Above the Great Dao
Chapter 533 - 250 Wan Family Lights

Chapter 533: Chapter 250 Wan Family Lights

The banquet hall in the Wan residence was still a riot of colors and sounds, filled with the bright lights of lanterns and the green of wine, laughter and merry voices.

As the year drew to a close, the pharmaceutical envoys from the Thirteen Families had all arrived: Li Family’s Li Xiaoguang, Xia Family’s Xia Jie, Yan Family’s Yan Yi, Zhang Family’s Zhang Shouyi, Yang Family’s Yang Luohua, Gao Family’s Gao Jian, Xu Family’s Xu Fangzhi, Jiang Family’s Jiang Tu, Fei Family’s Fei Youying, Zhai Family’s Zhai Baobao, Cui Family’s Cui Zhi, Ma Family’s Ma Dingguo, and Gu Family’s Gu Xiaochuan.

Amidst the clinking of cups and the endless laughter, smiles were spread across their faces; however, if one observed closely, it was possible to notice a slight distraction in their demeanor, with their eyes frequently darting to the side as if waiting for something.

The pharmaceutical envoys from the Thirteen Families were unbeknownst to the Great Families, being inconspicuous figures.

Take Li Xiaoguang, for example, thirteenth in line in the Sect Master’s lineage, preceded by twelve brothers and sisters who took all the opportunities to shine, leaving him no chance to make a name for himself.

Leading a life of seclusion, apart from the disciples within his Sect, who else would recognize him?

But inside his Sect, he wielded real power and was highly valued, with a concerted effort placed on his development!

He was by no means a weakling; still young at only thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, he had reached the Complete cultivation level of the Divine Descent Realm, already at a stage where he could be assigned to high positions in localities.

If he were from a branch family, he would have long been dispatched elsewhere, but he stayed in the ancestral home in Quanzhou precisely to deal with some of the family’s secret affairs.

Retrieving medicine at the end of the year was one of these tasks.

The others, too, were much like Li Xiaoguang in terms of cultivation, holding real power within their families, rarely venturing out, seldom making friends with people of other surnames, moving in secrecy, largely unrecognized by the outside world.

They were not old, yet their cultivation was incredibly formidable, and they possessed unique skills.

All thirteen envoys were also aware of the matter with the Red Horse bandits, the ones slaughtering the so-called corrupt officials, robbing the rich to aid the poor, and they knew two Red Horse bandits might well come to kill people tonight.

"The so-called heroes who break the law with martial force are just presumptuous," Yan Yi played with his wine cup and laughed, "The country has its laws, and families have their rules. Even if there are corrupt officials in Qingzhou, it’s for the law to deal with. If everyone who feels aggrieved draws their swords and storms the government office, wouldn’t that lead to utter chaos? Therefore, the Red Horse bandits should be executed."

Gu Xiaochuan held a beauty in his arms, his hand slipping into her bosom, and spoke with a solemn face, "The Red Horse bandit looting the riches of merchants to buy people’s hearts, this is sheer treachery! Such a person harbors rebellious intentions and must be eliminated!"

Yang Luohua took a sip of wine and said, "Country folk, most of whom haven’t been to school, are very stupid. They praise the Red Horse bandits for buying their loyalty with mere tens of Silver, truly ignorant people, all deserving the axe!"

She looked at Xu Fangzhi, "Would you be bought off by tens of Silver?" freewēbnoveℓ.com

Then glancing at Jiang Tu, "Or would you be bought off?"

And then at Ma Dingguo, "Or maybe you would be swayed by tens of Silver?"

The crowd shook their heads, laughing collectively, "Tens of Silver? Even if it were tens of thousands of Silver, they couldn’t buy us! We, as learned individuals, are aware of shame; ’Wealth must not corrupt us, nor poverty sway our course!’"

At this, Gu Xiaochuan hastily withdrew his hand from the beauty’s embrace.

"This evening, the birds are quite clamorous outside," he said, his face flushing as he changed the subject.

The clear chirping akin to that of orioles could be heard by everyone, with quite a number of them.

"Strange, what brings orioles around so late at night?"

Without much concern, they continued talking and drinking, waiting for midnight.

Accompanying them was Wan Shide, in his sixties yet looking after his figure like a man in his forties, busily scurrying around behind the guests. With a wine pot in hand, he would swiftly fill the cup of anyone who ran out of drink.

Despite his age, he was in better shape than many younger men; just the night before, when tenant farmer Sanzhuzi got married, he had sent his bride straight to Wan Shide’s room to take his ’first-night rights.’

It was a rule in Qingzhou, whereby tenant farmers send their brides to their master’s bed for blessing on their wedding night.

This was a blessing from the master to the tenant farmers, who would come gratefully the next morning to retrieve their brides—generation after generation would eventually be tamed.

Yet, Wan Shide felt somewhat aged, his back aching a little after last night’s festivities.

After all, he was no longer a young man.

He thought to himself that such duties should be left to his eldest son, that scoundrel Wan Gaode, and that he could only indulge occasionally.

He had not taken any of the Spiritual Medicine he cultivated.

Wan Shide knew his place.

The Spiritual Medicine was not the possession of the Wan Family; they merely helped cultivate it. To lay hands on what did not belong to oneself was a quick path to losing one’s life.

His grandfather had become muddle-headed in his old age and secretly tried some left-over potion from a Spiritual Medicine, soon lying on his deathbed, beheaded. The man went to his grave without his head and was not interred in the ancestral tomb.

Conforming to rules over the years had led the Wan Family to greater prosperity.

He looked down on his grandfather, believing that a dog must have the awareness of being a dog; what use were a few extra years of life?

Better to enjoy life to the fullest now.

The Wan Family had no aspirations to become like the Great Families of the Thirteen, and it was better to take advantage of their protection to seek welfare for himself and his descendants.

For instance, opening porridge kitchens, giving out rice porridge and buns daily, saving countless lives. These people, grateful to the Wan Family, would kowtow and burn incense for the ancestors. Over time, wouldn’t the spirits of their ancestors gain divine presence?

Protection from divine presences for the Wan Family, wasn’t that better than laboriously cultivating themselves?