Chapter Eighty-six: Unexpected

  Yue Yu blinked in surprise, looking at the attire, which should be another important figure from Dan Yun City. However, it's only been a dozen or so days since Hong Fei and Hong Zheng's death, how did they arrive so quickly?

  But who would have known, which one of the strong in Dan Yun City was this again?

  In the year since he came to this world, Yue Yu also spent a lot of effort getting familiar with his surroundings. However, as for who the famous figures and experts in Beima Yuan were, even people around him weren't very clear about it. He could only infer from the seven silver threads on that person's sleeve that their status in Dan Yun City shouldn't be low.

  But he didn't know if it was his illusion, from just now on, Yue Yu felt that the middle-aged man had been intentionally or unintentionally scanning this side with his eyes. And behind him, there was always a feeling that made his spine chill. However, when he turned back, he didn't find anything unusual. He could only see in that direction, seeing Yue Youfang and Zhang Huiling couple chatting with others on another seat.

  Yue Yu sneered and didn't bother to reason with him anymore. The people of Dan Yun City currently only suspected him, but as for the couple behind him, they were simply asking for death.

  That day's matter, he didn't want to investigate again. But now it's not that he wants to let go, he can't let go. The saying "hitting a snake and suffering instead" is indeed reasonable.

  But all of this was far from enough to make Yue Yu put his mind at ease. What really made him somewhat concerned was the dozen or so people sitting with them.

  The adult men of the four main branches of the clan, according to custom, were all seated in front. Therefore, only women and children were left here. And a very interesting phenomenon is that these people are clearly divided into two factions. Most of them didn't pay attention to the three of them at all. Although their family had recently opened a pharmacy and their days were much better, they still couldn't get on stage in the eyes of the women at this table. They wouldn't deliberately offend them, but they also wouldn't put them in their sights.

  As for the rest, although Yue Zhang's words were gentle and pleasant, they still subtly conveyed a sense of distance. Yue Yu guessed that these people had probably been instructed by their husbands or elders, but there were some things that couldn't be explicitly stated. As a result, while on the surface they seemed friendly, in their hearts they still looked down on her.

  Looking at Yue Bingqian's small face with a hint of desolation and unwillingness, Yue Yu slightly furrowed his brow.

  Throughout the entire banquet, the three of them, mother and son, seemed like unnecessary people, completely excluded by the small cliques at the same table.

  Yue Yu himself didn't mind, but the problem was his family. It seemed that he should also think of a way to help Zhang Shi obtain a status within the clan where she could hold her head high and speak with dignity. He could understand the clan's reluctance for his existence to be known to outsiders. But he couldn't just let his mother and Yue Bingqian suffer this humiliation either.

  The time that followed, however, was quite dull. Led by Yue Yunjie, tens of thousands of clan members once again paid their respects to their ancestors. By the time the entire ceremony was completed, half an hour had already passed, and immediately following that was the awarding of prizes to the top ten in the Clan Competition. Although there were no longer any Strong Spirit Pills, the clan side had also put some thought into it. Lin Zuo received a tenth-grade extraordinary soldier, the Reflecting Water Sword, a Dragon Qilin Horse, and five hundred taels of silver. As for Rang Yi, he was next in line, also receiving a ninth-grade extraordinary soldier, the Mountain Opener Halberd, a Dragon Qilin Horse, but only three hundred taels of silver.

  However, this is only seemingly lower than Lin Zhuo's reward. The heavy axe weighs 160 kilograms, with blades on both sides, and the materials are sufficient. Although it is nominally only a ninth-grade alien soldier, even if it faces an eleventh-grade treasure sword head-on, it will not fall behind. Calculating that the value of this axe alone is equivalent to more than twice that of Lin Zhuo's Reflection Sword.

  To Lin Yue's surprise, he didn't see the Strong Spirit Pill in the reward. Lin Zhuo was only slightly disappointed and his expression immediately returned to normal, as if he hadn't taken it to heart at all.

  At this point, Yue Yu was already feeling extremely bored. However, the time that followed still didn't mark the official start of the banquet, but rather a review session led by several elderly members of the clan, evaluating the merits and demerits of all clan members with official duties, including Yue Yongjie. This process was even more tedious, but fortunately, it no longer required the same level of solemnity as before, and the internal affairs of the clan didn't concern them, so they slowly began to hear whispers and snickers from around them.

  Just a few minutes later, the entire Qingtai Stone Square gradually fell silent again. This was not because the assessment had ended so quickly, but because Yue Yongjie suddenly stood up for some unknown reason. The countless pairs of eyes in front of him were filled with shock and confusion, and even more so with envy and jealousy.

  "Elderly gentlemen, brothers, before today's family banquet, I have an announcement to make. Our fourth-generation descendant of the main house, Yue Yu, has been appointed by the elderly members of our clan to take a seat in the Council Hall. However, considering his young age and lack of experience, his mother, Yue Zhangshi, will temporarily take over his position in the family council and oversee all transactions involving medicine and arms."

  Yue Yunjie's voice was clear and resonant, and he deliberately used his inner breath. Although Yue Yu was dozens of feet away, his voice could still be heard clearly.

  At this moment, it was not only the women at the same table who were staring with wide eyes and faces full of disbelief, even Madame Yue Zhang was equally astonished.

  The so-called seat in the council hall that Yue Yongjie mentioned is just a nominal title, and apart from some major events of the clan, it has no other privileges. However, according to the thousand-year-old rules of the Yue family, only those who have obtained a seat in the council hall can be considered as the core members of the Yue family, and have the qualifications to hold important positions in the clan. Moreover, after death, their name plaques can also be placed in the ancestral temple, rather than simply being engraved on the stone pillars in the temple like others.

  Even the generation names used are different from those of ordinary people. For example, Yue Yu's father, Yue Yunde, uses the character "Yun", while other members of the same generation use the character "You".

  However, those who can generally receive this honor are either martially outstanding, or have abilities that make all tribes admire them, or have made great contributions to the clan. Moreover, each generation is limited to thirty people. Therefore, the granting of each seat in the clan is extremely cautious, and often requires a decade-long assessment.

  Among the four houses of direct descendants, if someone can get top three in the family competition before the age of 20, they can also directly obtain a seat. In a year, there will always be one or two lucky ones who can be selected.

  But this year, not to mention the top three, even in the top ten, only Leizifang managed to squeeze in. Originally, everyone thought that no one would be able to get a seat this year, so now they are even more surprised.

  It's not just the shock of Yue Yu's almost trash-like reputation, but also the astonishment at Yue Yunjie's words, which gave Yue Zhangshi a heavy responsibility!

  The Zhang family will be in charge of all medicine and armor transactions within the clan, which means that all pharmacies, blacksmiths, and leather goods shops distributed throughout the clan's territory of thousands of miles will be under their jurisdiction. That is already nearly a quarter of the clan's financial resources.

  PS: Strongly recommended, seeking votes and collections, pioneering with blood and tears!