Chapter 432: Entering the Crane and Pine Hall: What Crime Has Lu Chen Committed?

【Qiuyue's expression was strange as she watched the rain seem to avoid Lu Chen entirely.】

【As a senior maid of one of the Nine Great Clans, she had naturally heard of Primordial Spirits and martial arts, so this was not entirely beyond her comprehension.】

【However, servants or guards who showed promise in the estate were usually rewarded with cultivation manuals.】

【But how could a mere concubine-born son have the qualifications to learn such profound and superior martial arts or Primordial Spirit cultivation techniques?】

【At the lakeshore, Qiuyue led the servants onto the lead boat. You boarded a separate small skiff alone, with two black-clad, straw-hatted men silently standing behind you. Their forms were as steady as pines; their mere boarding caused the boat to sink by half a foot, revealing their solid bone and muscle cultivation.】

【A quick perception told you that both were experts of the Upper Three Realms of martial arts—the "Snow Mountain" realm. Even in the crouching tiger, hidden dragon capital of Above Bianjing, they could be called experts, and in the Thirteen Provinces, they were powerful enough to dominate a region.】

【It seemed that after the incident with Xie Xie Renfeng, the various mistresses of the Xie estate had made thorough preparations.】

【The straw-hatted men were also surprised; although they could also evaporate the rain curtain, they would have to mobilize their blood and Qi to do so, unable to match your effortless and graceful ease.】

【This Lu Chen was not as simple as he appeared on the surface!】

【After crossing the lake!】

【Entering the Grand View Garden, there were three directions: one toward Hongjing Courtyard, one toward Dengchun Pavilion, and the final one leading deep inside to the "Crane and Pine Hall," the residence of the Xie family's Old Matriarch.】

【The group headed inward.】

【Qiuyue walked in front, each step as precise as if measured by a ruler. This was a rule set by the Old Matriarch: anyone approaching the Crane and Pine Hall was not allowed the slightest deviation in their gait. Throughout the entire estate, aside from the two masters, all mistresses had to step on specific flower patterns on the blue bricks when coming to pay their respects.】

【The Old Matriarch's rules were the rules of the Xie estate; no one dared to defy them.】

【Before long!】

【Five rooms with connecting verandas emerged from the rain. On the crab-shell green gate, the copper-gilded door knockers shaped like five bats holding longevity symbols rattled in the wind. The blackwood plaque bore the words "Crane and Pine Hall" in gold-inlaid small seal script.】

【In the front courtyard, an old pine tree slanted toward the sky, its cracked bark coated in pale green, old yet still standing tall.】

【Passing through the hanging flower gate, maids stood silently with lowered heads under the covered walkway, holding lanterns.】

【Although it was noon, the sky looked like the afternoon.】

【Thunder rumbled in the distance.】

【"Young Master Chen, please wait here," Qiuyue stopped abruptly before the stone steps of the main hall, "I shall go and announce your arrival."】

【You slowed your pace and stopped, your gaze sweeping over the surroundings. Although there was no extravagant luxury, every detail revealed the strict order of a great aristocratic family.】

【The orientation of every piece of furniture and the height of every threshold conformed to ancient rites, without the slightest error.】

【The hall was dim, and your gaze swept through the shadows.】

【There were at least eight or nine auras flickering in and out of existence, none weaker than the two old soldiers who had intercepted you when you severely wounded Xie Xie Renfeng. Deeper inside, there were even more obscure and unfathomable auras that even your cultivation could not fully discern.】

【This was the foundation of the Nine Great Clans.】

【The world only knew that the Nine Great Clans were as wealthy as nations and held high positions in the imperial court, but they did not know that the martial artists and cultivators they raised were their true foundation.】

【You suddenly recalled the White Bone Temple Daoist you encountered on the lake—had it not been for the Xie estate's tacit approval, such an evil cultivator wouldn't have even touched the edge of the Grand View Garden, let alone run amok within it.】

【Had they made a move, they would have been blasted to death by the experts in the shadows.】

【Amidst these thoughts, you looked at the couplet hanging before the main hall.】

【"The crane's cry reaches the nine heavens, shaking the family's reputation."】

【"The pine has weathered a thousand years, guarding the family gate."】

【A rare cold smile curled the corners of your lips.】

【A voice drawn out long and slow echoed: "Lu Chen, the Old Matriarch summons you inside."】

【You did not hesitate, walking slowly inside.】

【—】

Half a quarter of an hour later—

The Crane and Pine Hall was so quiet that a needle drop could be heard. The Old Matriarch closed her eyes, twisting her prayer beads, while sandalwood incense curled into a single line of blue smoke in the bronze burner.】

Suddenly, the bead curtain rattled, and Qiuyue stepped inside with measured, tiny steps:

"Reporting to the Old Matriarch, Lu Chen has arrived."】

The Old Matriarch opened her eyes slowly, "Let him in."】

The gazes of the Xie clan members inside the hall suddenly pierced toward the door.】

Xie Xie Qiyue's face was anxious, but she dared not move an inch. Why hadn't Xie Yuan arrived yet? Otherwise, it would be too late.】

Xie Yu turned his head to look, recalling their first meeting last year, when the Old Matriarch held a banquet and the Nine Great Clans gathered in the Grand View Garden.】

To meet again now, it was such a scene.】

Xie Xuan stood to the side, his expression neither happy nor sad. In fact, he had received the news even earlier than Xie Yuan.】

He could have notified Lu Chen, or sought help from Su Yun, and given Su Yun's regard for Lu Chen, he would certainly have attended today.】

However!】

Xie Xuan did nothing. He just watched like a play in a theater, knowing the character on stage was about to suffer, yet waiting quietly for the show to begin.】

Xie Xuan shook his head secretly. A tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind.】

The Master had long said, "The Doctrine of the Mean, between the forest and the geese."】

At the time of the Flower Banquet, a concubine-born son of the Xie family should not have had such a great reputation.】

The word "reputation" could lead to the clouds, but it was also a flood and a beast.】

Lady Zhao's five fingers dug deeply into the yellow pear-wood chair, her resentment no longer concealed.】

Lady Yuan, however, gathered her cloud-patterned sleeves, looking toward the door with an air of leisure.】

Li Li Qinlan felt a sense of worry; Lu Chen's danger today was far more turbulent than the sword dance last time.】

Li Nantian looked toward the door with an indifferent expression.】

A green figure passed through the layers of bead curtains and stepped over the threshold.】

The youth wore plain green clothes and simple shoes, his sleeves still carrying a hint of water vapor, yet he showed no sign of being disheveled.】

He bowed to the hall, his voice clear and resonant: "Greetings to the Old Matriarch and all the mistresses."】

Li Nantian couldn't help but frown slightly.】

The hall was dim with mist, but the youth stood tall and upright, standing out from the crowd with an air of refined nobility. He was clearly a true scholar.】

The Old Matriarch's aged knuckles turned slightly white.】

She raised her eyes to size up the newcomer, her gaze growing increasingly cold and sharp.】

【—】

【—】

【You walked into the main hall, your steps steady, neither fast nor slow.】

【Incense curled in the hall, and in the center hung a painting of "Cranes and Pines Extending Longevity."】

【The Xie Old Matriarch sat in the seat of honor; although she leaned on a cane, her back was straight.】

【Both sides were filled with the mistresses of the Xie family, dozens of gazes piercing like needles on your back.】

【Some were probing, some curious, but most were filled with undisguised indifference.】

【You remained calm, as if oblivious to these gazes.】

【"Lu Chen, you little monster!"】

【Lady Zhao could not bear it and slammed the table, hot tea splashing onto her brocade sleeves—a scene like a jealous wife.】

【The Old Matriarch tapped her cane lightly, her brows furrowing: "Observe the rules."】

【Three simple words, yet they silenced Lady Zhao.】

【The authority of this Old Matriarch, who had governed the Xie family for decades, was evident.】

【Lady Yuan rose at the right moment, "Sister, this is the ancestral hall of the Xie family; we must observe the rules."】

【Lady Zhao sat back down, leaving only two venomous glares fixed on you.】

【Lady Yuan's gaze swept over you, and she said to the servants, "Bring Young Master Xie Renfeng up."】

【From behind the main hall, a youth walked out.】

【Xie Xie Renfeng's face was as pale as paper, his once handsome features now just a layer of skin stretched over bone. His moon-white robe hung loosely on him, making him look like a paper effigy.】

【When Xie Xie Renfeng's gaze met yours, his breathing suddenly hitched, his chest heaving violently for a few moments before he forcibly suppressed it.】

【He knelt with difficulty, his voice hoarse: "Grandson... pays respects to the Old Matriarch, Mother, Eldest Aunt, and all elders."】

【Seeing this, Lady Zhao's eyes welled with tears: "My son..."】

【Her voice choked, "It was all the poison hand of Lu Chen, who shattered his meridians and bones. If not for the estate guards discovering him in time... he might... not be among the living."】

【At this point, she seemed overcome with grief, kowtowing to the ground with a dull thud.】

【When she looked up again, her face was covered in tears, yet a hint of viciousness flashed in her teary eyes.】

【"We are of the same blood, yet he struck such a heavy blow! How can a mother endure this? I beg the Old Matriarch to see clearly and severely punish this unfilial son!"】

【She wept blood with every word, and for a time, the hall was silent, with only her sorrowful crying echoing through the Crane and Pine Hall.】

【The Old Matriarch frowned, sitting silently in her chair.】

【The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly heavy, and Lady Zhao cried out: "If his father returns to the estate and sees his own flesh and blood in such a state... as his mother, how can I face Master Mingshan?"】

【She suddenly looked up, her voice turning sharp: "If his father refuses to return to the estate because of this... I have no face to return to my maiden home... I might as well throw myself into the mother lake of the Grand View Garden!"】

【The Old Matriarch's expression shifted several times, first showing anger, then turning into a long sigh.】

【Lady Yuan stepped forward gently, persuading her: "Sister, get up quickly. Now that the capable men of the family are not at home, it is up to the Old Matriarch to preside over justice."】

【"Sister, you are the daughter-in-law married into the Xie family by Uncle, and the Old Matriarch pities you."】

【She turned to the Old Matriarch, her tone respectful: "Xie Renfeng, although a bit mischievous lately, has been diligent in his studies since childhood. He passed the Licentiate exam before reaching adulthood. It was just a youthful impulse, a dispute with Lu Chen, but he never intended to strike; he just lost his sense of proportion in his words."】

【Lady Zhao heard this and wiped her tears with a handkerchief, but knelt down heavily again: "It is my fault for failing to teach him, and I am willing to accept punishment."】

【She suddenly looked up, her voice turning sharp: "But Lu Chen harmed his own kin and violated family rules. I beg the Old Matriarch to rectify the Xie family's reputation!"】

【Throughout the Crane and Pine Hall, only the sound of Lady Zhao's suppressed sobbing echoed between the pillars.】

【Lady Yuan sighed lightly and continued: "Lu Chen, although a son of the main courtyard, has always been eccentric and avoids others. Now that he is older, he still hasn't begun his studies, which is truly a disgrace to the Xie family's reputation."】

【As soon as the words fell!】

【Xie Xie Qiyue, standing in the corner, felt injustice for Lu Chen. A concubine-born son who lost his mother in childhood, suppressed by the mistress—who in the estate dared to be close to him?】

【Not allowing him to enter the school, and now it becomes his fault?】

【Xie Yu, standing to the side, frowned slightly. This handsome young man with a white jade crown and silver belt had a scholarly air. He had never associated with Lu Chen, but he had read the stunning poems Lu Chen wrote at the Flower Banquet.】

【Those brilliant verses were clearly the work of a genius; how could they be the work of an illiterate person?】

【Xie Yu's gaze shifted to his mother in the seat of honor, but he did not speak.】

【The Old Matriarch seemed to have made up her mind, her aged voice echoing in the hall: "According to the Xie family rules... how should this be handled?"】

【Lady Yuan coughed lightly, smoothed her sleeves, turned to face the Xie clan members, and her voice sank:】

【"The Xie family rules state: Any clan member who commits patricide, fratricide, defies elders, insults the mistress, or harms siblings, upon review by the clan, shall be subject to the Three Punishments."】

【The hall grew quieter with every word:】

【"First, strip his name, remove him from the genealogy, and he shall not be buried in the ancestral grave upon death."】

【"Second, abolish his cultivation, three hundred lashes, and kneel in the ancestral hall to receive the ancestors' condemnation."】

【"Third, the disaster extends to descendants; they shall not bear the Xie surname and shall not study literature or practice martial arts."】

【The Old Matriarch nodded slightly, turning to Lady Zhao with a softened tone: "Get up. Master Mingshan is not at home, so you do have to worry more."】

【She swept her gaze over the Li family guests below and added: "There are distinguished guests here today; do not lose decorum."】

【Lady Zhao stood up sobbing, but bowed to Lady Yuan.】

【"Thank you, Sister."】