Bloodline Tree – [Clan Building]

“Stop looking so depressed; we should rejoice when our children surpass us,” Shu Yang said to Shen Ye as he took a seat on the ground, leaning against a tree.

He took an apple from his pocket and took a bite, looking out over the soldiers busy moving supplies down below. He had an excellent view from the hilltop.

‘Why does this feel more like a nice vacation than war?’ Shu Yang thought to himself.

‘I guess I’m in a good mood.’

Shen Ye frowned as he looked down at him. “I’m not depressed.”

“That’s good,” Shu Yang said with a nod, “The kids are talented and courageous, and they get along well. There is really nothing to be sad about.”

“Except for the ongoing war, right?” Shen Ye questioned.

Shu Yang coughed awkwardly; it really was a bit unseemly to enjoy himself like this while people were dying.

‘This isn’t like me. Why does it feel so good to tease Shen Ye?’

Shu Yang threw away the apple and got back on his feet again. He took a deep breath and tried to let some of the seriousness of the situation wash over him.

“Right. Let’s hope it can come to an end soon,” Shu Yang said, “But in this chaos, we can only do so much. It’s not bad to find some joy where we can. At least our families are safe and sound, right?”

“For now,” Shen Ye said.

“You don’t think we’ll win?” Shu Yang asked.

“I have no idea,” Shen Ye answered, shaking his head, “The future is very uncertain.”

“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about Xiaoshi. With Tianhu by her side, she is very safe,” Shu Yang said. Glancing at Shen Ye, he could see his face twitching.

It had been a few days since they arrived, and after Tianhu proved his abilities, Shen Ye had agreed to his transfer.

‘He should be arriving at Xioashi’s base soon, right? I hope he can make good use of this opportunity and seal the deal.’

“Xiaoshi is a Grandmaster; she can handle it herself,” Shen Ye said.

“So stubborn,” Shu Yang muttered. He didn’t believe Shen Ye couldn’t see the potential of Tianhu’s ability.

“Let’s keep going,” Shen Ye said, shaking his head.

“Alright,” Shu Yang said, and the two walked down the hill together.

Shu Yang and Shen Ye weren’t really supposed to head to the front lines for another few weeks, but war is unpredictable. Reports of a large gathering of enemy forces had come in, and every man available was needed to ensure the Luo Kingdom could hold on to its land.

The bulk of the enemy forces was actually to the northwest, where Xiaoshi was stationed. But Shu Yang had heard that they would also receive reinforcements, so he wasn’t too worried.

His and Shen Ye’s job was to make sure the defense line was airtight and that no army could make its way inward through these parts.

According to Shen Ye, it was unlikely that they would see any action, as the terrain where they would be stationed was a lot harder to traverse than the area Xiaoshi and Tianhu were in.

But it wasn’t impossible.

“You should do your best to integrate,” Shen Ye said after being silent for a few minutes. “Try to learn as much as you can, and I’ll slowly transfer authority here to you. It will be a lot easier for you to take over this legion than to go somewhere else later.”

“Are you that eager to get rid of me?” Shu Yang asked. He wasn’t in a hurry to command a legion of his own. He didn’t care much about any glory or merit he could earn in this war; he just needed to patiently wait for his family to develop, and he would rise higher and higher through them.

“You want to have Tianhu marry my daughter, right?” Shen Ye asked.

“So what? Do you think he’s unworthy?” Shu Yang asked with a small frown. He didn’t deny it; he hadn’t tried to hide his intentions. And it was nothing to be ashamed about; Tianhu had proven his strength; he wasn’t worse than Xiaoshi.

Shen Ye looked at him and scoffed, “Of course I do. Do you think any man is worthy of your daughter?”

“Well,” Shu Yang hesitated; he supposed he could understand Shen Ye’s point of view.

“Still. Tianhu is better than most. Better than all others I’ve seen so far, at least. If Xiaoshi likes him, I won’t oppose it,” Shen Ye said.

“Really?” Shu Yang asked, quite surprised.

“But it’s not that easy,” Shen Ye said, “Perhaps if she wasn’t so freakishly talented, things would have been up to me, but do you realize that she’s the youngest Grandmaster since the kingdom’s founding?”

“So what? That means her marriage isn’t for her to decide?” Shu Yang asked with a frown.

“It’s not like she can be forced into anything; she is a Grandmaster after all, and there is hope of her becoming a Saint. But it is still a very troublesome situation,” Shen Ye said, “Xiaoshi has always been talented, and many have proposed marriage before, but it was easy for me to reject them all. But once it got out that she had become a Grandmaster, even the king himself took notice.”

“The king is pressuring her to marry someone of his choosing?” Shu Yang asked, his frown deepening. He thought that sounded absurd. The king wasn’t almighty, and getting involved in another Grandmaster’s marriage was definitely overstepping.

“He is her grandfather,” Shen Ye said with a helpless smile, “So it’s hard to object without tearing all face.”

‘Right…I forgot about that.’

“So…what’s the situation?” Shu Yang asked.

“It’s a little…awkward,” Shen Ye answered. “It’s hard to ignore the king’s command, especially considering his role as Xiaoshi’s elder. Thankfully, he has been quite tactful, and he respects Xiaoshi’s strength, not forcing her outright. But he has expressed the need to continue the bloodline, and that she should marry as soon as possible. He has put forth several ‘suitable’ candidates to choose from.

“But if she drags it out, or if she finds someone the king disapproves of, I’m afraid the king will become a lot more commanding. At that point, she will either have to obey and marry the one she is appointed to, or refuse and leave family and kingdom behind.”

“That’s…a bit troublesome, I suppose,” Shu Yang said, “How would the king view Tianhu, do you think?”

“Not good enough,” Shen Ye said, “Perhaps if he can become a Master in time, along with his sword art, it will convince him. But being a Master at a fairly young age is just the lowest bar you have to cross; the king would never accept someone with a weaker bloodline than that. The problem is his background.”

“Is it that big of a deal?” Shu Yang asked.

“No one would accept your family receiving this blessing,” Shen Ye said, “Even if the family whose son marries Xiaoshi is completely impeccable in strength and background, the other families in the capital would object and find fault with him. Xiaoshi is too valuable as a daughter-in-law to them. And your Shu family? It’s far too easy to find fault with you. Not to mention that you have no merit to your name, your bloodline might disqualify you.”

“Because it isn’t tempered?” Shu Yang asked.

“Exactly,” Shen Ye said, “No one might even have to make any noise; the king could disqualify you himself because of it.”

‘What a mess.’

Shu Yang might be a Master, but the Shu family wasn’t really considered a Martial family. To become a Martial family, you needed three generations of Masters. That way, the bloodline would be tempered, and it could be passed on with a lot more assurance that the descendants would inherit most of the Bloodline Power. Even if Tianhu advanced, that would still only be two generations.

Shu Yang didn’t think he actually needed to temper his bloodline. His children hadn’t always inherited his traits, but his Bloodline Power had always been passed on.

“Well, there is no use thinking too much about it,” Shen Ye said, “Who knows if the Yan Kingdom will even stand in a few years. But just in case, it would be good for you to make yourself known on the battlefield and earn some merit. Every little bit helps.”

“Alright. I’ll do my best,” Shu Yang said. But he wasn’t really that concerned. If Xiaoshi and Tianhu wanted to be together, he wouldn’t let anyone else get in the way of that.

Worst case, he would just have to have them hide it until he reached the Saint stage.

‘I would like to see anyone have an opinion about my family then.’