Chapter 346: Relatives
The annual Upper Night Festival was held here, and the festivities would last for three days.
These three days were a joyous occasion for the common folk, and a time of harvesting wealth for merchants.
This was the busiest time for the Wei Clan, as its shipping companies, restaurants, inns, clothing stores, and other businesses were all on fire with business. The various managers would stand in line in front of the Wei Estate’s main house in order to report to the lady.
The Wei Estate had prospered in recent years, gaining two more streets of stores within Canglong Prefecture, opening up three more shipping routes, and adding at least twenty caravans under its flag.
All of this had started from the day the youngest master had become the True Inheritor of Sunwatch Peak.
A True Inheritor of one of the 19 Celestial Chief was a status that most people would never be able to achieve in their wildest dreams.
A clan’s development was often closely linked to the future prospects of the cultivator. The cultivators in the direct line of descent were like protective umbrellas for the clan, and the larger the umbrella, the greater the distance the clan could stretch out its hand.
The umbrella provided by Wei Tianchong and Tang Jie was currently enough for the Wei Clan to boldly expand for quite some time.
In the Wei Clan’s Resplendent Courtyard, Zheng Shufeng was seated at her desk.
The desk had been moved into the courtyard, where a large number of people were lined up and kneeling.
Zheng Shufeng was reading through various books on her desk. Occasionally, she would call out a name, and someone below would respond and be questioned by Zheng Shufeng.
At times, Zheng Shufeng was displeased and would crease her brow, upon which the people below would tremble. At times, Zheng Shufeng would nod in satisfaction, and the people down below would exult.
As Wei Tianchong had ascended, Zheng Shufeng’s status and authority had risen with him. She not only had power over the household but also had the right to inspect and intervene with the clan businesses. Even some personnel appointments could only be made with her approval. The master was now mostly responsible for dealing with outside merchants.
Zheng Shufeng finally finished reading through the account books. She waved her hand and said, “Alright, I’ve seen what there is to be seen and asked what needed to be asked. It seems like that’s the extent of this year’s harvest. But this is rather strange. Even if the Wei Clan didn’t add a lot this year, it was still at least eighteen stores, so why is there not much added business? And it seems like the market situation is even worse than last year!”
The people down below dropped their heads and did not dare reply.
Zheng Shufeng began to tap a finger on her desk. “Perhaps we’ve gotten into too many deals, putting some pressure on our personnel and allowing some hoodlums in. If the threshold to get into the Wei Clan becomes too low, some people will start to disrespect it and not value their jobs, and it’s only a matter of time until they start trying to play tricks while on the job. What they don’t know is that there’s no hiding from cold, hard numbers.”
Steward Qin, who had been sitting on the side this entire time, smiled and said, “My lady is correct. In the past, the Wei Clan would test someone for three to five years before putting them in important positions. We’re currently expanding too fast and lack manpower, so we inevitably give more people chances. An expansion like this that adds stores but little profit is simply no good.”
“That’s why we need to act quickly. If there are those who perform poorly, they should hurry up and resign rather than simply loafing off on our generosity.” Zheng Shufeng took several books and pointed at them. “These stores in particular must be given a close look. Their monthly revenues are getting worse and worse. Examine them closely. If it’s a problem with the shop assistants, get rid of them. If it’s a problem with the manager, then send the manager packing.”
“Yes,” Steward Qin replied. “I will personally handle it.”
Zheng Shufeng replied, “There’s no need for that. You’re getting old, so you should rest properly. Just send one of the young ones that you trust.”
“But I’m afraid that they might not do it properly.”
Zheng Shufeng chuckled. “I trust your eyes. Now that I think about it, without you, the Wei Clan wouldn’t have even been able to reach this level.”
Steward Qin hastily replied, “My lady, don’t start with this again! The Wei Estate has been able to come this far ultimately because of the lady’s wisdom and judgment, and the efforts of the young master and Tang Jie. Qin Yuan is fortunate to have the small merit of recommending them, which must be a result of the accumulated karma of my ancestors.”
Zheng Shufeng laughed and waved her hand. “Fine, fine, I won’t push it. You know, it’s been some time since Chong’er has come back. Haa, I wonder how he’s doing lately? This kid never knows to write home.”
Steward Qin quickly said, “A letter from Little Jie came a few days ago saying that everything was going well and that my lady should rest easy.”
“With him around, I have nothing to worry about. I just can’t help but feel somewhat concerned. Just call it a mother’s illness.” Zheng Shufeng raised her arm and stretched. “After all this talk, I’ve grown tired. Let’s end things here for today. Right, Steward Qin, as the Upper Night Festival is coming, help me pick some gifts from the estate and deliver them to the Wu couple’s home as a holiday gift.”
“Yes, my lady.” Only then did Steward Qin rise and lead the people down below in bidding the lady farewell.
These guys didn’t even dare to fart inside the courtyard, but the moment they were out, they immediately started pleading to Steward Qin.
“Steward Qin, you have to speak to the lady for me! While my business is small, I’ve been doing my utmost. The market situation this year is really just too poor…”
As they spoke, they stuffed various bundles into Steward Qin’s hands.
Steward Qin smiled and refused them. “Everyone, relax, relax. This Qin knows that everyone has had it hard, and I certainly won’t make anyone resign for no good reason. Please relax. So long as you are doing a good job, you will continue to be valued…”
As Tang Jie did better and better in Basking Moon Academy, Steward Qin’s status in the Wei Estate rose. While he was still the chief steward as before, his words held much more weight. Even Zheng Shufeng spoke to him as a peer and would even allow him to sit while conversing with her rather than having him stand or kneel.
Seeing that it was getting late, Steward Qin gave a few orders and then went straight back to his home.
He currently had his own house outside the Wei Estate, one that the Wei Estate had given him. It was next to the Wu couple’s new house, which had also been given by the Wei Estate. As for the old house, it was empty and unoccupied. The Wu couple didn’t lack money at the moment, so they were unwilling to sell it.
Humming to himself, Steward Qin walked into a small alley, carrying in his hands a gift for the elderly couple. As he was walking, his back suddenly went tense as something was pushed up against it. A hand gripped his neck as a voice whispered, “Don’t turn around. This is a robbery! Hand over all the money you have!”
Alarmed, Steward Qin didn’t dare to move. “The silver is in the pouch on my right. Friend, take what you want.”
A hand took the pouch of silver, and then the voice said, “So little? You’re as poor as a ghost.”
Steward Qin helplessly said, “I’m just a servant, so how much silver could I be carrying? Friend, I advise you to take the silver and run. Nearby is the Wei Clan. If you’re spotted by the Wei Clan’s guards, it will be too late to run.”
The voice behind him said in disdain, “Tsk, just some measly guards. Nothing to be afraid of.”
Steward Qin was angered by these words. “You’re not afraid of the guards, but what about Immortal Masters? The Wei Estate has Immortals, and these Immortal Masters are no ordinary characters. They can fly on clouds and summon wind and rain.”
“‘Flying on clouds and summoning the wind and rain’? You think Immortal Masters grow on trees? It looks more to me like you’ve been duped.”
Steward Qin angrily said, “You fool! I was only offering some sincere advice, but it seems like you don’t know what’s good for you. I’ll have you know that the Wei Clan has a son who’s studying in the Basking Moon Sect’s Basking Moon Academy right now. He’s overflowing with talent and has already reached the Soaring Heaven Tier. He’s even become True Person Changfeng’s first disciple. And there’s Protector Tang Jie, whose saber arts are simply exquisite…”
He was about to keep going when laughter erupted behind him.
This sound was rather familiar, and Steward Qin froze a moment before blurting out, “Young Master?”
Turning his head, he saw Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng bowled over in laughter while Tang Jie stood in the distance, a little girl on his shoulder and a big tiger lounging at his feet. As for Wei Tianchong, he was holding a little fox.
Tang Jie pointed at Wei Tianchong, indicating that this had been Wei Tianchong’s idea and there was nothing he could do about it.
“Young Master, Tang Jie, Shi Meng… how is it you three? You’re back?” Steward Qin said in delight.
Wei Tianchong held his belly and laughed, “I was missing Mother, so I naturally came back. But when we arrived at the gate, we saw you coming out, so I wanted to give you a little scare. I didn’t think… haha, Steward Qin, you really know how to talk! ‘Soaring Heaven Tier’? When did cultivators get a Soaring Heaven Tier?”
Shi Meng pointed at Wei Tianchong and laughed. “First disciple! Young Master, you became the True Person’s first disciple, and you’re overflowing with talent!? And Tang Jie, ‘Protector Tang Jie’… hahahaha!”
Wei Tianchong unhappily said, “Hold on! I don’t think there was anything wrong with saying that I have overflowing talent.”
Shi Meng smirked. “That was the biggest error.”
“Oh my, you seem to have gotten pretty bold. You think you’re Tang Jie and I don’t dare to beat you up. Your young master is about to give you a beating enough for three…”
Steward Qin went red in the face, and he grabbed Shi Meng by the ear. “You foul kids, after cultivating for a few days, you suddenly lose all respect and even try and play tricks on me! Trying to rob me! A young master robbing a steward! Do you still have any sense for the rules? I’m reporting all this to the lady!”
Shi Meng yelped, but he didn’t dare to strike back. In the end, it was Wei Tianchong who grabbed Steward Qin’s hand and said, “Don’t, don’t! We were wrong, okay? We were just playing a joke on your venerable self. You’re taking this too seriously. We’ll pay you back what we took, even double it!”
Wei Tianchong returned Steward Qin’s silver with one hand while taking out a bottle of medicine with another. He solemnly poured out one pill and placed it in Steward Qin’s hand. “Oh, this is a Lifespan Extending Pill. Tang Jie prepared it for you, and I’m giving it to you now.”
“‘A Lifespan Extending Pill’?” Steward Qin was shocked.
He knew about this medicine. A few years ago, the Wu couple had taken this medicine and become much healthier and more energetic. He had been rather envious at the time and had once hoped that Tang Jie would get him one. But he knew that this medicine couldn’t be cheap, and he still wasn’t at the age where he needed it. Thus, in the end, he had put the matter aside. He hadn’t expected Tang Jie to really get him one, and he immediately grew excited.
He looked over at Tang Jie, who was standing next to the wall and smiling at him.
Steward Qin suddenly realized something and gave Wei Tianchong a kick. “Go on, hurry up! Since you’re back, you need to go to your mother instead of wasting time with a servant like me.”
Wei Tianchong laughed as he dodged the kick. “I know. Steward Qin, Tang Jie, I’m off to see my mother.”
Tang Jie replied, “I will go and see my adoptive parents, and then I will visit the master and the lady.”
“Alright,” Wei Tianchong agreed. Rather than going through the front gate, he and Shi Meng jumped over the wall, upon which someone in the estate roared, “Who dares to intrude upon the Wei Estate!?”
A bolt of energy flew out from the estate, and there were several bangs. Wei Tianchong brazenly laughed, “Hm? Is there a new Immortal Master in this estate? Come, come! I’m the Soaring Heaven Bandit of Mount Mingliang! Does this new Immortal Master dare to fight three hundred rounds with me…”
As Wei Tianchong shouted, the estate fell into chaos.
Tang Jie and Steward Qin looked at each other and laughed. Ignoring the trouble this brat was causing, Tang Jie waved his hand, sending off Yiyi to go and play with the tiger. He then came forward and walked with Steward Qin toward his home.
On the way back, Steward Qin asked, “How long are you staying this time?”
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Tang Jie replied, “I took a mission that I have to complete by the end of next month. Removing the time I need to get back, I can probably stay for twenty days.”
“That sounds good,” Steward Qin said in satisfaction. “You can stay a little longer in the estate, keeping your adoptive parents company and increasing the prestige of the Wei Estate.”
“The Wei Estate still needs more prestige?” Tang Jie chuckled.
“Upper Night is coming, which is the perfect time to show one’s talents. At times, strength needs to be flaunted to increase prestige and scare off thieves.”
Tang Jie squinted. “It sounds like the estate has run into some problems recently?”
Steward Qin shook his head and sighed. “You can’t consider them problems. But some things won’t be problems if they’re handled properly, but will be big problems if they’re handled poorly.”
“What is this all about?”
“No rush, no rush. Go and see your adoptive parents first,” Steward Qin unhurriedly said, leading Tang Jie to his home.
At the home of the Wu couple, Steward Qin knocked on the gate. A boy in his teens answered the door, and when he saw that it was Steward Qin, he quickly welcomed him in. But when it came to Tang Jie, the boy closely inspected him.
Steward Qin laughed and patted him. “This is your house’s second young master. Hurry and inform the elders that their dear younger son has returned.”
The boy servant shivered, immediately understanding who this was, and he shot back into the house.
Tang Jie asked, “The house has a servant?”
Steward Qin smiled. “The lady arranged for one two years ago. His name is Ban’er. In the end, they’re getting on in their years. Even with the Lifespan Extending Pills, it’s not right to have elders in their seventies and eighties doing housework.”
“I must thank the lady for being so considerate,” Tang Jie sighed in praise. While he was concerned about the elderly couple, as he was in the academy, he was ultimately unable to think of everything.
The two of them went in and saw the boy servant ushering in the couple.
When she saw Tang Jie, Granny Wu immediately cried out in joy, “Little Jie really has come back!”
Tang Jie’s eyes became moist. He took two steps forward and dropped to his knees. “Dad! Mom!”
The couple came forward and hugged Tang Jie. The three of them stared at each other, so excited that they couldn’t talk.
In the end, Steward Qin helped Tang Jie up, and the two of them helped the two elders sit down.
Once they were seated, the two elders began to question Tang Jie about his life at school. “How are you eating? How is your cultivation going? Have you offended anyone? You should focus on cultivation and not get into any quarrels. And have you been attending to the young master well? You must repay kindness done to you, and even if you’ve fulfilled your promise and left your status as a servant behind, you must still treat the young master with respect.”
Various questions, worries, advice, and orders, endless chattering that contained an indescribable concern, left Tang Jie feeling rather helpless.
Fortunately, Steward Qin was there to help. “The two of you should rest easy. It’s not like you don’t know how smart Little Jie is. I already asked him these things on the way here, and Little Jie is doing great. He’s at Hundred Refinement of Mortal Shedding, the same as a grade 4 official, meaning that he doesn’t need to bow around officials!”
The two elders were gratified to hear this, shouting, “The heavens have eyes!”
Tang Jie asked, “How have the two of you been doing?”
The couple replied, “Good, better than ever! The Wei Estate has given us a plot of land that they farm for us without our having to do anything. The Wei Estate also gave us this house, and the servant. Ban’er is a rather quick-witted child, diligent and capable, a little like you. Xing’er came back a few years ago, and he’s out working with the first young master. He’s becoming more and more thoughtful, sending back silver every year. Actually, the Wei Estate pays for all our food and expenses, so we don’t have anything to do with this silver. In the future, we’ll just leave it to you two.”
The old couple described everything in their plain and simple fashion, making Tang Jie feel all warm inside.
After they had talked for a while, someone knocked on the gate.
Ban’er went to open the door and saw that it was the second steward of the Wei Estate, Yan Chen.
Yan Chen came into the reception hall, first bowing to the old couple before bowing to Tang Jie. He then smiled and said, “I just learned that the young master and Young Master Tang returned. The lady is in an excellent mood and has ordered the servants to set out a feast. I have come to invite the two venerable elders to this feast. As Young Master Tang is present, you are invited as well.”
He took out an invitation card from his sleeve.
Tang Jie knew that the estate had immediately sent Yan Chen to invite the elderly couple after hearing the news to show its respect.
He looked at Steward Qin, who immediately understood what he wanted to ask and quickly said, “For the last few years, your parents have been invited whenever a feast is held at the estate.”
His parents chimed in, “Yes, yes. We have no complaints about how the Wei Estate has treated us.”
“That’s good,” Tang Jie firmly said. “I have remembered the Wei Estate’s kindness. If the lady has any tasks that she requires my aid for, she may freely ask me.”
Yan Chen knew how to talk. He said with a smile, “The estate understands Young Master Tang’s intentions, but there is no need to rush. Young Master should focus on cultivating Immortality. The estate will handle these domestic affairs.”
Tang Jie was greatly comforted to hear these words.
They chatted for a while, and once they saw that there was little time left, they headed to the Wei Estate. Even before they arrived, they could hear the clamor of music, the banging of drums, and the cracking of fireworks.
It still wasn’t dark yet, but fireworks were already shooting into the sky.
In this way, the estate announced to the world that the Wei Clan’s Immortal young master had returned!
Mortal lives are so short. Got to spend as much time with the family as you can before you enter secluded cultivation and emerge one hundred years later only to find out everyone is dead.
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