Chapter 176: The Great-Granduncle Discusses the Secret History of the Clan

"Great-Granduncle, why such a grand gesture?" Although Zhou You had no fondness for this senile old man, having someone of such advanced age kneeling before him always made him feel uneasy.

He supported the Great-Granduncle's arm, "Great-Granduncle, please get up quickly. Can you explain things clearly before kneeling?"

"I cannot get up; let me kneel while I speak."

The Great-Granduncle insisted, "This old servant pays his respects to the Young Master."

The amount of information in these six words was overwhelming.

Zhou You tried his best to recall the details—was his father's gift too valuable, or was the Great-Granduncle senile?

Who was he calling? What Young Master? "Great-Granduncle, you are so old and your body is frail; I'm afraid you'll kneel yourself to death. Just sit down and talk, sit and talk."

After much persuasion, the Great-Granduncle sat back on the bed, but no sooner had he sat down than he couldn't help but want to slide onto the floor to kneel properly again.

"Stop, stop, speak first."

Zhou You vaguely sensed that the family was hiding many secrets that outsiders were unaware of; the Great-Granduncle before him clearly knew the inside story and, for some reason, was being this respectful to him.

Good heavens, being knelt to by a man nearly a hundred years old! The Great-Granduncle sighed, "Young Master practices martial arts and has reached the Qi and Blood level; it is time you knew some of the inside story!"

As it turned out, the entire Zhou Clan had two bloodlines flowing within it: one for the masters, one for the servants.

Except for Zhou You's family, all other clansmen were descended from the Servant Lineage, including the Great-Granduncle himself.

The ancestors of the Zhou Family moved here from afar and took root, with only one servant by their side.

The two agreed to build a family together, both taking the Zhou surname and addressing each other as brothers.

The master of the Zhou Clan was originally a martial artist, but for certain reasons, he decided to abandon the past and make a living through farming; although he passed down the complete set of Zhou Family Fist, he did not force his descendants to practice martial arts.

If his descendants became farmers, far removed from the bloody slaughter of martial artists, that was also a path.

Zhou Family Fist eventually devolved into a mere farming skill for strengthening the body and driving away wild beasts.

However, there was also an iron rule of the family: if any descendant practiced the fist and reached the Qi and Blood level, they would be qualified to learn all the secrets from the Record Keeper of the servant branch and automatically become the Clan Head.

"This old man is incompetent, but I am the current Record Keeper. Since the Young Master has succeeded in his martial practice, it is time for the property to be returned to its rightful owner."

The Great-Granduncle's aged face was full of relief; even if all the other clansmen had forgotten, he still remembered the origin and secrets of the family.

Therefore, when he learned the truth just now, he knelt with great decisiveness, without the slightest hesitation.

Zhou You was digesting the massive amount of information.

An agreement without the strength to enforce it is no different from a scrap of paper.

The ancestors had long seen through the ways of the world, knowing that even if the bond between master and servant was deep, their descendants might not be the same.

That was why today's events had come to pass.

Sure enough, because the master's branch had few people, while the servants had raised a vast number of descendants.

By the time of Zhou You's grandfather's generation, the servants' descendants already filled the village, and the Clan Heads and Clan Elders of every generation were their people.

Zhou You's grandfather made a mistake in his youth and was driven out of the family; where was there any dignity left for the master's descendants? Until three generations later, when it reached Zhou You's generation...

"I understand now why it requires the Qi and Blood level; martial power is the pillar of authority."

Even though the Great-Granduncle remembered the ancestral teachings, he had still watched helplessly as Zhou You's grandfather was expelled back then, because he was only an ordinary farmer, not a martial artist at the Qi and Blood level.

Why did Zhou You receive such a completely different treatment?

Because Zhou You was at the middle stage of Qi and Blood, having beaten Zhou Laixi until he was no longer arrogant and making Zhou Laiwei submit to him wholeheartedly.

Under such circumstances, the ancestral teachings brought out by the Great-Granduncle were merely the icing on the cake.

"Adding the Young Master's name to the genealogy is a trivial matter; the matter of repairing the Ancestral Hall can also be handed over to the Young Master's father to handle."

The Great-Granduncle's tone was very relaxed, taking back with one sentence a lucrative job that people outside were fighting tooth and nail for.

If Zhou Laixi knew, his fake crying would immediately turn into real crying.

"Zhou Laixi's family cannot stay!" Zhou You said coldly.

The Great-Granduncle looked at him, paused for only one second, and readily agreed, "The charges are already prepared. I will open the Ancestral Hall immediately, drive them out of the family, remove their names from the genealogy, and seize their fields, houses, and oxen as clan property."

After finishing, he asked Zhou You for instructions, "Is the Young Master satisfied?"

Zhou You nodded, feeling a sense of dullness; he had no interest in this Young Master status, only wanting to seek justice for his father.

Although as long as he gave the word, he could become the local warlord of this old home, with his word being law.

The old man was even more shrewd than he appeared, calculating everything clearly, stroke by stroke.

Zhou You suddenly asked, "You aren't senile?"

"Sometimes I am!"

The Great-Granduncle smiled, "The Young Master wants to ask why, knowing Zhou Laixi was doing evil, I feigned ignorance and even indulged him?"

"Young Master, it is easy to herd cattle and sheep, but difficult to herd people!"

"In a clan of thousands, there are thousands of minds. Expecting to treat everyone equally is impossible; someone must play the villain."

"Zhou Laixi has petty cleverness but no great wisdom; he is perfect for doing the dirty work and calming the anger when things happen."

"And those men and women in the village—do you think they are all kind, innocent, and weak? If you really gave them the chance, I fear they would be greedier and more ruthless than Zhou Laixi."

"If one's heart isn't ruthless and one's methods aren't heavy, how can one control these people?"

Zhou You understood; the docile Great-Granduncle before him had servility in his bones, yet he was a good, old dog loyal to his master.

"Young Master, this is what this old servant thinks: while I still have breath, I will push your father into the position to transition."

"Laiwei is a child I have selected as the next Record Keeper; with him assisting the Young Master, taking over will be no problem at all."

"If this old servant can see the master regain power before I die, I will be able to close my eyes in peace."

The Great-Granduncle also explained, "Laifu is a kind and honest child, but he cannot suppress the people below; the Young Master is different."

The events that just occurred allowed him to witness Zhou You's ruthlessness and decisiveness; he does not act unless necessary, but when he does, it is a fatal blow.

Such a person is the style of someone who does great things.

"Who said I wanted to be the Clan Head?"

Zhou You waved his hand; the scope of a village chief was not something he even cared to look at.

The Grand Elder was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "It is within expectations; it is fine if the Young Master does not agree. This is the second time I have heard this answer."

The second time? Who else was there before? "The Young Master had a grand-uncle with even greater talent, who practiced the Family Fist Technique until he broke through the blood and Qi barrier."

The Grand Elder pointed at the ground, "He was right here at the time. I knelt and kowtowed to him, wanting to hand over authority to him, but he also refused."

Later, that grand-uncle left his hometown to search for the origins of the clan, and once he left, he never returned.

The source of the Zhou Clan ancestors seems to have deep roots, related to the ancient Seventy-Two Tribes.

Zhou You did not take it to heart; so what if the ancestors were once wealthy? Is it not already in decline now?

He only believes in his own two hands; starting from nothing, building a career from scratch, any world he wants, he will fight and forge for himself.

"Young Master, let us go out now; there are some matters this old servant will handle for you."

The Grand Elder said in a low voice, "I dare not trouble the Young Master to support me, but the juniors outside are ignorant; let us just put on a show for them to see."

Zhou You understood upon hearing this, and with one hand, he supported the Grand Elder's arm, and together they turned into the front hall of the Ancestral Hall.

At this moment, the clansmen had been waiting for a long time, feeling uneasy in their hearts.

Suddenly seeing Zhou You supporting the Grand Elder, and seeing the Grand Elder looking calm and composed, they were all astonished.

(End of this chapter)