Chapter 741: Chapter 740: Instigation
Duanmu Wentong’s voice scattered through the night sky, carrying far.
Those living nearby were marginalized branches and relatives of the Duanmu aristocratic family, most of whom had been oppressed by the main branch in the past, especially in the neighboring courtyards, which were mostly inhabited by Duanmu Wentong’s brothers, cousins, and their descendants.
For these people, it had been many years since they had enjoyed the substantial cultivation resources provided by the Duanmu Family. They resided at the bottom of the family hierarchy, doing the hardest work with the least compensation. Many children in these families with better martial talents also did not receive as many resources as other children of their age within the family.
Even many of them lived worse lives here than the children of ordinary people outside.
Especially the line of Duanmu Wentong which, due to the incident involving Duanmu Qing over twenty years ago, had been the most miserable in the entire Duanmu Family for years.
At this moment, Duanmu Wentong raised his arm and called out, asking if they were willing to join him, and many people clearly showed signs of being moved.
"Staying here, it’s hard to see a day when we can rise up. We might resign ourselves to this fate, but our children at home are gradually becoming like slaves, without proper opportunities for development, ruining their futures. It might be better to try our luck outside,"
"Exactly, I’m fed up with these oppressive days. Once outside in the secular world, with our skills, we might even manage to enjoy some good days,"
"It’s the family that wronged us first. Since the family no longer needs us, we should just leave,"
At that moment, many who had long been fed up cried out loudly.
Most of them were from the line of Duanmu Wentong.
Of course, there were also other oppressed people.
A thousand-year-old aristocratic family could not possibly take care of all branches and relatives sufficiently. In the cruel internal struggles of the family, the losers lost not just a massive tilt in cultivation resources but also their dignity, being suppressed and targeted by their former rivals.
"But... but doing this is like betraying the Duanmu Family. They will hunt us down when they come back."
"Yes... yes, they’re too powerful. We won’t be able to escape."
"What if they catch up with us? According to the family rules, we will be executed."
Some supported the idea, and naturally, some opposed it.
For these people at the lowest echelons within the Duanmu Family, who were oppressed and bullied, the world was filled with darkness, and life was hopeless.
They feared that even if they left now, they would later be pursued by the family’s upper echelons.
Listening to these discussions, Duanmu Wentong nodded solemnly. "That’s right. Once the decision to leave is made, it signifies a betrayal of the family. However, this family has long since abandoned us. It was their first lack of humanity."
"Many of the elders here should remember my daughter, right? What a prodigy she was, a true Heavenly Pride Girl who should have been protected by the family. Yet, the family was forced to execute her with their own hands. Such a lack of kinship, such failure to protect one’s own people, what is there to miss about such a family?"
The matter of Duanmu Qing was a long-sealed past event of the Duanmu Family, and many of the younger generation had never heard of this incident, not knowing that such an exceptional person had once existed.
Those older generations, following the incident, were strictly forbidden by the family’s upper echelons to speak of Duanmu Qing, not allowing the name to be passed down to the next generation, attempting to forever seal and cover up the matter of being forced to kill their own outstanding family member.
But for the line of Duanmu Wentong, this was an unforgettable pain that could never be forgotten.
Moreover, following the incident, the family did not console the people of this line but instead harbored a grudge because they had strongly opposed killing Duanmu Qing, suppressing them to the lowest level.
To the line of Duanmu Wentong, their hearts were filled with extreme disappointment and even despair towards the family.
Thus, many who were undecided also showed signs of being moved.
Just then, a woman’s voice came through: "Husband, why... why are you mingling with them too? Have you gone mad?"
This woman’s voice was full of force, surprised and angry, also carrying a hint of fear and trembling.
She was none other than Mu Sujing, the wife of Duanmu Cheng, originating from the Mu Family.
The Mu Family was also a prominent aristocratic family within Hidden Sect, and although their overall strength could not compare to the Eight Great Forces, they were still considered top-tier powers just below them.
As soon as she appeared, many members of the Duanmu Family finally came back to their senses.
Indeed, Duanmu Cheng, the former Duanmu Fourth Master, why did he betray the family alongside Duanmu Wentong and his son?
Had he gone mad?
Although he had been replaced in the family’s hierarchy following his disappearance, he was still Duanmu Wugou’s grandson, and his wife also came from the Mu Family; as long as he didn’t do anything foolish, he still held a high status within the Duanmu Family.
Everyone was puzzled as to why he would betray his own family.
Xu Jian looked at Mu Sujing, his face showing a complex expression.
After returning to the Duanmu Family as Duanmu Cheng, his wife was exceptionally good to him. In order not to be suspected, he had shared the bed with Mu Sujing multiple times, which resulted in Duanmu Cheng, who had kept several concubines outside and had rarely lived a happy married life with his original wife due to too many external affairs, recently becoming more affectionate towards Mu Sujing. So much so that Mu Sujing’s feelings for her husband deepened, and she cared for Duanmu Cheng meticulously during this period.
Xu Jian was somewhat moved by this.
But at this point, Xu Jian could no longer stay. He looked at Mu Sujing and said, "I am not mad, but rather considering the future of the Duanmu Family. The actions of the ancestors and others are too reckless. Their way will only harm the Duanmu Family and lead the entire Duanmu Family to complete ruin.
There’s a common saying that one should not put all eggs in one basket. Our Duanmu Family is a great clan, able to last a thousand years not merely through collective family efforts, but also because we have always had multiple plans for every major event throughout the millennia.
However, this time the ancestors acted too hastily and made only one choice.
If it fails, the entire family will be destroyed.
Therefore, I decided to take some of our clan members and follow another path, so that, in the future, no matter which choice is correct, we can continue the legacy of the Duanmu Family."
Yang Fei and Wang Lei listened to Xu Jian’s nonsensical rants and were somewhat speechless.
However, after Duanmu Cheng finished speaking, the crowd around fell silent. Then some elders nodded in agreement with his view, and gradually more and more people started to think he was right, leaving Yang Fei and Wang Lei dumbfounded.
Could it really be like this?
Among the crowd, Mu Sujing looked into Duanmu Cheng’s eyes for a long while before striding over to him.
She stood beside Duanmu Cheng, took his hand, and loudly said to the people of Duanmu Family, "Fellow clanspeople, for the past decade or more, my husband has been in charge of the major and minor affairs of the Duanmu Family. He has managed every aspect from top to bottom perfectly. Since my husband took charge of the family affairs, our family’s finances have greatly improved, and this is something you all have witnessed."
As her voice fell, the crowd nodded in agreement.
The contributions of the former Duanmu Fourth Master to the Duanmu Family were indeed evident to all.
Although his cultivation talent was not high, he was indeed skilled in management, and now, the majority of the senior ranks in the Duanmu Family had very good personal relationships with him; almost all had been taken care of by Duanmu Cheng and owed him favors.
This was undeniable.
But now, what Duanmu Cheng was proposing was to split the family, and his views were severely against those of the Duanmu Family’s upper echelons, even looking to incite some clansmen to betray the family, which was utterly rebellious.
Therefore, even though some felt a resonance with Duanmu Cheng’s previous statement about not putting all eggs in one basket, no one dared to stand up and follow him.
Yang Fei glanced around. Frankly speaking, he did not care at all whether anyone from the Duanmu Family would follow.
Although Duanmu Wentong and Duanmu Song, father and son, were indeed his mother’s relatives and they had suffered too much oppression from the Duanmu Family and wanted to leave, he had no choice but to agree.
Seeing as Xu Jian wanted to use Duanmu Cheng’s identity to split the Duanmu Family, but the effect did not seem very good, he lost his patience and said, "Grandfather, uncle, let those who are willing to leave pack up immediately. We are departing."
"Ha ha ha ha, young man, what do you think the Duanmu Family is? A place you can come and go as you please?"
Just then, a vigorous and powerful voice came from deep within the mountains behind Duanmu Manor, like the legendary morning bell and evening drum, shaking the soul, causing one to lose control of their Primordial Spirit Consciousness, and horrifying to the core.