A Heart Hard to Wear Down

Madam Huang's passing left Zhou Ping grieving for a long time, but he knew this was now in the past. He could not dwell on it excessively; instead, he needed to look forward and cherish the family still by his side.

For the next half month, Zhou Ping did nothing else. He stayed secluded in the backyard, dedicating his time to accompanying Zhou Dashan and Zhou Hong. He used Spiritual Qi to gently regulate their bodies bit by bit, even though he had already done so hundreds of times before.

In his rocking chair, Zhou Dashan had withered to bone, his entire body sunken into the cushions. He tried to speak, but could only produce a faint, rasping sound. It took a long while before he finally managed to force out a few words.

"Ping'er, go do what you must. You do not need to stay by my side."

Zhou Ping held Zhou Dashan's hand tightly. His heart grew heavy with sorrow as he replied softly, "Your grandsons are enough to handle those matters."

The Clan School

Zhou Bai was currently teaching a group of children how to recite the classics of sages and worthies. Zhou Chengyuan was naturally among them, but he bobbed his head in a daze, teetering on the edge of sleep. Even though Zhou Bai had rapped his knuckles several times, his behavior remained unchanged.

In the adjacent room, Zhou Liang was sorting through a massive pile of scrolls and documents.

These records included both the Zhou clan's genealogy and lineage registers, as well as the nearly completed village and town chronicles. They documented the various matters that had occurred under the Zhou family's governance over the past twenty years.

Zhou Liang wore fine, meticulous robes, carrying himself with an elegant and accommodating air. Although nominally a family servant, he had grown up alongside Zhou Bai and was the orphaned son of Zhou Shi. Thus, he was considered half a Zhou family member, and Zhou Bai treated him like a true brother.

The task of compiling the clan registers and village chronicles seemed like a way to build Zhou Bai's experience, but in truth, it was a deliberate attempt to gild Zhou Liang's reputation.

Zhou Shi had sacrificed greatly for the Zhou family, ultimately dying for their sake. Chunlan had also toiled to manage the Zhou family's backyard for over a decade. Naturally, the Zhou family would not mistreat Zhou Liang. Their intention was to elevate Zhou Liang's standing and establish him as one of the branch lineages once these compilations were complete.

After finishing his sorting, Zhou Liang sat quietly to the side, practicing calligraphy to cultivate a serene temperament. Whenever a tutor walked past, he would stand and offer a respectful greeting, the very picture of a humble, flawless servant.

But in his quiet moments, as Zhou Liang listened to the clear sound of reading drifting from the schoolroom, a look of bewilderment clouded his eyes. Hidden deep beneath it burned a trace of poisonous resentment.

"The Zhou family killed my father. This enmity will never fade!"

Zhou Liang's true nature had set in stone the moment he failed to recognize his own station, and it had never changed since.

Back then, Zhou Shi had wielded great authority and grown incredibly arrogant and overbearing. As the saying goes, like father, like son. Even at a tender age, Zhou Liang had harbored an improper, rebellious contempt toward Zhou Bai.

This twisted particularly sharp when the Zhou family marched east. Zhou Liang had joyfully seen his father off at the mountain pass, eagerly awaiting his triumphant return every day. Instead, only a death notice came back.

To make matters worse, the entire Zhou clan had been drowning in grief over Zhou Changxi's death, paying almost no heed to the sacrificed servants like Zhou Shi. This bred a suffocating sense of injustice within Zhou Liang, causing him to blame the Zhou family entirely for his father's demise.

Yet, he knew he could not contend against the Zhou family. He suppressed his venomous nature, becoming a tireless, uncomplaining personal attendant by Zhou Bai's side. He waited for the day he could secure an important position within the clan and scheme his revenge.

Especially after the lineage system was introduced, an extreme ambition took root in his mind: he would become a lineage of the Zhou family himself. He would pass this hatred down to his descendants, biding his time until the main lineage fell into ruin. Then, he would replace them, slaughtering every true member of the Zhou family until none remained!

What he did not know, however, was that Zhou Ping had instructed Zhou Changhe to propose this lineage system precisely because of him. With Zhou Ping present, the six lineages were guaranteed to produce cultivators. How could they ever fall into ruin?

Just then, Zhou Minghu approached from a distance. Zhou Liang quickly stood up and respectfully said, "Greetings, Third Young Master."

"No need for such formalities."

Zhou Minghu replied with a faint smile, entirely devoid of the strict authority he normally exercised over servants.

After all, Zhou Shi had taken care of him in the past. In his eyes, Zhou Liang was more of a nephew than a servant. Having him act as Zhou Bai's bookboy was merely a way to look after him, ensuring he could smoothly step into an important role in the future.

He asked gently, "Is Zhou Bai inside?"

"Brother Bai is inside teaching the children."

Hearing this, Zhou Minghu quietly walked to the window. Seeing Zhou Bai holding himself like a proper tutor filled his heart with profound relief. Back then, Zhou Bai had been heavily doted upon, and they had all feared spoiling him. He never expected the boy to grow up so sensible.

However, when his gaze fell upon Zhou Chengyuan snoring against his desk, his face instantly darkened, and he muttered a low curse.

Zhou Bai sensed the movement. Turning his head, he spotted his elder brother outside. A bright smile broke out on his face. He instructed the children to read quietly to themselves and quickly stepped out.

"Eldest Brother, do you need me for something?"

Zhou Minghu patted Zhou Bai's shoulder and smiled. "Uncle Hui organized some scrolls and left them in my study. I wanted you to go fetch them, and figured I'd come see you along the way."

"Eldest Brother, you are burdened with so many affairs. You could have just sent a servant to pass the word. Why make the trip yourself?" Though Zhou Bai said this, the bright joy on his face was impossible to hide.

He wasn't teasing or complaining. Zhou Minghu constantly traveled back and forth to the market town and managed the spiritual plants on the mountain. It was genuinely difficult to see him on a normal day.

Zhou Bai then called out to Zhou Liang, "Liang, go to Eldest Brother's study and fetch them."

"Right away, Brother Bai." Zhou Liang acknowledged the order and trotted off until he disappeared from sight.

Zhou Minghu chatted with his younger brother for a few more moments before stepping up to the small door. His face abruptly turned thunderous.

"Zhou Chengyuan, get out here!"

The booming shout drew the eyes of all the Zhou clan children, who immediately looked at Zhou Chengyuan with great schadenfreude.

The Zhou family's population was still small, and they had not yet reached the point where mortals and immortals lived entirely segregated lives. Consequently, there was no insurmountable, strict hierarchy separating ordinary clan members from the cultivators. To these children, the cultivators were just their uncles and older brothers-what was there to fear or revere?

Of course, in another few decades or a century, the Zhou family would inevitably succumb to the common ailments of an immortal clan.

Zhou Chengyuan shot up, staring at his father with bleary eyes, instantly jolted awake by sheer terror. Wearing a miserable expression, he was dragged out by Zhou Minghu. His pathetic wails caused the children inside the schoolroom to burst into laughter.

The storybooks were all lies! Since when did a Qi Condensation cultivator have to study every single day?!

Having received Zhou Minghu's indirect permission, Zhou Liang naturally had unimpeded access to the study. However, Zhou Hai, who stood guard outside, frowned slightly. He couldn't shake the feeling that the youth who had just walked in harbored improper intentions.

Upon entering the room, Zhou Liang immediately spotted the scrolls resting on the desk, but he did not take them right away. Instead, he tiptoed around the room, quietly rummaging through the study.

"I refuse to believe there isn't a treasure here that can help me exact my revenge!"

Although the Zhou family valued him, he had never been given the chance to touch anything related to cultivators. Naturally, he had to seize this rare opportunity.

He kept his eyes peeled, scouring the hidden corners. After a bit of effort, he actually discovered a secret compartment containing an ancient manual.

"Flesh and Blood Alchemy Method!"

Zhou Liang muttered the title to himself. Before he could examine it any further, he heard movement outside the room. He hastily stuffed the ancient book into his robes, grabbed the scrolls from the desk, and hurried out.

Zhou Hai opened the door, brushing past Zhou Liang as he exited. He cast a few suspicious glances at the youth but did not move to stop him.

Once Zhou Liang was gone, Zhou Hai inspected the study again. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he figured he could only mention his suspicions to Zhou Minghu later.

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