Chapter 807 - A Plan For A Staff (2 in 1) (2/2)
Yi Cong passed his son to Yi Si next to him. “I’ll have to trouble you!”
The only person he truly trusted here was Yi Si. Although Yi Si had left the Yi clan, he was still part of the Yi main family!
Yi Si took the ‘bundle’ exasperatedly, feeling like his future would not be as carefree as before. He had to be a father and care for eight slaves.
“You mentioned you hadn’t named him yet, right? Have you thought of a name?” asked Yi Si.
Yi Cong’s eyes glinted like a firefly in darkness. He enunciated, “Ce. My son will be named Ce!”
Yi Si’s eyelid fluttered as he stared at Yi Cong.
There was a saying: *to turn a plan into a staff.
[TL Note: *以策为杖 — 策 (Ce) means a strategy/plan- the implicit meaning here is a little deep + diverse and this is my best interpretation of it- a strategy is as good as a weapon]
What did Yi Cong mean by this?
Who needs this staff? Who will wield this staff?
Yi Si felt like Yi Cong was playing a large game of chess. This move was not against the Flaming Horn tribe but the Yi family.
What the heck did Yi Cong see in his readings these few days? Yi Si still could not get an answer out of him.
After settling Yi Ce and the eight other slaves, Yi Cong began executing his promise to the Flaming Horns. Yi Cong knew that the more benefits he brought to the tribe, the better Yi Ce’s future life here would be. Just like Yi Si, his son will become a ‘normal person’ living on Flaming Horn land.
Yi Cong did not understand why he would trust the Flaming Horns so much either. Perhaps the Founder Shaman Seal on Shao Xuan had alleviated his concerns.
Legends depicted that the Founder’s first student to receive the knowledge about fire seed utilisation was also the Yi clan’s founding member. That made the Yi family fire seed to be the second fire seed ever controlled by the human race! That was why it contained the same white colour as the Founder’s own white fire seed!
Yi Cong never rested during the next ten days.
Yi Cong told the Flaming Horn tribe everything– the most suitable place to dig wells, build towers, build underground stores, even the likely dates for severe future disasters. Just like that, he did not sleep for ten days and ten nights. Even the Flaming Horns advised for him to rest but he never did. He was like a fire torch running on its last embers, its only desire was to fulfil its purpose before death.
A person’s life force is a limited resource. After ten days, Yi Cong had changed from a strong youth to a frail, elderly man. His hair was white, and his face as wrinkled as tree bark.
“Will you all… keep your promise?” Yi Cong, sitting in a wooden hut provided to him on the mountain, asked the group of Flaming Horns.
“Yes.” Gui He did not speak much but gave a solid answer. He did not like Yi Cong but admittedly, he respected the man.
Yi Cong looked at Shao Xuan, finally relaxing when Shao Xuan nodded.
Yi Cong did not have much time left. He wanted to spend his last moments talking to Yi Si.
When the Flaming Horns left the hut, Yi Cong said, “I sort of understand Yi Xiang’s motives.”
Surprised by such a sudden remark, Yi Si stared at him, puzzled.
“The Yi family has long been sick, it is sick from the roots,” uttered Yi Cong in a frail, old voice. The Yi family was no longer what it used to be, that was why Yi Xiang did not care nor placed importance on the family, even wanting to exterminate them. It was unrelated to the past grudges that everyone thought was the reason. Since they were all useless, what’s the problem with killing them off? That was probably what Yi Xiang thought. As for why Yi Xiang waited until now to act, perhaps he was waiting for a suitable opportunity.
Within the Yi family, the main family and its side branches were slowly drifting apart, especially in terms of their mentalities. This time, the main branch was hit hard by the battle and the side branches would definitely not let this opportunity go. The clan would plunge into internal war and would be vulnerable to external attacks.
Before leaving the Yi family, Yi Cong had foreseen this possibility of conflict in his readings. Although he was at a ‘bottleneck’, this man was still one of the most talented Yi members after all!
But when he had to choose between partaking in Yi family affairs to calm the conflict and keeping Yi Ce safe, he chose the latter.
“This is laughable! But so sad!”
Even Yi Cong did not expect that the safest place to retreat to would be Flaming Horn, the exact tribe that the Yi family treated with contempt!
The Yi family was supposed to be blessed with foresight but they were so stupid!
Since some time ago, the Yi family had become blinded by luxury and status, they were all blind! They were only relying on dirty, lowly tricks passed down generations for their own tiny benefits!
A person without fortune reading abilities like Yi Si turned out to be the smartest guy in the family. He was the earliest to hide from the storm. When the storm arrived, he had already broken free of the family and found the safest shelter.
Stupid!
Absolutely stupid!
“Our ancestors could read the heavens and the earth, could they have foretold such an ending for their descendants? I know that everything must come to an end. The Yi family needs a new beginning.”
The current Yi family was an old, dilapidated house that could not even keep the elements out, brinking on collapse. Instead of wasting efforts on minor reparations, might as well demolish and rebuild the house!
Yi Cong lifted his shrivelled twig-like fingers, grabbing Yi Ce’s tender little hand.
“The Yi family’s eyes should not be set on a tiny King City, nor just the mainland. They should do as our glorious ancestors did, to familiarise themselves with the mountains and rivers and oceans of the world, study every rock and plant, observe life and death, be a student of the universe! The Yi family should set their eyes on the world! The whole world!”
There was truth in every word within Yi Cong’s last furious cries.
Yi Si’s heart ached. Of course he knew of the Yi family’s current states. If he wasn’t this disappointed, would he have chosen to leave his family and seek survival so far away?
Tears flowed down Yi Cong’s ancient face.
To use strategy as a staff. If more people were awakened by this, then his life would not be a waste. His only regret was that he would never live to see that day.
Yi Cong looked at Yi Si. “If possible, my wish is for him to follow that person.”
“That will be difficult.” Yi Si understood that Yi Cong meant for Yi Ce to follow Shao Xuan. Just like in the Yi ancestral records, the person who first received the knowledge on fire seed utilisation, also the person closest to the Founder, benefited the most. It was only because the Yi founder did not have ambitions to rule the world. If he did, the current lord of King City would not be a Ji family member!
“I’ll do my best.” Yi Cong’s tone was not hopeful.
“If Yi Ce turns out to be of mediocre talent, how will he live up to your wishes?” asked Yi Si. It was not a curse but the Yi family members often varied greatly in talent. Although one was powerful, his son might not be as talented. Just like Yi Si- his grandfather and great-grandfather were powerful but this talent did not pass down. Yi Si’s father was mediocre, then Yi Si received zero of the fortune-telling abilities. If he did not have other skills, he would have starved to death already. Yi Cong might be a prodigy of their generation but that did not guarantee Yi Ce’s abilities. His talents were not apparent now, Yi Si could not predict Yi Ce’s future talents even with his observational skills.
“He will!” There was firm resolution in Yi Cong’s eyes.
Yi Si did not know why Yi Cong looked so sure. Perhaps he saw something in his readings, or it was just his stubbornness. Yi Si did not know which.
The more talented a Yi person was, the more skills he mastered, the more difficult they would be to read. That was why outsiders tend to think that the Yi members were mentally ill.
Yi Cong did not speak anymore. He retracted his twig-like finger from Yi Ce’s tender little hand, then hobbled to the door of the hut. Refusing help from Cicada and Grey Horse, he sat leaning against the door frame, staring off at Shao Xuan not far away.
He saw it. The figure behind Shao Xuan. That was the white figure that appeared behind Shao Xuan along with the Founder Shaman Seal during the battle.
With a smile on his face, Yi Cong closed his eyes.
Far into the horizon, the sun set and tired birds returned to their nests.