The ninth year of Great Xia, the fifth day of the eighth month, shortly after nightfall.
Inner City, Xiang Mansion
"Alright, alright, just preparing so offerings, nothing too big. I don’t need your help; the kitchen is full of smoke. Don’t let it choke Chong’er, out, out."
"Yeah, big brother, go, go, don’t interrupt and sister-in-law doing work."
"Okay, okay, I’m leaving, I’m leaving!"
Xiang Liang, holding his two-month-old son, had just stepped into the kitchen for a mont before his wife, Wang Yuxiu, and his sister, Xiang Rong, shooed him out.
He wasn’t annoyed, looking down at his son in his arms, who was staring up at him with wide eyes, seemingly curiously observing him. This adorable look made him burst into laughter, rubbing his face against his son’s little nose.
Actually, two months ago, when he received the news of his wife’s childbirth at Hongn, Xiang Liang knew he had beco a father, but because it was conveyed from afar, the feeling wasn’t strong. It wasn’t until he returned ho in the Inner City at dawn and saw his son, Xiang Chong, in person that he truly felt it.
He really had beco a father!
Eight years ago, that young man almost perished in the Logging Realm of Northern Wuyuan Mountain. Now, not only had he broken through to Cold Resistance Level, but also gained the strength of a Three-maned, was conferred the title of Ninth-rank Marquis, set up a sacrifice at the Sect Temple, letting the Xiang Family join the ranks of the small sects in Great Xia, and now he was the Vice Chief of Punishnt at Hongn, an official appointed to the fifth rank, and his wife had given birth to a big healthy baby boy!
Such changes could be described as earth-shattering, without exaggeration.
Recalling the night eight years ago, when he risked his life with a piece of Cold Marrow Iron to secure a path for Hefeng Camp into Great Xia, Xiang Liang now felt a great sense of satisfaction, along with gratitude and relief.
Carrying his son, Xiang Liang walked slowly to the main hall and saw many unopened congratulatory gifts on the table. Looking down at his son, he couldn’t help but express with a sigh, "You, young man, are much more fortunate than I am, looking ahead, it’s all good days for you."
Eight years ago, when Hefeng Camp was rged into Great Xia, there were over a thousand people. Although now those people had gradually dispersed into various areas of Xia City, since they all ca from the sa place, and with his father Xiang Ping being the forr leader of Hefeng, there was still so connection between them.
Truthfully, in previous tis, the gesture of proactively sending gifts for one’s child’s one-month celebration might have existed, but it would certainly not be so many.
Xiang Liang understood clearly, the key was that he was conferred the marquisate last year and then appointed as Vice Chief of Punishnt at Hongn this year, making it into the ranks of the official gentry of Great Xia, which led to so many people trying to curry favor again.
People are indeed pragmatic, and having climbed up from the grassroots himself, Xiang Liang couldn’t fault such behavior.
Especially having served at Hongn, entering the political arena of Great Xia for the better part of the year, he had garnered so understanding of the mid to high-level dynamics in Great Xia.
At the Cold Yuan Banquet at the beginning of the year, the father-in-law of the Minister, Lord Xiao Kangcheng of Ba Shang Hunting Bureau Mountain Yu, actively sought to converse with him, and he realized this was the Wuyuan System extending an olive branch to him.
Where there are people, there are factions. Thinking back to the original Hefeng Camp with over 1,000 people, it had split into multiple interest groups, let alone today’s Great Xia with over 2.6 million people.
Even officials talk about huddling for warmth, not to ntion ordinary people.
This many people sending gifts for his son, was simply to forge connections with him, hoping he could help them or their descendants in so way.
Looking at the gifts, Xiang Liang’s mind was as clear as a mirror. He muttered to himself, "Based on my observations over the past half year, the Wuyuan System currently only has so influence in the middle ranks of Great Xia, and their power is not great. They do need more fresh blood. If any real talents erge among the old mbers from Hefeng, giving them a hand would be right and proper, gifts or no gifts, the relationship matters little."
Setting aside his thoughts, he sat in the main seat, continuing to tease his son with a smile.
"Big brother!"
But before he could entertain his son for long, his second brother, Xiang Yan, entered from outside with a gloomy face, clearly very upset, his voice soft as he greeted him.
"So, have you checked the rankings and found hopes of advancing slim?"
Seeing the expression on his brother’s face, Xiang Liang instantly guessed the reason.
His second brother, Xiang Yan, who was not yet eighteen, t the requirents to sign up for the youth group of this year’s Martial Arts Competition, and such an event he certainly wouldn’t miss. By the end of May, he, like other young people in Xia City, went to compete at Hongn City.
So, the brothers spent more than two months together at Hongn until five days ago when the semi-finals ended, the successful Xiang Yan returned to Xia City first for the finals, while Xiang Liang returned ho after the earlier religious ceremony.
The Martial Arts Competition finals began on the first, still using the ring tid system, with each person fighting five rounds. The top 200 with five consecutive wins and the shortest ti advanced, with both youth and young adult groups running simultaneously, completing in five days.
Xiang Yan finished his five rounds on the third, quite lucky, winning all five consecutively.
But his total ti exceeded half an hour, and when the results ca out on the third, he was already ranked over 180 in the youth group, hoping to advance further ant relying on the performance of others not surpassing his.
So, for two consecutive nights, he went to check the ranking list at the North Fifth District as soon as it got dark. Having just been out briefly and already returned crestfallen, it was clear he had been squeezed out of the list.
Showing a trace of gloom on his face, Xiang Yan nodded, "I should have been squeezed out of the list last night; currently, the person ranked 200th only spent a total of just over 600 breaths on five consecutive wins."
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