Chapter 180: 180- Fang Clan Meeting [6]

Fang Yuan brushed Lin Zhaoyue’s hand from his sleeve and rose to his feet.

Lin Zhaoyue immediately adjusted herself, smoothing the folds of her robe as she settled back into her seat.

She lowered her lashes, her posture graceful, her expression soft, as though she had never raised her voice a moment ago.

Pretentious, Fang Yuan thought, his gaze cutting briefly toward her before he turned back to the council of elders.

"What I’ve just spoken is mere speculation, nothing more than only a possibility," his voice carried evenly through the hall.

"Do not treat it as truth and charge forward blindly. Let’s leave it at that and for now, tell me. What urgent matters demand the clan’s immediate attention?"

Elder Fang Joshua rose without hesitation. His back was straight, his words stripped to their essence.

"Clan Head, it’s about the energy wells in the cultivation caves."

That short sentence of his carried weight, and Fang Yuan inclined his head in acknowledgment.

"I understand. I’ll refill the spirit wells once more as soon as the meeting ends."

A visible wave of relief passed through the older elder.

"Thank you, Clan Head," Joshua said, his voice gruff with gratitude as he bowed deeply and retook his seat.

The immediate crisis would be averted, thanks to their patriarch’s unique abilities.

As the atmosphere lightened slightly from its peak of dread, a younger voice spoke up.

Fang Ruì rose, offering a respectful bow to the dais. "Greetings, Patriarch, Matriarch. If I may bring up another concern... the motivation of our cultivating juniors is worrying."

She chose her words carefully, a slight frown on her face. "They have grown... accustomed to the carrot and stick approach. It seems they no longer wish to move unless the carrot is dangling directly in their sight. It appears as if they’re only a part of the clan just because you gave them opportunities to exchange for cultivation resources."

Fang Yuan stared at her for a moment, his severe expression unchanged.

Then, a low chuckle escaped him, building into a short, genuine burst of laughter. "Hah! What a good idiom to be using, Elder Ruì. You are indirectly calling our future generation a bunch of stubborn donkeys... or perhaps pampered pigs who won’t trot without a treat!"

"But," Fang Yuan said, his laughter subsiding into a thoughtful smile, "you do have a point. It is a comfortable complacency, and comfort breeds weakness."

He looked out over the assembled elders, his eyes inviting contribution. "Does anyone have an opinion to share on how to mend this behavior?"

Fang Jingyi rose slowly, her expression heavy.

"It isn’t just arrogance," she said, voice soft yet weighted with sorrow.

"It’s the lack of loyalty to the clan. Give them the chance, and some of them would gladly abandon us for the sects."

Fang Yin stood up, her usual brightness lighting up her face.

"Elder Jingyi," she began, her tone lilting, almost teasing.

"When we were little, didn’t we all hear the same thing? That the great sects are where true cultivators walk their destined paths? That only by stepping into their gates can one see the wider world?"

She glanced around, her smile never faltering, speaking as though she were reminiscing rather than debating.

"It was basically drilled into us like scripture, was it not? That beyond the clan lies the heavens, and the heavens can only be reached through those towering sects..."

Then, at last, her voice softened, the playfulness diminishing away as she delivered her point with disarming clarity. "So if the children now long for the sects more than for home, is it truly their betrayal... or our own teaching that guided their loyalty elsewhere?"

The hall fell into utter silence, broken only by the soft, almost musical giggles spilling from Lin Zhaoyue’s lips.

Lin Zhaoyue’s voice chimed lightly, almost playful. "She’s got a point, you know."

She rose with unhurried grace, her silken steps carrying her to Fang Yuan’s side.

Without hesitation, she curled her arms around his, leaning in as though they were sharing some private jest.

"But," she continued, her smile never faltering, though her tone grew taut and edged with steel, "with a peak Nascent Soul realm cultivator seated in our very midst, those children ought to feel nothing but gratitude for being born into the Fang clan."

Her gaze slid from one elder to the next, soft and smiling, but cold enough to make their spines stiffen.

"If the Fang juniors wish to wander off," she went on sweetly, "then my Lin clan children would be more than happy to take their place. I’ve already ensured their loyalty belongs to no one else but me..."

She tilted her head then, her eyes glittering as they fixed on Fang Yuan, the smile on her lips curving deeper, softer, and far more dangerous.

"...and to my dear husband here."

Fang Yin’s eyes lit up at once, her hands clasping together as if she’d just stumbled onto some great revelation.

"Ah, yes, yes—you’re absolutely right, Matriarch Fang! I mean, it’s one thing to be born into a clan, but it’s quite another to realize the fortune of it, don’t you think? The little ones, they are running around carefree because they never really stopped to count the blessings placed beneath their very feet.

Perhaps if we just nudge them or outright teach them a hard lesson, maybe they’ll grow up carrying that sense of gratitude naturally, as though it were a part of their very bone marrow.

Yes, yes, these childrens ought to be taught a harsh lesson and should be taught to learn just how wondrous it is to bear the Fang Family name!"

Lin Zhaoyue’s lips curved into a sweet, almost innocent smile as she glanced at Fang Yin.

Then, leaning closer to Fang Yuan, her voice dropped to a silken whisper that brushed against his ear like a secret.

"Husband," she murmured, eyes gleaming with playful mischief locking in on Fang Yin, "may I... keep a pet?"