"What trouble could there be? I’ve already given orders—if they wish to eat, drink, and be rry, or if they want to cause trouble, let them be. If they can provoke others without consequence, they deserve to be bullied. If they cannot fend for themselves and get bullied by others, they also have it coming. As long as they don’t kill or cripple anyone, or get themselves killed or crippled, guards from the Mu Residence are not allowed to intervene. As for what happens within their own branch of the family, that’s their own business. If they land themselves in big trouble, don’t expect the Mu Residence to stand up for them," Mu Beichen said.
"What?" Mu Hanyan looked at Mu Beichen in surprise. Such thods of family governance were indeed unheard of.
"Do you feel that this is too harsh and doesn’t resemble the behavior of a family?" Mu Beichen, seeing Mu Hanyan’s surprise, asked with a smile.
"Yes," Mu Hanyan nodded.
"Do you know how many people are in the Mu Family?" Mu Beichen asked.
"I do not," Mu Hanyan replied.
"The Mu Family has one Supre Elder, five elders, nine Tributors, and more than ten Guest Elders, plus their close relatives. Just counting those in the direct lineage of the Mu Family, we’re talking hundreds of individuals. If the head family had to step in for every little issue, with just a few unworthy playboys, the head family would be in constant turmoil, and in a few days you’d have the entire Capital against us.
So I can only let them clean their own doorstep of snow, lest they bring disaster upon the Mu Family," Mu Beichen continued.
Hearing this, Mu Hanyan understood Mu Beichen’s intentions and also felt a bit ashad. Heishi City had produced a single Big Playboy Mu, who had almost managed to offend several other major families, and she wasn’t even a true playboy—most of the ti, she was wronged first. If there were a few more genuine playboys, she feared even the City Lord’s Mansion would be drowned in the spit of the common folk.
The Mu Family in the capital was even more diverse and complicated, and her grandfather’s actions were certainly reasonable.
Mu Hanyan also realized why the guards who followed Mu Zexian and others, including those at the gate, only greeted them with wry smiles and had not lifted a hand against them—it was all due to her grandfather’s prior orders.
"But after all, they are Mu Family’s Disciples. To just laissez-faire, letting them act recklessly—isn’t that not quite right?" Mu Hanyan couldn’t help but say.
Thinking of the feeble virtues of Mu Zexian and others, Mu Hanyan herself felt embarrassed. What was most intolerable for her was seeing such young kids who already knew to seek pleasure in Zuixiang Building. If left unchecked, who knew what they would beco.
"In a family like ours, which big family doesn’t produce a few unworthy descendants? If they were all elites, the Mu Family would truly be in chaos, and we couldn’t have lasted until today," Mu Beichen said indifferently.
Mu Hanyan was initially stunned, but then she faintly grasped his aning.
Throughout history, countless families have been destroyed due to infighting over power and profit, even causing dynastic changes for this very reason.
The Mu Family was already populous. If all mbers, whether they had talent for cultivation or not, sought resources for cultivation, and in the process exhausted those limited resources through intrigue and infighting, they would inevitably et the sa fate—a decline after which the family would eventually fall.
Eliminate the dross and focus only on the essence—only by spending limited resources on offspring worth cultivating and turning a blind eye to the others, allowing them to waste away, harsh as it may be, was a way to keep a balance. The family needs to give up on cultivating so individuals early on, letting them completely lose hope, only then can the family continue for generations.
Although she understood, Mu Hanyan still felt quite sorry for Mu Zexian and the others, who were so young to have been given up on by the family.
"Besides, if you don’t let them act out and stir up so noise, your reputation as a playboy would be a bit too conspicuous," Mu Beichen then added.
Mu Hanyan realized sothing—in addition to managing the family balance, her grandfather allowed Mu Zexian and the others to act out and didn’t bother to discipline them, partly for this reason.
After all, if the Mu Family rules were strict and all descendants were cautious in their actions, only her fa as the Big Playboy would stand out. This contrast might be too great, inevitably drawing the suspicion of those with ulterior motives.
With people like Mu Zexian backing her in the capital, aside from those from Heishi City, others probably wouldn’t take her playboy reputation too seriously.
Speaking of which, the fact that Mu Zexian and the others were indulged to this extent, developing such bad temperants, was sowhat related to her.
"Grandfather, what exactly is the reason?" Mu Hanyan, already full of doubts, couldn’t hold back anymore and asked.
Mu Beichen certainly knew what she was asking. He turned around, waved his hand, and the wall behind him emitted a shimring light.
The seal was broken, and a reddish-copper slate appeared before their eyes.
The slate flickered with a faint crystal light, evidently a piece of fine teorite Gold. It was unknown how many years it had weathered, its edges already worn and incomplete.
Upon closer inspection, there was a drawing on the slate.
In ancient tis, the earth was barren, cracked open, volcanoes erupted, and several figures stood tall among the clouds, overlooking all living beings.
Mu Hanyan’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to it, her ntal state blending into the scene without her realizing.
The roar of a volcano erupting sounded in her ears, icy winds slashed across her cheeks, the earth split open, forming an abyss thousands of feet deep.
Screams and wails ca from afar, as countless people were displaced, frantically fleeing across the ravaged land. In just a mont, they were swallowed by the rciless flas or fell into the unfathomable abyss.
In the midst of howling cries, figures clad in ancient battle armor flew across the sky, their longswords trailing stunning streaks of sword light, as blinding as the sun, making it impossible to keep one’s eyes open.
One could only feel that under the imnse sword power, the entire world fell into silence; ti and space ca to a standstill at that mont.
After a while, the light faded and the earth returned to tranquility. The volcanoes stopped erupting and the land was at peace once more.
In the distance, there ca the thunderous cheers of the people and their devout prayers.
And those figures in ancient battle armor knelt on the ground for a long ti, like eternal sculptures.
From their mouths, an ancient and lodious chant arose, filled with sorrow and nostalgia, like an immortal elegy.
"What... what is this?" Mu Hanyan suddenly snapped out of it, asking with an excited and trembling voice.
Although she didn’t understand what they were singing, Mu Hanyan could sense that the language they used was the sa as the so-called "Divine Language" echoing in her mind.
"Divine Martial descends, the earth in its grasp!" Mu Beichen stared at Mu Hanyan for a long ti, his expression as serious as a statue.
Divine Martial descends, the earth in its grasp!!!
Mu Hanyan’s heart trembled violently.
(It’s the last day of 2016. How does everyone feel? I hope that everything goes well for you all in 2017. Love you guys! Any more monthly tickets left? It’s the last double, co on, and there’s also a draw for those who send screenshots of at least three votes to the two managers—the prize is a big snack gift pack. Muah. What will next month’s prize be? I’ll think about it and let you know.)
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