Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"What have I forgotten...? Why is it able to stir my mind?" The middle-aged cultivator couldn't help but start calculating with his fingers, and in the darkness, he sensed a faint aura.

"That is... the southwest, the southwest, and it's very far away."

Why the southwest? Is some kind of destiny waiting for me?

He muttered to himself, but his fingers were calculating faster and faster. As his fingertips moved, he sweated more and more, his face grew paler and paler, and the veins on his forehead became more and more visible.

A moment later, he couldn't help but clutch his chest and let out a muffled groan, a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

"it hurts……"

He felt as if countless steel needles were piercing his head, causing excruciating pain.

It was caused by the deduction.

He was very clear about this.

There was a force preventing him from getting closer to the truth. Continuing might have incalculable consequences, but he did not choose to give up. He did not care about the consequences; what he sought was the truth.

With both hands simultaneously making calculations, the fingertips move so fast that only afterimages can be seen.

He endured the piercing pain in his head and devoted all his energy to deducing that possibility.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he finally glimpsed a sliver of the secret.

"puff"

The middle-aged man couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of dark blood. This blood floated in the air and soon condensed into sparkling blood diamonds, which also floated in the air.

His chest heaved violently, and he was drenched in sweat, having almost exhausted all his strength.

It was unclear how much time had passed before a glimmer of life returned to his pale face.

He stood up, carefully straightened his somewhat disheveled clothes, and pushed open the door to go out.

The palace maids who had been waiting outside the palace rushed forward and respectfully bowed, saying, "Congratulations on Your Majesty's departure from the pass."

The middle-aged man stared at her for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Do you know that there is a great river in the southwest called Canglan?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man laughed self-deprecatingly. How could a lowly palace maid, who was confined to the deep palace for many years, know about things he himself didn't? He must have been out of his mind.

Just as he was about to ignore the palace maid, she timidly spoke up: "Your Majesty, I have heard that it is said to be the fiefdom of the [Tortoise Dragon] clan."

The middle-aged man suddenly turned around, his eyes narrowed, and he unconsciously released a terrifying aura.

How did you find out?

The palace maid was startled by his reaction and quickly prostrated herself, bowing her head and saying in a trembling voice, "This servant... this servant overheard General Wu Mihuang mentioning it in casual conversation."

“Wumihuang…call him over.”

The palace maid felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly stood up, bowed, and then hurriedly withdrew.

Back inside the hall, the middle-aged man sat on a cold, high chair, lost in thought.

Throughout his life, he traversed the world, leaving his footprints across the four seas, and even visited the human cultivation world and the demon realm.

But this Canglan River was something I had never heard of before.

He originally thought it was just an ordinary river, but after hearing the palace maid's words, he realized it was the fiefdom of the [Tortoise Dragon Clan].

He was naturally familiar with the Dragon Clan, a powerful clan in the sea who once followed in the footsteps of their ancestors to contend for supremacy over the four seas.

Their fiefdom was clearly located in what is known as the First River under Heaven...

Thinking of this, the middle-aged man suddenly paused for a moment.

Right, what is the name of the great river where the [Tortoise Dragon Clan]'s fiefdom is located? He seems to have never thought about this question before.

Could it really be the Canglan River, as the palace maid said?

But... why has he never heard of it before?

He suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his head, and his thoughts became extremely chaotic, with countless incomprehensible images beginning to appear before his eyes.

He had no recollection of what was depicted in these images, but they looked so warm and familiar, as if he had experienced them firsthand.

But these images appeared out of thin air; they weren't his life.

Suddenly, a voice rang in his ears, saving him from the brink of insanity.

"Your Majesty, General Wumihuang has arrived."

It turned out that the palace maid had returned, followed by a tall figure in black armor with a broadsword at his waist, who looked like an iron tower from a distance.

The newcomer placed one hand on his chest, knelt on one knee, and said in a booming voice, "Your Majesty, Wu Mihuang has come to pay his respects."

The middle-aged man waved for the palace maids to leave, then walked up to Wu Mihuang and said in a deep voice, "I ask you, what kind of place is the Canglan River?"

Wu Mihuang was taken aback for a moment, then immediately replied, "Your Majesty, the Canglan River is the fiefdom of the [Tonglong Clan]. Didn't you visit it when you were young, traveling through the human cultivation world?"

"I've been there..."

The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

The other party was his most loyal general; there was no way he would fabricate such an easily exposed lie.

Since he said that, it must be true, after all, he was indeed the one who accompanied and served him when he traveled to the human cultivation world.

However, he had no recollection of it at all, and it would take a huge amount of energy to figure it out through deduction.

There seems to be a hint of conspiracy in this.

It seems someone set a trap for him, erasing part of his memory.

Who exactly is doing this, why is he doing it, and when did it start?

He couldn't help but think of those images that suddenly appeared in his mind, images of a little girl riding on his shoulders, her laughter as melodious as silver bells, captivating his heart.

If you were to ask him what his biggest regret in life was, it would be that he never had a daughter.

But now, he has doubts about that.

An idea surged into his mind, almost uncontrollably: he wanted to go to the Canglan River to search for this lost memory.

"I'm going to the Canglan River. You're in charge of showing me the way."

Wu Mihuang quickly advised, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? His Majesty instructed that you cannot go anywhere before you pass the third Dragon Transformation Tribulation. The guards are all watching outside."

Besides, the Canglan River is located at the border between the Demon Realm and the Human Cultivation Realm. We either have to go around it from the South China Sea or cross the entire Human Cultivation Realm.

The human race is so powerful that they are as numerous as clouds. If something were to happen to you, how would I explain it to the Crown Prince and his wife?

"If you have any orders, simply send someone to inform the [Tortoise Dragon Clan]. Given His Majesty's high regard for you, how dare they disobey?"

The middle-aged man shook his head slightly and said, "I don't trust them. Here's what we'll do: you go there yourself and find this person for me."

Having said that, he stretched out his hand, and with a surge of demonic power, he conjured up the image of the little girl he remembered in front of Wu Mihuang, and said, "You said that I had been to the Canglan River before, do you still remember the exact time?"

"It was about two hundred years ago, when you had just broken through to the Demon Lord realm."

"Two hundred years ago... I remember that trip you mentioned. I remember every stop on the journey clearly, but I have no memory of the Canglan River at all."

"Wu Mihuang, you are my most capable general. You should know what this means." A strange light flickered in the middle-aged man's eyes, his tone somewhat cold. No one can accept being manipulated without expression, especially when completely unaware.

Those who can break through to the Demon King realm are naturally not fools, and Wu Mihuang instantly realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Your Majesty, someone is trying to harm you. Should we inform His Majesty? With His Majesty's power, he can surely restore your memory."

The middle-aged man placed his hand on his shoulder and said solemnly, "I don't trust anyone else right now, I only trust you."

Wu Mihuang was shocked. A scholar will die for one who understands him. Sometimes a simple sentence can win people's hearts more than any reward or long speech.

He immediately bowed his head and said, "Our entire clan swears to serve our sovereign to the death!"

"I am bound by His Majesty's decree to remain here. You are my eyes and ears. Go to the Canglan River and bring this girl back to me."

It's best not to let anyone else know, not even the [Alligator Dragon Clan].

Wu Mihuang tentatively asked, "The Crown Prince and his wife also..."

"I won't tell you yet, you should set off as soon as possible."

Two hundred years have passed. If she were still alive, she would surely have grown up. Look for her using this portrait.

As he spoke, the image of the little girl that had materialized in the middle-aged man's palm began to grow at a visible speed, eventually becoming a woman whose eyebrows resembled his own.

"I will obey your orders!"

Wu Mihuang dared not delay. After engraving the woman's image into his mind, he transformed into a streak of black light and disappeared into the underwater palace.

After watching him leave, the middle-aged man's eyes gradually turned cold, his hands clenched tightly under his sleeves, and a murderous intent flashed as he said, "Don't let me know who you are!"
Whatever you try to hide, I will personally uncover it!

……

"Next, we will announce the appointment of the chief elders of each hall in the family."

Song Luzhou, the chief elder of the General Affairs Hall, is in charge of the family's internal affairs.

Song Qingqing, the chief elder of the Hall of a Hundred Arts, is in charge of the family's arts and crafts and oversees the Talisman Hall.

Xia Yunxue is the chief elder of the Sutra Repository, in charge of the Sutra Repository and the family school, where she teaches, imparts knowledge, and answers questions.

The head elder of the Enforcement Hall, Song Changxue, remains unchanged, in charge of arrests and trials.

Song Qingluo, the chief elder of the Wind Whisper Hall, is in charge of the family's intelligence.

Song Youfu, the chief elder of the Foreign Affairs Hall, is in charge of all external affairs of the family and is stationed at the East Sea Garrison.

The position of the head elder of the Dharma Protector Hall, Song Qingxing, remains unchanged.

The Spirit Insect Hall was upgraded to the Spirit Insect Palace, with Song Youping serving as the chief elder, in charge of the cultivation and breeding of spirit insects, the preparation of poisons, and so on.

The garrison commander of Qinghe County was Song Qingqian.

Song Youlin was appointed as the garrison commander of Donghai.

Song Yulong was appointed as the garrison commander of Qixia County, and the original garrison commander, Yuan Tianshu, was promoted to the chief retainer of the family.

Song Chang'an served as the Elder of the Hidden Hall of the Wind Whisper Palace, responsible for commanding the Hidden Guards.

Song Qingyu, Song Changrong, and Song Qinghong serve as elders of the Dan Hall, Qi Hall, and Zhen Hall of the Hundred Arts Hall, respectively.

Li Anmin was exceptionally appointed as the elder of Tiangongtang.

I will personally serve as the Chief Elder of the Inner Treasury, with Song Yushi as my assistant.

Together, they form the family council of elders.

At the Song clan council meeting, Song Qingxi announced a series of appointments. Apart from Song Yushi and Li Anmin, all of them were Grand Masters of the Purple Mansion, which could be considered as barely aligning them with forces such as the Golden Crow Sect.

All the cultivators present were somewhat dazed.

The cultivators of the Song clan themselves were alright, as they were already mentally prepared. However, it was a different story for the affiliated forces, especially those in Yangzhou and Lingzhou.

They were initially pleased with the [Breakthrough Pill] they had been given, but then suddenly so many Grand Masters of the Purple Mansion appeared in the Song Clan.

No wonder they were so generous in offering the [Breakthrough Pill]. Their development speed is on a completely different level; they can't even catch up.

Looking back 160 years, the Song family had to fight a desperate battle against the Lieyang Sect, which only had one Purple Mansion cultivator in charge.

In less than three cycles of sixty years, the Song family had grown into such a behemoth.

There are eighteen cultivators at the Purple Mansion level alone—what a terrifying number!

Although the Song family is still quite far from the likes of the Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect, how many years has it been developing?

At most, it's only been six hundred years.

Given the current momentum, catching up with or even surpassing it is only a matter of time.

The Song clan of Wangyue truly grew into a giant dragon in the hands of that young clan leader.

"To commemorate the fallen heroes of our family, there will be no ceremony this time. After the clan meeting, please go together to the ancestral mausoleum to pay tribute to those who perished during their breakthrough."

In addition to personnel appointments, there is another important resolution that requires a vote by the council of elders.

After investigation and statistics, it was found that over 60% of the family members are currently cultivators with mixed spiritual roots. This situation is detrimental to the family's future development, so I have decided..."

Song Qingxi announced his reform plan in just a few words.

Unsurprisingly, the meeting caused a huge uproar, as it was a resolution that concerned the common interests of all of them.

If it passes, the impact will be enormous.

"May I ask, Vice Clan Chief, is this the Clan Chief's intention?"

An elder of the clan, whose name began with the character "长" (cháng), stood up and asked the first question.

This is their biggest concern. If it's Song Changsheng's idea, they have to approve it no matter how unwilling they are.

If Song Changsheng was unaware of this, then they would have to reconsider.

Those present had all been with the family through thick and thin; they did not resist reform, and could not turn a blind eye to some substantive issues, even at the cost of sacrificing their personal interests.

But all of this is predicated on absolute trust in Song Changsheng.

They would resolutely support Song Changsheng's decision, no matter how unbelievable it may seem.

They worried that Song Qingxi had made this decision on a whim. In their minds, Song Qingxi was still too young and inexperienced, and might act impulsively.

Trust is a very subtle thing, even though Song Changsheng wasn't much older than her.

Song Qingxi calmly said, "I proposed the plan, but I have already informed the clan leader. I will take full responsibility for any consequences."

Now, let's begin the vote.

Actually, it would be easier to get approval if we just said it was Song Changsheng's idea, but cutting off someone's path is like killing their parents. Such a thing will be condemned and cursed for generations to come.

She didn't want Song Changsheng to bear all of this for her, as it would affect his prestige and image.

She is no longer the little girl who cried in his arms. She can now bear the burden of the family!

...(End of chapter)