Chapter 856 - Discussion
In the Morrow Clan, the god elders of the Elder Council who would usually be focusing on cultivation had gathered in the main hall. They formed two rows and looked at Jiao Xiu sitting on the main seat. Since the patriarch was not speaking, the two rows of elders turned into two factions who began to quarrel with each other. The name of Chen Xiu who had recently become one of the rulers of Asura City kept appearing in their conversation.
The elders on the left represented the faction in favor of getting close to him. They believed that the ancestor had encroached on what belonged to god father and was killed for that, but that was ancestor’s personal matter. If they were considered together with him, then god father would have exterminated the Morrow Clan as well. However, they were not wiped out, just deprived of their authority in Asura City.
Right then, only two people had control over Asura City: the city lord Ashbi and the recently advanced sixth ancestor Chen Xiu.
Regardless of whatever was said, Chen Xiu was a person of the Morrow Clan, so the left faction wanted to draw close to him and raise him as the new ancestor of the Morrow Clan. That would allow the Morrow Clan to gain control of half of Asura City, which would make them even stronger than they were before. It was something that could only be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The faction on the right side, however, raised the point that even if Chen Xiu’s cultivation was raised to god level and he had become the sixth ancestor of Asura City, he was still a branch family descendant with muddled bloodline. How could he be raised to the position of Morrow Clan’s ancestor?
Apart from that, the elders against the union also raised the point about how could there be a difference in the treatment of branch family descendants and how there were conflicts between the four great clans and Chen Xiu.
With so many matters on which their opinions differed, how could the Morrow Clan and Chen Xiu come together?
Because the number of people in both factions was identical, they kept quarreling in the main hall. All of them remained stubborn on their side, but could not convince the other party.
However, the only person who could make the strategic direction about the future direction of the clan was sitting on the main seat, and his name was Jiao Xiu.
While the elders of both factions were quarreling, Jiao Xiu remained motionless like a stone statue whose gaze was locked onto something straight ahead. When the elders of the two factions stopped quarrelling, a smile appeared at the corners of Jiao Xiu’s mouth upon seeing the figure coming to stand outside the hall.
“Come,” Jiao Xiu softly said.
Suspicion appeared on the faces of elders of both factions, and they followed the patriarch’s gaze toward the figure outside the main hall. The elders of the opposing faction revealed smiles and looked at the elders of the other faction sitting opposite them with joy. The elders of the left faction sighed, having just learned about the Morrow Clan’s future path.
The youth clad in luxurious clothes glanced at Jiao Xiu and the elders sitting within the hall. He slightly bowed and said, “Patriarch Jiao Xiu, the city lord invites you to the city lord’s mansion to have a chat.”
“The city lord has went through a lot of trouble. This patriarch will hurry over in a moment,” Jiao Xiu said with a smile.
The youth nodded, and his figure turned into a blur before it disappeared.
The elders of the left faction looked at the patriarch and asked with surprise, “We hadn’t expected that the clan patriarch would move so quickly, directly choosing the city lord’s side.”
After hearing those words, an elder of the opposing faction sitting on the right sneered and said, “Isn’t it obvious that lord patriarch has to make this choice? From time immemorial, Asura City has been managed by the city lord and the four great clans.
“Now that this clan has been deprived of its authority, we naturally must stand by the side of direct descendants. Could it be that you really support that sixth ancestor with his impure bloodline?”
At this time, a guard covered in dirt rushed out before all the god elders gathered in the hall. Upon seeing a meeting underway, he panicked. He was a branch family descendant so had he never seen so many gods gathered together.
After paying his respects, he nervously said, “Lord patriarch, I am a guard from the gate between lower city and middle city. Today something happened there. The slums dwellers of lower city rushed to the middle city while saying that sixth ancestor recruited them as subordinates.”
After he said that, there was no movement from the patriarch or the clan elders, so the guard slightly raised his head to take a look and saw a hint of mockery on Jiao Xiu’s face. The two rows of the elders, in the meantime, displayed different reactions. One side was laughing madly while the other side was frowning slightly.
“You retreat first,” Jiao Xiu said in a calm voice.
When the guard retreated, Jiao Xiu looked at the elders on both sides and slowly said, “In order to keep Morrow Clan’s appearance, elders, even if you disagree, don’t let your quarrel reach this stage. The sixth elder is only a branch family descendant of my clan, but God father raised him to become one of the rulers of Asura City and wants to see whether he is capable of managing or not.
“The four great clans are direct descendants so we naturally must follow the city lord. That is why the sixth ancestor can only recruit the slum dwellers of lower city. As for what kind of people live there, I do not think I need to elaborate. When I make the trip to the city lord’s mansion, elders, don’t start fighting because of this matter.”
After saying that, Jiao Xiu moved and disappeared from the main hall.
He reappeared in the sky in front of the door to the city lord’s mansion and just happened to arrive together with the patriarchs of the other three clans. The four of them looked at each other and entered the city lord’s mansion.
A maid standing behind the door led the four clan patriarchs to the main hall through the rock garden pond. Inside the hall, Ashbi was sitting on the main seat with his round belly hanging out and holding a cup of tea in his hand.
Jiao Xiu entered the main hall and took a seat, then asked city lord, “Lord Ashbi, this truly rarely seen. Why did you summon us today?”
The other three clan patriarchs also looked at Ashbi.
“Today I asked you all to come in order to divide the Asura City. Your four clans have lost their power, so you were meant to choose one of the rulers to serve. But you four came to the city lord’s mansion which clearly illustrates that you stand on my side. Naturally I welcome you all, but it also puts me in a difficult position. God father said that everything must be in balance; he didn’t want to see any side become weaker,” Ashbi said after taking a sip of his tea.
After hearing his words, the four patriarchs looked at each other but did not say anything. Ashbi’s meaning or perhaps god father’s meaning was not hard to understand. With the four ancestors out of the picture, god father did not wish for one side to become excessively powerful. If the four great clans stood by Ashbi’s side, Chen Xiu would definitely become vulnerable.
At that time, although Asura City’s control would be divided on the surface, in reality, the city lord’s mansion and the four great clans would still retain power.
“The city lord, we understand god father’s meaning, but sixth ancestor has already found his faction. Just a moment ago, a guard informed me that sixth ancestor recruited the slum dwellers of lower city as subordinates. Besides, the sixth ancestor did not request anyone among the four clans to follow him,” Jiao Xiu said indifferently.
Ashbi was startled by the news. He had dispatched people to summon the patriarchs of the four clans to discuss the matter of equality. Naturally, he had also dispatched a subordinate to find Chen Xiu so he would join them to discuss the division of power.
But he hadn’t expected that Chen Xiu would independently recruit his subordinates and bring to himself all the powerless slum dwellers of lower city.
While he was thinking about it, a voice echoed in the main hall.
“God father really considered my needs, surprisingly even thinking of splitting the four clans between me and elder brother. I understand god father’s kind intentions, but I don’t need the four clans as my subordinates.”