<h4>Chapter 13: The Unity of the n</h4>
The ancestral mansion of the Wu n''s Li City branch was encased within high walls and featured a grand courtyard. It was located in close proximity to the Wu family’s street, and was the usual ce where the Wu nsmen paid homage to their ancestors, convened, and feasted. It was also the residence of the chieftain, Wu Qiming.
"Let us dismount," said Wu Qiming, who was the first to alight the carriage. As Wu Yuan helped Wanqin down from the vehicle, his gaze swept across the mansion. It was not as grand as the general''s manor, but still impressive.
In Wu Yuan''s memory, since his father died in battle, he and his mother would only visit during the New Year and the three major festivals.
The three major festivals were the Sect Establishment Festival, the n Establishment Festival, and the Martial King Festival. All of them were huge festivalsmemorating the sacrifices of their predecessors.
For the people living in the seven continents of the Central ins, the Martial King Festival was universally celebrated in memory of the mythical progenitor of humanity, the Martial King. However, the same could not be said for the other two festivals. For those under the rule of the Cloudstride Sect, the Sect Establishment Festival was naturally observed simultaneously.
"The chieftain has returned," the mansion''s steward greeted, revealing a smile as the two figures following closely behind came into view, "Young Master Yuan and Sister-inw."
"Uncle Fang is too polite," Wu Yuan returned the smile.
The steward was surnamed Fang, and he was someone Wu Qiming trusted greatly. Based on Wu Yuan''s memory, Steward Fang treated most Wu nsmen with a cold and distant demeanor. It appeared that the results of the major tournament had already spread among the nsmen. Fourth ce, although not the most striking, was still a dazzling result.
"Old Fang, prepare some wine. I will dine with Wu Yuanter," instructed Wu Qiming, "Additionally, without my permission, no one shall enter the study."
"Understood," replied Steward Fang promptly.
Wu Yuan and his mother followed Wu Qiming into the study on one side of the courtyard. It was a tranquil ce, where a plethora of books stood in elegant arrangement. It was far superior to Wu Yuan''s house. They each took a seat.
"Wu Yuan, I''ve already said whatever needed to be said on the way here."
"The Qing family may not be considered powerful, but they wish to betroth their patriarch''s legitimate daughter to you. I have met thedy before, she is literate and courteous, and aspires to take the imperial examinations. She will no doubt be a capable pir of support," said Wu Qiming straightforwardly.
"As for the Luo family, the prospective bride is also a legitimate daughter of the patriarch''s sixth wife. She appears less well-bred than the daughter of the Qing family, but the Luo family is a wealthy n and they''re willing to provide arge sum of silver to aid your cultivation. If I remember correctly, Luo He, the son of the Luo patriarch, is your fellow ssmate and friend."
"As for the remaining few families, I deemed them not quite suitable for you, so I politely rejected them on your behalf." Wu Qiming nced at Wu Yuan, "Your mother believes that the Qing family is a more fitting match."
"Mother, you wish for me to marry too?" Wu Yuan scrunched up his face.
"It''s just the engagement. You still have a few years to go before the marriage." Wanqin said with satisfaction, "That legitimate daughter of the Qing family, I''ve seen her from a distance a few times..."
"Mother!" Wu Yuan grimaced, "I have no intentions of getting engaged at this moment, nor have any thoughts of marrying in the near future."
"Chieftain, for the Qing and Luo families, I would appreciate it if you could reject them on my behalf. The reason being that I am devoted to martial arts and have no interest in romantic entanglements for the time being." Wu Yuan said solemnly.
Before Chieftain Wu Qiming could utter a word, Wanqin blew her top. "Yuan''er, you have always been resolute and decisive in your actions, and I have always respected your decisions." Wanqin looked at her son, incensed, "You have made great achievements in martial arts, and I am proud of you, but you must take marriage seriously! If you don''t get married and have children, how will I face your father in the future?"
Wu Qiming chuckled. Wu Yuan felt a headacheing on.
In his previous life, during the interster era, there was hardly any parental pressure to get married. In fact, a significant part of the human poption was raised via ‘socialized parenting''. Unfortunately, he was now in the Middle Land, which shared manymon aspects with the ancient dynasties of the Blue. In both societies, bloodlines were considered sacred. Naturally, Wu Yuan wouldn''t me his mother. Each society had its own customs and conventions.
Wu Yuan exined patiently, "Mother, your son is not unwilling to marry, but I just turned fourteen and it''s the prime age for martial arts training, I don''t want to be distracted."
"When I reach my twenties, and have achieved great things in martial arts, I will consider marriage. By then, I will be able to choose an even more suitable wife." Wu Yuan stated solemnly.
"In your twenties?" Wanqin hesitated.
"Sister-inw, it''s perfectly normal for truly powerful martial artists to marry in their twenties or thirties." Wu Qimingughed, "That''s also the reason I didn''t bother convincing Wu Yuan."
"Fine then." Wanqin trusted Wu Qiming wholeheartedly. Nheless, she eyed Wu Yuan sternly, "You are no longer allowed to bring up the topic of forgoing marriage."
"Yes Mother, I will bear it in mind," responded Wu Yuan, nodding his head.
"Wu Yuan, I am not knowledgeable about important matters, but the chieftain is. Consult with him often. I will head to the backyard to meet your aunt, you and the chieftain can carry on." With that, Wanqin rose, gave a slight bow to Wu Qiming, and exited the study. The aunt she referred to was naturally Wu Qiming''s wife.
"Wu Yuan, you have a good mother. You must not fail her expectations," said Wu Qiming with a sigh.
"Indeed," Wu Yuan nodded slightly.
Even with limited knowledge, Wanqin was no fool. She had guessed that Wu Qiming wasn''t looking for Wu Yuan simply for a discussion about his marriage. If it was just for that, they wouldn''t havee to the Wu n''s ancestral mansion. The reason they held their discussion here was to prevent eavesdropping.
Whatever they were discussing, it was no doubt an important matter. Therefore after the marriage issue was concluded, Wanqin tactfully left the room. She trusted her son''s judgment and believed the Chieftain would not shortchange Wu Yuan.
"Are you really not considering marriage?" Wu Qiming asked as he poured himself some tea. "You are a sensible person, you should understand the advantages of an engagement."
"Our Wu n is rtively weak after all. It won''t be possible for us to invest arge amount of resources in you. Bing the son-inw of the Luo or Qing n is equivalent to gaining the support of arge n. Your martial arts cultivation path will be much smoother." Wu Qiming looked at Wu Yuan.
"I''m not considering it," Wu Yuan shook his head.
Chieftain Wu Qiming was right. If Wu Yuan was just an ordinary disciple of the martial academy, marrying into arge n would be his best choice. Financial support was immensely important for martial arts cultivation, and theserge ns needed the support of strong martial artists to maintain their prestige. This was a win-win situation.
s, Wu Yuan didn''t have high requirements when it came to wealth. Or rather, the wealth that the Qing or Luo families could offer, was pitifully insignificant in terms of the aid it could provide Wu Yuan.
Moreover, it was Wu Yuan''s belief that his wife should be someone whom he shared deep mutual affection with. How could he make his choice so casually?
"Chieftain, whether it''s the Qing family or the Luo family, they are not simple people. Whoever bes their son-inw will be expected to repay them tenfold," Wu Yuan calmly said, "The help they''re giving me now will be my burden in the future."
"When you grow powerful and be a high-ranking member of the sect, ruling over a county or even a province, it''s up to you whether to repay them or not," Wu Qiming said.
There was an implicit meaning to his words, and Wu Yuan was fully aware of what he meant: Take what you can for now and discard it after it''s no longer useful. A little favor would suffice as repayment. After all, would they dare defy him?
"Where a favor is received, return it like a gushing spring; when there is enmity, repay it tenfold," Wu Yuan said with a firm voice, "Chieftain, this is the essence of my martial path. I, Wu Yuan, act with honesty, and will not betray my heart."
Wu Qiming''s eyes lit up. The essence of his martial path? He vaguely began to understand why Wu Yuan was able to improve so quickly.
"Alright, since you''ve made up your mind, I won''t persuade you anymore," Wu Qiming said, "What are your thoughts on Xu Yuanhan?"
Wu Yuan instantly understood that this was probably what Wu Qiming really wanted to ask. This matter had to be kept secret; Wu Qiming couldn''t discuss it with other members of the n.
"Xu Yuanhan''s skills wereckingpared to his opponent, and he lost in a fair fight. What''s there to discuss?" Wu Yuan shook his head, "We have already fulfilled our promise; otherwise, neither Xu Yuanhan nor Liu Ruyan would be my match."
"Hmm," Wu Qiming said with some regret, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn''t have agreed to the Xu Family''s request. In the end, dying your admission into Cloud Martial Hall only served to benefit Liu Ruyan."
"Who can predict the future? That was our best choice at the time," Wu Yuan said with a tone of eptance.
Wu Qiming sighed, "I understand, but with this unexpected turn of events, I wonder if the Xu family will harbor resentment towards us."
"The Wu n has been benevolent and righteous. If the Xu family continues to oppress us, we cannot keep retreating," Wu Yuan expressed his opinion.
The point of lowering one''s head for a moment was so that one could proudly raise their head in the end. If one only knew to bow, in the end, they would be trampled to dust at the bottom of a valley.
"I will take it into consideration," Wu Qiming gently nodded, "but given General Xu''s character, it should not develop to such an extent."
"Alright, we will discuss this matter in the future. Wu Yuan," Wu Qiming looked at Wu Yuan, "When ites to martial arts cultivation, our Wu n has fewer than ten martial virtuosos and not a single Adept. Apart from providing you with some silver taels, we can''t assist you with much else. If you need anything, be sure to tell me."
"After today''s major tournament, nobody in the Wu n will oppose you anymore," Wu Qiming stated.
"I haven''t finished spending that sum of silver taels. If I really need more, I won''t hesitate to ask the n for help," Wu Yuan answered cheerfully.
In Wu Yuan''s memory, it appeared that the Wu n had been oppressing his family for several years, but the reason was not because he was fatherless. Instead, it was because his father''s death made it difficult for his family to support his cultivation, resulting in a long-term, significant consumption of their n resources.
With Wu Qiming''s support, thousands of silver taels from the n''s treasury were spent on Wu Yuan. For arge n, such a sum is not much. But for the Wu n, it was exorbitant! After all, the n''s treasury was the umtion of the hard-earned money of hundreds of nsmen, and was meant to strengthen the entire n.
In the Middle Land, there waspetition within most ns. But overall, they were united against external forces. A n that was not united was sure to decline.
Moreover, one mustn''t forget that the previous Wu Yuan could only count as a disciple ranked among the top in the martial academy, but not the best. The chances of him bing an Adept expert were extremely low. This was the reason for some of the Wu nsmen''s dissatisfaction. They considered it a waste of resources.
But today, at the young age of fourteen, he ranked top four in the martial academy major tournament. This aplishment was enough to convince the Wu n that the resources they invested had not gone to waste.
In fact, this was also one reason why Wu Yuan wanted to participate in the martial academy major tournament. He harbored a sense of gratitude towards every member of the Wu n. If exposing only a small fraction of his true power was enough to bring relief and excitement to them all, why wouldn''t he?
Or were you hoping for him to bide his time, and ''p the face'' of his nsmen in the future, like those novels he read in his past life? Why bother with something so frivolous? Wu Yuan truly hoped that the Wu n would grow stronger.
"Haha, I hope you don''t me your uncles for their previous attitudes. It wasn''t easy for them either," Wu Qimingughed. "Actually, we''re all looking forward to seeing how far you can go. I hope Wu n''s Li City branch can one day birth an Adept expert!"
“When ites to doing business, without the support of martial power, excessive wealth is a disaster, not a blessing. A strong martial artist is the true foundation of a powerful n!"