Chapter 803 - 399: Backup Plan; Clone Seeks the "Dao

Chapter 803: Chapter 399: Backup Plan; Clone Seeks the "Dao

"That’s because your wife doesn’t like it," Zhou Zhendong said with a smile.

"Hahaha." Everyone burst into laughter again.

"Zongwen, when did you get married?" Cheng Zongyang asked, his face full of smiles.

Cheng Zongwen said, "I got married four years ago to a female Loose Cultivator I met in the city. She doesn’t belong to any major faction. Most of our younger brothers and sisters have already settled down and started families. They have mostly gone to the Immortal Realm, leaving only some children behind in the manor.

"According to your previous instructions, these children are kept within the clan to be taught and educated until they are fifteen before venturing out. Only Zongyan and Zongyun are still unmarried."

At this, Cheng Zongwen couldn’t help but look helpless.

"Every stage of life has its own priorities. What did they say?" Cheng Zongyang asked with a smile.

"Their tempers are a bit fiery," Cheng Zongwen smiled bitterly. "Big Brother, could it be due to your Cultivation Technique? They both practice the same technique and are now close to Foundation Establishment. The family has picked out men to marry into the family for them, but they rejected every single one. They only want to become powerhouses and protect the family."

Cheng Zongyang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He genuinely didn’t know if the True Martial Refining God would affect someone’s temper.

"Alright. I’ll take a look when I get back."

After gathering information from everyone about the situation in the Immortal City, Cheng Zongyang formed a rough idea in his mind.

He continued to chat with them for a while longer before bidding farewell and leading his Soul Beast toward the Cheng Family Manor.

Returning to the Cheng Family Manor, he found that the village hadn’t changed much over the past ten years. The only noticeable differences were that the Spirit Trees in the village had grown much thicker, and there were new children playing around them.

Some of the familiar faces from the past had aged, and there were also some new, young faces. Looking at these changes, Cheng Zongyang felt a myriad of emotions.

Some who knew him were no longer there, and the newer generation had only a blurry memory of him. However, the middle-aged and young adult generation still remembered him.

When he emerged from the warehouse passage, those who recognized him went to spread the news with sheer joy.

Consequently, the once quiet village immediately bustled with excitement.

Cheng Zongyang saw many villagers who were once young boys now acting as fathers, and those who were once middle-aged now had streaks of gray in their hair.

His family was also filled with pleasant surprise upon seeing him. Mother Cheng hugged him emotionally, while Father Cheng stood to the side, equally overjoyed.

Once the commotion settled, members of the two families sat together in the meeting hall.

Cheng Zongyang listened to his family recount the changes in the village over the past ten years. Some had achieved great things, some elders had passed away, and the village had welcomed many newborns.

As he listened, he also looked at his numerous nephews and nieces, many of whom were only two or three years old.

Aside from the descendants of the Earth Branch Lineage, there were also the children of Zhou Zhendong, Cheng Zongliang, Cheng Zongwen, Cheng Zongying, Zhou Zhenqi, Zhou Zhennan, and others.

It was safe to say that the only ones still unmarried were Cheng Zongyang, Cheng Zongyan, and Cheng Zongyun.

However, the two girls were in the Immortal Realm, and Cheng Zongyang hadn’t bothered to notify them.

Calculating the time, the two girls were already in their twenties. Normally speaking, they were still quite young.

For female Cultivators, it was never too late to get married. However, the men of the family needed to branch out and have children as early as possible to increase the clan’s numbers.

Counting from his father’s generation, of the twelve-character generational poem—Guang, Zong, Yao, Zu, Xiao, Ren, Li, De, Fu, Ze, Chang, Yuan (Bringing Honor to Ancestors, Filial Piety and Virtue, Long-lasting Blessings)—they were currently only at the "Yao" generation.

The number of male and female children among the core descendants had increased by over twenty. However, the number of descendants in the Earth Branch Lineage had already surpassed a hundred.

Among the two families, core descendants like Zhou Zhendong, Zhou Zhenyuan, and Cheng Zongliang all had quite a few children. None had just one or two.

It could be said that the Cheng Family’s population had truly expanded.

When these children were guided by their elders one by one to come forward and greet Cheng Zongyang, none of them were timid; they all appeared open and composed.

"Yang’Er, how long do you plan to stay this time?" Father Cheng finally asked.

Cheng Zongyang smiled and said, "Dad, my plans in the Immortal Realm are already complete. Unless something major happens, I won’t be leaving anytime soon. I’ll spend more time with you all."

"Good, good, good," Mother Cheng said happily from the side.

"Are you sure everything is settled?" Father Cheng pressed.

"Dad, are you hoping something will come up for me?" Cheng Zongyang asked with a chuckle.

Father Cheng laughed in response. "That’s good, then. Do you have a woman you fancy? As the eldest legitimate son of the Cheng Family, the position of Clan Leader can only be handed to you. You’re already in your thirties; it’s time you got married."

Cheng Zongyang had expected this. "Dad, I’m currently at a breakthrough period in my Cultivation. I can get married whenever. There’s no rush.

"Besides, you’re still so healthy and youthful, you need to keep watching over this family. I finally managed to spare some time from the Immortal Realm, and you want me to take over the family? If you’re truly tired, just pick a grandson from Zongliang’s line to succeed you."

Father Cheng immediately glared at him. "Then I’ll watch over it for you. Whenever you have an heir, I’ll save the position for my legitimate grandson. Although the Cheng Family Manor can’t compare to the Immortal City or the Immortal Realm, it’s still our ancestral land. We can’t forget our roots. Otherwise, when we grow old and pass away, who will be responsible for it?"

Cheng Zongyang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Dad, Second Uncle, Eldest Uncle, and Youngest Uncle, I’ve told you all before—with me around, you couldn’t pass away from old age even if you wanted to. As long as I live, everyone will live.

"So, you elders should continue to worry about this manor a bit more.

"Right now, the descendants of the Cheng Family, the Zhou Family, the Earth Branch Lineage, and the peripheral personnel—as long as they can eat and walk by themselves—are basically all sent to the ancestral land. They’re here to be instilled with the clan’s ideology, to learn, and to build their foundations. This is specifically so that you all can teach them.

"The results are obvious to everyone. Look at how good the aptitudes of these younger siblings are now, and how fast their Cultivation speed is!

"Therefore, only you elders have this kind of prestige. We from the younger generation are far from it."