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墨書 Inktalez
So he is the eldest son of the family. How did he end up here?
Alas, it’s a pity. The family has been a prestigious lineage for over a hundred years, yet now it has fallen in a single day, reduced to a status lower than that of ordinary people.
Amidst the harsh whispers around him, Yuling’s face turned ashen as he walked into the family estate.
At this moment, the courtyard was desolate and sparsely populated; even the plaque at the entrance of the main hall was covered in a thin layer of dust.
Recently, the family had faced severe financial difficulties and declared bankruptcy. Former allies from other prominent families had come knocking, demanding explanations and compensation for their investments.
With no other options, Hai could only auction off the root cause of their troubles—the Breaking Through Pill. However, several families in Baisha City had limited resources and were unwilling to part with a significant portion of their wealth for a pill whose usefulness in reaching the Nascent Soul stage was uncertain.
In the end, this fire-attributed Breaking Through Pill was purchased at half price by an elder from a major sect's pharmacy.
Upon hearing this news, Hai was so furious that he nearly spat blood and fainted. Afterward, he sent someone to investigate and discovered that the alchemist had been determined to acquire the pill. Before the auction even began, he had established connections with several prominent families in Baisha City to ensure they wouldn’t compete against him.
He had even gifted them numerous high-grade pills. The other families were already disinterested in bidding; now that they had received benefits, they were more than willing to do him a favor by not competing.
Upon learning the truth, Hai was so enraged that he couldn’t get out of bed, clutching his chest and lying there for three whole days. Selling the Breaking Through Pill at half price could not save the family from its downward spiral. Moreover, with several ambitious families pressuring them for repayment, they were determined to bring down the family and completely divide its resources in Baisha City.
Faced with such dire circumstances, Hai ordered guests to leave and shut himself away from the world. But who would have thought that morale among his family members had already crumbled? Before he could devise a countermeasure, he heard that his cousin had absconded with their remaining wealth.
The elders had also been lured away by offers from other prominent families.
"Patriarch, people seek higher ground while water flows downward. The family has fallen; I cannot be expected to accompany it into ruin."
"Patriarch, we part ways here; I hope you won’t take offense."
"Patriarch, I have feelings of loyalty towards the family, but loyalty cannot be eaten; I hope you can understand."
Each farewell felt like a dagger to Hai’s heart. Seeing that only a few Nascent Soul elders remained willing to stay by his side made him feel utterly defeated.
These elders were truly the foundation of the family; without them, what could sustain it?
On the day of parting, many younger members and elders stayed close to Hai, offering him encouragement.
"Master, those heartless individuals have left, but we are still here. Please don’t lose hope; we are still waiting for you to lead us back to glory! If necessary, we can start over. Our family has faced such dire situations before."
The sea looked bleak, filled with sorrow. As he gazed at the faces full of hope, his heart ached, leaving him speechless. They all wanted him to lead the family to revival once more, but they had no idea that this time was different from all the times before.
The door of the house was kicked open, and several members of the Zhang family strode into the hall with smug expressions.
"Several of your Nascent Soul elders have already been poached by us. What do you have left to resist us now?" One of them waved his hand, signaling those behind him.
"The family may be defeated, but there are still plenty of good things left. If you see something valuable, take it all!"
The eyes of the family members turned red with fury. "How dare you be so audacious? I’ll fight you to the end!"
They surged forward, trying to drive out these intruders, but a young man from the Zhang family merely raised his chin and shouted disdainfully, "Elder Meng, these people are delaying our Zhang family's business. Please take action to suppress them."
As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying pressure from the Nascent Soul stage swept through the room, causing everyone to falter in their stance.
Hai looked up in shock, only to see a figure in black on the eaves removing his hood, revealing a familiar and aged face.
Hai's eyes widened in disbelief. "Elder Meng, you’ve been with our family for over a decade. Now that we are defeated, you actually turn around and help the Zhang family deal with us?"
Elder Meng averted his gaze with reluctance and sighed softly. "Master, while I once served our family loyally, that is now in the past. I have now defected to the Zhang family; I am one of them."
"To eat from your lord’s table is to serve your lord’s cause. The master has given orders; I cannot disobey."
Hai staggered back two steps and fell to the ground. He was still processing this shocking betrayal when he heard a cacophony of footsteps approaching.
The Wang and Xu families had also arrived, each accompanied by several elders, among whom were familiar faces.
As they turned their heads away from the sight in Shanghai, the elders remained rooted in place, not daring to move an inch. Seeing this scene, Old Hai's tears streamed down his face; how could he not understand?
The family was in decline! In the past, when the family was prosperous, they had suppressed the other three families and reaped many benefits. Now that their power had waned, the other three families were like wolves and tigers catching a whiff of fresh meat, eagerly pouncing forward as if they could not wait to tear off a piece and feast on it.
With them around, how could the family have any chance of survival? They would either fall into ruin and gradually perish or leave Baisha City to start anew. But Hai Shun had sailed smoothly for so many years; now in his twilight years, he no longer had the courage to start over.
His face was ashen as he allowed the other three families to empty out their possessions. The family members were filled with extreme reluctance.
"Master, are you really going to accept this fate?"
"How can you face our ancestors like this?"
Hai slowly turned around, unable to face them. Now, aside from being at their mercy, what other options did he have? The other three families had already come knocking directly at their door. If he resisted fiercely, he feared that the losses would be far more than just gold and spirit stones.
"From now on, I will no longer be the head of the family, and you will no longer be my kin. You all should take care of yourselves."
Upon hearing this news, Yu Feng rushed over from the Carefree Sect. His eyes reddened as he lifted his robe and knelt before Hai with a thud.
"Father, it is all my fault for being unfilial; I have brought ruin upon our family! It’s all that scoundrel Wang Yuan's fault! If it weren’t for his misleading me, our family wouldn’t have ended up like this."
Afterward, although he sought out Wang Yuan at the Talisman Hall to settle accounts, Wang Yuan had long been demoted to an ordinary disciple in the outer sect. Yu Feng bribed the outer sect's steward to take good care of him.
Wang Yuan endured three beatings a day and had to suffer endless bullying from the steward and other disciples. Unable to bear it any longer, he knelt outside the Talisman Hall pleading for Elder Zhao's forgiveness. But Elder Zhao had already made up his mind to sever ties with him. In the end, Wang Yuan chose to leave the sect voluntarily and became a wandering cultivator.
Yu Feng harbored resentment; unfortunately, even though he secretly ordered someone to ambush Wang Yuan and kill him in a fit of rage, it could not salvage the losses suffered by their family.
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