Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 575: Chapter 496: The Martial Order is issued, the worldly society is shaken.

The three-part cleansing ritual concluded, and Yang Zhenshan saw off the guests who had come to offer their congratulations, then made his way to Yang Chengye’s courtyard.

Today’s lengthy proceedings had exhausted the little one, who was now sound asleep on the Luo Han bed.

Yang Zhenshan stepped forward for a glance, then sat down next to Yu Qingyi.

”Grandfather, let’s give the child a name!” Yang Chengye approached, looking at Yang Zhenshan with eager anticipation.

The children of the Yang family were all named by Yang Zhenshan; he wanted his child to be named by his grandfather as well.

Looking at the sleeping toddler, Yang Zhenshan pondered a moment, then said: ”Let’s call him Qinyuan!”

The naming conventions within the Yang family were not particularly stringent, all conceived by the clan leader Yang Zhengxiang; Yang Zhenshan had never considered establishing a separate set of naming conventions for the Yang family alone, so the little one’s name would still follow the generational names of the Yang family.

”Qinyuan, Yuan’er.” Yang Chengye beamed foolishly, ”Thank you, Grandfather!”

The birth of Yang Qinyuan brought considerable joy to the Yang family, but just as they were immersed in this joy, the court officially issued the Martial Order.

Copies of the Martial Order were quickly disseminated across Da Rong’s thirteen provinces and nine border towns through relay stations and couriers.

There are Sects in the border towns, though they are less common compared to other provinces.

Instead of establishing a Martial Arts Department in the border towns, the nearby Martial Arts Departments would oversee the Sects’ influence there.

For example, the Sects in Chongshan Town were divided into two parts for oversight: the eastern part was supervised by the Martial Arts Department of Liao Yuan Province, and the western part by the Martial Arts Department of Liaoxi.

The issuance of the Martial Order sent ripples through the worldly society.

As copies of the Martial Order were posted at the gates of various cities, news about it swiftly spread throughout the entire worldly society.

In Jizhou City, within the Hengdao Sect.

Ji Hai, clutching a copy of the Martial Order, hurried to Ji Zhen’s small courtyard.

”Master!”

In the serene courtyard, Ji Zhen was reclining under the eaves on a lounge chair, pretending to nap.

Hearing Ji Hai’s voice, Ji Zhen slowly opened his eyes, ”What is it?”

”Master, look at this!”

Ji Hai handed the Martial Order he was holding to Ji Zhen, who after receiving it, quickly skimmed through it.

The content of this Martial Order was extensive, including the establishment of the Martial Arts Temple and all related policies.

After a moment, Ji Zhen set down the Martial Order, stood up, stroked his beard, and fell deep in thought.

The Martial Order had both pros and cons for the societal Sects.

The advantage was that it gave the Sects an official identity; the leader of a Sect could attain an official title, albeit a nominal one without real power, but it added a layer of confidence when dealing with government officials.

Moreover, the grading of Sect levels could also benefit the Sects greatly, especially since restrictions on recruiting disciples had been loosened, which could significantly benefit the power and influence of Sects.

The number of disciples has always been a limiting factor in the development of Sects.

Relaxing the limits on disciple recruitment would undoubtedly favor Sect development.

As for the downside, it was clear; holding an official title meant obeying the court’s orders, and not complying could lead to charges at any time.

In this way, Sects became semi-official institutions of the court, required to follow the court’s orders and be under the supervision of the Martial Arts Temple, serving the court.

After weighing the pros and cons, Ji Zhen pondered for a moment before speaking, ”Go immediately to the Capital City, and consult Marquis Jing’an for guidance on how Hengdao Sect should proceed next!”

As for why the court issued such a Martial Order, he himself could not see clearly.

Although he was a registered Innate Martial Artist, his understanding of the court was limited.

At this moment, he needed someone knowledgeable to guide him through this maze, to ensure that Hengdao Sect did not head towards a dead end.

”Okay!” Ji Hai nodded solemnly in response.

...

Tiger Sect is the most powerful Sect force in Longnan Province, unmatched.

Tiger Sect is located on Tiger Mountain to the west of the city in Shunnan Prefecture in the southern part of Longnan Province.

This Tiger Mountain, a relatively low peak among the Wanshan Ridge, is no more than a hundred meters high, with a gentle and undulating crest resembling a giant tiger lying in wait for its prey, hence the name ”Tiger Mountain.”

Tiger Sect was established a hundred years ago by a Postnatal Martial Artist named Zhao Pingshan.

Zhao Pingshan’s cultivation prowess was unremarkable, barely reaching the Postnatal Fifth Layer after a lifetime of practice, but he acquired an impressive disciple.

Li Zhen, a man of countless legends.

As a young orphan, Li Zhen was picked up by Zhao Pingshan and brought back to Tiger Mountain.

Having roamed before, Li Zhen was deeply aware of the profound opportunity Zhao Pingshan’s adoption represented, so after joining Tiger Sect, he dedicated himself to relentless practice, becoming a Martial Artist at seventeen and entering the Postnatal stage at twenty-five.

His aptitude was not extraordinary, but he stood out in Tiger Sect at that time, thus Zhao Pingshan highly valued him.

However, at that time, Tiger Sect was poor and could not provide Li Zhen with many cultivation resources.

Finding no other option, Zhao Pingshan used his connections to send Li Zhen to Camp in Anxi Town.

And after joining Camp in Anxi Town, Li Zhen’s legendary story began.

Approximately fifty years ago, Da Rong and the Western Da Yue Dynasty erupted into war, a conflict that lasted three years, during which Li Zhen established illustrious military merits, rising from a squad officer all the way to thousand commander.

It was then that he met Marquis Jianchang, Zhang Luan; at the time, they both served under the same Guerrilla General.

Over the following ten-plus years, though the war between Da Rong and the Da Yue Dynasty had ended, occasional small-scale skirmishes still erupted.

Li Zhen and Zhang Luan, fighting side by side, slew countless enemies, forming a deep camaraderie.