was as usual.
Zhong Xiu arrived at the academy early in the morning, and after leading the children in reciting the Thousand Character Classic, she began teaching them to recognize characters.
Xu Ping was more silent than usual. He was not a talkative person to begin with, so his quietness was not noticeable to others. Fang Shourou, on the other hand, was still busy with her work and had a smile on her face.
Shen Qing still came to the academy after the morning class, sat in his usual chair, and listened to Sun Wenyuan leading the children in reciting.
Meanwhile, at the Huang family's residence, after the banquet welcoming Huang Yuanji had ended, the candlelight in the study remained burning.
The Huang family's welcoming banquet was held in a grand and respectable manner. After all the guests from the city had left, the mansion returned to silence. The servants quietly tidied up the tables, chairs, and bowls in the courtyard, with only the kitchen lights still on.
In the study, Huang Dehou sat to his father's left, having already recounted in detail every major event that had occurred in Qinghe County over the past three years.
For example, how Zhao Yuanlang sent people to investigate Mo Wentianxia's whereabouts, how he used the county magistrate's power to test Shen Qing's reaction, and his confrontation with Shen Qing at Zuixianlou were all described in detail.
Huang Yuanji listened quietly, and then suddenly said something.
"Fu Shan didn't die at the hands of the Shu Zhou sword cultivators, I killed him."
Huang Dehou looked up at his father and then slowly nodded.
He didn't ask for details, nor did he show any surprise.
In fact, on the day the news of Fushan's death reached Qinghe County, a thought flashed through his mind, but at that time he dared not think about it deeply.
"Fu Shan is quite skilled, but I'm not entirely confident in a direct confrontation."
Seeing Huang Dehou's reaction, Huang Yuanji was very satisfied. Although his son hadn't asked, Huang Yuanji wanted to tell him the story in detail.
"The Heavenly God Sect threw us miscellaneous cultivators into the vanguard camp, just to use us as cannon fodder to pave the way for the inner disciples."
"That day, the Left Battalion was ordered to attack a sword formation stronghold in Shu Prefecture. Fu Shan was assigned to the first wave of people to break the formation. Of the first wave of people who broke the formation, only one in ten survived. Most of them died in the counterattack of the sword formation."
After a pause, Huang Yuanji continued, "Fu Shan was lucky. Although he was seriously injured when he broke out of the sword formation, he survived. But he was also very unlucky, as he happened to pass through the right flank defense zone where I was stationed."
Huang Dehou had already understood everything.
"So, Father, you killed him."
Huang Yuanji did not answer. On the battlefield of Chuzhou, killing one's comrades is a major taboo, but on the battlefield, swords have no eyes, and who can tell the difference?
"I thought that if I killed Fushan, I would also die, so I used my military merits to exchange for a jade slip to send the message back, hoping that you would seize the opportunity to do something. But I didn't expect that the Heavenly God Sect didn't care where Fushan died or who killed him."
As Huang Yuanji finished speaking, he murmured, "Our lives are so insignificant in their eyes."
Huang Dehou wanted to comfort his father, but didn't know how to start.
"Dehou, you must remember, the Huang family has never gotten to where it is today because of luck. As long as Fushan lives, Qingyun Mountain will never fall into our hands."
"It's better for him to die by my hand than to die in the sword formation. If he dies by my hand, I can at least show some consideration for our comradeship and give him a quick death. If he dies in the sword formation, I'm afraid he won't even be able to keep his body intact."
Huang Dehou remained silent for a long time, carefully savoring the ruthlessness and clarity revealed in his father's words.
The head of the Huang family doesn't need to be morally fastidious; what he needs is someone who can make the right choices at crucial moments.
The Taoist priest of Mount Fu was going to die sooner or later. It was much better for him to die on the battlefield of Chuzhou than to die in a future direct conflict with the Huang family.
"My son understands," Huang Dehou said.
Huang Yuanji looked at his successor, and a hint of satisfaction finally appeared in his eyes.
He stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the large red lanterns in the courtyard that had already been extinguished. He then said, "This time I returned with the Foundation Establishment Pill bestowed by the Heavenly God Sect. Tomorrow morning I will take you to the ancestral hall to regulate your body and prepare you for Foundation Establishment. The future of the Huang family will ultimately be entrusted to you."
Huang Dehou's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. There was only one Foundation Establishment Pill, and he had originally thought that his father would leave it to the most talented person in the clan, but he never expected it to be him.
"Father," Huang Dehou stood up, "the Foundation Establishment Pill was obtained at the cost of your life. If this pill were replaced with one suitable for your cultivation..."
"I'm getting old."
Huang Yuanji interrupted him, his voice revealing a hint of weariness for the first time, "In the three years in Chuzhou, I've suffered injuries. My foundation is almost depleted, and forming a core is just a pipe dream."
"Now that you are in your prime and have a solid foundation, this Foundation Building Pill will be much more useful to you than to me."
When he turned around, his gaze had regained its previous sharpness. "If the Huang family truly wants to become a Golden Core family in the future, they are counting on you, not on this old man like me."
Huang Dehou's throat moved, but in the end he simply bowed deeply.
Huang Yuanji waved for him to sit down, remained silent for a moment, and then changed the subject: "Let's put the Foundation Establishment stage aside for now, I need to go out for a bit."
"Where is Father going?"
"I'm going to see someone. Today, the Huang family is hosting a banquet, and he hasn't come. He must be waiting for his father to come and find him."
Huang Dehou instantly understood who his father was referring to. Zhao Yuanlang's absence from the banquet might not be due to disrespect for Huang's family, but rather because he was waiting for his father to come to him personally.
Huang Yuanji lived for eighty years, so Zhao Yuanlang's thoughts naturally did not escape his notice.
"Dehou, Zhao Yuanlang is a man with a solid foundation and deep cunning, but in the end, he is still a member of the Heavenly God Sect."
"His vision and perspective are different from those of us cultivators from small, isolated families. He stayed in Qinghe as an official for stability and political achievements, not for making enemies or engaging in bloodshed."
"As long as we give him what he wants, he will not make things difficult for us."
Huang Yuanji paused and added, "It's true that our Huang family wants Qingyun Mountain, but there's no need to make enemies with Zhao Yuanlang. He's a disciple sent out by the Heavenly God Sect, and he has the largest sect in the entire Chu Prefecture backing him."
"If we openly break ties with him, even if we seize Qingyun Mountain, there will definitely be no peace afterwards. Therefore, this matter can only be discussed, not seized."
"My son understands."
Huang Yuanji looked at him with a satisfied expression in his eyes.
Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Qinghe County government office.
Zhao Yuanlang sat in the quiet room, with a game of chess in front of him. The black and white pieces on the board were intertwined, and the game had reached the middle stage.
He holds a white piece in his left hand and a black piece in his right, playing chess against himself. This has been his habit for many years. Whenever he is unsure about something, he spends time on the chessboard.
Some things, you just start to understand as you go along.