Chapter 402: The Husband Follows the Wife
The former Lord Warden Commander, now the Great General of the Northern Frontier, had met this ancestor of the Xie Family when he was young? And according to the old man's implication, the two of them had a rather close relationship?
Chen Chao was even more unsure how to respond now.
The old man did not mind, just smiled and said, "Would you like to come into the ancestral hall with me to take a look?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Chao had yet to react, but the eyelids of the old man sitting outside the ancestral hall suddenly twitched.
Chen Chao quickly shook his head and said, "Since this is the ancestral hall of the Xie Family, it must be a very important place. How can a junior like me trespass?"
The old man chuckled, "There's nothing amazing about it. Didn't Ning Ping just trample the ancestral hall of the Xia Family before? These ancestral tablets are more important to us who are surnamed Xie than our lives, but to you, they're just pieces of wood."
Facing this old man, Chen Chao felt a sense of bewilderment for the first time in his life. He did not know how to respond. The other party did not show any hostility; instead, he was so amiable that Chen Chao felt at a loss.
The old man chuckled and said, "You want to be my Xie Family's son-in-law, yet you're unwilling to take a look at these lousy pieces of wood?"
This time, Chen Chao really had no way to refuse, so he could only say, "Then, this junior will have to offend."
The old man smiled and led Chen Chao to the front of the ancestral hall. The ancestral hall was not large, and its decorations were ordinary; just like an ordinary household. However, this seemed too ordinary, which made people feel something was amiss. After all, the Xie Family's ancestral hall should not be like this.
The old man pushed open the door, and Chen Chao followed him inside. Inside the ancestral hall, there were only a few scattered memorial tablets; not many.
Chen Chao felt a bit dazed.
As if understanding Chen Chao's thoughts, the old man said to himself, "Do you know how many years this ancestral hall has been established? How long has the Xie Family existed?"
It was then that Chen Chao suddenly realized a truth. Although the Xie Family was now a behemoth of the Great Liang Dynasty, in the end, it had only been established for over two hundred years. In terms of legacy, if you excluded the White Deer's Xie Family, the Xie Family of the Divine Capital did not have much foundation.
Besides, the first generation head of the Xie Family lived long enough. Right now, it was actually just the second generation.
This kind of ancestral hall was indeed somewhat unexpected for Chen Chao, but also within reason.
"I also know about the ancestral hall of the Xia Family. They worshiped countless predecessors. When those predecessors were still alive, the Great Liang Dynasty didn't even exist yet. So how much sense of belonging can they have towards the Great Liang Dynasty?"
The old man smiled, "Doesn't matter how much you talk, actions speak louder."
Chen Chao asked, "Is there anything you want this junior to do, Senior?"
Chen Chao felt he understood the old man's meaning now.
But the old man shook his head again and said with a smile, "No."
Chen Chao was taken aback.
The old man added, "At least not for the time being."
"Sword Qi Mountain forges flying swords and gave them to those sword cultivators. But they also didn't say on the spot that they wanted those sword cultivators to do something for them.:
The old man continued, "When this old man met Ning Ping back then, I probably didn't mention anything I wanted him to do either. In fact, up to now, this old man hasn't even asked him to take action once."
Chen Chao remained silent for a moment before saying softly, "Turns out that this is what Senior is thinking."
The old man smiled but did not say anything.
The old man continued, "Nandu that lass has ambitions that are too grand. Among the descendants of the Xie Family in this generation, there's no one who can surpass her. But this old man won't live that long. This old man can't predict the future of the Xie Family either. All I can do is plant the seeds for now."
The old man's candidness did not make Chen Chao feel uncomfortable; instead, he felt it was only natural. If the old man had always shown kindness and talked to him about feelings, Chen Chao would have found it rather strange instead.
And a little uncomfortable.
The old man said, "If one day that girl wants to drag the Xie Family into the abyss, the Xie Family will have to rely on you."
Chen Chao spat out a turbid breath and murmured softly, "How can Senior be so sure that I won't drag the Xie Family down into the abyss together with her?"
Upon hearing this, the old man showed a different emotion in his eyes for the first time. He looked at Chen Chao as if he had not expected him to say that.
The old man smiled and said, "Is the husband following the wife?"