The Day of Man has broken out! The seventh update is delivered! This is the fourth burst this July—surely the gatekeepers will grant some favor? Bring more tickets, I’d be immensely grateful.)

Every great family was employing its own means to counter this wave of rumors. Even the other leading candidates for family head, regardless of their own confidence or the strength of their immediate retinue, were somewhat uneasy. Though the rumor was fleeting, they operated on the principle of better safe than sorry, and everyone began making moves. Those already active certainly became even more frenetic.

Then there were those who, despite knowing the rumor was false, intended to exploit the opportunity to elevate their sons or fathers, secretly initiating rounds of subtle maneuvers.

Within every family, the surface presented an image of harmony, yet beneath lay churning tides. People came and went in hurried succession, their steps like the wind, utterly swamped with business yet treading as if on thin ice, terrified of a single misstep that might lead to their ruin.

The only major houses that remained utterly unshaken were the Jun family and the Dugu family. The former, being a military family, had few heirs to begin with; whether the rumors were true or not, they had only one successor, leaving no real impact. The latter was like an iron ingot within itself; even if mercury were poured over it, it could find no crevice to penetrate.

But even these two unaffected families saw only internal stability. Their retainers, former officers, and old subordinates within the military were still scattered due to the upheaval. Furthermore, their handling of their disciples and subordinates differed markedly from the other houses: action was generally only taken when proof was conclusive, leaving the accused with no chance of appeal beyond perhaps saving their lives in exchange for distant military exile.

Next were the Murong, Meng, Song, and Tang families—the great pillars of Tianxiang. Without exception, the elders of these houses were almost confined to bed by the stress of the turmoil. While the descendants acted respectfully on the surface, a knife fight was unfolding beneath, causing the old men considerable heartache.

Another family that remained relatively calm was the Li family. Thanks to the great talent that was Li Youran, the other branch members dared not compete. Any nascent rivalry was crushed by Li Youran’s lightning methods, meaning the rumor concerning the family inheritor had the least damaging effect on the Li family compared to all the others!

Of course, not every faction was affected by this storm!

For instance,

During this period, the Noble Hall, managed by Tang Yuan, ignored outside affairs, focusing only on its own development. It was prospering mightily, enjoying continuous growth, holding several auctions in succession, each one netting massive profits. The few vials of elixirs that Jun Moxie had given to Fatty Tang before leaving proved that the fatty’s business acumen was extraordinary. After the first auction, once the effects of the medicine became known, the capital city was instantly shaken!

Fatty then instituted a system of controlled purchasing for the second auction. Each type of elixir was limited to only twenty vials, and any single person could buy a maximum of five! Moreover, the starting bids kept rising, and the clientele came from farther and wider.

Perhaps due to the scarcity driving up prices in Luoyang, even as the base and final sale prices of the elixirs climbed ever higher and more terrifyingly, buyers remained endlessly eager. In the area of the Noble Hall, true "one-thousand-gold spenders" were rare; one barely dared to speak unless they possessed ten thousand, or even hundreds of thousands of gold!

Fatty also gave the elixirs several appealing and remarkably flamboyant names. The Xuanyang Pill he grandly dubbed: "The Unyielding Golden Lance for Strengthening Yang, Nourishing the Kidneys, Vigorously Thickening and Supporting a Thousand Jin with Thunderous Power Xuanyang Elixir!" At first hearing, this sounded undeniably potent, ten times more vigorous than the mightiest thousand-jin lifter.

As the saying goes: The young and vigorous go forth for springtime pleasures; the half-century man still enters the gate; Even at eighty, the spirit shall not wane, the celestial organ can still hoist a thousand jin!

As for the change in the name of the Shaoyin Pill, it was even more captivating: "Beauty Enhancing, Heavenly Grace, Celestial Bloom, Youthful Visage—One Pill for Immediate Effect! Ugly Woman Becomes Beauty! Reversing Heaven and Earth, Rivers Flow Backwards, Stars Shift in Their Orbits—The Beloved Shaoyin Elixir!"

To Tang Yuan, these two elixirs, when handled by him, were transformed from things that the common charlatan would hawk—like snake oil or vigor pills sold by travelling mountebanks—into something grander.

Now, these two names, incredibly cumbersome yet supremely eye-catching and utterly vulgar, were revered in Tianxiang City as: Divine Pills!

Anyone could recite them easily. The most absurd tale was that a stutterer, by constantly muttering these two difficult names, gradually found his speech becoming fluent, curing his stutter—and this was achieved just by the recitation, without even consuming the medicine! If that wasn't a Divine Pill, what was?

Eventually, there weren't enough hands to manage. Fatty Tang shamelessly pulled in his fiancée, Sun Xiaomei, to help at the Noble Hall, while simultaneously tasking the two Heavenly Profound masters, Hai Chenfeng and Song Shang, until they were spinning in circles and complaining bitterly.

At first, the two masters tried to put Fatty in his place a few times: "You, from the entire Tang family, don't even have one Heavenly Profound expert. Who do you think you are, ordering us around like this?"

But later, Tang Yuan gradually figured out the trick.

It happened one time when he assigned Hai Chenfeng a task, Tang Yuan casually remarked, "Third Young Master said you are the most suitable person for this job." As soon as the words left his mouth, Hai Chenfeng went and executed it immediately, swiftly and decisively, as if fearing even a moment’s delay.

This sparked an idea in Fatty’s mind. The next day, he tried the same tactic on Song Shang, and it worked just as well. From then on, Tang Yuan used a chicken feather as a commander’s arrow, acting high and mighty. "It's not that I think I'm someone special; I am Brother Xie’s representative in Tianxiang. I am doing Brother Xie's business, so you must listen to me! Or else I'll report you!"

This directly led to one result: whenever the two Heavenly Profound masters saw Fatty approaching, they ran, refusing to meet him face-to-face: "If I can't afford to provoke him, can't I at least avoid him?" But even so, Fatty had his ways. He mandated that the two must report to the Noble Hall once a day, preparing an office for each. If there was a task, a large sheet of white paper, about a zhang square, would be hung on the door, invariably beginning with the words: "Third Young Master says, regarding the matter of..."

As for the young, little Prince Yang Mo, Tang Yuan certainly wouldn't let this young royal idle. That day, the Prince had invested a substantial sum, which the then financially strapped Fatty Tang had greatly praised Jun Moxie for: "Moxie really knows how to secure sponsors; this money came at the perfect time!"

But now that the Noble Hall was raking in gold daily, the Prince’s mansion simply waited with open hands for the money. Tang Yuan couldn't allow Fatty to complain day in and day out, saying, "I’m working myself ragged handling everything, I'm practically turning into a monkey, yet I’m still supporting a lord!"

Tang Yuan, Fatty Tang, had forgotten his roots. He had long forgotten the difficulties of the start-up phase—a venture mostly supported by others' capital. He only saw his own money flowing out like a torrent, which felt like having his flesh sliced away!

During the monthly profit distribution, Tang Yuan's hands would tremble, his eyes would gleam red, and his fat would ripple with dramatic fluctuations. He didn't mind how much the Third Young Master took, as that was his due. But this little youngster, lounging around eating sweets every day, was also taking money?? And taking so much? By what right?

Fatty felt utterly unbalanced in his heart.

Therefore, even if Jun Moxie hadn't given those specific instructions before leaving, Fatty Tang would have pushed all the troublesome matters away. Little Yang Mo became the victim. Whenever imperial relatives, or even several princes and princesses from the Seven Aunts and Eight Uncles lineage arrived, Little Yang Mo had to grit his teeth and step up under Tang Yuan’s disapproving glare. "It's royal business; if you don't handle it, who will?!"

At first, the shy youngster couldn't bear to refuse or lose face, naturally suffering many losses. But Fatty Tang would not cover his bills. He would settle accounts with him time and again, deducting the losses from the Prince’s share of the profits. "If you’re willing to cover the Royal family’s tab, that's how we’ll do it. You gain face, but you lose silver!"

Finally!

This bashful youngster, for the sake of his own interests, finally snapped!

Watching the Noble Hall’s trade continue day after day, silver notes flying everywhere, yet none of it reached him. Sometimes, when the accounts were settled, he even had to contribute money out of his own pocket! He could endure no more!

So the little youngster changed. He became sharp-tongued and fearless, his eyes red daily like a little fighting cock. He wouldn't let go of a single coin, not only being meticulous over pennies but sometimes even demanding money with interest. If an elder relative came, surely a small gratuity was due? He was just a child; couldn't he buy that with a small amount?

But this new attitude meant that the members of the royal family, who were not accustomed to such bargaining, naturally encountered constant friction. Yet, the little youngster was impartial, looking only at the money. He even dared to argue back on the spot when his own father criticized him!

As a result, it became difficult for anyone from the royal circle—including several princes—or the inner palace to come to the Noble Hall seeking favors. Dispatching servants from the Prince's residence was immediately ineffective! Thus, the three princes were greatly enraged and visited personally, giving the little youngster a few painful lessons. In the end, the little youngster still suffered the losses he was supposed to lose—how could a slender arm wrestle down three thick legs?

At one evening banquet, Tang Yuan and Song Shang, both harboring ill intentions, plied the little youngster with several cups of wine. The youngster was sharp-witted, but his tolerance for alcohol was clearly not so sharp. Coupled with the sorrow brewing in his heart, sad memories were naturally evoked, unable to forget the helpless words Moxie once said: "Your father isn't the Emperor; how can I help you? Helping you means opposing the Emperor’s own son, the future Emperor! Do you want me to live or not?" Drinking sorrow into his gut, the little youngster became thoroughly drunk, though he shouldn't have needed the alcohol to feel it. But being drunk wasn't the worst part; the little youngster also had poor behavior when intoxicated, and he threw a drunken tantrum. With his still childish, un-matured voice, he yelled toward the heavens: "I want to be Emperor! Damn it! I want to be Emperor, I want to rebel! I want to be Emperor, so my sons won't be bullied!"

At such a tender age, he was already thinking about his future sons being bullied—this level of foresight was already far superior to Dugu Xiaoyi’s.

He roared like that for half the night, frightening Fatty Tang until he was shaking in his boots and his soul scattered. Yet he dared not retreat, staying put, terrified that these words would be overheard by outsiders. This night was undoubtedly one of dread, panic, and horror. The fatty would probably forget his own name before he forgot this night!

This was a crime punishable by the extermination of the entire clan!

Fatty immediately swore that he would never again ply the little youngster with alcohol. Plying others might only lead to him getting drunk alongside them, but plying this boy with drink might cost him his life! It was terrifyingly close; it was truly a matter of life and death!

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(The word count below this line is free: (This chapter is automatically updated. I am truly exhausted after several days of continuous high-intensity work. When everyone reads this chapter, Feng Ling might already be in dreamland. Seven consecutive bursts, with a guaranteed minimum of two updates per day. This speed isn't the fastest, but I am doing my utmost to push it. I see some readers in the review section saying I’m begging for tickets too often in single chapters, which leaves me speechless.

Many brothers followed me from Ling Tian Chuan Shuo. From the first day I started writing until now, I have never posted a single chapter asking for votes unless I was bursting chapters. Even when I was sick or in pain, if I wasn't bursting, I wouldn't post a single chapter asking for votes. I respect my brothers and sisters! If I want your approval, I will trade it with my hard work! I will trade it with my updates! Not by soliciting sympathy.

But, whenever I burst chapters, I will always follow up with a single chapter asking for votes after the burst is complete! On the 7th of this month, I burst four times; after today's burst is finished, there will be another single chapter. If I burst fifteen times this month, there will be fifteen single chapters! I genuinely don’t feel this is inappropriate.

I have no conditions with my brothers. If you think it looks good, please take a moment to click and vote. If you don’t think it’s good, and have opinions, feel free to vent in the review section. If you think my updates are diligent enough, please show your support; if you feel it’s unsatisfactory, you are perfectly welcome to keep your votes. Truly, I will not force any friend.

One sentence: the tickets are in your hands; you decide whether to vote or not. If I want them, I will use updates to earn the votes! If you don't want to vote, then even if I post ten thousand single chapters, the tickets will remain in your own hands.

Another sentence: even if not a single person votes, I will still burst chapters when it's time. Storing up manuscripts doesn't cure hunger, after all.”)

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