Chapter 8

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Ever since the

ancestors established the sect a long time ago, they had been famous all over

the world for their Guiyuan heart technique and Zongxuan sword. The Zong

Clan had ruled over Jiuzhou for three hundred years. Even if it did violate the

common knowledge of "when the great Dao prevailed, the whole world was one

community" in the immortal cultivation world, they still ascended the

throne and proclaimed themselves as emperor. All the immortals in the world

dared not to comment and could only acknowledge their inferiority. They

delimited the land and accepted Emperor Zong as the rightful ruler of

Jiuzhou.

It's just that

there was there is Chang in Wuchang*. Extreme prosperity would not last

forever and there was bound to decline. Change was inevitable. The power of

the Zong Clan was steadily declining until the generation of Emperor Ninghua,

Zong Ming He. There were many talented people coming forth in large numbers

into the immortal cultivation world. Within these few centuries,

dissatisfaction with the Zong Clan accumulated. The water seemed calm on the

surface, but underneath the surface, it was turbulent.

In fact, the

decline of the Zong Clan had a lot to do with the failure of producing a good

ruler in the past three generations.

When it came

to seeking enlightenment

of the Dao and pursuing immortality, acquiring diligence and

comprehension were surely important, but innate talent often determined a

person's potential from

birth. In the immortal cultivation world, a person who had attained Dao

in the nine degrees of kinship* could ascend to heaven. A leader who couldn’t

reach such heights, even by relying on a large number of people, would find it

difficult to convince the people.

Zong Ming He

had nine sons and three daughters. The eldest son and the youngest son had

great roots and had the potential to step onto the path of immortality.

Unfortunately, the confrontation between the immortals and the clan members,

the decline of his family, and the precarious situation could not be reversed

by the two young children.

Daming Mansion

- Wuji Palace

There was a

burst of laughter in the back garden. A teenager rolled up his pants and

sleeves and was leading a group of children who were playing Cuju*.

It was as if the round sheepskin ball had grown on his feet, unable to escape

his control. Children of different heights were buzzing around him, all trying

to snatch the ball from his feet. That scene was like a big dog leading a group

of puppies.

That young man

had a handsome look, and his eyes were as bright as the starry sky. He had a

demeanor like a blazing sun, and a smiling face that looked even better than

fine jade. He really was an attractive and elegant young man.

"Big

brother...Ah!" A child tripped and landed on the ground with a thud. He

immediately started sobbing.

Zong Zi Heng

put down the ball and pushed the crowd aside. He smiled, picked the child up

from the ground, and teased while pinching his nose: "Oh my Xiao Jiu, are

you going to cry just because of this?"

Zong Zi Xiao

had no tears in his eyes, but he still wanted to act like he was crying. He

wiped his eyes with his dirty hands: "I fell on my leg and you're still

laughing at me."

"Let me

see." Zong Zi Heng lifted his trouser leg and saw blood on his knees,

"Big brother will bring you to apply some ointment, okay?

"Mm."

Zong Zi Heng

picked up Zong Zi Xiao with one arm and several children tugged on Zong Zi

Heng's clothes: "Will big brother come back and play with us?"

Zong Zi Heng

rubbed their heads one by one: "The sun is too strong. You all should go

and get some rest. Big brother will play with you guys next time."

Zong Zi Xiao

hugged Zong Zi Heng's neck tightly and secretly revealed a smug smile.

"Big

brother, it's so hot." He pressed his face onto Zong Zi Heng's neck and

whispered his complaint.

"Yet you

still hug me so tightly." Zong Zi Heng pulled one of his small arms off

his sweaty neck and took a deep breath, "You think big brother would drop

you?"

"I..."

Zong Zi Heng

suddenly grabbed Zong Zi Xiao's waist, swung him three times in mid-air and

then swung his head down behind him, finally pulling him out from under his

armpit.

Zong Zi Xiao

screamed and laughed. His face flushed with excitement.

Zong Zi Heng smiled

and said: "It’s not painful anymore?"

"It

didn't even hurt that much to begin with, I just didn't want to play

anymore." Zong Zi Xiao said coquettishly, "I want to eat the iced

white fungus soup that big brother makes."

"Only you

would have so many little tricks." Zong Zi Heng carried him back to

Qinghui Pavilion and tested him on some homework on the way back. Seeing that

he answered smoothly and did not goof off, he praised him.

"It's so

delicious. So sweet." Zong Zi Xiao sucked a big spoonful of white fungus

into his mouth and licked his lips to his heart's content.

Zong Zi Heng

took a wet cloth and wiped Zong Zi Xiao's dirty face. At the age of 8, as

if smeared with fine powder and as delicate as polished jade*, both

his face and his mother's, who was known as the world's number one beauty, were

almost carved out from the same mold. Especially those fox eyes which were

hooked at the outer corner of his eyes. When he looked at people, his pupils

shone like bright gems, as if they wanted to speak.

"Eat

slowly." After wiping his face, Zong Zi Heng wanted to clean his wound.

Zong Zi Xiao

shook his lower leg: "No need, it'll be fine in a few days."

"At least

rinse it clean."

After treating

his wound, Zong Zi Xiao's bowl of white fungus soup was almost empty. He

blinked his eyes: "Big brother, I want to tell you some good news."

"What's the good news?"

"I'm

about to form a core."

Zong Zi Heng

was startled: "Really?"

"Yeah."

Zong Zi Xiao raised his chin proudly, "Big brother also formed a core

before 10 years old. I want to be the same as big brother."

Zong Zi Heng

patted Zong Zi Xiao's shoulder with gratification: "You will be even

faster than big brother. Xiao Jiu, you must cultivate diligently. When you

reach the Great Dao one day, everyone will no longer ridicule our Zong Clan for

having no successors."

"Who will

dare to ridicule us when big brother is here? " Zong Zi Xiao's eyes are

filled with adoration, "Big brother is the best!"

Seeing Zong Zi

Xiao's carefree and innocent look, Zong Zi Heng sighed secretly.

"Big

brother, can I have another serving? "

"You

can’t. You ate too much cold food last time and got a stomachache."

"Just one

more please."

"Dinner

is in 2 hours. Do you want to drink fungus soup, or do you want to eat the

large meatballs big brother makes?"

"Large

meatballs, large meatballs! "

A sound was

heard from outside. Zong Zi Heng stood up and popped his head out to take a

look.

A lady was

escorted in by a servant. She's an outstanding beauty with picturesque

features. She was wearing a silk jaded brocade and gold dangling hairpins. She

walked in a dignified and luxurious manner.

"Mother,

you're back." Zong Zi Heng bowed.

Zong Zi Xiao

also stood up, "Consort Shen."

"Xiao Er

is also here." Shen Shi Yao smiled, "Did you come here to play

with your big brother?"

"Yeah."

"It's

almost dinner time, don't eat too much cold food." Shen Shi Yao pulled

Zong Zi Xiao in front of her and used a silk handkerchief to wipe his sweat, "Xiao

Er, you stay at Qinghui Pavilion for dinner."

"Okay,

big brother said he'll make large meatballs for me."

Shen Shi Yao

chuckled: "Only you love to pester your big brother so much. Go home and

invite your mother here. After dinner, we'll go to the shore of Luoshui Lake to

enjoy the beautiful moon."

"Okay!"

Zong Zi Xiao scampered off.

After Zong Zi

Xiao left, Shen Shi Yao looked at her handsome son and felt comforted: "Zi

Heng, how's your homework today?"

"It's all

done. Just now, I brought my younger brothers and sisters out to play for an

hour."

"I heard

the emperor gave you a mission again."

"The

Pingyang area had trouble with some evil spirits. Two batches of cultivators

were dispatched and there were heavy casualties. I'll leave the palace tomorrow

to take a look."

"Very

good. Your siblings still have not grown up yet, so only you can share the

emperor’s burden. You must perform well. Don't disappoint the emperor."

Zong Zi Heng

said obediently: "Don't worry, mother."

"I

heard..." Shen Shi Yao's slender fingers stroked the exquisite red gold

bracelet on her wrist, "Chi Zong Zi had examined your ninth brother's

roots, and his talent isn’t inferior to yours?"

"Yes,

Xiao Jiu has a superb aptitude." Zong Zi Heng smiled, "He told me

just now that he's about to form a core."

Shen Shi Yao

paused slightly. Her gaze drifted out of the window, and she said quietly:

"The Zong Clan has not been able to produce such roots for three

generations. Unexpectedly, there are now two of you. The emperor must be very

happy."

"Father

is very happy. His son and my younger siblings will restore the Zong Clan

together."

Shen Shi Yao

turned around and looked at Zong Zi Heng. Her eyes dimmed: "You were born

under a lucky star, and you are outstanding even among the children of this

generation. It's a pity that your mother's background is not good, and it will

only bring burden to you."

Zong Zi Heng

turned pale with fright: "Mother, why would you say that? As a son born in

the Zong Clan, I don’t need to worry about clothes and food since I was young.

I'm already contented and have never had such thoughts."

Shen Shi Yao

took Zong Zi Heng's hand and smiled warmly: "You are so talented. If you

were a legitimate son, you would be the future leader of the clan in any other

immortal family. Mother just felt that you've worked so hard, yet I am letting

you down.”

"Mother,

please don't think this way." Zong Zi Heng said anxiously,

"Legitimate son or not, it doesn't matter. I am not bothered by it."

Shen Shi Yao

stared at her son for a long time before saying: "Nevermind, your ninth

brother is also a son of a concubine. You're not the only one who is

unfortunate."

Zong Zi Heng

knew his mother was eager to be first. She was very strict with him ever since

he was young and he was not allowed to lag behind others, but it was all for

his own good. This was the first time he had heard her said this, which was

really weird.

He didn't

understand, so he decided not to think about it for now. He consoled his mother

for a while and went to make large meatballs for Zong Zi Xiao.

When admiring

the moon in the evening, Shen Shi Yao was the same as usual. She got along well

with Zong Zi Xiao's mother, and they would visit each other often.

After admiring

the moon, Zong Zi Xiao wanted to sleep with Zong Zi Heng again. The two of them

were 8 years apart. Zong Zi Xiao was largely brought up by Zong Zi Heng, so he

had stayed close to him since young.

The summer was

sultry and there were many mosquitoes. Zong Zi Heng pasted two cold talismans

onto the mosquito net and used a fan to fan at Zong Zi Xiao, so he wouldn't

feel too hot and flop around like a pancake. He slowly drifted into a deep

sleep.

"Big

brother." Zong Zi Xiao said drowsily, "Are you going out of the

palace tomorrow? When are you going to bring me along?"

"When

you're older, you can come along with big brother to exorcise evil spirits

together."

Zong Zi Xiao

yawned: "When I form a core, what reward will big brother give me?"

Zong Zi Heng

smiled helplessly: "What reward do you want?"

"Bring me

out of the palace. Big brother traveled out of the palace since you were 12,

but I haven’t been out of the palace before.”

"Alright,

when you form a core, I will ask our father and bring you out of the palace to

play."

Zong Zi Xiao

turned around and slipped into Zong Zi Heng's embrace: "You better

promise!"

"Hey, don't stick to me. It's so hot."

----

Translator Thoughts:

there is Chang in Wuchang* [无常即是常] --- To answer from the Buddhist perspective, impermanence

[aka Wuchang] means that there are many variables in a person's life, and it is

not accurate to calculate based on the current situation. "Chang"

means that everything that happens in life is not for no reason, it is the

past. Or a cause that was planted in the previous life or many lives.

nine degrees of kinship*[九族]--- a system of grading kin and relatives(in feudal China)

smeared with fine powder and as delicate

as polished jade*[粉雕玉琢]---used to describe someone’s fair skin. Full

definition: so white as if smeared by powder, and so smooth and delicate as if

a jade has been polished.

Cuju* [蹴鞠]

---ancient Chinese football/soccer

Editor Thoughts:

Hi everyone~ I'm back! I was down for the past 2 days because I was resting after taking the covid vaccine 😪

Leave a comment if you liked this chapter! See you in the next chapter~

Edited on 10 Mar. 21 (Emzie)

Edited on 27 Jun. 21 (Ari)

Edited on 25 Jul 21 (Limit)

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