Chapter 65 - Sixty-One: The Annual Gathering of the Clan
Days passed monotonously, with Tang Luo spending every day in Star Pavilion, studying the martial techniques sent by the Martial Hall. Meanwhile, the math of his Star Clusters progressed in an orderly manner.
At the beginning of December, the Earth Might Chamber of Star Pavilion opened.
Tang Luo formed his sixth Star Cluster; his spiritual power was left with 58 points, but his daily increase had reached 24 points.
On December 11, the Earth Glory Chamber opened.
He forged his seventh Star Cluster, leaving him with 23 spiritual power points and a daily increment of 27 points.
On December 22nd, the Earth Odd Chamber opened.
The eighth Star Cluster was crafted, his spiritual power was reduced to 21 points, but the daily increment reached 30 points!
On December 29th, goose feather-like snowflakes hovered in the air. The winter in Xiling was exceptionally cold.
Tang Luo left Star Pavilion and brought Little Chubby back home because the New Year was coming.
Every New Year’s Eve, all the members of the Tang Clan would gather. More than a faction of feelings, it was practically a social gathering and bonus distribution meeting.
Due to the dispersion of the Tang Family members who established their own households, the offspring of the Tang family could be found all over Xiling.
The Tang Clan had four or five thousand clan members. Including relatives and clan warriors, this number would multiply several folds. Therefore, it was only logical that the Tang Clan had become the ruler of Xiling.
With so many people and such vast territory, and the strength to back it up, no wonder other minor clans were steadily growing more hopeless.
The Tang Sen family, as the First Head of the Martial Hall, was obliged to attend the family gathering every year.
The Clan Grounds were located in the north of Xiling, about thirty kilometers from Tang Sen’s residence. Every year, the Tang Sen family would depart at this time and stay at the Clan Grounds until the second day and then return to their own residence.
So now, the family was sitting in a carriage, chatting sporadically, with Xu Shuhui mostly concerned about Tang Luo.
“Oh, Luo Er, why does your aura fluctuate so much? There’s no problem, is there?”
‘■Don’t worry, Mother, I can kill a mortal realm with one finger now.” Tang Luo assured Xu Shuhui in order to ease her worries, without any guilt.
Xu Shuhui nodded contemplatively and repeatedly said, “That’s good, that’s good.”
‘■Brother is so awesome-” the little chubby boy exclaimed with sparkling eyes. ‘■Awesome, awesome- Brother hug- Brother hug-” Little Nuannuan, who was dressed like a little princess, extended
her hand from the side with an applause
Tang Luo looked at the chubby and adorable Little Nuannuan and couldn’t resist pinching her cheeks. He then playfully expressed his concern to Xu Shuhui, “Mother, do you think Little Nuannuan is a bit chubby?
Seeing his sister happily eating made him genuinely happy, but beauty is also very important for a girl, right? If she continues to eat this way, how would she attract her Prince Charming?
Xu Shuhui threw a glance at Tang Luo as if he was being overly simple-minded. She hugged Little Nuannuan in her arms and casually explained, “Once she starts Foundation Building in a couple of years, Nuannuan will lose weight. If she eats less now, she will be too thin then.”
Xu Shuhui then took another look at Tang Luo and continued, “Besides, don’t you think chubbiness is a sign of good fortune? I tell you, only in places like Xiling do they value slimness. In Yuanzhou, well-rounded young ladies are most sought after.”
Tang Luo couldn’t believe it. Could it be that the men in Yuanzhou had heavier tastes?
“Look at the girls on the street, all of them are thin and small. None of them are as beautiful as our Nuannuan, mua~” Saying this, Xu Shuhui kissed Little Nuannuan’s cheek, making her giggle uncontrollably.
“Mommy tickles. Mommy tickles-”
Okay, maybe I’m just not worldly. Tang Luo nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, the clan sisters in the First Cultivation Ground ate a lot, but they didn’t gain weight. This suggests that martial arts truly could control body shape and had nothing to do with how much one ate.
So, it can be inferred that perhaps chubby girls are indeed scarce, and their being popular is not surprising. They are quite peculiar.
During their conversation, the war chariot arrived at the sect, attracting everyone’s attention.
After all, this four-horse golden carriage was too eye-catching. In the entire Tang Clan, less than two handfuls of people could afford such transport.
The carriage door opened, and Tang Sen, dressed in casual clothes, led the way out. Xu Shuhui handed Nuannuan into his hand, and he held her with one arm.
The two boys, unassisted, hopped out from the other side of the chariot, turning to watch as Tang Sen gently helped Xu Shuhui exit.
Those noble children who were about to enter the sect looked at Tang Sen’s actions with disdain, as if Tang Sen was a sycophant who ingratiated himself with the powerful.
If that woman weren’t the daughter of the Xu Family in Yuanzhou, could you, Tang Sen, have become the First Head of the Martial Hall? You, Tang Sen, don’t even dare to take concubines, throwing away the face of all us Tang Clan men. Mediocre people love to attribute others’ success to external factors, such as marrying a good wife by luck could save three decades of struggle.
For example, being lucky enough to seize an opportunity to make a significant contribution and benefit from it, or posturing that if they were in Tang Sen’s position, they would certainly do better.
It’s difficult to explain anything to these people, because they understand the workings of the world in their own way.
This was the first time Tang Luo had seen this kind of look, and he felt a rage boiling in his chest.
But when Tang Sen turned around after helping Xu Shuhui, the looks on these people’s faces became respectful and docile, bowing their heads to the First Head of the Martial Hall.
So, no matter where you are in the world, you’ll always meet such hypocrites. Without noticing anything, Tang Sen prepared to cross the gate with his wife and child, and those from the clan who were about to enter stood aside, giving the entire gate of the sect to them.
“Your behaviour just now was disrespectful. Do you have any objections to us?” As they passed the sect door, Tang Luo suddenly stopped and asked a member of the clan.
This was a man in his thirties, slightly overweight. When Tang Sen was helping Xu Shuhui out of the carriage, the man squeezed the buttocks of the woman beside him harshly and spat out a quiet comment.
Tang Luo, who had got off the carriage from the side, had seen it all clearly. He was furious.
You fucking waste, not even reaching ‘Mortal Realm’ transformation at thirty. How dare you cast such contemptuous looks at our family and now pretend to be respectful. I want to tear your face off.
When they heard Tang Luo speak, Tang Sen and Xu Shuhui stopped in their tracks. Little Nuannuan did not understand what was going on, but the trustful boy had already taken his place next to Tang Luo, shooting hostile glances at the other party.
Tang XiuYong’s face turned pale. He couldn’t believe that he had been caught red-handed by the youngster in front of him.
As a profligate second-generation, he had indeed fantasized about criticizing Tang Sen, and in his drunken stupor, envisaged himself in the position of the First Head of the Martial Hall, believing he would perform far better than the martial warrior, Tang Sen.
But these were all secret fantasies harbored in the darkest corners of his heart, existing only in his private thoughts after hours. He never expected to face the First Head of the Martial Hall one day.
“Nephew, you must have misunderstood. I respect the Sect Head from the bottom of my heart. I wouldn’t dare disrespect him.” Tang XiuYong stooped, already drenched in sweat within a short time. He looked at Tang Luo sincerely.
Seeing the man’s immediate panic, Tang Luo said coldly, “If that’s so, why are you panicking?”
“No, no, I’m not panicking. I’m just hot, yes, that’s it. Nephew, please don’t misunderstand me.”
Xu Shuhui figured out what was going on; in fact, Tang Sen had been subject to much criticism behind his back. Because he only had one wife and refused to take concubines, many people in the clan speculated that his position as the First Head of the Martial Hall was thanks to Xu Shuhui, hence his excessive devotion to her.
But only she knew, she wasn’t the savior that they claimed she was. When she boarded his ship, she only had two boxes of not-so-valuable silk.
However, it seemed as if he wanted to make the entire Tang Clan respect her fully, whenever they went out together, Tang Sen always showed her significant respect.
Knowing how disrespectful it was for the First Head of the Martial Hall to help his wife out of the carriage, how could it not be criticized?
She just didn’t anticipate that their son had such a temper; he couldn’t stand any unjust treatment and even stopped a clan member at the gate of the sect for some answers..