Fang Household
The forests grew well as the lush greenery leaned against the fence and climbed it. Pei Zi Yun had returned.
The young man within the hall looked extremely anxious as he paced several steps back and forth. He didn’t feel well and after a short time, he felt like he needed to rest. He panted raggedly.
When the door was pushed open, the young man stepped forward to greet the one who walked through it, "Master Top Scorer, how did it go?"
Pei Zi Yun heard this and waved his hands, "You are a scholar, you must learn to control your emotions. Your body is frail and you shouldn’t be overly emotional. Sit down and we shall speak."
Hearing Pei Zi Yun’s advice, the young man sat down. His face revealed a strange expression as he picked up the fan in his hands and started to fan himself.
"It’s done. There is only one simple condition, that you have to produce two sons, and the second one has to be surnamed Du. He will continue burning the incense for the Du family." Pei Zi Yun didn’t hesitate and spoke plainly.
When the young man heard this, he stood up, his mouth gaped open, "You know about this?"
"The previous dynasty’s Imperial Tutor? I know about it. But have you ever thought that although the Du family was killed by your father, they also had to endure the wrath of the curse. Everything they do will result in failure. If you marry her, you have to be prepared that half of your blessings would disappear. Also, you have to consider the opinion of your people." Pei ZI Yun saw that the young man’s face was red as he spoke.
When the young man heard this, he took several paces before he sighed deeply and opened his fan once again.
The teenager’s face turned from red to white again. When he saw that there was nobody else here, he sounded rather agitated, "Ai, don’t think that just because I was the son of the previous Emperor, I have many spare lands to give."
"When my father’s army fell, I only had several armed guards escorting me to safety."
"But all that has past. When it happened, we fled in a panic, and took some treasures and gold. However, we used that money to purchase these plots of lands for us to stay. In order to ensure that we didn’t arouse any suspicions, we placed the deed of the land under another person’s name. There’s only 200 mu to my name."
At this point, the teenager then lowered his voice, "Everyone think that just because I was a child, I don’t remember much. You might notice that they treat me with reverence and respect, but I will always be seen as a child to them."
"That is normal of them as well. Since my Fang family has no way of repaying them for their service and yet they still chose to remain by my side is rather commendable." The young teenager then gave a strange expression before he smiled, "Besides, my flesh used to belong to the royal family and they have no choice but to respect and obey."
"As their Young Master, I’ve done my best, but it was only this much. You’ve never experienced the look of doubts, disappointment, and coldness in their gazes."
"Now that peace is gradually returning, I don’t wish to think too much as well."
"Can’t I be a little stubborn sometimes and live for myself?"
"Why should two people who love each other be apart just because of their families’ feuds? If she doesn't love me, then that’s fine. But I know she loves me. Everyone else feels that she embodies evil and bad luck. She was betrothed to three other men before this and all of them died soon after. She would rather be old and alone, but refuses to marry me for fear that I would end up like her previous betrothed."
The young man gritted his teeth before he sighed and laughed bitterly, "If I have a second son, I will definitely promise to name him that way. But it would even be hard for me to have one son now. Master Top Scorer, you know my health condition as well. All I dare to ask for now is for the both of us to live life happily together."
"As for other wishes, I don’t even dare to dream of it."
Pei Zi Yun looked at the young teenager and saw that he was rather dejected. Pei Zi Yun then spoke to him, "After measuring your pulse and taking your vital signs earlier, I thought of an idea. Don’t look so dejected, something might change."
"Really?" The young teenager stood up, as his eyes gleamed. He then stepped forward and took hold of Pei Zi Yun’s hands, "Please save me, Master Top Scorer."
"I don’t have a fantastic grasp of healing, but I know Dao arts. The problem with your health is a result of manipulation with Dao arts and I might be able to do something about it." Pei Zi Yun then continued, "I can use Dao arts to check the exact situation before we work our way around it."
"Master Top Scorer, please check it out properly." The teenager bit down hard as he spoke.
Pei Zi Yun nodded his head, he pressed a hand on the teenager’s wrist as he engaged the Yin Master form. He then allowed his Dao arts to enter the teenager’s body.
This body had long withered and seemed like death was long overdue for him. Pei Zi Yun controlled his Dao arts carefully and allowed himself to delve into the heart of this young teenager, when he saw a small amulet.
This amulet had a strange force as it was pasted on the teenager’s heart. As the heart pumped, the amulet leaked out a certain energy.
Pei Zi Yun then gently used his Dao arts to gently touched the amulet. As soon as the amulet was touched, it recoiled and started flickering faster and brighter, as life energy leaked out from it. It was as though this amulet was draining the life forces from this young man.
Pei Zi Yun hurriedly withdrew from it, as he opened his eyes and looked at the teenager, whose expression was very confused and yet was somewhat elated, "Master Top Scorer, I could feel my heart turn numb, as though some of the energy I’ve lost all these years had returned."
Pei Zi Yun then sighed, "You’re not sick, someone did this to you."
As soon as Pei Zi Yun said this, the joyful look on the teenager’s face vanished before he raised his head up, "Who did this to me?"
Pei Zi Yun shook his head, "I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve seen anything like this and there’s nothing about this amulet in the records as well."
Not only were there no records of it, he had spent two lifetimes in this world and had never heard or seen anything like this.
"Master Top Scorer doesn’t know?" The teenager gritted his teeth before he understood. Whenever he fainted, he would hear voices speaking to him. He now knew they were real.
"To steal my bones, what does that mean?" The young man asked.
"Bones are a symbol of a Daoist’s energy, intelligence, and resources." As Pei Zi Yun spoke, he halted, a certain sense of suspicion crept up over him.
"Haha, so all these decades of suffering was a result of someone doing this to me, I’m filled with anger and hatred now. If I have the chance, I wish to kill this person." The teenager sounded extremely passionate as his expression turned ferocious.
As soon as Pei Zi Yun used his Dao arts to prod the amulet, he felt much better, and was excited that there might be some hope. As soon as his emotions got out of control, he started coughing violently. Realizing this, he hurriedly composed himself.
Pei Zi Yun thought to himself, "There might be a way to counter the effects of this life force draining amulet by continually prodding it. Doing that would release his life force away from the amulet and yet there was no way of containing it within his body. Hence, this would inevitably shorten his life."
"Ai!" Pei Zi Yun sighed, before he spoke, "Young Master Fang, I shan’t beat around the bush with you. Your body has already been withered and yet as much as this amulet has harmed you, it’s the reason you’re alive as well."
"If you continue living like this, and exempt yourself from excessive emotions, you might be able to live for another ten years or even twenty years."
"My Dao arts would be able to increase your energy levels, and ensure you lead a normal life, and allow you to have children. However, it would shorten your lifespan up to five or seven years. You should decide for yourself!"
The young man pondered for a moment as he bit his lips, he made a decision, "Everyone must die. And I have to be filial as a Fang descendent. Since I have a task to complete, please perform your spell on me, and allow me to have offspring."
"Young Master Fang is truly behaving like a young hero!" Pei Zi Yun sighed once again as he turned to look at him. This young man has what it takes to be someone great and yet he doesn’t have the chance to.
"Your life force isn’t great and should only be activated whenever there’s something important to do."
"You should get married now, I shall set a spell around your matrimonial room. Whenever you wish to reproduce, you should use this room. But you have to remember, every time you use this room, your lifespan would get considerably shorter."
"Hence, you have to do it sparingly and don’t enter this room for other purposes."
"Also, you have to give some silver, grains, and cloth to their family now."
"I understand. Please help me Master Top Scorer!" The young man seemed rather insistent as he spoke before he laughed once gain. After he took several paces forward he then spoke, "I shall send people to immediately handle the wedding preparations. Master Top Scorer should rest here in my village and help me with the Dao arts."
Pei Zi Yun nodded his head, "Alright, I shall leave it to Young Master Fang.’
The young man stopped hesitating as he shouted, "Grandma Li!"
As soon she acknowledged his call and entered the room, he rattled off several instructions. Although his body was frail and his health was weak, he was extremely authoritative now. Even Grandma Li was elated by how well he looked.
Everyone knew how the Young Master’s health was frail and weak. When Grandma Li realized that he could finally continue his family line, she was filled with elation. It was as if she had finally completed her duty to the previous Empress, as she revealed a wide smile and acknowledged, "Leave it to me."
Today Grandma Li invited a matchmaker and exchanged details before the prospective couple. The Du family didn’t disagree to anything and immediately agreed to the match.
On the third day, the Fang family’s dowries were sent over to the Du family. There were silk, expensive cloths, two gold rings, a pair of gold earrings, 80 taels of silver, and the very symbolistic ‘marriage certificate’. The Du family returned the favor and held up their end of the bargain, they complied with all the ritualistic demands. In fact, they even acknowledged that this was a proper wedding and not an arranged marriage."
After they waited another day, on the fifth day, they began the actual wedding. Although it looked somewhat simple, no expenses were saved. The entire village were aware of the situation and rejoiced in this joyous occasion.
Everyone knew that this Elementary Scholar Fang’s health was poor and everyone could understand why he was in a rush to get married, it wasn’t suspicious.
On this very day, the sky was still dark. Pei Zi Yun gradually emerged from his meditation and felt extremely comfortable. He forced a bitter laugh, "Cultivation this time evokes such tremendous satisfaction."
He then stood up and walked out, to see everyone was busy as they arranged tables and moved things in order. The chef had already killed several fish and chickens while he cooked the meat in a pot. The entire village was lively and bustling for the first time in a long while.
Pei Zi Yun didn’t wish to disturb them as he walked down an alley and saw the matrimonial room. There were a pair of lanterns hung outside the door. He composed himself and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw faint white energy around the door and thought to himself, "The spell has already been erected, we shall now wait for him to consummate his marriage."
Pei Zi Yun didn’t walk into the room, but turned to an ancestral hall nearby.
The ancestral hall wasn’t very dark. As soon as Pei Zi Yun stepped in, he could feel a drastic change in atmosphere. It was the start of summer, yet the room felt cool and slightly dark.
Additionally, he could also feel a certain powerful resistance within the room, which felt like he was submerged underwater. Pei Zi Yun didn’t think much of it and he gazed upon the tablet. As soon as he entered the room, he noticed that tablet trembled.
Pei Zi Yun knew that this was the tablet of the Fang family. It could also be the Fang Emperor who might be angry with this arrangement. He then said, "Emperor Fang, you are veiled by the Imperial Qi and are blessed because you killed the Imperial Tutor. But right now, the Yin and Yang are side by side with one another."
"The Fang family has fallen, as your dynasty remains no longer. You son doesn’t hold any rank, and has neither land nor future. One look at the possessions he has and anyone can tell it looks very normal. And yet do you remember the outcome of the Imperial Tutor severing the Dragon Veins? He was condemned for it and yet who knows if the dynasty had committed similar atrocities without anyone finding out?"
— Bab baru akan segera rilis — Tulis ulasan
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MENGERTI
Bab 264: Deep wisdom
Editor: Translation Nation
Hearing this, the middle-aged man raised his head and looked at Pei Zi Yun. He then understood, "Free Cloud Sect’s Leader?"
Pei Zi Yun revealed a smile which showed his teeth. He then looked into the eyes of the middle-aged man, "I know of your identity. Your illness is not of a physical illness. Should I continue?"
The middle-aged man who was lying down had a dramatic change to his expression as he looked intently at Pei Zi Yun before he calmed down. He then turned to his wife and daughter and spoke to them; his tone became much warmer. "You and the girl, leave us."
Hearing her father’s sudden change in tone, the young girl paused for a moment and didn’t speak. She hesitated but managed to drag herself up as the middle-aged woman held her hand while they walked out of the room.
Pei Zi Yun sat down on the stool next to the bed. The young girl kept turning back to look at him as she left the room, trying to read what’s going on from the faces of this young man and her father.
"You have been intentionally mean and evil to your daughter, so as to sever the relationship between yourself and her. You do this so that she will not suffer the same fate as you and would be disconnected from the curse. But have you ever spared a thought for how your daughter would feel?" Pei Zi Yun glared at the middle-aged man and looked him deep in the eye.
The middle-aged man coughed violently and shouted in a coarse voice, "What do you know? Do you know of the deep-seated hatred between both our families? Do you know what my family has been through?"
Pei Zi Yun laughed once, "I don’t know? It seems to me like you’re the one who doesn’t know?"
There were no lamps or lanterns lit up within the house and the foul stench lingered. The light was somewhat dim. After he spoke, Pei Zi Yun placed his hands behind his back and paced around the house. He spoke slowly, as though emphasizing every single word. "Between the heavens and earth, fate isn’t fixed. However, defying the will of heavens and altering the fate is something one should never do."
"The previous dynasty lasted for three hundred years and was about to reach an end. The world was in chaos and many innocent people lost their lives daily. If allowed to continue, these people wouldn’t be able to survive for much longer before all of them were wiped out."
"With the cries and laments of these hundreds of millions of people, a revolution would gradually happen, that’s the power of the masses." At this point, Pei Zi Yun looked around worriedly, "You are a scholar, and the disciple of a high ranking official, you should know this."
Hearing these words, the middle-aged man started to tremble in fear.
Of course, the middle-aged man knew that revolutions always started with discontent from the masses. Every single dynasty had also relied on the failure of the previous dynasty and started a revolution in order to cement their place as the new monarch and the new dynasty. That was how new eras were ushered in.
"It wasn’t that the old dynasty was beyond redemption but because the people had gotten tired of the dynasty. With the power of the masses, insurgence would form, and this is common in every era."
"Once the revolution began, it would be hard to stop."
Pei Zi Yun sighed as he recalled the important uprisings throughout history. Although to most people of the later generations, this didn’t matter to them, he was aware of how success or failure was determined by such a small margin.
"Even if the previous dynasty was truly beyond redemption, as faithful and loyal citizens of the nation, an uprising was necessary to eradicate the monarchy and place a more suitable Emperor on the throne. Although the new dynasty had killed off the Emperor of the previous dynasty, he wasn’t the least in the wrong."
"Now, your father committed numerous atrocities and yet his name wasn’t on the list?"
"That’s because your father has no regard for heaven, and doesn’t listen to men."
"If he had any regard for heaven, would he interfere with the Will of Heaven by attacking the Latent Dragon, which was a symbol of power sent from above?"
"If he listened to men, he should’ve used the tactics of war and shown bravery and courage by leading the men in rebellion. That would’ve been the proper way."
"But your father as the Imperial Tutor used the rules of geomancy to destroy the Dragon Veins. That is extremely taboo and defied the laws of both heaven and men!"
"Of course, there’s no need to speak of the cruel ending he suffered. But how many more men had to die because of what your father did?"
"You screamed out, calling it an injustice. But have you heard the cries of those who suffered as a result of your father’s actions?"
Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly as he continued to pace. He then frowned when he smelled the pungent odor once again and pushed open the windows. A ray of sunlight entered the room, and some of the stench dissipated out of the window.
The middle-aged man behind had turned pale from what Pei Zi Yun had said, as his lips moved faintly. He was so stumped he couldn’t even speak. He then said, "You…. You know about what my family did."
"Of course, your surname is Du not Cao." Pei Zi Yun looked into his eyes before he took another few steps forward. "This world has always operated in such a way where the winner becomes Emperor and the loser is deemed a traitor. You father broke the Dragon Veins, and he’s been subjected to the necessary punishment. You, are another case altogether."
"You came from a good sect, your family background was considered high which meant you were educated. This means that you knew that what your father did deserved punishment. Hence, he had five horses rip his body apart. As his son, you deserved to be punished as well. However, you managed to acquire the Daoist’s map, which gave you a lifeline. You then moved here to the refuge point, and thus didn’t get the intense retribution deserved."
"You are, after all the son of Du Zi Nong. Although I can tell that you’ve received the curse as well, there’s still some aura of fortunes around you. If not, you would’ve died a long time ago."
"When I came, I noticed that the few houses around were all empty, and nobody lived around here. There were several graves around as well, and the entire area reeked of the curse. I figured that the houses around probably belonged to your brothers. After their deaths, the curse wasn’t lifted, and they’re still suffering in the underworld."
"The few people who managed to escape to the refuge point, led bitter lives till the end due to the gravity of the crime. Now, you’re the only one remaining, am I right?"
Pei Zi Yun glared at the middle-aged man, who wailed and cried. His face was stained with tears and all the ferocity in him and disappeared. Now, all that remained were the scars left behind by the decades of living under the curse.
"Ai!" Pei Zi Yun sighed, unsure whether he was sadder for the middle-aged man or the entire Du family. He paced for several steps before he spoke, "Your daughter’s trace of the curse is less than yours, but is still there. Since you are directly related by blood, the curse has wrapped itself around her as well. If nothing else happens, the curse will not get a chance to spread to the fourth generation, for everyone in your family would’ve died."
"Without anyone to continue your family line, to burn incense for your family, who would save your father’s soul from the pits of heavenly wrath? Can you bear to let your family go extinct? What happened to your filial piety?" Pei Zi Yun asked.
Hearing Pei Zi Yun berate him, the entire room was filled with sobs. Before long, the middle-aged man raised his head and looked at Pei Zi Yun and asked, "What should I do then?"
Pei Zi Yun then spoke plainly, "In actual fact, what you have in mind would work. As long as your daughter continues the family line, the curse will weaken with each passing generation. Once several hundred years has passed, the price would’ve been paid. Then, your father’s sins can be washed away."
"But the sin flows deep, and is worse than you imagined. It seems like the only plan now is to use blessings to counter the curse."
Hearing these words, the middle-aged man laughed bitterly, "Blessings? How can blessings ever befall my family with the curse looming over us? How can blessings ever be attracted to my daughter?"
Pei Zi Yun raised his head and whispered, "Your words do make sense. But for your curse to be washed away, you should marry your daughter into a family whose blessings run deep. Now, which family who’s deeply blessed would want to marry your daughter? Even if a family didn’t know they were blessed, someone would remind them just before they would commit their son to this cursed family."
As soon as he heard this, the middle-aged man didn’t speak as he lowered his head.
"You’ve changed your family name and yet the Imperial Fang family still know that your surname is Du?"
"Do you know that Fang Yong Jue carries with him the blessings from his ancestors? He loves and admires your daughter. Should he marry your daughter, the curse can be countered. I’ve counselled him to accept your daughter and to give you a house to live in, and he will ensure that incense is burnt for your ancestors as well. He is the last chance for your Du family."
"Besides even if the blessings aren’t able to cancel out your father’s curse completely, it can definitely reduce it. Your future generations will not be implicated as badly as a result. When the curse is over, someone from your future generations will be able to become an official, and might beg for a conferment of title for your father. When that happens…. Do you know what that means?"
Pei Zi Yun spoke coldly. In actual fact, he knew that Fang Yong Jie knew about this. However, to the Fang family, they didn’t feel like they were shortchanging the Du family. Although everyone knew that if the marriage was approved, the middle-aged man might die. He wouldn’t be allowed to taste good fortune in this life time ever, and as soon as something joyous befell his family, he could die.
When the people being murdered numbered in tens of thousands, killing one more or one less wouldn’t make a difference.
It’s just that they didn’t know it then, but it would’ve been good to say it now.
For some time, nobody in the room spoke. The sound of the middle-aged man’s violent coughs could be heard. Even when the windows were opened, the room had a particularly strange stifling quality to it. A gust of wind blew in, and the sun shone down across the trees. Even from afar, many other houses could be seen. There was nobody who had lived in those houses for a long time.
A swallow flew past, and landed within its nest.
The middle-aged man wanted to say something, but always choked and swallowed on his words at the very last moment.
"Are you moved? It seems like you still can’t arrive at a decision." Pei Zi Yun then thought to himself, "But it truly seems like you don’t have much of a choice."
"You should consider this. Would you wish to use the Fang family to wash off your curse? Although you might die once there’s a change in fortunes, your daughter doesn't have to die. In fact, she can still be saved now. Once you let this chance slip by, your family line would inevitably end." Pei Zi Yun spoke as he walked out through the door.
Pei Zi Yun knew that he mustn’t let the middle-aged man think that Pei Zi Yun needed his help. Doing that might cause someone to baulk and resist. Instead, he gave the person sometime to think about the only choice he has, most people would accept it.
The middle-aged man was left alone in the room, as he breathed heavily and fell deep into thought.
"Ah!" Pei Zi Yun came out from the room and immediately heard the sound of anguished cries and of a porcelain bowl that crashed to the ground and shattered.
When the middle-aged woman heard this, her face fell, as she charged into the room.
"Father!" The young girl eyed Pei Zi Yun once before she rushed in as well. Seeing the girl cast him a wary glance, Pei Zi Yun stroked his own face and mumbled, "Do I look like a bad person?"
The room was filled with the sound of the three of them speaking, before wailing sounds could be heard.
After a long time, the door was pushed open. The young girl walked out, eyes red and puffy. She was still crying. Pei Zi Yun didn’t know what the middle-aged man said, but she wiped her eyes and spoke, "Father asked you to go in."
Pei Zi Yun walked in, and the middle-aged man glared at Pei Zi Yun and asked, "Can you promise me it will work?"
Pei Zi Yun then knew he had relented, and agreed to marry his daughter off to his sworn enemy’s family. This was a hard and painful thing to do, and yet it was his only option.
Pei Zi Yun sighed deeply, "I can’t promise you that. I can say that there’s a 70% chance it will settle your family’s problems. Of course, I also cannot say that there’s absolutely no way."
"I am Free Cloud Sect’s Leader, and an Imperial Court ordained Dao Master. If you are willing to sacrifice, there are two or three methods which we can use."
"But what do you have left for me to sacrifice?" Pei Zi Yun smiled, "Do you still think you are from the mighty Du family from decades ago?"
On paper, several decades ago, this family was extremely wealthy with plenty of officials and oxcarts serving under them. More than a hundred-people served them at one point and now all that had passed.
The middle-aged man trembled as he bit his lips, he tried to say something, but couldn’t say anything. He started to cough violently once again before he sighed, "Since that’s the case, this is the only way."
Pei Zi Yun nodded his head, as his voice turned gentle, "A little while later, I shall send some people over who will bring some silver, rice, and cloth."
Seeing that the middle-aged man wanted to speak again, he waved his hand, "Since you are now related and you wish to use the Fang family to wash away your curse, if you continue to bear grudges or hatred, it would be akin to hating yourself."
"You daughter is about to get married and your wife was also from the same prestigious sect as yourself. They’ve both been suffering greatly over the past few years; can you bear to watch them suffer more?"
"What about yourself? You should sustain yourself till you see your second grandson born, and acknowledge his maternal parentage. Only then can you answer to your ancestors that you’ve continued the family bloodline."
These words were spoken to the middle-aged man, who had no retort. With a face filled with tears, he turned to look at Pei ZI Yun, who had already walked out. With a sigh, he felt his heart go soft. He had already been prepared to give up his life and yet it seemed like there wasn’t a need for him to do so anymore.