Chapter 143: The An Family

An Xiaopang secretly wiped away his tears.

Mo Hua sighed and took An Xiaopang on a tour of the An estate; An Xiaopang's mood improved somewhat, then suddenly realized something was off:

"This is my home—how do you know it better than I do?"

Your family's formation array is too simple—it's obvious at a glance.

Mo Hua thought to himself, but out of respect for the An family's dignity, he didn't say it outright, only replied:

"I'm an array master—I deduced it from the formation."

The formation was arranged according to the An family mansion's pavilions, terraces, towers, and halls; having seen through the formation, Mo Hua naturally understood how the mansion was constructed.

The artificial hills and ponds, the pavilions and towers, every clod of earth and every tree, all conformed to the formation, leaving discernible traces.

An Xiaopang sighed in admiration: "Mo Hua, you're amazing—I wish I were as smart as you."

Mo Hua said: "Don't be discouraged. Heaven bestows talent on all; think—what do you truly enjoy doing?"

Heaven bestows talent on all…

An Xiaopang felt deeply encouraged; he frowned in deep thought, then his eyes lit up:

"I love eating!"

Mo Hua froze.

An Xiaopang scratched his head. "Is this… not very good?"

"It's… fine," Mo Hua lied.

An Xiaopang scratched his head again.

Mo Hua said: "Don't care what others say or how they see you. Think hard—what is the one thing you most want to do in your life? Don't seek great achievement—just strive to live without regret."

"Oh." An Xiaopang nodded.

The two walked around the garden once more.

An Xiaopang suddenly remembered something and said: "Mo Hua, my grandpa seems to want you to become a son-in-law."

Mo Hua wasn't surprised; instead, he asked curiously: "How do you know that?"

"I overheard it when my mom was chatting with a bunch of aunts and uncles—they love talking about this stuff, they can chat all day without getting tired…"

Mo Hua looked at An Xiaopang's delighted expression and guessed his mother had chatted all day—and An Xiaopang had listened, rapt, all day too.

Still, Mo Hua asked: "I'm only about ten—doesn't your grandpa think he's thinking ahead too soon?"

"Not too soon," An Xiaopang shook his head. "These things should be settled early—wait too long and someone else will snatch them up."

An Xiaopang lowered his voice further: "I heard some great clans start matching children for marriage as soon as they're born and their spiritual roots are confirmed."

"Childhood betrothals?"

"Mm." An Xiaopang nodded. "Clans with deep traditions study spiritual root inheritance—what kind of spiritual roots two cultivators must have to produce children with specific roots. To breed rarer, higher-quality roots, great clans arrange marriages based on spiritual root compatibility."

"Does spiritual root marriage actually work…?"

"It works," An Xiaopang said. "Among disciples of great clans, high-quality spiritual roots are countless—even lower-grade high-quality roots are considered average. In our small regions, mid-grade roots are already good. That's the result of their research into spiritual root inheritance and their marriage practices."

Mo Hua frowned; he knew spiritual roots could be inherited, but had never imagined such intricate schemes existed.

"Isn't choosing a partner supposed to be mutual? How can disciples agree to forced marriages?"

"They have no choice," An Xiaopang sighed. "You eat the clan's food, drink the clan's water, cultivate the clan's techniques, use the clan's spirit stones and spirit items, and rely on the clan's power when you go out—you can't expect to pay nothing in return."

"Did you come up with that yourself?"

"No," An Xiaopang admitted honestly. "I heard it from my mom."

"Then what if you refuse? Can you resist?"

An Xiaopang sneered. "Fingers can't fight against thighs—what good would resistance do? Great clans are towering trees; clan disciples are just leaves on them. One more leaf, one less—what difference does it make? Don't resist, and you can cultivate peacefully and enjoy comfort; resist, and you lose everything."

Mo Hua's emotions were complicated.

Families bound by blood—yet kinship is thinnest of all…

"Still, there's a way," An Xiaopang added.

"What way?" Mo Hua asked.

An Xiaopang whispered: "Each does their own thing!"

"What does that mean…?" Mo Hua didn't understand.

"It means…" An Xiaopang recalled his mother's chatter, "you follow the clan's demands—match spiritual roots, form a partner, have children—but behind the scenes, you can be with whoever you want, do whatever you like—as long as you don't make it look bad in public…"

Mo Hua stared, dumbfounded. "That's so chaotic…"

An Xiaopang nodded. "It's very chaotic!"

He added: "The bigger the clan, the more chaotic it gets!"

On the other side, Old Master An had merely exchanged a few idle pleasantries with Zhang Lan, chatting about trivial matters.

Zhang Lan had nothing to say to Old Master An.

It was boring.

Better to chat with Mo Hua—even if that brat sometimes said annoying things.

Zhang Lan uttered a couple of bland remarks, then rose with Sister Situ to take leave.

Old Master An sat in silent thought for a while, then An Yonglu, head of the An family, entered, sat beside him, poured himself a cup of tea, and asked:

"Father, have the guests left?"

Old Master An nodded.

"Then what are you thinking about?"

"I won't live much longer—I'm planning my funeral."

An Yonglu choked on his tea. "Father, you can't say things like that lightly."

Old Master An's gaze burned as he scanned An Yonglu, then spoke slowly:

"Our An family has fought the Qian family for centuries and always been at a disadvantage; in alchemy and artifact forging, we've practically handed them over—only in spirit cuisine do we still hold some advantage."

An Yonglu lowered his head; as patriarch, even if it wasn't his fault, the responsibility still fell to him.

Old Master An sighed and asked, "Do you know where we fall short of the Qian family?"

"We're not as ruthless..."

"Qian Hong is a wolf, his son, and all the Qian family's direct disciples, are wolf cubs. But you—and your son—I won't even mention them."

An Yonglu bowed his head even lower.

Seeing his son's demeanor, Old Master An stopped reprimanding and simply asked, "Do you still want your son to become patriarch?"

An Yonglu lifted his head, his face flushed with shame, yet he insisted, "Father, though Xiao Fu has little talent, at least he has a good heart and understands the bigger picture. If he becomes patriarch, he may bring no merit, but he won't bring disaster either."

His son was naturally dull; if his own father didn't consider his future, who else would?

Old Master An closed his eyes to rest, unwilling to speak.

An Yonglu felt uneasy, but knew this topic couldn't be pursued further, so he changed the subject and said:

"I heard you wanted to take in a young man as a son-in-law?"

Old Master An opened his eyes. "I won't take anyone in anymore."

"Why not?" An Yonglu asked quietly.

"The An family isn't worthy," Old Master An said coolly.

An Yonglu froze slightly, inwardly resentful, and muttered in defense:

"How isn't the An family worthy?"

Old Master An raised an eyebrow. "What do you have to offer?"

An Yonglu showed a hint of pride. "Our family's assets, spirit stones, and numerous disciples—all are among the top in Xiancheng. Even this mansion—how many cultivators in Xiancheng would kill to live here..."

"Oh? What's so special about this mansion?"

"Its layout is exquisite, materials are carefully chosen, and the arrays—I spent a fortune hiring the city's most renowned array master to inscribe them. They're nearly impenetrable..."

Old Master An sighed. "That boy, on his way here, recognized every single array—inside and out."

An Yonglu stared. "Huh?"

How could he recognize them?

These weren't some common, run-of-the-mill simple arrays—how could he spot them so easily?

Old Master An gave his son a cool glance and said:

"Your 'impenetrable' arrays, in his eyes, are as full of holes as a sieve..."

As full of holes as a sieve...

Those words, like knives, pierced An Yonglu's heart.

An Yonglu opened his mouth, speechless for a long time.