novelraw Chapter 174 : 「The Struggle for the Family Head Has Always Been Like This!」
Chapter 174 : 「The Struggle for the Family Head Has Always Been Like This!」
Chapter 174: "The Struggle for the Family Head Has Always Been Like This!"
Hiding in the dark, Ji Yuan heard this and almost shouted, "What?!"
Only, what shocked him wasn’t what the Shui Family said about a True Dragon under the Pear Blossom River, but rather what that young man said—he had dug up his own ancestral grave.
To speak plainly, one who dares to dig up his own ancestral grave is truly ruthless.
With cultivation at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, that’s rather underwhelming for someone like him.
Given time, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to establish his Foundation.
With that thought, Ji Yuan finally began to seriously examine the two of them. Members of the Shui Family naturally bore the surname Shui. Judging by appearance alone,
nothing stood out, except their hairstyle, which was unlike the locals. The two had hair crossing from both temples, coiled at the back of the head, with the crown formed into somewhat pointed shapes.
However, under Ji Yuan’s Divine Sense, he could discern that the shape on their heads was a coiled serpent.
The young man chuckled after hearing that and said, "Second Grandpa, there’s a True Dragon under the Peach Blossom River? Haven’t we been hearing dragon stories in the Shui Family since childhood?"
"How can you not believe there’s a True Dragon beneath these waters?"
The old man didn’t answer the question directly, instead urgently asking, "What about the secret tome?"
The young man crossed his arms and smiled slightly. "Second Grandpa, do you still take me for that little brat who used to cry for milk every day?"
The old man wasn’t angry upon hearing this; instead, he laughed.
"In Grandpa’s eyes, you’ll always be that little brat crying for milk."
A flicker of emotion passed through the young man’s eyes, but it vanished in a second. He waved his hand and sneered, "Alright, Second Grandpa, enough of coaxing kids. We’re not fools. Let’s speak plainly."
"Oh? In that case, Shui Kai, since you’re so smart, tell me—what would it take for you to hand over that secret tome?"
The young man, called Shui Kai, turned his head to look around before simply sitting down on the muddy ground. "Isn’t it obvious?"
The old man followed and sat opposite him.
"That Young Master position you want isn’t easy to get. You know it too—you’re only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, while Shui Gan is already at the seventh. Just that gap alone makes it hard to convince the masses."
"Convince the masses?"
Shui Kai sneered. "That trash Shui Gan only reached the seventh layer because his father is the Family Head. Damn it, I used to beat him up easily when I was still at the sixth layer. That’s their Young Master?"
"If the Family Head position ends up in the hands of someone like him, the Shui Family will be ruined."
The old man spread his hands. "Well, your father’s not the Family Head, is he?"
That was the crux of the matter. One sentence summarized everything.
The veins on Shui Kai’s forehead twitched, but he didn’t grow angry. It was as if he had already thought everything through.
He leaned in close to the old man and spoke softly, "Second Grandpa, haven’t you ever considered changing the Family Head? For example"—"Uncle Huo."
The Uncle Huo Shui Kai referred to was named Shui Huo, the son of the old man before him.
Hearing this, the old man immediately shut his mouth.
Under Ji Yuan’s Divine Sense, it became even clearer—the old man’s pupils contracted, and the skin all over his body tensed.
In other words, he was moved.
"Given Second Grandpa’s relationships with a few other clan elders, you wouldn’t even need to do much. As long as the Family Head is gone, pushing Uncle Huo into the position would be as easy as flipping your hand, wouldn’t it?"
"And then, with the secret tome in my hands—forget whether there’s a True Dragon or not—just the secret art recorded in that tome would be enough for our Shui Family to dominate both sides of the Pear Blossom River."
"In the future, you probably don’t have any hope of reaching Foundation Establishment, Second Grandpa. But Uncle Huo is only 45 this year. He might still have a shot. Even if he fails, what about Brother Quan? He’s only 21 now—"
Brother Quan’s full name was Shui Quan, the old man’s grandson and his most beloved among the four or five grandsons he had.
Hearing this, the old man’s breathing visibly quickened.
Shui Kai leaned back, looking confident.
The old man subconsciously glanced at Shui Kai’s storage pouch, but even such a subtle move did not escape Shui Kai’s notice.
"Do you really think I’m stupid enough to keep something that important in a storage pouch, Second Grandpa?"
"Relax, unless I hand it over myself, you’ll never find it in your lifetime."
"This is a serious matter. It requires careful planning." The old man finally spoke.
Shui Kai grinned. "Careful planning, huh? Isn’t that just you waiting for Uncle Huo to become Family Head before making Brother Quan the Young Master?"
"Don’t worry, I don’t care about titles. I only want the resources meant for the Young Master, nothing else. Honestly, I’m not aiming for Pear Blossom River!"
"Good!"
The old man listened to this and gritted his teeth, agreeing.
"Alright then, I’ve long been fed up with Shui Cang being the Family Head. Always giving the good stuff to his son. My Quan’er is more talented than his son, yet he gets nothing. It’s high time for a change."
"Change?"
Shui Kai spoke earnestly. "Second Grandpa, if you don’t pull the weeds out by the root, the spring wind will bring them back to life."
"Don’t worry, I understand that principle."
The old man finished speaking and slowly rose to his feet. He shook his sleeves, and the brilliance of his robe flashed—clean and neat once more. "Let’s go. This matter will soon be resolved."
Shui Kai nodded but didn’t get up.
"You go back first, Second Grandpa. I’ll return later. If we walk together, it’ll be too obvious."
"Oh? Still playing the seasoned schemer? Fine."
The old man laughed and turned to leave.
Hidden deep in the mist, Ji Yuan considered briefly before opening a passage in the formation to let the old man exit.
At first, Ji Yuan thought this Shui Kai had hidden the secret tome somewhere and was just sending the old man away before retrieving it.
If that were the case, Ji Yuan wouldn’t mind playing the oriole and snatching the secret tome in advance.
But unexpectedly, after waiting a while, Shui Kai just left.
Just like he said—he feared arousing suspicion.
"Damn, this youngster has style. Seems like he might actually pull this off."
Sitting cross-legged on his Meditation Cushion, Ji Yuan watched as the young man departed. His interest in the Shui Family affair had grown, especially in that secret tome.
There definitely wasn’t a True Dragon. If there were, the entire Cangluo Continent wouldn’t be enough to contain it.
What the Shui Family inherited was probably a clue related to that Dragon Energy.
If that were true, Ji Yuan would definitely want to investigate. If he couldn’t make use of it himself, he could call Hua Yaoyue over.
Perhaps the two of them together could obtain this opportunity.
Even in the worst case, not taking the Dragon Energy, just seeing it shouldn’t be a problem.
With that thought, Ji Yuan emerged from the Cave Dwelling, withdrew the formation, and followed.
As a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator tailing a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, he naturally had no issue. Just to be safe, Ji Yuan applied a Shapeshifting Talisman to himself.
After altering his form and aura, he then used the 《Breath Concealment Art》. Once his cultivation dropped to the peak of Qi Refining, he was completely changed.
The Shui Family was not far from this muddy terrain. Ji Yuan followed northward for about half an hour before arriving at a village called "Shui Family Manor."
The manor wasn’t very large, divided into front and rear parts, situated in a mountain hollow.
There was even a water fortress built at the entrance.
Judging by the scale, Ji Yuan estimated there probably weren’t any Foundation Establishment cultivators here.
Thinking of the earlier conversation between the two, with someone at the ninth layer of Qi Refining already being called a clan elder, this was most likely a Qi Refining family.
Probably one whose ancestors had once prospered.
Concealing himself with an invisibility spell, Ji Yuan scanned the area with his Divine Sense and quickly located the young man named Shui Kai within the water fortress. However, he couldn’t find the old man.
He then walked further into the manor.
The front housed ordinary people without spiritual roots or cultivation.
Those with cultivation resided in the rear.
When Ji Yuan reached that area, he found the old man, who moved swiftly. Upon returning, he had already begun discussing matters with his son, Shui Huo.
The moment Shui Huo heard he was to become Family Head, he slammed the table and agreed on the spot.
Saying something about how he had long disliked the current Family Head, Shui Cang.
And now was the perfect time to seize his damned seat.
Ji Yuan, seeing the father and son’s conspiracy succeed, found a quiet place within the manor to sit and observe, watching events unfold while occasionally extending his Divine Sense to track their movements. After watching for a while, he retracted it again.
Long-term use of Divine Sense was still a bit taxing for someone like him at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
However, after this round of probing, Ji Yuan did not see the so-called "legendary" Family Head Shui Cang.
It wasn’t until the old man went to meet the other clan elders that Ji Yuan learned the Family Head had taken his caravan to other Market Towns to do business and earn Spirit Stones.
Normally, such matters wouldn’t require the Family Head himself.
But Shui Cang always said that if others went, they’d embezzle, so he had to go personally—he simply didn’t want others touching that portion.
Still, that made things more convenient for these clan elders.
There were five clan elders in total, all at the late stage of Qi Refining: three at the ninth layer and two at the eighth. Not a single one had reached the peak of Qi Refining, which was strange.
Ji Yuan also learned that Shui Cang himself was at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
Among the five elders, that Second Grandpa Shui Yan persuaded three. The last one initially disagreed, but once the other four came to his house, he had no choice but to comply.
Shui Yan also promised that after they wiped out Shui Cang’s faction, the spoils would be divided evenly among the five families.
With that, their unity was strengthened.
One by one, they swore to eradicate Shui Cang’s bloodline.
It was Ji Yuan’s first time observing such a “coup” within a cultivation family—it was quite the spectacle.
Apart from watching the elders, Ji Yuan occasionally checked the movements of the young man Shui Kai in the water fortress, and discovered that this man—indeed had some skill.
Whenever he had time, he cultivated. During his breaks, he used them to build relationships with other clan members.
So even as an orphan, he still got along very well with everyone in the fortress.
Given time, he might truly accomplish something.
After the elders reached consensus, they began preparing how to deal with Shui Cang, the Family Head—Ji Yuan observed for a while and found this Family Head quite a failure.
Out of five clan elders, only one stood by him, and even that one was easily “persuaded” to switch sides.
Four days passed.
On a sunny afternoon four days later, Ji Yuan was hiding inside the watchtower, studying the 《Sword Manual》 in preparation for breaking through to mid-Foundation Establishment.
Suddenly, he heard a commotion in the manor.
He immediately released his Divine Sense to cover the entire manor, instantly gaining a clear picture of the situation.
Ah, so Family Head Shui Cang had finally returned.
He seemed completely unaware of the situation. Judging by his demeanor, he must have earned quite a few Spirit Stones during this trip. He returned with a cheerful tone, and his son—who appeared to have unsteady legs—was the same.
Over the past few days, Ji Yuan had overheard conversations in the manor and had learned about the current Young Master of the Shui Family.
"Useless in battlefield combat, but skilled in bed combat."
After some superficial greetings, Shui Cang noticed that the clan elders looked a bit off.
So he sought out the elder closest to him—the only one who had initially refused to replace the Family Head position—
to ask what had happened in the manor.
That elder didn’t elaborate.
He only said that there would be a clan elder meeting tonight, and that they could discuss it together then.
Shui Cang nodded and didn’t press further.
The clan elder meeting—was the trap the elders had planned.
They would prepare beforehand, lie in ambush, and the moment Shui Cang entered the hall, the three ninth-layer and two eighth-layer Qi Refining clan elders would strike together to subdue him in one go.
Five versus one—naturally the advantage lay with the clan elders.
Real internal strife doesn’t require elaborate schemes—just one thing needs to be done: kill the leader!
As for who the villain was—well, whoever lost would be labeled as such.
For a moment, Ji Yuan even felt a faint anticipation for the internal conflict tonight.
In front of the clan elder hall, Shui Kai passed by the entrance with two friends. He casually glanced at his Second Grandpa Shui Yan, who raised his head to look at the sky, then casually nodded.
Thus, the deal was reaffirmed.
Ji Yuan had originally thought Shui Kai would go retrieve the secret tome so he could take it and leave.
But unexpectedly, he still didn’t go.
“Damn it, could Shui Kai have been bluffing? What if there’s no secret tome, and the business about digging up the ancestral grave was also fake?” Ji Yuan couldn’t help but think this.
The Young Master Shui Gan rested for about an hour before heading out to see his childhood sweetheart.
Young male and female cultivators—often a single word away from dual cultivation. Ji Yuan observed briefly—this one was a no.
Night fell.
After finishing his tally of this trip’s profits, Shui Cang hurriedly scarfed down a few bites of dinner and left for the clan elder hall.
Shui Gan had asked if he should go too.
Shui Cang declined.
Seated in the watchtower, Ji Yuan extended his Divine Sense to cover the entire clan elder hall, and found that not only were the five clan elders present—even Shui Kai, who had plotted the takeover, was also there.
A fine show was about to begin.
As always, Shui Cang arrived at the hall. Inside, the lamps were bright as day. He dusted his sleeves, stepped through the main door, and entered the front yard.
Crossing the bluestone path in the yard, climbing the steps guarded by stone lions, he finally stepped inside the hall.
And just as his foot crossed the threshold—all the magical artifacts and techniques burst forth and struck him. At first, he panicked, but then a flash of light emerged from his body.
As golden light radiated, it not only blocked the spells but also stopped the magical artifacts.
"Hmm?"
Even Ji Yuan, who watched the whole scene, was surprised.
Not to mention the clan elders inside the hall.
Each one looked as if they’d seen a ghost as they stared at Shui Cang.
He smiled slightly. His hovering foot finally landed, and facing the magical attacks and the clan elders’ stunned eyes, he walked step by step until he reached the main seat he always used—and sat down.
"What’s this? You clan elders planning to overthrow me, your Family Head?"
With confidence in hand, Shui Cang crossed his arms, leaned forward, and sneered:
"This Family Head asks: why do the clan elders rebel?"
As he spoke, golden light flared from his body, and an oppressive aura weighed on the hearts of the elders.
Immediately, the one elder who had originally stood by him flashed behind him and said, "Family Head, I never intended this! Shui Yan and the others forced me—I had no choice but to oppose you! Please see clearly, Family Head!"
"Oh?"
Shui Cang looked up at the old man. "Second Uncle, I believe I’ve treated you well. Why harm me?"
Shui Yan’s expression turned ugly. He had calculated everything—but never anticipated Shui Cang had such strength and methods.
His face twisted for a moment before he gritted his teeth and said, "The bowstring has been pulled, no turning back—attack!"
With that, he once again activated the Poison Dragon Drill at his side and charged forward.
He could feel that Shui Cang was still at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, just relying on some technique to block their attacks. In that case, once the technique was broken, they could kill Shui Cang!
The other three elders did the same.
Had they not acted yet, things might still be salvageable—they could even defect mid-battle. But once action was taken, there was no going back.
Betrayal was betrayal.
Since it had come to this—they might as well go all in.—If they failed—
Shui Cang simply sat there, letting them attack. Even as the four of them jointly destroyed the entire clan elder hall, they still couldn’t break his defense.
Ji Yuan, hidden in the dark, watched with increasing caution.
He could tell that Shui Cang’s defense came entirely from the bracelet on his wrist—a bracelet made of human finger bones. Moreover, the bracelet emitted not protective golden light, but a cloud of black smoke.
It was just that the bracelet came with an illusion spell, so to the naked eye, it looked like golden light.
"That looks like a Demonic Cultivator’s method..."
The protective black mist was likely a defensive spell sealed within by a Foundation Establishment stage Demonic Cultivator. When Shui Cang activated it,
the four late-stage Qi Refining elders naturally couldn’t break through.
That was why he acted so fearlessly.
The four elders grew increasingly desperate. Seeing they still couldn’t break Shui Cang’s defense, they became furious and killed the remaining betraying elder.
Shui Cang saw it all—but did nothing.
After the fierce battle, when the elders finally ceased, he clasped his hands behind his back, turned, and looked toward a certain spot outside the door.
"Shui Kai, didn’t you notice when digging the ancestral grave, that it was far too easy to dig?"