Chapter 1113: Reluctance

The elders from the main branch still retained a bit of friendliness with Song Zining. One of them approached to ask, “How come? There has been no news from his elderly grace up until now.”

This elder was over seventy years old and almost twenty years Zhang Boqian’s senior, yet he still referred to the latter as elderly grace. It truly made one wonder what Zhang Boqian would think if he heard this.

However, Song Zining was already done talking about this. The people present today did not make up the entire elder a.s.sembly. Elders like Song Zhongxing never appeared, and many side-branches were never offered a seat to this meeting. Announcing this news was his last time making any effort. As for how the clansmen would respond, that wasn’t his business anymore.

Song Zining said indifferently, “I’m no longer a man of the Song clan, I shall not interfere.”

The elder was quite sharp. After a momentary daze, he was suddenly enlightened. “So that’s how it is! Prince Greensun won’t make things difficult for us if the seventh young master becomes clan lord, just like when the old ancestor was alive!”

The guests here were all shaken. They had been staying in the Enlightenment Manor these days because their families and powers shared countless connections with the Song clan. Many of them had their own accounts to settle. They weren’t as slow or self-deceiving as the Song clan elders—as this was a topic they had paid the greatest attention to, they had heard rumors of Prince Greensun’s stance and made their own judgments.

With how the Song clan elders were planning to drive Song Zining away, they had one less serious case to worry about in the future. Despite that, they were filled with subtle emotions and couldn’t even find it in themselves to rejoice in the Song clan’s misfortune.

At this moment, most of the Song clan elders were exchanging nervous whispers, while the others were silent, gazing into the distance or lost in thought.

Song Zining had already spoken his piece, so he paid no heed to the reactions. He turned to Qianye and said, “I’m done here, let’s go grab a drink. We won’t return without being drunk!”

“With that alcohol tolerance of yours?” Qianye’s expression was disdainful.

“When have I been lacking in drinking power?” Song Zining started ranting.

“Back in Yellow Springs…”

Seeing that Qianye was about to dig up old wounds, Song Zining cut him short in due haste. He reached out to grab the former as though he were trying to crush him.

The two laughed and joked as they left the scene, leaving trails of different origin power.

Qianye’s was a scarlet gold s.h.i.+mmer reminiscent of the first rays of dawn, the renowned Venus Dawn. The trail of energy behind Song Zining was constantly transforming, from the starry sky to a continent, and from there, to a city full of people, pets, and poultry. Everything was projected with great vividness.

People had never witnessed such a scene before. They were at a loss as to what it was, yet they also seemed to have sensed something. Finally, someone gasped. “That’s Worldly Prosperity!”

Worldly Prosperity and Venus Dawn were among the three top daybreak origin powers. It was difficult to gauge the former’s difference in power, but it was rarer and the requirements were extremely strict. One could even say that there was no sure path to great success.

No one would’ve imagined that Song Zining had actually succeeded in cultivating Worldly Prosperity. It would seem his talents were even higher than people had expected and likely enough to become a heavenly monarch.

As with all arts, the higher their level, the more dependent it was on one’s temperament. Due to his nature, there had always been different opinions regarding his talents. With Worldly Prosperity on the table, however, no amount of obstructions could stop him from breaking through to the divine champion realm.

He had always been better known for strategy, scheming, and divination. As long as he became a divine champion and took up the post of a duke, it was only natural for him to become clan lord. Even if Song Zining hadn’t reached such a level now, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to take up the position a couple of years earlier. Prince Greensun’s stance actually reflected that of the upper echelons of the Empire who valued talented people.

The first few years might be difficult, but as long as Song Zining kept up his progress in power, the high-ranking aristocratic families looking to become major clans would have to weigh their pros and cons. They would likely choose to share in the Song clan’s glory instead of replacing them since the number of major clans wasn’t fixed.

It was quite unbelievable that the Song clan elders would actually push such a genius out of the family. Many of the guests were already recalculating their alliance with the branches of the Song clan.

After all, it was never a good thing if one’s allies were too dumb. It wasn’t impossible for them to tolerate them, but the Song clan would need to cough up more benefits.

The guests of all cla.s.ses thought of something else. Was the Song clan looking to downgrade themselves in order to protect their core interests and avoid danger? Now, this wasn’t easy to comment on. It wasn’t rare for a major clan to downgrade themselves, and there were even more that had chopped off the branches to preserve the trunk.

Now there was something to think about… was Song Zining the branch or the trunk?

Song Zhongnian stood in front of the study window, watching the receding trails of origin power. He took half a step forward but stopped himself.

The steward was anxious. “Master, you won’t make it if you don’t chase after them now!”

Song Zhongnian fell into silent contemplation. Only after the two trails of origin power had vanished over the horizon did he say, “The elder a.s.sembly was gravely wounded, and their prestige was damaged. But things aren’t completely out of control. I’ll think about this carefully and try to salvage the situation.”

The old steward sighed since he couldn’t keep insisting.

It was at this time a fl.u.s.tered attendant rushed over. “Clan Lord, things look bad! Supreme Elder Lu has left, only leaving a letter for you. We couldn’t dissuade him at all!”

Song Zhongnian’s expression s.h.i.+fted drastically. He saw a single sentence when he opened the letter. “Clinging to power amidst the foul turmoil.”

Song Zhongnian snorted angrily. This supreme elder would usually be absent from the a.s.sembly, and that was fine, but he had never made an appearance during the recent chaos. Otherwise, with his support, Song Zhongnian wouldn’t be so cornered.

Now, Elder Lu had actually left after Song Zining’s rampage, leaving only a letter of discontent for Song Zhongnian.

The clan lord said, “What’s with the panic, don’t we have another supreme elder? Elder Lu left during a time of crisis, ignoring the safety of our Song clan. Such a person isn’t worth retaining. It would seem we have revered the wrong person all these years.”

The subordinates didn’t dare reply. Elder Lu had never asked for much despite his honored position, and he didn’t take anything during his departure. The Song clan had merely paid for his food and daily expenses—there was really no reverence to speak of.

Song Zhongnian calmed himself down and said, “Dispatch people to help the elders. Make sure to treat their injuries, understand?”

“Yes, Clan Lord!” The attendant and steward left to execute their orders.

Song Zhongnian finally found some peace and quiet to calculate his wins and losses in silence.

At this moment, an airs.h.i.+p flew across the skies in the distance. Song Zhongnian was momentarily stunned when he realized that it was Song Zining’s vessel, flying higher and higher until it had vanished over the horizon.

The clan lord sighed deeply, but his legs never moved. Using an airs.h.i.+p meant that they were leaving the province, or even the Qin Continent itself. Even if he wanted to give chase, it was already too late now.

On the airs.h.i.+p, Song Zining and Qianye were seated across one another. Qianye was rather calm, but the former looked somewhat dispirited, merely swirling his wine about without drinking it.

“Do you still want the clan lord position?”

Song Zining laughed wryly. “What’s there to covet? Not to mention those elders, even my grandpa doesn’t want that position. What’s the use of a junior trying to upset the situation if the clan lord doesn’t even appear?”

“I must say, your clan elders are truly worthy of admiration. No wonder the old ancestor wanted to pa.s.s the inheritance to the younger generation when she was alive.”

Song Zining sighed. “Did you notice something different about our clan? There are only people from my grandpa’s generation at the elder a.s.sembly. Apart from the side branch positions like Uncle Song Tu, there are no other middle-aged people. Even Song Zicheng was just there to observe the discussions as his grandpa’s successor. Pa.s.sing the position to the younger generation isn’t going to be as easy as you think.”

Qianye frowned. “These people are greedy for powerful positions with little work, isn’t anyone looking to make changes to the system?”

“Everything in the Song clan is decided by the a.s.sembly. Everyone gets a vote regardless of status, and even the clan lord only gets a set number of vetoes each year. The main lines of descent take up eighty percent of the a.s.sembly and the branch families, twenty. Those are the rules.”

That was indeed different from the other clan a.s.semblies where the clan lord would make the decisions and other departments would execute them. The frequency with which the Song clan’s elder a.s.sembly convened and the triviality of what they discussed was fairly rare in other clans.

Take the b.l.o.o.d.y battle, for example, the deployment of troops and the expansion of private armies were commonly discussed on a public scale. There was no shortage of partisans and people seeking personal interests, but the clan lord held the right to make the final decisions. Otherwise, Zhao Jundu could forget about heading into the Iron Curtain back in the year.

Qianye was curious. “Wouldn’t this mean two Song clan elders have more weightage than a single divine champion?”

Song Zining’s mood was quite low at first, but he broke into a laugh after hearing this. “Yes, everyone has equal voting weightage.” He sighed. “The root of this problem came from the fact that our direct bloodline had difficulty producing descendants. They just wanted to retain the inherited clan lord status.”

Qianye was stunned, but he made no comment. Under such restrictions, the branch families’ voices would be limited to their seats even if they were able to attend clan meetings. Meanwhile, the direct lines would fill their available seats with unworthy candidates. After tasting power, these people were no longer willing to give up their status, even to their family members.

“Most of the branch families would split off, and those in the direct line without a seat at the a.s.sembly would find their own way out. Those who felt that there weren’t enough seats would usually seek private dealings outside. These alliances of profit were made using the Song clan’s name but served as little more than pretty decorations.”

“Changing the governing structure meant destroying their source of income?”

Song Zining lowered his head. “A lot of people would need to be killed to change the system.”

“Are they that fearless? Didn’t seem like it to me.”

“They’re accustomed to the money and position. Quite a few have lost their lives for benefits.” Song Zining glanced at his hands with a chuckle. “I’m not afraid of staining my hands with blood, but a certain someone is extremely afraid.”

“Then will you watch as they destroy the Song clan?”

“I’ve already said my piece. Although there are people willing to take a desperate risk, quite a few will also give me some face. With less outside plunderers, the clan will probably be able to retain about sixty percent of its a.s.sets. The Song will surely fall to the ranks of an aristocratic family after Prince Greensun’s attack. I just hope the next clan lord will know shame and reorganize the clan well.”

“The next clan lord? Who?” Qianye couldn’t see which talented person could bring the Song clan out of its dangerous situation.

“There will be someone.” Song Zining’s voice was gloomy. “Throughout the Empire’s thousand-year history, the rise and fall of n.o.bility is as common as the sun rising and setting. In some cases, branch families will be uprooted to make sure the main trunk produces new sprouts. In others, the main trunk would be cut off while the branch families take root and find new life.”

It would seem Song Zining didn’t have high hopes for the Song clan’s future. Qianye asked with a heavy heart, “What will you do from now on?”

At the mention of this, Song Zining stretched lazily and said, “Me? I’ll go to the neutral lands, of course, and run our territory. By the time I finish reorganizing Dark Flame and produce our own fleet of airs.h.i.+ps, we can claim our own land on the Fort Continent and expand slowly.”

Fort Continent was somewhat similar to Evernight Continent. Its location was remote, its resources scarce, and the landscape complicated. Moreover, it was frequently ravaged by natural disasters. The land was attractive for neither the Empire nor Evernight. No faction was willing to invest too many troops there, but they were also unwilling to give up.

As such, the Empire had been supporting the smaller human nations here in half-secrecy. Evernight tribes that had been exiled or fallen from power would go there to find some living s.p.a.ce.

Comparatively, the environment on the Fort Continent wasn’t as harsh as the neutral lands. Ordinary people could still survive there, albeit with a shorter life span.

Apparently, Song Zining was planning to crown himself there.

“The Fort Continent? Isn’t the neutral lands good enough? We still have the Northern Continent as well.”

Song Zining shook his head. “The neutral lands is too cruel, and the Northern Continent isn’t suitable for ordinary people, either. In order to prosper, it’s also important to have a large number of ordinary people to serve as a foundation. Most importantly, the neutral lands has the Throne of Blood overseeing it, while the Fort Continent only has a supreme divine champion.”

It was only natural that the Heavenly Monarchs and Great Dark Monarchs didn’t think highly of the Fort Continent. They probably wouldn’t mind if someone took up half the continent as long as the bigger picture wasn’t affected. Expanding too fast in the neutral lands, though, would attract the interference of the Throne of Blood. Even Zhang Buzhou, who claimed he wasn’t afraid of the throne, didn’t hold that much land.

Qianye knew Song Zining was proficient in strategy. “Fine, do it your way then.”

At this point, the airs.h.i.+p had already left the Qin Continent and was on its way to the neutral lands.

“Stop for a bit around the edges of the Eastern Sea,” Qianye said all of a sudden.

“Why?”

“I… want to go see Nighteye.”

Song Zining nodded. “I see, you might as well. Why don"t we head to Southern Blue first? I’ll get off there and you can go see her.”

“Won’t that be out of the way?” Qianye found it odd.

Song Zining’s expression was somewhat unnatural. “Umm… it’s fine. I have some urgent business in Southern blue.”

Even Qianye could see that he was making up excuses. Song Zining replied, “She won’t want to see me, and it’s best I don’t see her.”

“Why would she not want to see you?” Qianye found the situation odd. Their relations.h.i.+p was quite good back in the year. It wouldn’t have been easy for Qianye and Nighteye to leave Evernight if it wasn’t for his planning.

Song Zining said, “I was against you continuing your relations.h.i.+p with her.”

Qianye understood after a momentary daze. “How did she know?”

Song Zining shook his head. “She’s extremely powerful now. She’ll probably know.”

Qianye was still a bit puzzled, but Song Zining was adamant about not meeting Nighteye. However, circling over to Southern Blue wasn’t practical—the airs.h.i.+p didn’t have that much fuel left, and there were no supply bases nearby. Besides, Qianye had claimed the t.i.tle of Tidehark city lord from Zhang Buzhou, so there was no telling if there would be any trouble when landing in an unfamiliar city. In the end, he decided to park the airs.h.i.+p at a distance and head over to see Nighteye alone.

Song Zining seemed to have remembered something as the Eastern Sea came into view. “Why are you meeting her this time?”

Qianye said after a moment of silence, “I just wanted to see her.”

Song Zining nodded.

The airs.h.i.+p arrived at the Eastern Sea and landed in a distant area. Song Zining saw Qianye off the airs.h.i.+p and said, “I’ll be waiting here, come back quickly.”

For some reason, Qianye felt that Song Zining was acting odd. However, he didn’t ask too many questions since the latter’s mood might not have recovered yet after the debacle at the Song clan.

Qianye had just started walking toward the edge of the continent when, sensing something, he turned and ran toward Song Zining.