Chapter 263: Memorial, Unwelcome Guest

"Fourth girl, you have finally returned."

Among the crowd, an elderly man with graying hair, leaning on a cane, was the first to greet Shangguan Xiao, his voice trembling.

Shangguan Xiao was Zhang Zongyang's fourth child, and also his youngest; some of the elders in the family would call her "Fourth girl."

Upon seeing the old man, her cold gaze softened significantly, and she said softly:

"Third Great-Uncle, I have returned."

This old man was named Zhang Hongguo, Zhang Zongyang's third uncle, and one of the few elders in the Zhang family who treated Shangguan Xiao well.

The old man's eye sockets turned slightly red, and he pressed down hard on his cane, the veins on the back of his hand bulging:

"It is good that you are back! It is good that you are back!"

"Little sister, the journey must have been tiring."

A middle-aged man who looked somewhat similar to Shangguan Xiao walked up and nodded at her.

"Second Brother."

Shangguan Xiao looked at him and greeted him softly.

The body of a Dao Foundation realm powerhouse undergoes multiple reinforcements, so she looked much younger than her second brother, not at all like someone of the same generation.

A complex expression appeared on the man's face: "I haven't heard you call me 'Second Brother' for many years."

He was Zhang Zongyang's second son, named Zhang Zedong, currently serving as a Sword-Wielding Envoy at the General Headquarters of the Stop-Conflict Academy, a level 12 official, and thus a government official of the imperial court.

Aside from the late Zhang Zongyang, who was a fourth-rank seated official, only five others in the Zhang family were government officials; Zhang Zedong held the highest position in the main branch and was the most successful one.

Of course, if one counted Shangguan Xiao, who had now returned to the family, then Zhang Zedong could not compare.

As the head of the local Stop-Conflict Academy, Shangguan Xiao was a level 11 official; although her official rank was one level lower than Zhang Zedong's, the actual power in her hands was not much less, and most importantly, Shangguan Xiao was a Dao Foundation realm powerhouse, while Zhang Zedong was only a Qi-Refining martial artist.

This point determined that the development prospects of the two within the martial power system of the Stop-Conflict Academy could not be compared.

To serve as a helmsman of the Stop-Conflict Academy General Headquarters, one must at least have the cultivation base of the Dao Foundation realm; this was a necessary condition.

Zhang Zedong had been stuck at the threshold of the Dao Foundation realm for nearly thirty years, and it was almost impossible for him to have another chance to break through, so being a Sword-Wielding Envoy at the General Headquarters was about the peak he could reach in his official career.

This was also the reason why Zhang Zongyang had defied public opinion back then and insisted on supporting Shangguan Xiao with all his might.

Because the others were simply not worth supporting.

Except for Zhang Hongguo and Zhang Zedong, the rest of the Zhang family members present did not dare to come up to greet her, because they were truly not very familiar with Shangguan Xiao.

Shangguan Xiao had been sent away at the age of nine to apprentice and learn martial arts, and the time she spent at home could be counted on one's fingers; at nineteen, she had broken ties with the family entirely, changed her surname to Shangguan, and had not returned home for over thirty years since.

The Zhang family members were actually very much strangers to her.

"Is this your martial nephew? Li Fei from the Martial University?"

Zhang Zedong took the initiative to look at Li Fei.

"Yes, he is my martial nephew, Li Fei."

Shangguan Xiao said simply.

In fact, Li Fei did not need much introduction from her anymore; he had long been famous throughout Datong Prefecture!

"Junior Li Fei, greetings to you, Senior."

Li Fei's hands were not free, so he could only nod to Zhang Zedong in greeting.

"Are you going to accompany your martial aunt to the Zhang family today?"

Zhang Zedong asked.

This question caused the surroundings to suddenly fall silent, and everyone stared at Li Fei.

Although he was still just a first-year freshman at the Martial University, Li Fei now carried some weight in Datong Prefecture; this weight lay not only in the importance the Martial University placed on him, but also in his own growth speed.

Back then, Wang Fengqing had spent three years breaking through all the way to the Dao Foundation realm; how long would Li Fei, whose talent was clearly a notch higher, need?

Two years?

One year?

In any case, befriending Li Fei meant that there was a high probability of gaining the friendship of a Dao Foundation realm powerhouse in a year or two.

No matter which faction it was, they were all willing to treat a Dao Foundation realm powerhouse as an honored guest.

This was the weight Li Fei carried today!

"Yes, this junior will accompany my martial aunt to the Zhang family."

Li Fei said affirmatively.

"Good, the Zhang family will keep this in mind!"

Zhang Zedong did not say words of thanks, or mention giving any reward; that would have ruined the good teacher-student relationship instead.

He looked at Shangguan Xiao:

"Little sister, let's go, let's go home."

Although the Zhang family had lost its influence, they could still afford a few luxury cars, so the group boarded the vehicles one after another.

Soon, this luxurious motorcade drove toward the Zhang family mansion.

For a time, the news of Shangguan Xiao returning to the city, Li Fei coming to meet her, and the two of them about to head to the Zhang family spread rapidly throughout the city.

Twenty-some minutes later, the motorcade stopped in front of the gate of a grand mansion.

This was the Zhang residence, a mansion that occupied an entire street by itself!

At this moment, quite a few luxury cars were already parked on the street.

Today was Zhang Zongyang's funeral, and these people had all come to pay their respects.

Given the status of the Zhang family and the prestige Zhang Zongyang held during his lifetime, those coming to pay their respects today should have blocked the entire street, but today it appeared somewhat desolate, and the atmosphere of the entire Zhang residence was somewhat miserable.

This was the true portrayal of the Zhang family today.

After getting out of the car, Shangguan Xiao looked at the mansion she had not returned to for over thirty years, her expression complex.

In the end, she said nothing and followed Zhang Zedong toward the gate of the Zhang residence, with Li Fei by her side.

Just as the group stepped onto the stairs, preparing to enter, a group of people suddenly surged out from inside the gate, blocking Shangguan Xiao and the others.

The person in the lead was a man with some white hair; despite wearing mourning clothes, he could not hide that obvious official authority.

"Second Uncle, what is the meaning of this?"

Zhang Zedong looked at the person in the lead and asked, frowning.

This person was named Zhang Zongming, Zhang Zongyang's younger brother.

The Zhang family was divided into three branches; the main branch was naturally led by Zhang Zongyang, while the second branch was led by Zhang Zongming. He was also one of the Zhang family's government officials, currently serving as the Chief of the Main Engineering Department of the Datong Prefecture Internal Affairs General Academy, and was also a level 12 official.

"Zongming, today is not the time to cause trouble!"

Zhang Hongguo, the person with the highest seniority present, stepped forward leaning on his cane, scolding with a fierce gaze.

Zhang Zongming met Zhang Hongguo's gaze without showing any weakness, then bowed respectfully:

"I am not here to cause trouble, but my Zhang family has been passed down for many years; the rites and laws cannot be abandoned, and the family rules cannot be forgotten!"

After speaking, he straightened up and looked at the expressionless Shangguan Xiao, asking sternly:

"You publicly broke ties with my Zhang family over thirty years ago and changed your surname to Shangguan; then in what capacity are you entering the doors of my Zhang family today?!"

His question actually hit the most critical point, and was also the reason why many people had opposed Zhang Zongyang supporting Shangguan Xiao back then—

A person who had publicly broken ties with the family, and even no longer carried the Zhang surname, what qualification did they have to continue enjoying the Zhang family's resources?

And what qualification did they have to enter the Zhang family's doors today?

"Second Uncle!"

Zhang Zedong exuded the killing aura that belonged only to a martial artist, glaring at Zhang Zongming, "With our Zhang family in this current situation, must you engage in infighting at this time and let outsiders make a joke of us?!"

"A joke?"

Zhang Zongming met Zhang Zedong's gaze without fear, "I don't care who becomes the head of the Zhang family in the future, but there is one thing: I would rather the Zhang family be destroyed by our own hands than let it fall into the hands of someone who does not carry the Zhang surname!"

"You..."

Zhang Zedong glared at Zhang Zongming, but was helpless.

Even Zhang Hongguo, who had just scolded Zhang Zongming loudly, fell silent.

For a noble family, the inheritance and honor of the family were always placed first. The mindset Zhang Zongming had just expressed was actually not unique to him, but a mindset held by almost every noble family in this world:

My own family property, even if squandered by my own people, shall not be tainted by outsiders!

The Zhang family today indeed very much needed the help of a Dao Foundation realm powerhouse like Shangguan Xiao, but if the final result was to have the Zhang family change its surname to Shangguan from then on, then the power-holders of the Zhang family were afraid that not a single one of them could accept it.

Li Fei quietly watched this scene, carefully observing the expressions of Zhang Zedong and Zhang Hongguo, secretly guessing in his heart whether it was possible that this scene had been discussed in advance by the first and second branches, with the goal of forcing Shangguan Xiao to state her position?

There was also a possibility that the people of the first branch knew in advance that the second branch would make trouble today, and just wanted to take advantage of the situation to let the second branch force Shangguan Xiao to state her position.

What would Shangguan Xiao choose?

The eyes of everyone present were focused on this figure in green.

Shangguan Xiao looked at Zhang Zongming with a cold gaze; according to her past temper, she would have already taken action and broken in directly, and would not have listened to the other party's nonsense at all.

But today was Zhang Zongyang's funeral.

"I, Shangguan Xiao, have come today to pay my respects in the capacity of Zhang Zongyang's daughter!"

Shangguan Xiao said loudly.

Hearing this, the expressions of Zhang Zedong, Zhang Hongguo, and the others changed drastically, while Zhang Zongming was stunned for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief.

He stepped aside to make way: "Good, please!"

Following his action, the people of the second branch moved aside one after another.

"Little sister..."

Zhang Zedong wanted to say something.

But Shangguan Xiao ignored him and stepped into the Zhang family's gate.

Li Fei followed closely behind.

"Shangguan Xiao, here to pay respects—"

As Shangguan Xiao passed through the front courtyard and was about to enter the mourning hall where the funeral was being held, someone had already announced her arrival in a loud voice.

This announcement signified that today, Shangguan Xiao was only here to pay respects in a personal capacity.

Shangguan Xiao stopped outside the main hall for a moment, took out a pre-prepared black veil, and had Li Fei help her tie it around her left arm.

Afterward, the two of them walked into the mourning hall.

In the center of the mourning hall sat a coffin, with a portrait of Zhang Zongyang hanging in front of it.

This was a man with eyebrows like swords; even just by locking eyes with the portrait, one could feel as if they were being pierced by a sharp gaze!

Seeing this portrait, Li Fei immediately thought of Shangguan Xiao's cold, clear eyes; the father and daughter's features were truly too similar.

The moment Shangguan Xiao saw Zhang Zongyang's portrait, her body trembled slightly, and the frost on her face instantly dissolved.

"Little sister... come and pay your respects."

A man with slightly graying hair, who had been guarding the side of the coffin, said to Shangguan Xiao with a look of exhaustion.

He was Zhang Zongyang's eldest son, Zhang Zezheng, who could be considered the legitimate heir of the Zhang family, but he was neither successful in literature nor martial arts; he had neither the aptitude to become a martial artist nor any particular talent, and in the end, he could only be responsible for managing some of the Zhang family's businesses. Almost no one expected him to be able to succeed as the head of the Zhang family.

Shangguan Xiao did not reply to Zhang Zezheng. Her mind was a blank slate, and like a soul lost, she walked forward step by step until she reached the coffin. This Dao Foundation realm expert suddenly lost all her strength and fell to her knees with a thud.

"..."

Shangguan Xiao opened her mouth, not even realizing that tears were already streaming down her face. She used all her strength to try to say something, but she could not make a sound.

After a long time, she squeezed a sentence out from her throat:

"Father, Xiao'er is back—"

After saying this, she bowed forcefully, and her body began to tremble.

At this moment, scene after scene from the past few decades flashed through Shangguan Xiao's mind:

Zhang Zongyang had not married her mother through proper channels; in other words, she was an illegitimate child of the Zhang family.

But when she was seven, Zhang Zongyang took her hand and brought her into the Zhang family home openly and honestly.

Afterward, the treatment she received in the household was not a bit worse than that of Zhang Zongyang's other three children.

When she was nine, she was sent away by Zhang Zongyang to study martial arts under a master. At first, she felt that Zhang Zongyang did not like her and did not want her to stay in the Zhang family, and her heart was filled with resentment.

It was not until later that she realized what kind of deep, heartfelt love that was.

When she was nineteen, she chose to break ties with the family because of Hao Yi's affair and changed her surname to Shangguan. At the time, the entire Zhang family was cursing her, yet Zhang Zongyang never said a single word about the matter from beginning to end.

Later, when she went to Xingcheng to establish the Qingyuan Fist Stronghold, she very smoothly obtained channels to purchase elixirs and implants. She was very surprised at first, but later learned that this was actually Zhang Zongyang using the Zhang family's connections to help her in secret.

Half a year ago, she suddenly took the initiative to contact Zhang Zongyang, expressing her desire to enter the officialdom.

Zhang Zongyang did not say a word, defied all opposition, and used the family's resources to pave the way for her, allowing her to successfully become the Chief of the Xingcheng Stop-War Institute.

Such things might have involved the long-term considerations of a family head, but the love of a father for his daughter was all in there as well.

In fact, when Shangguan Xiao chose to accept the position of Chief of the Xingcheng Stop-War Institute, she had already decided that she would repay the family well in the future according to Zhang Zongyang's wishes.

But Zhang Zongyang did not wait for her repayment.

So many years had passed, and she had hidden many words in her heart that she wanted to say to her father.

But now, they could only be hidden in her heart forever.

Shangguan Xiao just stayed bowed on the ground, kneeling for a very, very long time...

"Stop-War General Institute Steering Envoy Chu Bo, here to pay respects—"

Not until this announcement came from outside the mourning hall did Shangguan Xiao slowly rise, wipe her face, and stand up from the ground.

When she turned around, her gaze had already returned to its cold, clear state.

Li Fei turned around and looked outside the mourning hall.

He had obtained information on the Zhang family from Lu Mengyang in advance and had figured out many of the Zhang family's interpersonal relationships.

Among them were friends of the Zhang family, as well as enemies.

The Stop-War General Institute had a total of three Steering Envoys; Zhang Zongyang and Fu Lang were good friends, but his relationship with the remaining Steering Envoy, Chu Bo, was very poor.

The feud between the Zhang family and the Chu family had lasted for many years; Chu Bo's only son had once fallen into Zhang Zongyang's schemes and ultimately died under the siege of the Stop-War General Institute.

Therefore, there was an unresolvable blood feud between the two sides!

Today was Zhang Zongyang's funeral, and Chu Bo had come to pay his respects in person; one could tell even with their feet that the visitor had ill intentions.

Soon, a man wearing the black martial uniform of the Stop-War Institute with a stern and imposing aura walked into the mourning hall first.

He first looked up at Zhang Zongyang's portrait, then sneered without any attempt at concealment.

An unwelcome guest had arrived!

(End of chapter)