Chapter 856: Stepping Out of the Ancestral Hall
Chen Changsheng and the Orthodoxy returned to the Dao Hall.
The wind and snow did not cease, falling for an entire night.
He also waited for that entire night.
The Tang clan showed no movement, no sign of any upheaval.
For three years, the Tang clan's Second Master had effectively managed the family's business and internal affairs of the various branches, undoubtedly the most important figure in this city.
Yet his disappearance seemed to have no impact on the city at all.
This once again proved that Wenshui City would forever be the Tang clan's city, and the Tang clan would forever be under Old Master Tang's rule.
What unsettled the Orthodoxy and Chen Changsheng was that an entire night had passed, and the doors of the ancestral hall remained tightly shut.
Tang Thirty-Six had still not been released.
When the first ray of morning light fell upon the Wenshui River, the final snowflake also descended, and then the snow stopped.
The cessation of wind and snow was so abrupt that no one had any psychological preparation for it, much like when the Tang clan's old residence sent a letter to the Dao Hall.
Thick snow piled up on the city's streets and alleys, reflecting the warm red glow of the morning clouds, looking like a burning meadow.
Chen Changsheng and the Orthodoxy party arrived once more outside the old residence. This time, the treatment he received was far more ceremonious than the day before. Old Master Tang personally waited for him in the courtyard.
"I should have gone to the Dao Hall to pay my respects to His Holiness the Pope, but my cold has not yet healed, and this old body cannot bear the strain," Old Master Tang said to Chen Changsheng.
Neither his expression nor his tone carried any sincerity, nor was sincerity needed. Both knew this was merely for show.
Chen Changsheng went along with it. "I wonder how the eldest branch's master's illness is faring?"
Here, "illness" naturally referred to the poison.
Old Master Tang said, "Someone was sent to the Longevity Sect yesterday to invite a master to come and treat him."
Here, "treat" naturally meant that the Tang clan had confirmed the Longevity Sect possessed the antidote, and with the Tang clan's capabilities, obtaining it would be no problem.
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng finally felt relieved. As for the Yellow Springs poison on Su, while it couldn't harm him or Nanke, neither he nor Nanke had the confidence to expel the poison for others.
As they spoke, the two had already entered the room, with all prying eyes shut out. Naturally, there was no need for false pleasantries, and they got straight to the point.
"It would be best if the poison could be cured, but even if it can't, it doesn't matter. If he dies, he dies."
Old Master Tang's expression was indifferent. "The Second Master never understood this point. Even if he had killed Tang Thirty-Six yesterday, I still wouldn't have chosen him."
Because he had many sons, and he could probably live for several more decades, even a century. He still had time to educate and groom a qualified heir to the family headship.
Chen Changsheng did not believe Old Master Tang's words.
If Tang Thirty-Six had truly been killed yesterday, the Tang clan would inevitably face retaliation from Chen Changsheng and the Orthodoxy. Even if only to gain the support of Shang Xingzhou and the imperial court, Old Master Tang would have pushed the Second Master into the position of family head.
But Chen Changsheng understood why Old Master Tang said this.
Old Master Tang wanted him to know that under yesterday's circumstances, he could have chosen not to give the family to the Second Branch. So under today's circumstances, he could still choose not to give it to the Eldest Branch.
Because Chen Changsheng's relationship with Tang Thirty-Six was too close, and the relationship between the Eldest Branch and the Orthodoxy had always been too close.
Old Master Tang had stripped the Second Master of his position as family head, but he still chose to side with Shang Xingzhou and the imperial court.
He looked at Chen Changsheng and asked, "Do you find it hard to understand why I so firmly support your teacher?"
Chen Changsheng thought of the dog he had seen on the street yesterday morning, and after a moment of silence, said, "I can probably understand a bit. Because you are kindred spirits."
"The phrase 'kindred spirits' is well used, because many years ago, after the relief of Luoyang, your teacher Shang and I, along with Yin, did indeed return to the capital as kindred spirits."
Old Master Tang gazed at the well in the courtyard, his eyes resting on the snow piled on its rim.
"In those years, I traveled far and wide, but knowing I was the eldest young master of the Tang clan, whether it was the former dynasty, the Daoist sect, or those rebellious princes, who would dare show me the slightest disrespect? I never had the chance to experience the hardships of the world. I thought that was simply how human affairs were. Even if some people might live with difficulty, what did that have to do with me? I was, after all, that noble young master dressed in silks and finery, whom no one dared to provoke. But who could have imagined that Luoyang would be besieged by the demons, besieged for three full months, during which countless tragedies occurred... In the end, who would still care that you were the eldest young master of the Tang clan?"
Old Master Tang narrowed his eyes slightly, the wrinkles at their corners carrying a hint of self-mockery, but more so, a profound pain.
With war raging for three months, even the red falcons used for communication in Luoyang were secretly killed and eaten by some strong cultivators, let alone expecting any tree bark to remain. The demons raped, killed, and plundered outside the city. Scattered human soldiers inside the city went mad from despair. The demons devoured people everywhere along the banks of the Wei River, and the people in Luoyang also devoured each other. White bones were everywhere in the water.
Even for someone as cold-hearted as him, he did not wish to recall those scenes from back then any further.
Of course, he even less wanted to see such scenes reappear before his eyes.
Therefore.
"No chaos—those are the three words I care about most in this life."
"Eliminating the demons—that is the thing I most want to accomplish in this life."
"The Tang clan is strong enough to have the right to choose. So, between the Orthodoxy and the imperial court, how do I choose?"
"I choose the strongest side."
"What defines strength? Besides whose fist is bigger, it also lies in whose punch is steadier."
Old Master Tang looked at Chen Changsheng and said, "Your fist is not big enough yet. As for steadiness, you are far inferior to your teacher."
Chen Changsheng knew this was Old Master Tang's final stance and offered no further opinion on the matter.
"I have nothing else to say. I only want to take him away. My purpose in coming to Wenshui was to take him away, not to persuade the Tang clan to change its mind."
That day in the Dao Hall, he had said the same thing to the Tang clan's Second Master.
Only, the Second Master hadn't believed him and had responded with a silent, mocking smile.
Old Master Tang's judgment was far superior to his son's, so he could naturally see that Chen Changsheng was speaking from the heart.
The whole matter was that simple. Young people did things that simply.
Old Master Tang thought of the interesting things that had happened during the journey when he, Shang, and Yin had left Luoyang countless years ago, and he fell silent for a long time.
Almost all of their generation were now dead. Even those still alive, like him and Shang Xingzhou, were already decrepit. But they had once been young.
"I agree to it." Old Master Tang looked at him and said, "Speaking of which, he should be out by now."
...
...
Today, Wenshui City seemed much livelier than in the past few days.
The Tang clan's Second Master had been locked away somewhere. The Second Branch had lost power, and audits and purges were proceeding simultaneously. But the shops along the streets had already opened, and there were more pedestrians.
On the main street in front of the ancestral hall, the noise of the crowd was especially loud. Stewards, shopkeepers, and servants of the Tang clan's Eldest Branch were guarding the area outside the gate, waiting with Madam Tang.
Suddenly, the heavy wooden doors of the ancestral hall slowly creaked open.
Tang Thirty-Six walked out from inside.
Just like many years ago when he had walked out of the Mausoleum of Books, his hair was disheveled, his face covered in dust, and he had grown much thinner, as if he had endured great hardship.
But his eyes had become even brighter, his expression far calmer than before, and his demeanor was steady.
Seeing her son, Madam Tang's eyes grew moist. She forcibly suppressed her emotions, not daring to cry out loud.
What happened next proved to the onlookers that he was still the same Tang Thirty-Six as before.
No matter how much his expression and demeanor had changed after being confined in the ancestral hall for half a year.
He asked the crowd, "Where's that old bastard?"
...
...
(Tang Thirty-Six has finally come out of the ancestral hall. Thread-knot guy also got married. I took a look at the wedding photos. The bride is really beautiful. It's truly infuriating~ Wishing them a lifetime of happiness.)