Martial Cultivator

The former Lord Warden Commander, now the Great General of the Northern Frontier, had met this ancestor of the Xie Family when he was young? And according to the old man's implication, the two of them had a rather close relationship?

Chen Chao was even more unsure how to respond now.

The old man did not mind, just smiled and said, "Would you like to come into the ancestral hall with me to take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Chao had yet to react, but the eyelids of the old man sitting outside the ancestral hall suddenly twitched.

Chen Chao quickly shook his head and said, "Since this is the ancestral hall of the Xie Family, it must be a very important place. How can a junior like me trespass?"

The old man chuckled, "There's nothing amazing about it. Didn't Ning Ping just trample the ancestral hall of the Xia Family before? These ancestral tablets are more important to us who are surnamed Xie than our lives, but to you, they're just pieces of wood."

Facing this old man, Chen Chao felt a sense of bewilderment for the first time in his life. He did not know how to respond. The other party did not show any hostility; instead, he was so amiable that Chen Chao felt at a loss.

The old man chuckled and said, "You want to be my Xie Family's son-in-law, yet you're unwilling to take a look at these lousy pieces of wood?"

This time, Chen Chao really had no way to refuse, so he could only say, "Then, this junior will have to offend."

The old man smiled and led Chen Chao to the front of the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall was not large, and its decorations were ordinary; just like an ordinary household. However, this seemed too ordinary, which made people feel something was amiss. After all, the Xie Family's ancestral hall should not be like this.

The old man pushed open the door, and Chen Chao followed him inside. Inside the ancestral hall, there were only a few scattered memorial tablets; not many.

Chen Chao felt a bit dazed.

As if understanding Chen Chao's thoughts, the old man said to himself, "Do you know how many years this ancestral hall has been established? How long has the Xie Family existed?"

It was then that Chen Chao suddenly realized a truth. Although the Xie Family was now a behemoth of the Great Liang Dynasty, in the end, it had only been established for over two hundred years. In terms of legacy, if you excluded the White Deer's Xie Family, the Xie Family of the Divine Capital did not have much foundation.

Besides, the first generation head of the Xie Family lived long enough. Right now, it was actually just the second generation.

This kind of ancestral hall was indeed somewhat unexpected for Chen Chao, but also within reason.

"I also know about the ancestral hall of the Xia Family. They worshiped countless predecessors. When those predecessors were still alive, the Great Liang Dynasty didn't even exist yet. So how much sense of belonging can they have towards the Great Liang Dynasty?"

The old man slowly smiled and said. "People, living in this world, must understand reverence and know how to choose their sides, especially people like me. If I make a wrong choice, the entire Xie Family will perish because of me."

Chen Chao fell into silence. During this meeting, the old man spoke much more than Chen Chao did.

"When His Majesty went north that time, my clan members urged me to make a decision, but I didn't. It's not because I'm farsighted, but because I couldn't see clearly. Since I couldn't see clearly, I shouldn't make rash decisions. I understand this principle. The Xia Family Head didn't understand, so the entire Xia Family is gone."

The old man chuckled. "But considering what they've done over the years, this is also a natural outcome."

The downfall of a prominent family, in the old man's words, seemed extraordinarily mundane, like the death of a stray dog on the roadside; not worth much attention.

Chen Chao finally asked, "Senior, why are you telling me all this?"

Chen Chao would not believe that the old man would share so much with him just because of his relationship with Xie Nandu.

The old man chuckled, "Do you know about horse betting?"

Chen Chao nodded. This was a pastime for the wealthy in the Divine Capital. Each major racecourse would select its best horses. Every once in a while, there would be races at the racetrack. The winner was determined by which horse ran the fastest, and the wealthy individuals would place bets on the horses for entertainment.

"When it comes to betting on horses, it's not really about your foresight or the horse's ability. It's about whether the owner who raises the horse has the ability. As for the horse itself, if it comes from a small stable, winning once or twice might be luck, but most of the time, they're just there to fill the numbers."

The old man continued, "Since the founding of our dynasty, we have continued the imperial examination system from the previous dynasty and abolished some other methods of selecting officials. It seems like to become an official, as long as you study hard and perform well on the exams, you can succeed. But is it really like that?"

"For students from poor families, the saying 'ten years of studying by a cold window' is indeed true. They may not even afford to buy books. If they can't buy them, won't they have to borrow or copy books? But those from wealthy families can have whatever they want, and they can even hire knowledgeable teachers to guide them. Do students from poor families have this opportunity? So, the concept of fairness has always been just a nominal term, but it has never been put into practice."

The old man lamented, "A young man like you came this far by relying on yourself. I'm afraid it hasn't been easy, right?"

Chen Chao's expression was complicated.

The old man chuckled, "The reason I've said so much to you isn't because this old man has complaints to air. I just want you to understand a principle: there's no one in this world who should treat you well, and no one's kindness toward you is completely without expectation of repayment."

Chen Chao replied, "This junior will remember the kindness of the Xie Family."

The old man shook his head. "I'm not saying all this for you to give this promise."

Chen Chao looked at the old man with some confusion.

The old man smiled, "Doesn't matter how much you talk, actions speak louder."

Chen Chao asked, "Is there anything you want this junior to do, Senior?"

Chen Chao felt he understood the old man's meaning now.

But the old man shook his head again and said with a smile, "No."

Chen Chao was taken aback.

The old man added, "At least not for the time being."

"Sword Qi Mountain forges flying swords and gave them to those sword cultivators. But they also didn't say on the spot that they wanted those sword cultivators to do something for them.:

The old man continued, "When this old man met Ning Ping back then, I probably didn't mention anything I wanted him to do either. In fact, up to now, this old man hasn't even asked him to take action once."

Chen Chao remained silent for a moment before saying softly, "Turns out that this is what Senior is thinking."

The old man smiled but did not say anything.

The old man continued, "Nandu that lass has ambitions that are too grand. Among the descendants of the Xie Family in this generation, there's no one who can surpass her. But this old man won't live that long. This old man can't predict the future of the Xie Family either. All I can do is plant the seeds for now."

The old man's candidness did not make Chen Chao feel uncomfortable; instead, he felt it was only natural. If the old man had always shown kindness and talked to him about feelings, Chen Chao would have found it rather strange instead.

And a little uncomfortable.

The old man said, "If one day that girl wants to drag the Xie Family into the abyss, the Xie Family will have to rely on you."

Chen Chao spat out a turbid breath and murmured softly, "How can Senior be so sure that I won't drag the Xie Family down into the abyss together with her?"

Upon hearing this, the old man showed a different emotion in his eyes for the first time. He looked at Chen Chao as if he had not expected him to say that.

The old man smiled and said, "Is the husband following the wife?"