273: Chapter 272: Helpless Household Affairs 273: Chapter 272: Helpless Household Affairs In a small courtyard to the south of Jin City, lamentations filled the air.
Aside from Xiang Zhiwen’s wife and their child, the rest of the family members present were from his wife’s side,
“Brother Xiang wasn’t from Shan Country; he came from the distant Qin Country, drawn by his admiration for the Sword Dao and traveled thousands of miles to pursue it; later on, he settled down in Jin City.
His wife’s family was a local small clan in Jin City, and amongst the distant relatives, there was an uncle who was a Tongxuan master within the sect, who by now must be very old.
Brother Xiang seldom spoke of his family in front of us, so we also didn’t know much.
Every time we met in Jin City, it was always at gatherings outside and we never visited his home.”
Dou Gong explained softly on the side.
Over the years, after Xiang Zhiwen left, they hadn’t really had a true elder brother in their group.
They had a decent relationship with the new Patrol Envoy, Wang Zhongjin, but such a person would never truly win their respect.
Relatively speaking, Hou Niao seemed to be on the verge of becoming the leader amongst them.
Although the battle at the Southwest Council of Dao didn’t stir much turmoil at the level of influence, among the disciples below the Tongxuan realm, Hou Niao’s reputation grew by the day.
For sword cultivators, the key is to be strong, especially when facing other powers; being capable in both external and internal conflicts is a quality everyone admires.
Hou Niao had virtually no presence in the sect’s internal martial contests, but the names he made for himself by slaying members of the Demon Clan, storming through the soul group, and making a name in the Southwest were not the kind of fame that could be attained by mere bragging.
The Xiang Family was conducting a funeral ritual, and for a family head’s ascension to heaven, the ceremony was usually quite grand.
It wouldn’t be possible for it to be somber and quiet with all these brothers around, but after a few days, Hou Niao felt something strange about the whole situation.
It seemed to him that besides the crying of the child who had not yet reached a full week of age due to hunger, all the other members of the family seemed insincere and did not convey the gravity of losing the pillar of the family.
He wasn’t a Moral Studies teacher, of course, and didn’t endorse the kind of heart-wrenching grief that would make one wish to follow the deceased.
He would even accept and understand remarrying after a while; but now, with the fresh loss upon them, wouldn’t it be appropriate to show a hint of sorrow?
It’s not necessary to cry for a year or a month, but surely it’s acceptable to cry for a few days during the mourning period, isn’t it?
Had they become so indifferent that they couldn’t even bother with a pretense?
Personal family affairs are the most inexplicable and unclear, especially to outsiders.
There could never be a fair standard of judgment in such matters.
The husband’s side and the wife’s side each have their own perspectives, and no one wants to get involved in such disputes.
No matter how one intervenes, blame is inevitable.
But Hou Niao had no choice but to get involved because he was the only one who had spent time with Xiang Zhiwen towards the end, and he somewhat understood why Brother Xiang had utterly refused to mention any last wishes or instructions.
Looking at the group of brothers with their heads down pretending to be foolish, he couldn’t blame them for their lack of responsibility.
If it were a life-threatening situation, not a single one of them would want to fall behind.
But the problem was that this was a family matter, involving Brother Xiang’s daughter, his widow, and a few idle people from her family.
He had no choice but to be the bad guy and step up, “Who among you has connections in the lower levels of Jin City, capable of digging up gossip from the streets and alleys, the kinds of trivial things?”
They all looked at each other, and in the end, as the saying goes, ‘even Daoist friends wouldn’t die for each other if it meant their own extinction,’ they all set their eyes on Wang Mian and Yao He.
Hou Niao didn’t hold back, “Go and quietly inquire, find out about the neighbors of the Xiang residence, the wife’s family background; yes, those are the aspects that street thugs are best at.
Be discreet, don’t let anyone catch on.”
Wang Mian and Yao He exchanged glances.
With no other choice, as their fist was not as big as Hou Niao’s, they had to obediently follow orders.
“Let’s go, everyone pay one more tribute to Brother Xiang, then go about your business.
I know you all have your duties and can’t stay long in Jin City.
I’ll thank everyone on behalf of Brother Xiang.”
The next day, everyone gathered again outside the Xiang residence.
No one left; they had come all this way and a few days’ funeral wasn’t much more to ask for.
The key point was that everyone was curious about what exactly Wang Mian and Yao He had managed to find out.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yao He hesitantly opened his mouth, “The thing is, I’ve asked around the neighbors, the nearby restaurants, tea houses, the cosmetic and fragrance shops, and even the folks on my mother’s street.
While I can’t guarantee absolute certainty, the general information seems reliable…”
Hou Niao furrowed his brows, “Get to the point.
Don’t hem and haw, it’s not like you’re worried about offending your mother-in-law, is it really that embarrassing?”
Yao He chuckled dryly, “There’s really nothing extraordinary, as Master Xiang seldom stays at home, spending most of the year guarding the borders, not to mention his cultivation…
So it seems that the relationship between him and his wife is quite indifferent, not exactly loving, but it appears there isn’t any overt conflict, either?
Well, rumor has it that Sister Xiang has attracted some attention due to her beauty and charm, so there’s never a shortage of those who cast covetous glances.
Without a man at home to hold the fort, she has no choice but to show herself for everything, inevitably attracting…”
Hou Niao fell silent, and the other brothers present were also silent, all looking down, not knowing how to continue the conversation.
In matters , one cannot take them lightly, nor can one take them too seriously; it’s quite tricky, especially for these straightforward men who prefer to solve problems with their swords.
Knowing was even more upsetting than not knowing.
Only Fang Yazi remained indifferent, his expression cold, never changing from the heartlessness he had developed in the wild.
“Yazi, what do you think?”
Fang Yazi did not hesitate, “Rejection, in fact, is not difficult.
As long as you firmly state your stance, most of those frivolous admirers will know better and back off.
After all, her husband is a Quanzhen Sword Cultivator; how many would dare to die beneath the peony flowers and be a flirtatious ghost?
If a woman is always in a state of being courted, then it only means one thing: she doesn’t refuse!”
The fellow disciples felt even more uncomfortable, and some had started to regret staying, even a bit resentful that Hou Niao shouldn’t have delved too deeply into such private matters.
Hou Niao was noncommittal and turned to Wang Mian, “What about you?
Are these the kinds of hearsay you’re bringing up too?”
Wang Mian hesitated for a moment, then said softly, “South City, Laundry Lane, the Yang Residence…”
Hou Niao waved his hand weakly, “Let’s all disperse, this matter…”
…At night, on the roof of a pawnshop opposite the Xiang residence, three people were sitting and chatting, one of them holding a jug of wine.
There was no curfew in Jin City, and being the main base of the Da Feng Plain branch of the Quanzhen Sect, as long as they didn’t disturb the peace, no one would bother them.
Wang Mian sighed, “Heroes have no good wives, slackers marry beauties, why do such melodramatic plots keep unfolding?
Whose fault is it in the end?”
Hou Niao lay down and gazed up at the stars, “Because you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
If you’re loyal to friends and brothers, you inevitably neglect your family; women don’t care whether you’re committed to saving the masses—they only care about their feelings, about a family’s integrity.
There’s no right or wrong in this, it just depends on where you stand, where you set your sight.
Regrettably, women who understand such men are far too few.”