"A possible motive could be to stop the masses from celebrating the ancient Lan couple, who are ancestors to the current City Lord Lan," Nie Hanchang said. "That would make it easier for the Chang Clan to potentially look at regaining political ground."
"Hmm? Hahaha!" Chang Huien laughed without restraint. "When answers hide beyond one's sight; people dress suspicion up as light. The loudest tale is seldom true; wild minds see plots where none break through. Young Sir, with all due respect, instead of wasting our time here debating about who is in the right or wrong, why don't you just look into how the Chang Clan has been supporting the efforts of the city lord without asking for anything in return? In fact, I have visited the Good Luck Theatre Group to try to persuade Brother Cai to temporarily halt the performances until things have calmed down, but he stubbornly chose to ignore my advice. Have I not already done my part? You know, there is no need for me to do anything at all. If I wanted the Lan Clan to lose political ground, all I have to do is sit back and watch from the sidelines as everyone reveals their own incompetence!"
"Haha, we are just exploring possibilities and don't mean to offend you, Lord Chang. We have personally seen and truly understand the contributions of the Chang Clan," Lu Zhiying said with a beautiful smile that instantly chipped away at Chang Huien's rage. "Thank you for your clarification. We definitely appreciate it!"
"I'm not offended. I'm just stating the facts," Chang Huien said, his voice suddenly far more composed. "Anyway, that's all I have to say on this topic, so let's not brood on it any further. Since you are already here, why don't you try some of our specially brewed tea?"
"We won't stand on ceremony then!" Lu Zhiying nodded joyfully.
***
Meanwhile, Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi now stood face to face with City Lord Lan Huolian at the Lan Clan Residence.
Apparently, the duo had interrupted a dance that had been organised to entertain the city lord while he enjoyed his feast of a lunch. Initially, City Lord Lan Huolian had been rather irritated by the interruption, but he quickly reined in his emotions upon hearing that the other party was from the Black Tortoise Sect.
The bald man in his early fifties quickly got to his feet and walked up to the young duo, his plump body shaking slightly with every step. It was a rather adorable sight.
"Welcome, great cultivators! What brings you to our humble city?" City Lord Lan Huolian asked with food grease still clearly visible around his mouth.
"Greetings, City Lord Lan. We just happened to be in the area for a mission and were captivated by the touching origin story of the city," Zhao Yunxiao answered while carefully scanning the man from head to toe. "After finding out that your Lan Clan descended from the two heroes themselves, we came hoping that we could find out more about them here at the very source, so as to satisfy our curiosity about the old exploits of the heroes."
"Oh? What do you want to know? Feel free to let me know!" City Lord Lan Huolian answered proudly. "By the way, this is my son, Guyue. Come, greet the great cultivators."
Initially seated beside City Lord Lan Huolian was the same suave young man whom they had seen riding with the city lord previously. His face immediately lit up upon hearing City Lord Lan Huolian calling out to him, and he rushed out with an excited look on his face.
"Greetings, great cultivators!" Lan Guyue respectfully clasped his fists towards the duo. "It is our honour to be graced by your presence! Please let me know if there is anything you require of me!"
"Mm," Zhao Yunxiao nodded in response. "Don't think too much about it. We will just be here for a short while before leaving."
"Ah, I see..." Lan Guyue's expression fell.
"Hmm? Is there any problem?" Gu Qiansi asked.
"Haha, please excuse my young son's mannerism," City Lord Lan Huolian laughed. "It's just that he has always been inquisitive in nature, so he is probably hoping to be able to spend some time learning from the great cultivators."
"Is that true?" Gu Qiansi looked over at Lan Guyue.
Lan Guyue nodded shyly. "If possible, I would love to learn more about the outside world, so as to aid me in governing the city better in the future..."
"That's a good mentality to have," Zhao Yunxiao approved. "You have taught him well, City Lord Lan."
"Haha, you flatter me too much," City Lord Lan Huolian scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "He is really far better than I am."
Zhao Yunxiao merely smiled in response, knowing deep down that City Lord Lan Huolian was probably right. After all, he had personally heard how the city lord had seen his position as an easy job, as well as mocking the citizens of Demonfall as fools after they offered him gifts.
It was good that he at least knew of his own shortcomings, and better still that his son did not seem to be following in his footsteps.
"Back to what we were discussing, would you happen to have the heroes' ancestral tablets here? If so, is it possible for us to offer some incense as a show of respect?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"Oh? Of course! We can go do that right now," City Lord Lan Huolian agreed immediately. "Come, follow me!"
Just like that, City Lord Lan Huolian led Zhao Yunxiao, Gu Qiansi, and Lan Guyue out of the front hall where they were at, and into the depths of the huge residence. From where they were, they had to pass through several gardens to arrive at the Lan Clan's ancestral hall.
"Here we are!" City Lord Lan Huolian exclaimed while making his way to the far end of the long hall. "The golden tablets in the middle are those of our great ancestors Lan Fangyuan and Qian Qiqi."
As he spoke, his eyes gleamed with genuine pride, as did his son's. Disregarding their difference in personality, both father and son seemed to be truly proud of their ancestors.
Zhao Yunxiao took a look at the rows of ancestral tablets. They started before the time of Lan Fangyan, but it was those of Lan Fangyan and Qian Qiqi that took centre position. In fact, they were also the only ones made of gold, while the others were made of wood.
Or at least, that was the case for actual members of the Lan Clan.
Off to the side, there were two more tablets that were plated with gold. The names 'Lei He' and 'Lei Tingyi' were engraved neatly upon them.
Lei He – the heroic martyr.
Lei Tingyi – the disciple of Lei He who was taken under the wing of the ancient Lan couple after her master's death.
"We have also set up the ancestral tablets of Sir Lei He and Lady Lei Tingyi out of consideration for their contributions to the city and their relationship to our honoured ancestors," Lan Guyue explained, having noticed Zhao Yunxiao's gaze pausing on the two ancestral tablets.
"I see. You are quite knowledgeable about your clan's history," Zhao Yunxiao praised.
"Not at all, not at all," Lan Guyue shyly waved off the compliment.
"Haha, the kid has always been a fervent admirer of the exploits of the clan's heroic ancestors," City Lord Lan Huolian laughed.
"That's not a bad thing," Zhao Yunxiao remarked while he and Gu Qiansi offered incense. "It is the clan's blessing to have ancestors worth admiring."
"That's definitely true! And more so the case for us, where we actually have an ongoing performance dedicated to honouring the heroic exploits of our ancestors!" City Lord Lan Huolian agreed. "I still remember when the Good Luck Theatre Group first approached my grandfather with this proposal. Back then, I was right there beside him, urging him to agree. And how glad I am that I did! Today, people all over the region come to Demonfall just to watch the performance that doesn't just celebrate the city's history, but also our family's history!"
As he spoke, his son Lan Guyue could be seen clenching his fists tighter in excitement as well. He was clearly not the type who could hide his emotions well.
"That's an honour indeed," Zhao Yunxiao agreed. "However, I did hear some strange rumours about the performance..."
"Bah! Baseless accusations from people who have too much time on their hands!" City Lord Lan Huolian was quick to dismiss his words. "Just because a few people lost their mental bearings, and mind you, they are people without complete families, people start to claim that the performance is cursed! Can you believe that? If you ask me, this must be the work of the Chang Clan! They must be the ones spreading such rumours to taint the story of our ancestors' great contributions!"
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Zhao Yunxiao had intended to ask about the Chang Clan at some point, but was intrigued that Lan Huolian would actually bring it up himself. "I heard that the Chang Clan is a great pillar of support for the Lan Clan here in Demonfall. Is that not true?"
"That's just what it looks like on the surface. The truth is far from that!" City Lord Lan Huolian said through gritted teeth. "The Chang Clan has always been acting like they own half the city, making it difficult for our people to do their jobs. Who knows what their motive is, but based on what I do know about them, I definitely wouldn't put it past them to be the culprits behind this!"
"Is that so? I guess there are two sides to everything," Zhao Yunxiao nodded in understanding. "Back to the topic, the glorious exploits of the Lan Clan's ancestors are truly awe-inspiring. I know that you have already been kind enough to allow us to offer incense to their ancestral tablets, but I wonder if it would be possible for us to shamelessly make another small request?"
"Haha, that's putting it too seriously. It is our honour that great cultivators from the Black Tortoise Sect would like to offer incense to our clan's ancestors," City Lord Lan Huolian laughed in satisfaction. "Feel free to speak your mind. Anything that I can accommodate, I definitely will!"
"In that case, I shall not stand on ceremony," Zhao Yunxiao let out a sigh of relief. "I wonder if you still have belongings of the ancient heroes, or perhaps any records or items from their era – the time of Demonfall's origin? If so, we would love to be able to take a look."
"Eh? This..." City Lord Lan Huolian was clearly caught by surprise upon hearing his request.
"Yes, Father. Do we? If so, I would be interested in taking a look as well!" Lan Guyue chimed in at this moment, causing City Lord Lan Huolian's eyes to waver.
"Don't worry, you have my word that we would never take or damage anything," Zhao Yunxiao assured.
"This... fine. Since the great cultivators are so interested, then let's go take a look!" City Lord Lan Huolian agreed after a short pause.
With that decided, City Lord Lan Huolian took the lead without hesitation, bringing the group to a chamber located even deeper within the Lan Clan Residence. This chamber was neither huge nor eye-catching. In fact, it could easily be mistaken as any other storage room.
"And... here we are!" City Lord Lan Huolian proudly announced as he unlocked the door and pushed it open.
As the door swung open, a stench of stale air rushed out of the chamber to assault their senses. Within, the group saw several wooden chests that lined up neatly against the wall. A thick layer of dust had collected both atop the wooden chests and on the floor, testament to just how long it had been since the last time someone visited the chamber.
"T-The dust is probably because these are all heirlooms of the clan, so constant cleaning would risk damaging these precious items, right?" Lan Guyue rushed to explain with a reddened face.
It was clear that he felt a little embarrassed by how his clan had treated the precious belongings of his respected heroes.
"Ahem!" City Lord Lan Huolian let out a dry cough as well. "Yes, yes indeed. These items can all be considered precious heirlooms of not just the clan, but also the city, so we try not to touch them unless necessary, lest we damage them by accident. In fact, even though I know of this place, this is also the first time that I have ever entered! So, please take extra care when taking a look at them!"
"That's a small matter; don't worry about it," Zhao Yunxiao brushed it off nonchalantly, his eyes fixated on the wooden chests before him. "Now then, let's begin our mental journey to the past!"