In the ancestral hall of the Situ family in Hualong Village, which served as a complex for worship, administration, and other functions, the Situ family patriarch, Situ Ye, sat with a grim expression on his face. A few meters away stood his two grandsons, Situ Leisheng and Situ Liuguang, the most outstanding talents of the younger generation in the Situ clan. Beside them stood two honored elders, Si Lu and Si Cheng.
Silence enveloped the hall as everyone awaited the patriarch’s wrath. The Situ family, with its thousand-year legacy, had strict rules. One of the most important was that family members were forbidden from resorting to violence against each other. Disputes were to be brought before elders or the patriarch for judgment. Violators, regardless of their status, faced severe punishment.
This time, Situ Liuguang had the audacity to play the victim, accusing Situ Leisheng of intentionally disrupting his cultivation, leading to a qi deviation. The elders present, upon hearing this, immediately grew somber, recognizing the gravity of such an accusation within the Situ family.
Patriarch Situ Ye remained silent, first listening to Situ Liuguang’s embellished account before turning his gaze to Situ Leisheng. "Leisheng, what do you have to say about your brother's accusations?"
"Patriarch, Liuguang is silver-tongued and eloquent! I consider his words slander. More importantly, he failed to mention why I sought him out!"
"Oh? Then tell us, why did you seek him out?" Situ Ye inquired.
"Reporting to the Patriarch, Situ Liuguang recently committed a very dishonorable act! He took a liking to a woman and intended to forcibly take her as a cauldron for his cultivation. To achieve this, he even used family connections to suppress the businesses of this woman's family and pressure her relatives!"
The Situ family members present frowned. In their eyes, a woman favored by a noble member of the Situ family was an honor. Even if the woman was unwilling, the Situ family could offer ample compensation. For this reason alone, Situ Leisheng barging into Situ Liuguang’s residence and disturbing his cultivation seemed entirely Situ Leisheng's fault.
At this moment, an elder spoke up. "Leisheng, you were in the wrong here. It's just a woman; in the Situ family, what woman can we not have? For the sake of a woman, must you draw swords with your brother? I don't think this makes sense!"
Situ Leisheng looked expressionlessly at the speaker, his Sixth Grandfather, a member of the Situ family's Elder Council, who was close to Situ Liuguang's father. Factions existed wherever there were people, even within a family. This Sixth Grandfather was part of Situ Liuguang's faction, hence his immediate bias. As the Sixth Grandfather spoke, others nodded in agreement, seemingly endorsing his view.
Situ Leisheng's brow furrowed. "Sixth Grandfather, things are not that simple. The woman Liuguang fancies has an unusual background! She is the daughter of the Wang family from Jiangzhou..."
"Jiangzhou? I've only heard of the Jin family in Jiangzhou. What kind of family is this Wang family? Leisheng, are you regressing in your old age? Are you afraid of these families the size of fingernails? They are not children of any major families, so why be apprehensive? You're meddling too much!"
It wasn't surprising that the Sixth Grandfather was arrogant. In the eyes of the Situ family, the Wang family of Jiangzhou was truly insignificant. Even the Jin family, which wielded considerable influence in Jiangzhou, was merely something they had heard of, never deigning to pay them any attention. This sense of superiority and arrogance of a thousand-year-old lineage was ingrained in their very bones.
Situ Liuguang spoke again. "Patriarch, my pursuit of this woman, Wang Bingxia, is not just for myself, but for the entire Situ family!"
"Oh? Then elaborate," Situ Ye said, his interest piqued.
"That Wang Bingxia and her father, Wang Qingtian, own a company called Bing Tian Pharmaceuticals. It's a burgeoning pharmaceutical enterprise. They currently have two high-end cosmetic products and a special drug for treating diabetes, with projected annual sales exceeding ten billion. Furthermore, I've learned they have an anti-cancer drug nearing market release, with an inhibitory effect on tumors exceeding 98%! I've had experts evaluate it; this single new drug alone could generate over ten billion in profit annually!"
Gasps of astonishment filled the hall, and some faces displayed a flicker of greed. Although the Situ family was deeply established and not lacking in funds, an annual profit of over ten billion was still a significant sum. Moreover, they were well aware that pharmaceutical companies differed from other industries. While most sectors were affected by economic cycles, pharmaceuticals were an exception. As long as a pharmaceutical company possessed a unique and effective drug, its profits remained stable regardless of economic crises or booms. After all, overcoming illness and living better lives were fundamental human needs. As long as the company didn't self-destruct by selling inferior products or encountering quality issues, they could continue to earn for decades. If Situ Liuguang were to marry Wang Bingxia, with the Situ family's influence, acquiring the company would be a matter of moments, bringing in substantial revenue.
Seeing the reactions, Situ Liuguang was pleased. Many things were judged solely by their potential benefits, regardless of right or wrong. To some, if the benefits were substantial enough, concepts of right and wrong or morality became irrelevant.
Situ Liuguang continued, "Of course, I, Situ Liuguang, do not care about money. But the most crucial point is that Wang Bingxia possesses the Mystic Ice Physique! You all should know how difficult it is for women with the Mystic Ice Physique to live past twenty. Yet, Wang Bingxia, judging by her physical condition, seems not to have been weakened by her constitution; on the contrary, she appears to be thriving! To be frank, I am currently cultivating our family's supreme technique, the Black Flame Art. Soon, I will require a cauldron to neutralize the fire poison within my body, and Wang Bingxia is the cauldron I have chosen!"
Upon hearing Situ Liuguang’s words, everyone in the hall was utterly astonished.