Zombie Bodyguard-Chapter 1441 - 1438: Foundation
The Ghost was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Nowadays, if you have money, you’re the master. Like the Yun Family of Xiao Tian and the Li Family, these families hold enormous wealth. If they were to compete in terms of strength, those ancient martial families might not necessarily be able to compete with these big families. Heritage, this kind of thing, is really hard to say."
Upon hearing these words, Lin Tian chuckled lightly and said, "Ghost, in the short term, your statement isn’t exactly wrong. Heritage might not be able to match real wealth. But have you ever thought about a fact? These ancient martial families have been passed down for hundreds and thousands of years, but how long have the Li Family or Yun Family been around?"
"In history, there were also businessman families wealthy enough to rival nations, like Lv Buwei with his rare commodities, and Shen Wansan with his treasure trove. But which business family lasted for hundreds or thousands of years? Don’t even mention a thousand years; people like Lv Buwei and Shen Wansan didn’t even have a good end."
"However, it’s different for ancient martial families. Even with the changes of dynasties and the shifts of history, these ancient martial families remain standing. In Huaxia, there might not be eternal royal families, but there are ever-lasting ancient martial families. This is the true heritage." Lin Tian sighed as he spoke.
Throughout history, even the most prosperous royal families have experienced decline. The earliest three major dynasties, Xia, Shang, and Zhou: The Xia Dynasty experienced eighteen emperors over more than four hundred years, then was destroyed by Shang Tang. The Shang Dynasty had thirty-one emperors across about six hundred years, then was brought down by Ji Fa. The Zhou Dynasty maintained thirty-eight emperors, including Western and Eastern Zhou, lasting eight hundred years, then was overthrown by the Qin State.
These three slave society dynasties were relatively long-lived. Afterward, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ushered in the era of feudal dynasties, and no subsequent dynasty’s rule surpassed these ancient three.
The modernly acknowledged most prosperous Tang Dynasty, the Great Tang Empire, even when viewed within the global context of its time, was one of the most powerful nations. Yet, even so, the Great Tang Empire lasted only over two hundred years. Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing—none of these dynasties exceeded three hundred years.
Compared to these royal families, those ancient martial families have endured much longer. Just consider Wang Wanxi’s Wang Family, which traces back to Gui Guzi Wang Xu, with a lineage spanning over a thousand years. Even if the Wang Family’s first generation to establish the ancient martial family was just the descendants of Gui Guzi, they still have an impressively long legacy.
This is heritage, true heritage. These ancient martial families seem to have seized the grand fortune of the world, their lineages continuous and unbroken—a fortune far more precious than wealth vast enough to rival kingdoms.
The Ghost and Yun Xiaotian seemed to understand, yet not fully. Lin Tian, in truth, was also speculating. He patted the shoulders of the two, smiling, "Let’s go. These things are beyond our imagination. It’s quite good to handle the present well."
The three entered Qinglan Garden, walked through Lin Yin Road, crossed the lotus pond and rockery, and returned to the fork between the East and West Courtyard. Of course, the next step was to turn right and head back to the West Courtyard. However, just as they approached the outer door of the West Courtyard, Lin Tian heard bursts of noise from inside, as lively as a marketplace.
The three exchanged glances, seeing confusion mirrored in each other’s eyes. Although the West Courtyard was somewhat simple, it had always been quiet. In the past two days, they hadn’t seen the West Courtyard so bustling.
With questions lingering, Lin Tian led the way into the courtyard. As soon as he entered, he saw quite a few people standing on the open ground, grouped in threes and fives, each occupying a space, chatting with courtesy yet with vigilant eyes.
"Who’s the steward of the West Courtyard? Nobody has come out to host us for so long. Qinglan Garden is really quite rude!" complained a young man, his voice the loudest.
Still, his loud complaints got quite a few responses, as one person beside him agreed, "Brother, bear with it. Those women of Qingshuang Pavilion have always been arrogant. Look, aren’t the other families’ disciples also waiting? What can we, who have no connections, nor families, expect?"
"So what if we have no connections, nor families? We, too, are ancient martial artists. They can’t just leave us here ignored," the man who complained earlier said discontentedly.
"Shh, keep it down. If these words reach the ears of the women from Qingshuang Pavilion, you’ll be in trouble," another quietly warned.
"I’m not afraid..." Just as the man was about to say something, Lin Tian and his two companions appeared at the gate.
All eyes in the courtyard instantly focused on the trio as if by unanimous consent. However, this "attention" was not well-meaning; they took Lin Tian and his companions as people from Qinglan Garden.
"Brother Tian, these people’s emotions are a bit heated. Are they about to start a fight?" the Ghost chuckled, looking eager to try.
Lin Tian patted this combative guy, smiling, "If you came to my house as a guest, and I left you sitting in the living room, would you be upset?"
"If it’s Brother Tian, I wouldn’t be, but for others, maybe. Besides, that Old Tang left at such an inconvenient time, throwing this mess at us," the Ghost shook his head.
"Gentlemen, are you guests coming to stay, or are you Outer Pavilion Disciples of Qingshuang Pavilion?" someone stepped forward, cupping his fist toward Lin Tian’s group, repressing his displeasure, and somewhat impatiently asked.
Qingshuang Pavilion’s Outer Pavilion Disciples could also be male, hence the question. The people thought that those hosting guests at Qinglan Garden must be Outer Pavilion Disciples of Qingshuang Pavilion.
Once more, everyone’s gaze swept over Lin Tian and his companions, seeming as if they would start to hold them accountable as long as the three admitted it.
Lin Tian smiled calmly and denied, "I’m not a disciple of Qingshuang Pavilion."
"So, you’re on the same boat as us, tricked by Qingshuang Pavilion." The person felt a bit disappointed, yet also slightly gleeful. Disappointed because they had to keep waiting, gleeful because someone else had also been tricked.
"However..." Lin Tian continued, "I know the steward of the West Courtyard. They had an emergency, so I will be temporarily managing the West Courtyard’s affairs."
"What? You’re in charge..." The gazes just retrieved quickly focused on Lin Tian again, and even more angrily than before.
"Great, we’ve finally found someone. What do you mean by leaving us here? Qingshuang Pavilion doing such things is really too much."
Most of the people here were ancient martial artists, and anyone who practices martial arts is sure to be proud, especially the young ones. Now that they had Lin Tian, they wouldn’t miss the chance to vent their pent-up frustrations.
"Apologize, apologize to us. Even if Master Tang were here, it was you being disrespectful first." More people started clamoring.
Honestly, Lin Tian completely understood these martial artists’ discontent. The esteemed Qingshuang Pavilion treating their guests like this, if it were him, he wouldn’t be happy either. Just like the reception at the canyon’s edge, with Tang Ziqing and the Female Sword Servant’s many hindrances, Lin Tian wasn’t pleased with their actions. If it weren’t for Wang Wanxi’s sake, he might have fought with them already.
However, the mess left by Old Tang needed tidying up. Lin Tian cupped his fists to the crowd and said sincerely, "Everyone, it’s true that Qingshuang Pavilion’s handling of this matter was inappropriate. I ask for your forgiveness, and I will now arrange for your accommodations."
