477 Each has their own plans
Seeing that the two had no objections, the head of the Lei family smiled inwardly. Harmony in the family brings prosperity. Brothers united can move mountains.
Nodding in satisfaction, he instructed, "We must heed Mu Qing's opinion. Have the younger members of the family prepare to leave at any time in the next two days."
I have already sent Elder Kong over to assist Gaogang Prefecture, to allow them to conduct a preliminary test. If Gaogang Prefecture falls, the younger generation must leave immediately. The others should also be prepared to leave at any time. But do not let the servants know.
Lei San Di nodded slightly and asked, "If Xuanji sends reinforcements, we'll need to send our younger disciples away."
The Lei family head nodded slightly, affirming, "Even if the Xuanji Sect comes to support us, they must leave immediately once Gaogang Prefecture falls. There can be no hesitation. They can return once it's safe here."
The meeting ended quickly, and the three of them left separately.
When the Lei family head arrived at the backyard, a twenty-year-old man, who looked very much like the Lei family head, was practicing diligently. His white martial arts clothes were soaked with sweat, and he was practicing with great care. His swordsmanship was fast and he was working very hard.
The Lei family head felt a mixture of satisfaction and regret. Although he had prepared a lot for his most beloved son, his talent was not the best in the family. Despite his efforts, his future achievements might be limited.
Having surpassed his current level, further progress in the future seems hopeless. As for his other children, he doesn't know why their talents are limited, so he doesn't have high expectations for them either.
He only hoped that his son, Lingshan, could go further and become an elder in the future, so that he could plan far ahead for his descendants.
Gently waiting for Ling Shan to finish his cultivation, her eyes filled with doting affection, she waved away the surrounding servants and whispered, "Ling Shan, my son, go back and pack your things lightly. Don't bring too much stuff. Leave with Elder Kong as soon as it gets dark."
As they spoke, an old man dressed in black, with slightly white hair, calm eyes, and a kind expression, gently appeared beside Ling Shan.
The Lei family head bowed slightly and said, "Elder Kong, I entrust Lingshan to you. I'm sorry for the injustice you've suffered these past years."
The Lei family head knew that Elder Kong was already a Martial King, but he broke through relatively late. He didn't want to use his energy and blood recklessly, perhaps because he had seen through the world. So after breaking through, he deliberately hid his cultivation and rarely showed himself.
This time, he claimed to have gone to Gaogang Prefecture to support the Gaogang Prefecture government, but it was actually a feint. He wanted to let his son leave with him. Regardless of what happened between the Red King and the Xuanji Sect, he needed to be prepared.
Elder Kong nodded slightly, looking at Ling Shan with a hint of praise, and replied, "Patriarch, rest assured, we will leave tonight and will definitely bring the young master safely to the Xuanji Sect's headquarters."
The Lei family head nodded and said in a low voice, "Once Elder Kong leaves, he shouldn't come back. Here are some things I've prepared for you; I'll have someone bring them to you every year from now on."
After saying that, he handed over a black box that was a foot long and tall.
Elder Kong nodded slightly, saying casually, "Okay." He took the box but didn't open it, gently placing it in his hand and disappearing from sight.
In the main hall of the He family mansion, a headless corpse lay amidst a smooth, level entrance, suggesting the body had not suffered much pain.
Above the hall, the head of the He family, dressed in a white robe, with a sickly pale complexion and cold eyes, said in a low voice, "The Lei family has gone too far, but it is also because we are weak and have let our ancestors down."
I believe that, from this day forward, all members of the family, regardless of whether they are direct or collateral relatives, will have equal access to resources.
As soon as he finished speaking, the four men below, all roughly the same age with graying beards, stood up almost simultaneously and exclaimed, "No way!"
"No, Master!"
The eldest elder, seated at the head of the table below, with a white beard and thick, curved white eyebrows, and a gaunt face, stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "No, patriarch, the ancestral rules must not be violated. Otherwise, the family will likely descend into chaos."
The others echoed this sentiment, expressing their extreme reluctance to share their resources.
Seeing that the others supported him, the First Elder felt even more resolute. He spoke softly but firmly, "Ancestral rules cannot be arbitrarily changed, especially now. The clan should concentrate its limited resources and efforts to help the younger generation break through as quickly as possible."
He then angrily rebuked, "Although the collateral branches have talented individuals, they lack unity. We spent a great deal of effort to win the position of magistrate of Yanshan County."
He hasn't achieved much in just a few years; he's truly a useless person.
This time, they fled without a fight again, returning before even starting, without even consulting us.
Looking at the headless corpse on the ground, and thinking about how his He family had been humiliated, he became furious and pointed at the corpse, cursing, "It's one thing for you to be greedy for life and afraid of death, but if you were going to run away, you should have run somewhere else."
So we still have an excuse: 'You secretly escaped back, how can we save face?'
They immediately stopped, after all, they were still their own people, even if they were from a collateral branch.
"Yes, that's right. I told you, these collateral relatives are not fit for important positions. See? We've lost all face." The other three echoed, looking at the patriarch with a hint of mockery in their eyes.
The head of the He family was furious but speechless. After all, he had put in a lot of effort to secure more support for the selection of the magistrate of Yanshan County and gained more support from collateral relatives, which in turn gave him more subordinates.
Moreover, the annual tribute from Yanshan County has never been less than usual; otherwise, how could he have made such rapid progress and become a potential King Wu? Now that he has lost one of his sources of income, he is filled with anger.
Looking at the four elders below, representing four different factions, although they sometimes disagreed, they were remarkably united when it came to him. He felt helpless, knowing that he himself was also a member of a collateral branch of the family.
Although he felt some sadness about the decline of the He family and knew where the problem lay, there were still elders and others in the clan, and he could not make a decision on his own. Therefore, he felt extremely distressed.
Night fell unnoticed, and the Red King's announcement spread widely throughout Gaogang Prefecture, as if the officials of Gaogang Prefecture didn't care at all.
The news spread widely in the outskirts of Wuma Prefecture, but the city began to take control, and spreading rumors would result in immediate arrest.
However, the news still inevitably spread.
In the government office of Gaogang Prefecture, in the study, a sharp sword lay on the prefect's desk. A man in a red battle robe sat quietly opposite him, waiting for what was to come.
The middle-aged prefect, tall and muscular, looked nothing like a scholar. He gently stroked the sharp sword and said softly, "Brother Falcon, how have you been? It is truly a great joy to see you again."
Falcon nodded slightly, a rare smile appearing in his eyes, and said with a gentle smile, "I wonder what Brother Songtao's decision is."
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