Start from Wusheng

Chapter 1135 Ninth Ancestor

"I miscalculated; this young man is very cautious."

In the empty heavenly palace...

After Zhou You repeatedly declined, he politely clasped his hands in farewell and left.

The Eastern Palace Master, Han Yusou, stared at his retreating figure in silence for a long time. After a moment, three figures emerged from the shadows of the Heavenly Palace and stood beside him.

They were none other than the other three palace masters.

The four temple masters of the Shishen Sect, along with other high-ranking officials who jointly discussed and managed affairs, gathered here.

Clearly, this invitation to travel around was a major event for the Buddhist sect, but only Han Yusou was present.

He tried to win Zhou You over by appealing to their past friendship and even offered rare treasures such as the skin of a martial saint and the secret seal of the Heavenly Palace, but ultimately failed.

“How can someone who is in charge of a prefecture in Zhili be regarded as a mere junior?”

"This person's status and position are no less than yours or mine; he is a rare talent, a true gem in the world. What a pity..."

The Southern Palace Master said with regret that once Zhou You joined the sect, not only would Qingchu Prefecture become a staunch stronghold of the Shishen Sect, but it could also influence Lian Feihong, one of the candidates for the title of Lord.

If their plan succeeds, Buddhism is very likely to become the mainstream state religion in the future, spreading to all fifty states.

For this grand goal, what treasures can't we bear to part with? What rules can't we break?

However, Zhou You remained vigilant in the face of immense temptation, which thwarted the conspiracy of the four temple masters of the Buddhist sect.

Han Yusou sighed and shook his head, "Fate and karma cannot be forced."

"I'm afraid we can't force it even if we want to. Just now, Zhou's ninth-generation ancestor warned us not to have any wicked thoughts."

The Northern Palace Master spoke in a monotonous tone, as if repeating himself.

This statement proves that Zhou's backer, Tianzong, has decided to protect his own and shield Zhou You from harm.

No wonder, Zhou You's recent performance is the most dazzling one in the Zhou family's history, and he is very likely to elevate the Zhou family to a height that only their ancestors could reach.

Any old man with a discerning eye would not let such an outstanding junior slip by.

Ok?
No sooner had Zhou You left the Buddhist sect than he heard that his ancestor wanted to see him.

This ancestor was of a higher generation than the old master, and was the ninth ancestor who fought against the Xiang family's Heavenly Sect.

Judging from this seniority, this old man is an antique, and he probably saw the living first ancestor, Zhou Yi.

The meeting place was in the ancestral hall, where a large crowd had been waiting for a long time.

Zhou Tianyuan and Zhou Feixing were present with all the high-ranking members of the Eastern Sect. On the Western Sect's side, the old grandmaster was not willing to lose either, and even invited the Earth Sect, which was in seclusion at home, to come and help.

Zhou You glanced at him again. The Earth Sect Master of the Western Sect was old and nearing the end of his lifespan. He was using secret methods to prolong his life, and his cultivation level was insufficient to build a city. No wonder he had been hiding in the shadows to protect his family.

He also noticed that, with the East and West sects gathered together, the East sect generally viewed him with jealousy and apprehension, while the West sect seemed proud and looked at the East sect with smugness.

These people must have received advance notice of the Ninth Ancestor's meeting with him.

Hmm, this lineup is even more complete than the one for the ancestral worship ceremony.

The ninth-generation ancestor, the ancestral hall—well, today's meeting is practically no different from ancestor worship.

"Zhou Daqian, son of Zhou Nanwang."

As Zhou You stepped into the ancestral hall, he heard a majestic and profound voice descend from the sky, echoing all around him.

The majesty of Heaven is a unique majesty belonging to the Heavenly Sect, like the heavens above all living beings, without sorrow or joy, and naturally awe-inspiring without anger.

Although he had advanced to the Earth Sect, there was still a considerable gap between him and the Heaven Sect. "Zhou Daqian of the Western Sect pays respects to the Ninth Ancestor."

Zhou You specifically mentioned the Western branch, which was a reminder to his ninth-generation ancestor that the East and West are different, and although we share the same surname Zhou, we have now separated our families.

"What Eastern School or Western School? They are all my descendants. You do the math yourself. What should Zhou Xuan and Zhou Su call me?"

As Zhou You recalled the contents of the family genealogy, he blurted out, "Great Ancestor."

That's right. The ancestors of the East and West sects were born several generations after the ninth generation ancestor. It was only after hundreds of years that Zhou Nanwang rose to prominence and initiated the division of the family under the banner of Zhou Xuan that the East and West sects came into being.

In other words, in the eyes of the Ninth Ancestor, all the so-called division of the family, whether it was the East or West branch, was just childish nonsense.

“You are a smart child, but you lack experience. If you were my age, you would know that it is difficult to manage a large family of children and grandchildren, and you must avoid showing favoritism.”

"What you perceive as fairness and impartiality appears to the younger generation as blatant favoritism. Those who benefit are not satisfied and want more, while those who suffer losses cry out and vehemently denounce the injustice."

"But in this world, how can one be completely impartial? I have met more than one Martial Saint with my ancestor, but none of them could be completely impartial."

"I know you blame me for only focusing on the Eastern Sect and neglecting the Western Sect."

"But do you know that when the family split up, the Eastern Sect blamed me for not stepping forward and letting Zhou Nanwang weaken our sect and establish his own independent faction! Who can understand my difficulties!"

The ninth-generation ancestor became more and more talkative, his imposing manner gradually fading, and he seemed more like an old man having a casual chat.

Older people, once they find a suitable topic, can chat for hours on end, and they just can't stop.

……

“For example, this time, when the Xiang family attacked, why didn’t we attack the Western branch but instead went straight to the Eastern branch? Because the Eastern branch is the main branch of the Zhou family, and I must stay here to oversee it. This is why the Western branch was able to escape a calamity.”

Zhou You's ears perked up as he interrupted, "I destroyed the Xiang family."

The ninth-generation ancestor was suddenly choked up, his words abruptly cut off, and he couldn't continue for a long time, his eyes wide open as he took several deep breaths.

After much effort, he managed to squeeze out the words, "I know you're capable."

"Thank you for your praise, Elder."

You're really not being polite!

The ninth-generation ancestor and Zhou You stared at each other, neither speaking, and remained in a stalemate in the ancestral hall for most of the day.

Outside the space, the two groups from the East and West sects patiently waited, occasionally discussing in hushed tones what they were talking about regarding the elevation drawings.

In any case, it was a fait accompli that Zhou You had gained the favor of the ninth-generation ancestor. This was the first time in so many years that the Zhou family had taken control of one of the eight prefectures in Zhili.

With two governors in one family, they already possess the foundation of a top-tier aristocratic family; all they lack is time to develop.

The Eastern Sect was conflicted; it wanted to share in the benefits, but it couldn't bring itself to befriend and ingratiate itself with the Western Sect.

After all, the Eastern Sect has always considered itself the main sect and looked down on the Western Sect, which had split off from the main sect. However, Zhou Nanwang managed the family business to be thriving and even cultivated a talent as extraordinary as Zhou Daqian.

"The other day I lit a cigarette for my ninth-generation ancestor and heard him sigh. He regretted not having registered Zhou Daqian as a candidate, otherwise our family could have produced a feudal lord."

The speaker was a member of the Eastern Clan who served the Ninth Ancestor, and his words caused a great stir.

Could it be that in the mind of the Ninth Ancestor, Zhou Daqian even had the qualifications to compete for the title of Emperor?

The people of the Western Sect had never felt so triumphant. Their attitude towards the Eastern Sect had shifted from one of inferiority to one of psychological advantage, thanks to the support of two governors of the Earthly Sect.

The Zhou family of the Left Prefecture in the capital city today owes most of their influence to their Western branch.

(End of this chapter)