Chapter 3: Chapter 3 The Future Path of the Luo Family?_1
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“Father, how did Ancestor of the Luo Family look today?”
Luo Chuan asked after a moment of silence.
“Ancestor’s complexion?” Luo Ping pondered for a moment, then answered in a low voice, “The Ancestor’s complexion seemed worse than it did a week ago.”
“Even, beside Patriarch Changfeng, I could faintly smell a scent of decay and death.”
“Perhaps in less than a month’s time, Patriarch Changfeng might…”
“Is that so?” Luo Chuan’s already slightly furrowed brows tightened upon hearing this.
The expression on his face also became increasingly solemn as time passed.
“It seems that the situation of the Luo Family is more severe than I had imagined!”
“Although outsiders call us one of Qingshi Town’s four great families,”
“powerful, possessing countless wealth,”
“the various factions within our family have differing views about the future development of the clan.”
“As the Family Head, Father, you must consider the bigger picture.”
“Second Uncle Han Chuang, after ten years of fruitless scholarly endeavors, turned from literature to commerce and now controls seventy percent, or perhaps even more, of the family’s wealth.”
“Third Uncle is strong and powerful, the mightiest of our Luo family.”
“He also controls the strongest and most elite house servants in the family.”
“But he is brawny and simple-minded.”
“Carelessly, he could be swindled by outsiders, selling himself yet still counting the money for them.”
“The reason this extensive Luo Family has been able to hold on until now,”
“relies on the dignity left by Patriarch Changfeng in the past.”
“If, at such a critical moment, something unexpected happens to Patriarch Changfeng…”
“Our Luo Family will likely begin to fall apart gradually, devoured bit by bit by the other three major families of Qingshi Town, as well as the insatiably greedy officials.”
…
As Luo Chuan spoke,
the atmosphere in the room suddenly became oppressive and uncomfortable.
“My son, is there really no other way to preserve our clan?”
“There are ways, just that…”
“Just what, speak directly, I can take it!” Luo Ping, looking at his son Luo Chuan, said with a slightly trembling voice.
Meanwhile, Luo Chuan in the room slowly picked up a cup of tea beside him.
He brought it to his lips and drank it all.
Glancing at his father, whose breathing was somewhat irregular, he let out a slight sigh and said, “The Da Feng Dynasty has experienced years of drought, countless people have turned to banditry, rising up in rebellion.”
“Even though the bedrock of the Da Feng Dynasty still exists, the arrival of these chaotic times is now inevitable.”
“In these times of chaos, if our Luo Family cannot unite,”
“I think perhaps it would be better to find a deserted mountain and live secluded from the world—this could also be a way to ensure the continuation of our clan’s bloodline.”
“But if our Luo Family were to do so, I’m afraid we would have to give up our family enterprise in Qingshi Town, which we have painstakingly managed for two to three hundred years.”
“By the time the chaos ends, whether the Da Feng Dynasty suppresses the rebellion, or a new ruler emerges,”
“it will be difficult for our Luo Family to return to Qingshi Town again.”
Although Luo Chuan’s words were calm,
this calmness made the current emotions of Luo Ping, the Luo Family Patriarch, incredibly heavy.
“Ensuring the continuity of the family bloodline?”
“Chuan’er, what do you mean by that?”
“`
After much contemplation, Luo Ping suddenly grasped an important piece of information and hastily asked his son beside him, Luo Chuan.
“Yes, even so, it merely ensures the continuation of the family’s bloodline, that’s all.”
Luo Chuan poured himself another cup of tea and drank it down in a single gulp.
He raised his head, his expression somewhat helpless as he looked at his father, the Family Head, and spoke in a low voice, “Father, you can’t seriously believe that if you decide to leave Qingshi Town and hide away in some deep mountain, Uncle Two and Uncle Three’s people would obediently follow you, right?”
“Uncle Two is the most conservative.”
“Asking him to give up the family properties and leave Qingshi Town is bound to be an impossibility.”
“Uncle Three has a strong personality, always thinking of venturing out during the troubled times.”
“Had Elder Changfeng still been alive, Uncle Three would’ve already left this small town of fewer than a hundred thousand inhabitants long ago with his own people.”
“So, even if you heed my advice and stay out of the chaos, at most it would merely ensure the continuity of the family’s bloodline.”
“Is there really no way to have the best of both worlds?” Luo Ping’s emotions wavered with hesitation.
If possible, he naturally did not want to just leave this place where the Luo Family had survived and flourished for a full two to three hundred years.
“Father, you can’t have your cake and eat it too…”
“As the Luo Family Patriarch, you must make a decision when it matters most!”
Luo Chuan finished speaking and silently stood up, walking alone out of the room.
As Luo Chuan gradually departed and his figure slowly disappeared from Luo Ping’s view,
Luo Ping slumped weakly into a wooden recliner.
His eyes were somewhat dull as he stared into the distance.
“To live in hiding or to grit my teeth and stay.”
“Between these two paths, which should I really choose?”
…
While the Luo Family Patriarch Luo Ping hesitated indecisively,
within the Zhao Family Ancestral Land of the four great families of Qingshi Town,
Zhao Wu, the current Zhao Family Head, along with a host of elders,
were also gathered together.
“Doctor Wang, in your opinion, how long can that old fogey from the Luo Family Ancestral Land last?”
In the silent yet extremely bright hall.
Zhao Wu, seated in the place of honor, suddenly asked the elderly man dressed in purple finery with a face full of wrinkles and a long white beard.
Though quite aged, the old man seemed remarkably spirited as he spoke in a low voice.
“From what I see, within half a month’s time, that old immortal from the Luo Family Ancestral Land will certainly perish due to the exhaustion of his lifespan.”
Doctor Wang smiled slightly, confidently stroking his smooth white beard as he spoke softly.
…
The old man known as Doctor Wang was named Wang Kun.
Prior to this, he was the most skilled and well-known physician in Qingshi Town.
Because Doctor Wang hadn’t aligned himself with any power within Qingshi Town,
the people from the various forces within the town liked to request his services to treat all kinds of diseases.
The Ancestor of the Luo Family, faced with the imminent exhaustion of his lifespan and distressed by it,
once invited Doctor Wang to inquire whether there was any way to prolong life.
However, the outcome was clear to see.
Not to mention whether such methods existed, even if they did, the price would not be something the modest Luo Family could afford.