Chapter 264: with translation of chapter title

In this era, once a carpenter understands feng shui, he must possess genuine skill and learning.

As for the place Chen Li chose, Chen Wuji had no doubts whatsoever; he didn't even ask many questions and just settled it, though he felt a bit more surprised by Chen Li.

In Chen Wuji's eyes, this honest and simple fellow was once an honest man with no temper, a country bumpkin who got bullied to death.

Over this period, Chen Li repeatedly refreshed Chen Wuji's understanding of him, suddenly revealing a new skill out of the blue.

He didn't rely on seniority; purely through his own strength he became the second-in-command handling all affairs for Chen Bushi after he left the village, to the point that even Chen Luozi had to keep to the side.

This is probably the foundation.

Because of Chen Li, Chen Wuji is now curious about what other skills the people in the MainVein possess.

In the afternoon, Chen Wuji had Chen Wu Yin watch the construction, while he went to the Lìng beside the Ancestral Hall.

The people Chen Li brought in were those who had work in each branch, either carpenters or stonemasons.

The work itself didn't require Chen Wuji to worry; he left Chen Wu Yin to oversee it, merely handling logistics and some trifles, with nothing else major.

Training in the Lìng was in full swing; while Wu Bu Yong drilled the Chen Clan Troops, he also didn't let the Provincial Troops at Tianchi Pass slack off, two neat formations on the open ground earnestly practicing combat.

They have been practicing a single move—thrust.

Level the spear, thrust!

Level the spear, thrust!

Chen Luozi and Xiong Paozi sat on the big stone slab at the entrance of the Ancestral Hall, one raising his left leg, the other his right, leaning sideways, each holding a pear they were gnawing.

"The clan troops' Duilu and squad leaders are set; this brigade is basically formed—who of you two wants to go down and take command?" Chen Wuji sat down beside them, reached out to tug at Chen Luozi's clothes, trying to flip out a pear from inside, but failed.

Xiong Paozi pulled a pear from his bosom and handed it over, grinning: "Family Head, I think leading troops is better left to Jiu Shu; I can't manage it."

"We're fair and square; you two work it out yourselves." Chen Wuji wiped the pear simply, popped it into his mouth—sweet, tasty, juicy.

The clan troops' Duilu, section leaders, and squad leaders had already been chosen through internal competition; only the Brigade Commander position remained vacant, and Chen Wuji would not give it away lightly.

His options were only three people: Chen Li, Chen Luozi, and Chen Wu Yin.

"You don't even want the chance to become an official—what do you think you can accomplish?" Chen Luozi snapped, "You're young; this falls to you, and I'll go with Eleven to the Personal Guard. Wuji's Personal Guard is of great importance; going forward we'll certainly select new recruits from the clan troops, and the person in charge must be reliable."

Xiong Paozi's face fell: "Does that mean I have no choice but to go?"

"If you can still pick someone else, then you don't have to go," Chen Luozi said.

Xiong Paozi thought hard, then looked up and said, "How about letting Wushuang or Wuyi go?"

Chen Wushuang and Chen Wuyi are both peers of Chen Wuji.

Chen Bushi's generation, in order to throw smoke screens at the Court, also put effort into naming; they abandoned the Ancestral System and randomly picked names.

When it came to Chen Wuji's generation, the clan elders gathered and devised a new generation name, the Wu generation, meaning all things under heaven arise from being, and being arises from non-being; they hoped the Chen clan could go from nothing to something, resetting the cosmos.

Only when the next generation arrives will they continue using the generation name set by the ancestors and proceed.

However, there are a few special cases, such as Chen Li's son Chen Qun.

At that time they were all tenant farmers of the Yuan Family, likewise trying to confuse others, to show they were not of one mind with the rest of the Chen clan, hence they randomly took names.

But in the clan genealogy, their names all have a "Wu" character in the middle.

Chen Wushuang and Chen Wuyi were well-known honest folks in the village, stout workers who could handle hard labor.

Back when the Yuan Family held sway in the village, their people often called Chen Wushuang and Chen Wuyi the Chen Clan Two Oxen, meaning that when they took on hard work they were as diligent and uncomplaining as oxen, eating little yet doing much, and even if exhausted to the point of near death they would not stop the work in their hands.

Chen Luozi tossed the finished pear core aside and said, "Those two kids are too ruthless, too straightforward—unsuitable to be Brigade Commander. If they became Brigade Commanders, I fear that after a while either they'd slaughter the entire Clan Troops or the Clan Troops would slaughter them."

"How exaggerated is that?" Xiong Paozi muttered.

"Really?" Chen Luozi said in a deep tone.

Xiong Paozi pursed his lips and remained silent.

Chen Wuji heard this with some surprise: "Wushuang and Wuyi, they're not ruthless, are they?"

Chen Luozi laughed, "Wuji, there's a saying: 'A biting dog doesn't bark.' Describing them that way isn't great, but it's roughly the idea."

"Like this, let me give an example: if you, Wuji, order them to bring someone back, you must make the order clear; otherwise, what they bring back will certainly be a Head Trophy."

Chen Wuji: ……

He still doesn't understand these people of the MainVein well enough.

The original body's foolishness gave him plenty of misinformation.

It seems what he currently understands about these MainVein people might be only superficial.

Xiong Paozi laughed, "Family Head, that's really the case."

Jiu Shu's example isn't very vivid; I'll just recount an actual incident. Once we went out to prepare some small trade, the ones we wanted to discuss cooperation with were a nest of Mountain Bandits from Ningyuan; San Shu thought Wushuang and Wuyi had better martial skills, so he sent them ahead first to scout.

Guess what happened? When we arrived, those two had slaughtered the stronghold, leaving not a single survivor—even the dogs were killed and boiled in a pot.

Chen Wuji was silent for a long moment, then after a while he said softly, "Why don't you, taking this opportunity, tell me about my clan brothers one by one? Because of my foolish condition, it seems my understanding of the brothers in the clan is rather partial."

Chen Luozi scratched the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed, saying, "Actually it's not entirely fair to blame your illness; back then many clan affairs indeed bypassed you, the main line of the Family Head had only you as a lone sapling, and we few dared not drag you into trouble, letting you face danger."

However, there's not much to say about the others; it's just that these two kids hide their true nature deeply. In normal times, compared to who they really are, there's indeed a considerable gap.

Chen Wuji thought it over and simply asked, "Who in the clan is skilled in Battle Formation?"

They all have a bit of understanding, everyone's read the books, and since childhood they've been influenced by their elders, so they all know a little. But if we're talking about the best, Lao San and Eleven are the most outstanding, followed by Chen Li, Chen Wu Yin, and this kid who's always messing around with animals." Chen Luozi said.