Chapter 34

"Huaxiao..." Jiang Yongshu squeezed out a name through his teeth.

Jiang Huaxiao was the one he knew best. Among the rest, apart from two older ones he didn't recognize, the other four looked very familiar—elite descendants of the Jiang family.

They had all integrated the Mingxin Seed and shown some potential early on. With proper guidance, they could certainly grow into capable individuals, becoming the pillars of the Jiang family in the future.

And now, their heads were neatly placed here, indicating they had lost all possibilities! The veins on Jiang Yongshu's forehead bulged, and he slammed the table heavily: "Who did this? The Jiang family will not let this go!"

The old man sitting at the head of the table lifted his eyelids and said to another old man beside him: "Old Three, show him."

Old Three was originally engrossed in reading a letter. Hearing the order, he gently waved his hand, and the thin piece of paper floated lightly into Jiang Yongshu's hands.

Jiang Yongshu said with hatred: "A challenge letter! The Jiang family..."

Seeing the seal on the letter, his eyes almost bulged out, and his voice changed: "The Zhou family?!"

It was just a small green leaf, but who in the entire Zhu Tian Kingdom didn't know what this leaf represented!

The Green Leaf Zhou family.

The Zhou family was one of the twenty-four noble families, but they did not live in the outer city of Zhu Tian. The Zhu Yang King had specially set up a small town for them near the capital, next to the inner city.

The town was named Green Leaf, and the Zhou family lived in this small town.

The Zhou family was one of the noble families of Zhu Tian, and only they could use such a treasure puppet to deliver messages.

Jiang Yongshu exclaimed: "Are these boys blind? How dare they offend the Zhou family?!"

In an instant, Jiang Yongshu's words changed completely, but no one in the room thought it was inappropriate.

The old man at the head of the table sighed deeply: "I always thought the second son of the Tengqing family was too reckless, and indeed, he caused such a disaster!"

Suddenly, a sneer came from the corner. The old man at the head of the table frowned and looked over: "Why is Old Seven laughing?"

In the corner sat an old man with a kind face, resembling a Maitreya Buddha, slowly sipping tea. The sneer had come from him.

He raised his white eyebrows and chuckled: "Just thinking about some old words."

Then, he changed his tone and said solemnly, "It would be better if their eldest son were like this. He's a hopeless case, and it's better for the main family to take over their affairs."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room looked embarrassed.

The clan leader, Jiang Changye, at the head of the table, frowned and scolded: "Old Seven, it's just a casual remark about family matters. Why bring it up now?"

Old Seven, who resembled a Maitreya Buddha, stared at the tea in his cup and sighed, then fell silent.

Jiang Changye turned and said: "Yongshu, sit down. We need to discuss how to handle this matter."

The third elder stood up, walked to the table, and picked up the lid of the box that Jiang Yongshu had put aside to examine it closely.

Suddenly, his face changed, and his voice altered: "This, this is Longtan wood!"

"What?" The room echoed with gasps of surprise, and everyone stood up, rushing to the table.

After seeing the material of the black wooden box, the room fell silent, almost as if even the breathing had stopped.

After a while, Jiang Yongshu picked up the letter and muttered: "Trespassing into the Zhou family's garden, speaking rudely... for such a small matter, they actually..."

...

...

In the spacious and dim ancestral hall, Jiang Tengqing stood there in a daze.

In front of him was a huge black stone, about ten meters high, covered with names from top to bottom.

This was the Black Stone Register, the family register of the Jiang family.

Gray names indicated that the person had passed away, while golden names indicated they were still alive.

Jiang Tengqing's name was dark gold, indicating he was the current clan leader.

Below his name, on the left and right, were the names of his eldest son: Jiang Huaming; and his second son: Jiang Huaxiao.

Now, Jiang Huaxiao's name had turned gray, indicating he was dead!

At the same time, seven other names had also turned gray, all of them contemporaries of Jiang Huaxiao. Jiang Tengqing remembered their names; they had all integrated two to three rings of the Mingxin Seed and had the potential to achieve good results in the grand examination.

Now, their names had all turned gray, and they were all dead!

Jiang Tengqing's anger flared, and he slammed the offering table in front of him, shouting: "Who did this?!"

The next moment, his eyes widened even more.

The newly grayed names on the Black Stone Register were gradually disappearing.

It was as if an invisible hand was slowly erasing them from the Black Stone Register. In a blink, all seven names had vanished, leaving none behind.

The black stone used for the Black Stone Register was an extremely special material. It was not naturally formed but was created by a powerful martial cultivator using a deep-sea plant, fused with their blood, and infused with Ming power.

From the moment it was created, it formed a close connection with the martial cultivator's bloodline.

Any child born from this bloodline would naturally have a thread of their soul enter the black stone, and their name would automatically appear on it, recording their life from birth to death.

A family was connected by blood, and the Black Stone Register embodied this connection.

Only those with a Black Stone Register could call themselves a family. Additionally, the Black Stone Register had a wondrous power; after entering the realm, the martial cultivator's descendants could receive protection from their ancestors, enhancing their strength.

Because of the Black Stone Register, the descendants of a true family were born with a higher status. All the descendants of a true family were proud to have their names on the Black Stone Register.

Therefore, the ancestral hall where the Black Stone Register was located was the most sacred and important place in a family.

Now, the names of Jiang Huaxiao and others had disappeared from the family register, indicating not only that they were dead but also that they had been permanently expelled from the family.

This was the deepest humiliation for Jiang Huaxiao himself and his parents!

Who did this?

Who had the power to change the Black Stone Register?!

When Lady Jiang heard the news, she rushed over and saw the moment Jiang Huaxiao's name disappeared. She let out a long gasp and fainted.

In an inconspicuous corner at the bottom of the Black Stone Register, a name was clearly written—Jiang Feng!

...

...

The Jiang family of Que Ta.

The black wooden door creaked open, and the seventh elder walked out, turning his head and saying: "The hinges need some oil."

A steward hurried forward, saying: "We were negligent. We'll take care of it right away."

Another middle-aged man followed the seventh elder, hinting: "They've been rusty for so long. I bet the oil is long gone."

The steward said repeatedly: "I know, I know. We'll take care of it right away!"

The seventh elder waved his hand, walked out of the small courtyard, and reached the back garden. Seeing the calm lake, he let out a long sigh, as if to release the frustration in his heart.

He said with a bitter smile: "To be so humiliated and still have to scold the branch family leader, ordering him to apologize, is a disgrace to the Jiang family!"

He said indignantly, "Think about it, what was the Jiang family like in the Demon Suppression Army! Our reputation was earned through hard work! Now..."

He let out a long sigh, and his back seemed to hunch even more.

The middle-aged man behind him said: "Uncle Seven, it's inevitable. Since the passing of those two, the Jiang family hasn't produced any high-level cultivators for years. Without strong hands, the family can't stand, and the spirit is scattered... it's only natural."

The seventh elder frowned, as if remembering something: "Right, didn't those two leave a..."

Before he could finish, a servant ran over, holding out a letter with both hands: "Seventh Grandfather, this letter is for you."

The seventh elder took it and immediately let out a light "hmm."

He quickly opened the envelope, scanned the letter, and his frown deepened: "Lu Ming's eldest daughter!"

"Ah Chen? Right, she integrated a seven-ring Mingxin Seed. If she performs well in the grand examination, she could be a hope for the Jiang family! This is Ah Chen's letter? What does she say?"

The letter was very short, explaining the matter in a few sentences.

Ah Chen wrote that after her uncle's arrangements, she had found a master and was about to go on a cultivation journey, and would not return to the family for a while.

Before leaving, she wanted to entrust the main family with a task.

Fifteen years ago, the main family had entrusted a child to the Lu Ming Jiang family. Since then, the child had lived in Nan Jiang and was now grown up and about to come of age.

The main family must have had a reason for entrusting the child. Ah Chen hoped that the main family would take care of the child, especially during the coming-of-age ceremony and the future grand examination. With the main family's assistance, the child could have a smoother path.

The middle-aged man read the short message over the seventh elder's hand, squinted his eyes, and asked: "Is the child Ah Chen mentioned in the letter the child of those two?"

The seventh elder snorted: "Of course, it's the child of those two! When the child was brought back, a blood test was conducted. It was found that his blood was mixed, making it impossible for him to integrate the Mingxin Seed, so they sent him to the branch family!"

He said angrily, "The eldest daughter is so worried about him before leaving, which shows that the branch family hasn't been diligent. Humph! His parents made such contributions to the Jiang family, and we can't even raise their child properly, it's a disgrace! A great disgrace!"

The middle-aged man asked in confusion: "I remember the blood test of that child. But what does Ah Chen mean by the coming-of-age ceremony and the grand examination?"

The seventh elder sighed: "She must have made a mistake. But regardless, taking care of the child is still necessary."

He waved his hand, "Since it's related to the Zhou family, you should go and take care of it."

The middle-aged man nodded: "Yes, I understand what to do."

...

...

Jiang Feng didn't know that the incident at the hot spring villa had further developments.

In the unnamed small valley, three new rooms had been built. After dinner, Zhongfan led Jiang Feng into one of them.

As the candles lit up one by one, illuminating the entire room, Jiang Feng immediately widened his eyes.

Inside the wooden house, rows of bookshelves were neatly arranged, filled with books. In terms of quantity, there were even more than in the young lady's study!

Zhongfan said: "Although the local examination includes three days of study time, the knowledge gained in a short time is far less than what you actually know. Before the grand examination, it's better to read more books."

Jiang Feng was silent for a long time, then finally turned around and said solemnly: "Thank you!"

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