Chapter 196 - Born This Way

The Lian family’s ancestral ceremony caused a huge uproar.Not only did Jiang Wuyong lose face, but the Lian family itself did not come out looking glorious, due to Lian Que’s fierce response.

Onlookers from various places departed one after another, and from then on, rumors and gossip spread.

But none of these were matters for Jiang Wang to consider anymore.

At this moment, he was in the most luxurious restaurant in Nanyao City, speaking with Zhongxuan Sheng.

“To offend the fourteenth Prince so grievously, are you sure it won’t affect you?” Jiang Wang asked.

This time, he owed Zhongxuan Sheng a huge favor.

The gains and losses of Zhongxuan Sheng were the only things he considered.

“Of course, there will be an impact, but overall, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks,”

Zhongxuan Sheng carefully analyzed for him, “The current Emperor has in total seventeen sons and nine daughters.

The eldest son has already been deposed and is still imprisoned in the palace.

The Crown Prince is the second son.

Besides him, only the third Princess, ninth Prince, and eleventh Prince have strong enough abilities and qualifications to contend for the throne.”

“For a family like ours, the Zhong Xuan Family, we simply don’t get involved in the fight for succession.

The loss outweighs the gain.

No matter who succeeds the throne, they cannot afford to treat my Zhong Xuan Family poorly.

Therefore, as for the other princes and princesses, I don’t have to give them any face, and my family won’t say anything.

Spreading the word would, on the contrary, further prove that the Zhong Xuan Family is only loyal to the Emperor and has no intention of participating in the struggle for power.”

The chubby man was extremely pleased and smiled with his eyes squinting, “And for us, you’ve gambled your way into quite a handsome set of benefits, and our reputation is even higher now.”

“Do you know what defeating Jiang Wuyong signifies?

It shows that you are undeniably among the strongest in Tongtian Environment.

Many will compare you to Wang Yiwu.

And you are my retainer, so how strong must I be?

Today, I showed my strength to press Jiang Wuyong, telling those people that they should reconsider whose side to take!”

Zhongxuan Sheng only mentioned the benefits, not the drawbacks, but Jiang Wang certainly understood them.

He quietly listened and then nodded, “As long as you’ve given it serious thought.”

After he finished speaking, he picked up the Longsword that lay across his knees and stood up to leave, “Let’s go later.

Lian Que asked to see me, he has more to tell me.”

“That incredibly ugly ironworking kid?”

Jiang Wang gave him a somewhat helpless look, meaning, please don’t talk about Lian Que like that.

Also, do you think you’re that much stronger?

“Go on, go on,” Zhongxuan Sheng waved his hand, uncaring.

As Jiang Wang reached the door, Zhongxuan Sheng awkwardly added, “And eh, apologize to him for me.”

Lian Que being driven to suicide to prove his innocence was largely the responsibility of the Lian family, but Zhongxuan Sheng’s mockery had also played a significant role.

Deep down, he truly respected such a stalwart person.

Of course, the future self-proclaimed Family Head of the Heavy Mystery could never personally apologize unless there was something in it for him.

As one of the ten most outstanding youths of the Lian’s generation, Lian Que naturally had his own business in Nanyao City.

Like this liquor shop, for example.

Jars of strong liquor were placed in the main hall, served to customers bowl by bowl.

There were only a few private rooms on the second floor, used for receiving guests.

These businesses, including the liquor shop, were mainly for the family’s use.

But they didn’t amount to much because Lian Que was never too interested in power or wealth.

Going to the Heavenly Abode Secret Land was to become stronger, and to become stronger was to forge better weapons, nothing more.

Originally, after driving away Jiang Wuyong, Jiang Wang had planned to leave with Zhongxuan Sheng directly.

But he couldn’t resist Lian Que’s invitation, and since the high levels of the Lian family’s cooperation with Jiang Wuyong had fallen through, they also intended to mend bridges with the Zhong Xuan Family, and so he stayed temporarily.

Zhongxuan Sheng wouldn’t put on a life-or-death stance just because he had a bad impression of these people.

He had almost achieved all of his goals with this trip to Nanyao City, so there was nothing to be upset about.

To scheme for great things, one can’t allow personal likes and dislikes to dictate decisions.

If you don’t take the steps offered to you, there are plenty of people who would be willing to pull them out from under you.

Your competitors would be only too happy to see you fall hard.

After discussing with Zhongxuan Sheng, Jiang Wang went to the liquor shop.

Entering the private room, Lian Que had been waiting for a long time.

Outside of blacksmithing, he was not a detail-oriented person, but he still asked first, “How’s your hand doing?”

“Just minor injuries,” Jiang Wang smiled, his hand wrapped in a few layers of gauze, but it didn’t hinder movement, “I’m sure you must have suffered these kinds of injuries many times while forging weapons.”

“Yeah,” Lian Que said with a sigh, stretching out his hand to show Jiang Wang, his hand full of dense scars and thick calluses.

Jiang Wang’s hands also had calluses, mainly concentrated on the part where he gripped the sword, around the knuckles.

His hands lacked the numerous scars that Lian Que’s had.

“I had a friend, a few years ago while forging a weapon, the furnace exploded due to poor control of the heat.

He was too exhausted to avoid it and he lost his eyes.

Not just blind, blind there might still have been a chance to heal, to go to East King Valley or somewhere else, spend more money, there’s always a way.

Both of his eyes were gone.”

“You were close to him, weren’t you?”

“Ah, yes.

He was my only friend.”

“So, what happened to him now?”

“He couldn’t withstand the shock and committed suicide that day,” Lian Que said indifferently.

The blacksmith profession indeed was not easy.

It was laborious, dangerous, and often invited envy.

The divine weapons they forged were frequently renowned through their users, while the blacksmiths themselves generally remained unknown.

Everyone knows that Jiang Mengxiong is the master who defeated armies and slew generals, but how many remember who forged him those pair of knuckledusters?

Blacksmith clans like the Lian’s, with the status of a sacred blacksmith’s ground, still had dignity and respect and lacked not for strength.

But in Qi Country, there are many more lowly craftsmen, toiling thanklessly.

This was also one of the reasons Lian Que embraced death, and why the higher-ups of Lian’s family immediately capitulated.

Lian Que, who forged the famed Longsword Longing, was no longer an insignificant junior in the family; he became one of the key factors in maintaining their position as a sacred blacksmith site.

Even if they hadn’t realized it before, after this incident, they should have understood clearly.

Jiang Wang fell silent for a moment.

Because Lian Que was not someone in need of consolation.

Lian Que’s calloused hands rested on the table as he said, “Actually, the reason I asked you to stay behind is that I have something I wish to discuss with you.”

“Please, go ahead,” said Jiang Wang.

“This matter relates to Lian Shao; do you remember him?”

That man who ridiculed Lian Que in front of the forge…

Jiang Wang nodded.

“I’ve said before—he really is a pitiable person,” Lian Que said slowly.

“As for the reason, it lies within the life medallion you returned to me…”

Through Lian Que’s account, Jiang Wang learned of the Lian family’s hidden history.

Years ago, when Lian’s family’s original country was destroyed, the entire Lian clan fled and relocated in hardship.

Because the Lian family’s blacksmithing heritage was already well-known at that time, they faced various assassinations and betrayals along the way.

To preserve their family and ensure the secrets of their blacksmithing techniques did not leak, and to avoid defections to the enemy…

The Clan Leader of Lian’s family at that time decided to craft life medallions for all members and entrusted them to the custody of the most loyal family elders.

Any act of betrayal would meet with death, without mercy.

These family elders rarely involved themselves in worldly affairs, but they controlled the power of life and death over the clan members.

Such a rule indeed preserved the continuation of Lian’s family legacy.

At that time, it consolidated the power of Lian’s family, allowing them to settle in Qi Country.

They built the prosperous Nanyao City from nothing, and even became one of the five great blacksmithing sacred sites.

But hundreds of years passed, and what was once an emergency measure had become a stale, odious family rule.

Every new child born into Lian’s family was obligated to have a life medallion made for them.

Before they even had a will of their own, their lives were already in the hands of others.

The earliest family elders might have all been truly loyal, but as time changes, so do people.

There were always a few unconvincing elders, a few scoundrels, who became swollen with pride.

Many were not ignorant of the issues with such rules, but those who held the power, the vested interests, were fundamentally unwilling to let go of the authority they wielded.

Looking back from the present day, a hundred years ago, there was a brilliant young talent of the Lian family.

Discontent with his fate being manipulated from birth, he secretly harbored a rebellious heart.

Over the years, he quietly built alliances and laid out grand plans.

In the end, he triggered a coalition of forces to hunt down Lian’s family.

If Emperor Qi had not been plotting a major war at that time, urgently requiring the Lian family’s blacksmithing services, and had not dispatched an army for protection, that disaster would have been the end of Lian’s family.

Even so, after the disaster, Lian’s family’s prestige plummeted, their assets reduced to a fraction of what they had been.

Lian’s family rebuilt after the catastrophe.

Yet even after such events, the Lian family elders were still not willing to relinquish their power over life and death.

They were accustomed to being high above; they had come to power within these confines, victims of the rules, eventually becoming part of the very rules they suffered under.

Ever since then, however, with each generation Lian’s family would select ten of the most outstanding clan members, acknowledging their capability to control their own destinies and returning their life medallions to them.

Lian Que was one of them.

As the saying goes, it is better to dredge a channel than to dam a flood.

These ten seemed an honor, but in essence, they were merely a safety valve.

Why did Lian Zhuping and Lian Luyue think the honor of a clan member was insignificant, not even worth considering for a moment?

Because in their minds, it was impossible for a family junior to defy them.

They never imagined that Lian Que would oppose them.

This antiquated and decaying rule had persisted within Lian’s family for far too long.

So long it seemed innate, so long few would think to question it.

And Lian Shao was among those unable to control their own life medallions in Lian’s family.

He was among the majority whose lives were not their own to command.

He had once struggled desperately for one of those ten spots of freedom.

But everyone fought so hard, and he fell just short, henceforth living in a different world from those ten.

It was precisely because he was born without autonomy, unable to achieve it no matter how hard he tried, that he felt such intense anger toward Lian Que’s act of giving the life medallion to Jiang Wang in Heavenly Abode Secret Land.

For him, had he been able to get hold of his own life medallion, he would never have given it up, even in death.

It wasn’t that he hated Lian Que.

He was angry at his lack of freedom and even more infuriated that Lian Que did not treasure it!

After slowly finishing his story, the jug of wine was empty.

Lian Que turned the jug upside down, giving it a shake; only two drops fell.

He set down the jug and finally sighed, “Born into Lian’s family, one’s entire life is controlled by others.”