Asking about longevity

After the family dinner, the guests dispersed.

Although there were some twists and turns, it was generally peaceful and could be considered "both the host and the guests were happy".

Late at night, in the study of the head of the Gu family.

Shangguan Ce and Gu Shouyan sat opposite each other, brewing tea and talking by candlelight.

The two grew up together and practiced together. In addition to being the heads of the family, they were also old friends.

Although the Shangguan family is stronger than the Gu family, the gap is not too big.

Gu Shouyan is slightly older than Shangguan Ce.

Both of them have lived for hundreds of years and have experienced ups and downs. They have both profit calculations and deep friendships.

Gu Shouyan has a straightforward temperament and has always been outspoken. He said in a deep voice:

"Do you want to take back all the Shangguan family's businesses?"

These businesses are some cultivation industries near the border of Qianxuezhou, which were originally managed by the Gu family.

Shangguan Ce nodded, "The Shen family paid a high price, I transferred it to them, and it will earn 20% more than our Shangguan family running it ourselves."

Gu Shouyan sneered, "Is the Shen family so kind?"

Shangguan Ce said, "Whether it is kind or not, the benefits are here."

"What benefits?"

Shangguan Ce shook his head, "I can't say that."

Gu Shouyan sneered, "What other benefits can there be? It's nothing more than spiritual stones, elixirs, connections... Oh, and the quota for the four major sects?"

Shangguan Ce remained silent.

Gu Shouyan was still brewing tea and fiddling with the tea leaves in the teapot.

Shangguan Ce's eyes condensed slightly and he sighed, "The Shen family should have come to you, and you refused it?"

Gu Shouyan said "hmm".

Shangguan Ce said, "This is a gesture of goodwill, Brother Gu, even if you don't accept it, you should give it some room for maneuver..."

Gu Shouyan said coldly, "Those villains in the Shen family are useless."

Shangguan Ce shook his head, "In front of the aristocratic family, only interests are considered, not morality. Morality must be thrown aside before doing things, otherwise it is easy to act on impulse and delay the development of the family."

"If you don't want to talk, then don't talk. That's your business, but don't teach me how to do things." Gu Shouyan has a strong temper.

Shangguan Ce tried to say, "Then the Shangguan family's business..."

Gu Shouyan waved his hand, "Take it all away. It was originally managed by your Shangguan family's daughter-in-law. If you want to take it back, just tell her."

"Most of the cultivators in my Gu family are from the Daoting Division. They are not good at business. These cultivation industries are just used to supplement the family income. It's tasteless to eat, and it's a pity to throw it away. It's not worth it to bother Wan'er, the girl."

Shangguan Ce breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Shouyan didn't want to pay attention to him. He brewed tea by himself, watching the curling tea, concentrating on it. Obviously, he didn't care about these gains and losses.

The room was a little dull for a while.

After a long time, Shangguan Ce's eyes sank slightly and sighed:

"The Gu family... will be in trouble."

Gu Shouyan was surprised to hear this and raised his eyebrows.

He grew up with Shangguan Ce since childhood, and he knew Shangguan Ce's character very well.

This man is selfish, sophisticated and self-interested.

But if it doesn't involve his own or Shangguan family's interests, he will also talk about feelings and speak more frankly.

So even though he disliked Shangguan Ce's character and thought he was too scheming, Gu Shouyan still had a deep friendship with him over the years.

After all, with his cultivation and status, there are not many cultivators left who can really say a few words and chat with him.

Gu Shouyan asked: "Who is causing trouble for my Gu family? The Shen family?"

Shangguan Ce still shook his head, "You all know what I said, but I can't tell you what you don't know."

Gu Shouyan was very disappointed, so he poured himself a cup of tea and drank it slowly.

He didn't pour it for Shangguan Ce.

Shangguan Ce could only do it himself and poured himself a cup.

The tea tasted a bit bitter and astringent, not a good tea.

But Gu Shouyan liked this taste.

Shangguan Ce didn't like it, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he drank the tea silently, looked at the white hair on Gu Shouyan's temples, and sighed: "Brother Gu, a real man can bend and stretch..." "There are so many noble families above, showing goodwill to the Gu family. If you give them a little face, the Gu family will not... still not be promoted to the fifth rank." Gu Shouyan glared, "What face to give? Do they want me to give face? They want the power of my Gu family to give them face! They want the law to give them face!" "Is the power my Gu family?" "Is the law my Gu family?" "The power of the Taoist court and the fairness of the law are taken from the way of heaven and from the people. What virtue and ability does my Gu family have to dare to take it for ourselves and use power for personal gain?" Shangguan Ce had a headache, "Some things others can do, but your Gu family can't do it? Is your Gu family noble?" "Not noble," Gu Shouyan looked disdainful, "I am happy." Shangguan Ce immediately lost his temper. Gu Shouyan glanced at Shangguan Ce and found that his old friend, at least at this moment, was not so cunning and really cared about him, so he sighed:

"You are eager for fame and fortune. You know more about fame and fortune than me, but this matter is actually far from as simple as you think."

"Over the years, my Gu family has produced the ancestor Dongxu, and has long had the foundation of the fifth rank..."

"Among the noble families, although there are those who hate my Gu family to the bone, there are also those who have a close relationship with my Gu family. Although their popularity is not very good, they are not so isolated and helpless."

"There are even several times when one foot has stepped into the threshold of the fifth rank, but due to various constraints, they have not been able to go further."

Gu Shouyan said in a low voice, "A true fifth-rank family of the Daotingsi is not a joke?"

"My Gu family strictly abides by the law of Taoism. Too many people don't want my Gu family to take this step forward." Shangguan Ce frowned slightly. "Moreover," Gu Shouyan sneered, "Do you think that if I accept the goodwill of those families and collude with them, they will accept my Gu family?" Gu Shouyan shook his head, drank a sip of tea, and continued: "If I don't accept their goodwill, then my Gu family will be a wild wolf." "Even if they are tigers and leopards, if they want to eat my Gu family, they have to worry about being fought back by my Gu family and tearing off a few pieces of meat." "And if I accept their benefits, then my Gu family will become a dog!" "On the surface, they may be polite, but secretly, they will look down on me even more." "When encountering some dirty and ugly things, they throw a bone, I will bite it, and I will do it for them. After. "Gu Shouyan's face was stern, his eyes were like swords, and he snorted coldly: "These termites, are they worthy?" "Even if my Gu family risked their lives to bite off the meat from them to eat, they would not wag their tails and beg for mercy, and lick the bones they threw!" Shangguan Ce pondered for a moment, still shook his head, and sighed: "Brother Gu, you are still a little extreme. My Shangguan family can advance and retreat with the Gu family, and they also..." Gu Shouyan said with a strong look: "You Shangguan Ce, accept the goodwill of the Shen family, and you can make friends with the Shen family, because you are essentially the same kind of people." "And I am not." "I have never been the same kind of people as you." Shangguan Ce was stunned, his eyes were slightly cold, but he was not annoyed. Gu Shouyan continued:

"The head of the family is like this, and so are the families."

"Your Shangguan family and Shen family, the prosperity of the industry, all rely on profit to start a family. And my Gu family, working in the Daoting Division, fundamentally, relies on 'roots' to establish the family."

"If the Shangguan family suddenly talks about 'roots', I'm afraid it will be destroyed in the blink of an eye."

"Similarly, if my Gu family does not talk about 'roots', even if it is strong for a while, it will be destroyed overnight."

Shangguan Ce was slightly absent-minded.

He always thought that his eldest brother had a tough temper, acted rigidly, and was inflexible.

But he didn't expect that he was not as stubborn as he seemed on the surface.

He actually understood a lot of things.

And it seems that he understood it better than himself.

Shangguan Ce sighed in his heart, it's true that you can't judge a person by his appearance.

He poured a cup of tea for Gu Shouyan and said calmly:

"Brother Gu, take care of yourself."

I hope that in the future, the Shangguan family and the Gu family will not go down the road of conflict.

Gu Shouyan said "hmm" and took the tea and drank it.

So far, basically everything that should be said has been said.

The two drank tea separately. Although they didn't talk, they didn't have any intentions towards each other, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed.

Gu Shouyan suddenly remembered something and looked at Shangguan Ce curiously, but didn't ask.

Shangguan Ce seemed to have sensed something, put down the teacup, and said slowly:

"Brother Gu, if you have something to say, just say it."

Gu Shouyan nodded, and said bluntly without any hesitation:

"I don't understand one thing. How can you, a person who only cares about interests, have such a deep prejudice? Why do you have such a deep prejudice against the Wen family?"

"At the dinner today, the elder of the Shen family made things so difficult for Wan'er, which was unbecoming, and you didn't say a word?"

Shangguan Ce was silent, "He's just a fool..."

He took a sip of tea and curled his eyes. Tea leaves, in a calm tone, said, "The Shen family married her here to test the attitude of my Shangguan family."

"The Shen family is showing goodwill to us, so we have to show our attitude."

"Even if she makes trouble again, we have to be polite. After all, we just earned the spirit stones from the Shen family, and we are soft-hearted."

"And the other branches of the Shangguan family are actually using her as a gun to put pressure on Yier..."

"The other branches of the Shangguan family have long been eyeing the position of the head of the family. If they can't snatch it from me, then they will snatch it from Yier."

"This There will be more and more such things in the future, and I will not interfere. "

"I am the head of the family, but I am only the head of the family. The real power is in the hands of the ancestors, and I cannot decide many things."

"If Yi'er has the ability to convince others, then he can naturally become the head of the family, but if he can't control others, it would be a good thing to give this position to others as soon as possible. Lest he be indecisive and ruin the foundation of the family. "

"As for Wan'er..." Shangguan Ce's eyes sank slightly, "She was implicated by Yi'er."

"Anyone with a discerning eye can see that It can be seen that Yi'er is too sentimental and cares too much about Wan'er, so Wan'er naturally becomes his lifeline. "Husband and wife are one, if Wan'er makes a mistake, it is Yi'er's mistake." Shangguan Ce sighed slightly: "If Yi'er is just a child of an ordinary family, not the son of me, the head of the family, and not involved in the dispute of the head of the family, then naturally no one would think of making things difficult for Wan'er." "As long as the young couple lives a peaceful life, it will be fine." "Unfortunately, their identities are not ordinary..." Gu Shouyan nodded. "As for the Wen family..." Shangguan Ce was in deep thought, his eyes complicated, "Although there is a grudge between the Shangguan family and the Wen family, and they have not intermarried for generations, it is not a blood feud." "Otherwise, the marriage between Yi'er and Wan'er would be cut off from the beginning, and no matter how hard Yi'er begged, it would be impossible." Shangguan Ce glanced at Gu Shouyan and said frankly: "But I really don't think this marriage is good from the beginning to the end." "The Wen family is only one aspect. I don't hate the Wen family, but there is really no benefit for the Shangguan family to marry into the Wen family..." "Or rather, the benefit is not big enough."

"Yier has a good family background, good talent, and excellent appearance. Although he is a little sentimental and indecisive, this makes women like him more."

"When discussing marriage, I had several marriage proposals in hand. These women are of direct blood, have superior family backgrounds, good appearance, have spiritual minerals as dowry, and have great power."

"Marrying with them will greatly help my Shangguan family, me as the head of the family, and Yier's future succession to the position of head of the family."

"Yier will have a smooth journey in the future."

"But..."

Shangguan Ce sighed deeply, "Yier disappoints me so much. He doesn't want any of these good marriage proposals. He is so focused on... He kept saying, "I will not marry anyone but you," and insisted on welcoming Wan'er into the family. "

"Wan'er is not a bad girl. She is as loyal and righteous as Yi'er. Although she is a little willful, she has a good heart."

"But as the future wife of the Shangguan family, she is not qualified at all."

"In addition, this is the first time that Yi'er has disobeyed me like this."

"His marriage, under the operation, would have brought huge benefits. The status of my Shangguan family could have taken a step further towards the unattainable sixth rank. As a result, things went against our wishes and all our plans went down the drain..."

Even though Shangguan Ce was very cunning, he couldn't help but frown and show anger.

Gu Shouyan probably understood.

Sitting in the position of the head of the family, many things are not as simple as they seem.

He also understood Shangguan Ce's feelings.

"But," Gu Shouyan frowned, "What about Yu'er? Wan'er is fine, Yu'er is your only grandson after all, you wouldn't alienate your grandson just because of Wan'er..."

Shangguan Ce's eyes sank slightly, his expression changed, as if he had something to hide.

"If it's not convenient to say, forget it."

Gu Shouyan asked casually, not insisting on Shangguan Ce's answer.

After all, this is the Shangguan family's family affair.

Gu Shouyan poured himself another cup of tea and sipped it slowly.

A shadow covered Shangguan Ce's face, after a long silence, he finally sighed and slowly said:

"When Yu'er was born... I asked an old ancestor of the Imperial Observatory to calculate his fate."

Gu Shouyan was stunned, frowning slightly.

Shangguan Ce continued, "Yu'er..." He paused, closed his eyes deeply, and then slowly opened them, his tone cold, "Yu'er was born with a 'dead' fate, a broken body, not a living person..." Gu Shouyan's hands trembled, his expression shocked. Then his eyes darkened, "The matter of fate may not be true..." Shangguan Ce shook his head, "You don't know the identity of that ancestor, the fate he calculated will not be wrong." "And... I can see it too." "Yu'er, this child, has been different from others since he was a child. Although he looks fine, he is born with a weak consciousness, as if his soul is missing. And he occasionally sees things that ordinary cultivators can't see, and will have some incredible nightmares, like... a baby with half a foot in the underworld..." Shangguan Ce's eyes were a little painful, "So every time I see Yu'er, it's like a thorn in my heart." "He is the only grandson I have finally got, but he is destined to be a 'dead man' who died young and can't be raised at all..." Gu Shouyan was stunned for a while, and suddenly looked at Shangguan Ce, sneered without mercy: "You are too bad when you are young, and you are extinct when you are old. You deserve it." Shangguan Ce looked ugly, but he couldn't refute. Seeing his expression, Gu Shouyan sighed, and his tone finally softened, "Can't save her?"

Shangguan Ce looked bitter, "No one can change fate."

"Bullshit!" Gu Shouyan's face darkened, "If it really can't be changed, there would be no such words as 'changing fate against heaven'!"

Shangguan Ce sighed, "These are the original words of the ancestor. He said that Yu'er's fate was born with nature, the secrets of heaven are too deep, the cause and effect are too great, and it is not something that can be reversed by human power..."

Gu Shouyan whispered, "What kind of cultivation is that ancestor?"

Shangguan Ce pointed to the sky.

Gu Shouyan's heart trembled, and he said no more, but he also knew the weight of this assertion in his heart.

After drinking tea, Shangguan Ce left.

Gu Shouyan sat alone at the table, not drinking tea, sitting in a daze, and Yu'er's innocent and well-behaved appearance appeared in his mind again.

Gu Shouyan's heart, which had experienced many vicissitudes of life, could not help but feel a pain, and he sighed in a low voice:

"Good child, but not a good life..."

...

Mo Hua had a big meal and stayed at Gu's house for another night. The next morning, she was going back to Taixu Gate.

Mo Hua gave Wen Ren Wan the four words "Deep Blessings" written by Mr. Xun.

Although Mr. Xun did not specify who it was given to, Mo Hua vaguely guessed that he meant to give it to Aunt Wan.

Wen Ren Wan was flattered when she took the calligraphy.

Among all the aristocratic families in Qianzhou, the Dongxu Patriarch was a top figure. Ordinary disciples had no chance to see him, let alone receive his handwriting.

Wen Ren Wan wanted to return the gift to Mr. Xun, but she thought that the old man was not interested in these things.

So she packed a lot of food and drinks, as well as some second-grade array books and array diagrams, and gave them all to Mo Hua.

All of them were things that Mo Hua liked.

Mo Hua declined several times symbolically, and then happily and contentedly accepted it.

Before leaving, Gu Changhuai also found Mo Hua.

The two sat on the steps at the door and chatted briefly.

"I have something to tell you," Gu Changhuai thought for a while and said, "Some time ago, a group of demon cultivators of unknown origin poured into the vicinity of Qianxuezhou."

"Demon cultivators?" Mo Hua was stunned.

Gu Changhuai nodded, "The origin has not been found out yet, and it is not clear how many there are and what their cultivation is."

"The range of activities is also limited to the second and third grade small states near Qianxuezhou. The plot is unknown, but it must be bad intentions."

"Daotingsi has begun to arrest them, but the current situation is not easy to say..."

Gu Changhuai glanced at Mo Hua again and reminded:

"Although you are "confined" and cannot leave Qianxuezhou, you are unlikely to encounter them, but just in case, you should be careful."

"Yeah." Mo Hua nodded.