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Mo Hua sighed and took An Xiaopang on a tour around the An Family estate. An Xiaopang felt a bit better, but then suddenly realized something was amiss:

“This is my home, how do you know it better than I do?”

Your family’s Formation is laid out too simply; I saw right through it at a glance.

Mo Hua thought to himself, but out of consideration for the An Family’s dignity, he chose not to say it outright and instead replied:

“I am a Formation Master, I figured it out based on the Formation.”

The Formation was laid out based on the pavilions and towers of the An Family mansion. Having seen through the Formation, Mo Hua naturally knew how the An Family estate was constructed.

Rockeries, water features, halls, and towers, every bit of earth and wood, all aligned with the Formation—in them were clues to follow.

An Xiaopang said admiringly, “Mo Hua, you are so amazing. I wish I were as smart as you.”

Mo Hua said, “You shouldn’t be disheartened, ‘everyone is born with their own useful talents.’ Think about it, what do you like to do?”

‘Everyone is born with their own useful talents…’

An Xiaopang felt quite encouraged and furrowed his brows in thought for a long time until his eyes lit up:

“I like to eat!”

Mo Hua’s expression became momentarily stiff.

An Xiaopang scratched his head, “This… Is it not so good?”

“It’s… okay,” Mo Hua said, against his better judgment.

An Xiaopang scratched his head again.

Mo Hua said, “Don’t worry about what others say or think. Think carefully about what you most want to do in this life. It doesn’t have to be something grand, as long as you can do it without regrets.”

“Oh.” An Xiaopang nodded.

They walked around the garden together.

Then An Xiaopang suddenly remembered something and mentioned, “Mo Hua, my grandfather seems to want you to marry into our family.”

Mo Hua wasn’t surprised, but he was curious: “How do you know that?”

“I heard it when my mother was chatting with my aunts. They love to talk about it and could go on for a whole day without getting tired…”

Seeing the delight on An Xiaopang’s face, Mo Hua guessed that his mother and the others must have talked for an entire day, and An Xiaopang must have enjoyed listening to them the whole time…

However, Mo Hua was still puzzled: “I’m only in my teens. Isn’t your grandfather thinking about this a bit early?”

“It’s not too early,” An Xiaopang shook his head. “These things should be settled early. Wait too long and someone else might snatch up the opportunity.”

An Xiaopang then lowered his voice, “I’ve heard that in some Noble Clans, as soon as a child is born and their Spiritual Root is determined, they start matching them up for marriage.”

“Childhood betrothals?”

“Yes.” An Xiaopang nodded, “Those Noble Clans with profound heritage study the inheritance of Spiritual Roots, looking at what kind of Cultivator’s Spiritual Roots can produce what kind of children when they become a couple. To cultivate rarer and Superior Spiritual Roots, Noble Clans intermarry based on Spiritual Roots.”

“Intermarrying based on Spiritual Roots, does that really work…”

“It does,” An Xiaopang replied, “Among the disciples of those Noble Clans, there are countless with Superior Spiritual Roots; even a Superior lower-tier Spiritual Root is considered average talent. Meanwhile, for us Cultivators from lesser places, a medium grade is already good. This is the result of Noble Clans’ research on Spiritual Root inheritance and their intermarrying based on it.”

Mo Hua furrowed his brow; he knew about the inheritance of Spiritual Roots but hadn’t realized it involved such complexities.

“Isn’t choosing a life partner supposed to be about mutual affection? Would those disciples being forced into marriages agree to it?”

An Xiaopang sighed, “They have no control over it. You eat what the Clan provides, drink what the Clan provides, use the Clan’s Cultivation Technique for practice, rely on the Clan’s Spirit Stones and Spiritual Objects, and depend on the Clan’s power when going out. You can’t expect to pay no price.”

“Did you come up with that yourself?”

“No, I heard my mother say it,” An Xiaopang admitted honestly.

“What if they don’t agree, can they resist?”

An Xiaopang pursed his lips, “You can’t twist an arm with a finger; what good would resisting do? Noble Clans are like towering trees, and the Clan’s disciples are just leaves on the tree. What difference does it make if there’s one more or one less? If you don’t resist, you can cultivate in peace and enjoy the blessings, but if you resist, you end up with nothing.”

Mo Hua felt a mix of emotions.

Familial bonds held together by blood, yet the kinship feels most tenuous…

“However, it’s not like there’s no way out,” An Xiaopang added.

“What way?” Mo Hua asked.

An Xiaopang secretly said, “Do your own thing!”

“What do you mean…” Mo Hua did not understand.

“It’s like…” An Xiaopang recalled what his mother had said during her chat, “it means you do what the family wants on the surface, match with the right Spiritual Roots, get married, have children, but behind the scenes, you can be with whoever you want, however you want to play, as long as it doesn’t look too bad on the outside…”

Mo Hua was so shocked that he stared with his eyes wide open, “It’s so chaotic…”

An Xiaopang nodded, “Very chaotic!”

After saying that, he added, “The bigger the clan, the more chaotic it gets!”

On the other side, Old Master An only exchanged a few casual pleasantries with Zhang Lan, discussing some inconsequential topics.

Zhang Lan and Old Master An didn’t really have much to say to each other.

It was very dull.

It wasn’t even as good as chatting with Mo Hua, even though that kid could be a bit annoying at times.

Zhang Lan said a few lukewarm words and then got up to leave with Situ Fang.

Old Master An sat in contemplation for a moment, and then the An Family head, An Yonglu, walked in, sat down beside Old Master An, poured himself a cup of tea, and asked:

“Father, have the guests left?”

Old Master An nodded.

“Then what are you sitting here thinking about?”

“I won’t live much longer. I am considering my affairs for the hereafter.”

An Yonglu had just brought his cup of tea to his lips when he choked on it, “Father, one shouldn’t speak lightly of such matters.”

Old Master An’s piercing gaze swept over An Yonglu as he spoke slowly:

“Our An Family has been struggling against the Qian Family for hundreds of years, always at a disadvantage. In the fields of artifact refining and alchemy, we’ve all but handed them over on a platter. Only in the area of spiritual meals do we still have some edge.”

An Yonglu lowered his head; as the family head, even if it wasn’t his fault, he had to shoulder the responsibility.

Old Master An sighed and asked, “Do you know where we’re inferior to the Qian Family?”

“We’re not as ruthless as they are…”

“Qian Hong is a wolf, his son, and those direct disciples of the Qian clan are all wolf cubs. And you, and your son… I won’t say more.”

An Yonglu’s head hung even lower.

Seeing his son like this, Old Master An stopped berating him and simply said, “Do you still want your son to be the family head?”

An Yonglu raised his head, his face flushed with shame, but he still insisted, “Father, although Xiaofu might not be much capable, at the very least, he is kind-hearted and understands the bigger picture. If he becomes the family head, he might not accomplish great things, but he also won’t do any wrong.”

His son was naturally slow-witted, and if he as a father didn’t consider things for him, who else would make plans for his son?

Old Master An closed his eyes to rest and did not want to talk.

An Yonglu felt anxious inside, but, knowing it was best not to continue this topic, he changed the subject and said:

“I heard that you wanted to take in a son-in-law?”

Old Master An opened his eyes, “Not anymore.”

“Why not anymore?” asked An Yonglu in a soft voice.

“The An Family doesn’t deserve one,” said Old Master An indifferently.

An Yonglu was taken aback and felt a bit defiant inside, he quietly retorted:

“How does the An Family not deserve it?”

Old Master An raised his eyebrows slightly, “Deserve it with what?”

An Yonglu felt a slight surge of pride, “Our An Family’s property, Spirit Stones, numerous disciples, in Tongxian City, we are second to none. Even this mansion, there are countless cultivators in Tongxian City who wish to live here…”

“Oh, what’s so good about this mansion?”

“It has an exquisite layout, uses fine materials, and the Formation is one I paid a great deal of money for, drawn by a well-known Formation Master in the city. It’s almost completely impermeable…”

Old Master An sighed, “That kid on his way here, recognized all the external Formation without missing a single one.”

An Yonglu was stunned, “What?”

How did he recognize it?

This wasn’t some simple Formation commonly found on the streets; how could it be so easily recognized?

Old Master An looked at his son indifferently and said:

“Your ‘impenetrable’ Formation, in his eyes, is just like a sieve…”

Just like a sieve…

These words were like a dagger, stabbing straight into An Yonglu’s heart.

An Yonglu’s mouth hung open, unable to speak for a long time.