Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

Song Xianyun's body had decayed to the extreme, his spirit was weak, and his energy was exhausted. The magic power that Song Changsheng transferred to him could not stay in his meridians at all.

Reaching out and pressing the back of Song Changsheng's hand, Song Xianyun said softly: "Human power has its limits, and destiny cannot be violated. My time is coming soon. Don't waste your energy any more, and accompany me to the end of this journey."

"Twenty-one Grandpa..." Song Changsheng's nose felt slightly sour. Compared to Song Xianyun's free and easy attitude, he only felt sad in his heart.

"Don't act like a little girl. Over the years, so many people have sacrificed their lives for the family. Sixth uncle, seventh uncle, second brother, third sister, Lu Yao, Lu Huai, Chang Rong, Chang Jun...

I have lived for more than two hundred years, which is much luckier than them..." Familiar faces flashed through his mind, and Song Xianyun's eyes gradually became moist.

"If they were still alive, they would definitely hope that you could take care of yourself and see more of this world for them." Song Changsheng held Song Xianyun's withered hand tightly and said softly.

"I want to, too. Unfortunately, God won't give me a long life. What can I do?"

"Help me go over there." Song Xianyun sighed slightly and pointed to a bookshelf not far away.

Song Changsheng didn't understand what was going on, but he still carefully helped him over.

Looking at the densely packed jade slips stacked on the bookshelf, a trace of reminiscence emerged on Song Xianyun's face, and his dry fingers brushed across the jade slips one by one.

He whispered to Song Changsheng: "These on the left record the detailed information of the cultivators in the family.

The ones in between are some of the experiences and cultivation insights that I have summarized over the years.

The ones on the far right are the children who need special attention, and there is also a list of scriptures that have been borrowed from the Sutra Library. Remember to ask them to return them when the time comes..."

Song Xianyun pointed at those complicated books and jade slips one by one and introduced them to Song Changsheng as if they were his own treasures.

Finally, he picked up a leather book in the corner, and gently brushed over every word with his dry palm. He said to Song Changsheng: "This is some of my experience in managing the family in the past 20 years. I hope it can be of some help to you."

Song Changsheng reached out to take it and slowly flipped through it. Every word and sentence on it was filled with Song Xianyun's hard work, and his deep feelings for his family were revealed between the lines.

"Grandpa Twenty-One, don't worry, your grandson will never let you down." Song Changsheng's eyes were red. He knew that Song Xianyun was telling him about his final arrangements.

"You have never let me down. You have made great contributions to our family's current success.

I also want to thank you for letting me avenge my blood feud in my lifetime and seeing my family regain its former glory. I am relieved that my family is in your hands. After I leave, I will be able to report to my ancestors. "Song Xianyun stared into Song Changsheng's eyes, his voice was a little weak, but his eyes were full of relief.

After Song Xianyun finished speaking, his originally rosy cheeks quickly turned pale, his eyes gradually became dull, and the little bit of vitality he had left was rapidly fading away.

Song Changsheng suddenly panicked. He gently shook Song Xianyun's hand and shouted anxiously, "Grandpa Twenty-one, hold on. You haven't drunk the wedding wine with Yuechan yet, and you haven't seen Qingyang and Qianqian's unborn child yet. You still have so many things to do. Are you willing to leave like this?"

"Ho...ho..."

Song Xianyun's breathing became abnormally rapid, and his shriveled chest rose and fell rapidly. He opened his mouth with difficulty, wanting to say something, but no sound came out. He could only forcefully raise a finger and point to a drawer not far away.

But Song Changsheng was no longer in the mood to care about the drawer at the moment. He held Song Xianyun's hand tightly, madly infusing him with magic power, and forced him to hold on.

At this moment, the tightly closed door was suddenly pushed open, and Song Qingyang, with a pale face, stumbled in with something in his arms.

He came to Song Xianyun and knelt down with a "thump". He carefully opened the "package" in his arms, revealing a wrinkled, pink little face.

He placed the crying baby with its eyes closed in front of Song Xianyun and said in a trembling voice, "Great-grandfather, Qianqian gave birth to a son."

Song Xianyun, who was already on his deathbed, suddenly burst out with strength from somewhere. He raised his hand with difficulty and stroked the baby's delicate face.

It's magical to say, the moment the grandparents and grandchildren came into contact, the baby who was crying loudly suddenly quieted down and showed an innocent smile.

A smile also appeared on Song Xianyun's face, and his lips moved slightly.

Song Changsheng quickly put his ear close to the speaker, but with his hearing ability, he could only vaguely hear the two words "Youlin".

He quickly understood what Song Xianyun meant and asked anxiously, "Song Youlin? Are you saying this child is called Song Youlin?"

Song Xianyun nodded imperceptibly, then slowly closed his eyes with a smile, and the last bit of life in his body dissipated at this moment.

"Twenty-one grandpa!"

"Great-grandfather!"

Song Changsheng and Song Qingyang let out a howl at the same time.

Song Xianming and Song Luzhou, who had been waiting outside the door, rushed in upon hearing the news. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Song Xianyun, who was already soundless, collapsed in Song Changsheng's arms.

Song Luzhou's eyes flushed red, he knelt down blankly, and cried, "Farewell, Uncle Twenty-one!"

"Congratulations to the Great Elder!"

At this time, everyone who had been waiting outside the yard had also arrived outside the door, and they knelt down in a large group, all crying bitterly.

Song Youlin, who was still in his cradle, seemed to realize something and burst into tears...

Looking back on Song Xianyun's life, it was simple and monotonous. He devoted almost everything to the Song family. Devoting himself to the cause until his death was the most true portrayal of him.

He had experienced the Song family's most glorious period and had almost seen it fall into the abyss. Now, he had witnessed with his own eyes the family's resurgence under the leadership of Song Changsheng. For him, there were no regrets in this life.

Perhaps, the only thing that worries him is his bloodline inheritance.

He only married one wife in his life, who died very early, resulting in a very small number of descendants in their lineage.

Although he regards all the younger generations of the family as his own children, but... it is still different after all. The words "inheritance of incense" carry a lot of weight in this world.

However, when he heard that clear cry at the moment of death, he was completely relieved.

The family has successors, and his branch also has successors!
On the first day of June in the 482nd year of the Song clan calendar, accompanied by the nine ringings of the Soul Lamp Hall bell, the seventh great elder of the Song clan, Song Xianyun, passed away at Cangmang Peak at the age of 218...

The Song family held a grand funeral for Song Xianyun. Except for those who were unable to return, most of the family members rushed back and spontaneously wore mourning for Song Xianyun.

Because to them, Song Xianyun is not only the chief elder of the family and a person in power, but also a benevolent elder.

Everyone respects him from the bottom of their hearts.

Song Xianming stood on the top of the mountain, looking at the white below with an expression of neither joy nor sadness. From the death of Song Xianyun to now, he has not shed a single tear, because he has long been numb over the years.

Up to now, there are only a handful of "Xian" generation monks left in the family, and his tears have long been shed and dried up!

Despite this, when Song Xianyun's coffin appeared in his sight, Song Xianming's body still trembled slightly.

The one lying there was his brother. He had supported each other since childhood and shared weal and woe with him!
He is also the only person in the family who is of the same age as him.

The journey of life is long and the lonelier you become. Many brothers and sisters have fallen on this road.

Now... Song Xianyun has also fallen, and there is no one by his side. He has to walk the rest of the way alone.

"Twenty-first brother, have a safe journey."

Song Xianming murmured softly, and his originally tall figure became a little hunched...

Song Changsheng stood at the front of the funeral procession, and suddenly a sentence emerged in his mind.

A person will experience death three times in his life.

The first time was when he died, and as an individual he died.

The second time was when he was buried, people came to his funeral and remembered his life.

The third time was when the last person who remembered him forgot about him, and that was when he was truly dead.

Sometimes, being forgotten is more frightening than death.

In the secular world, after a person dies, it only takes a hundred years or even decades for all the traces he left behind to completely disappear, and at that time, no one will remember him anymore.

By that time, he would truly disappear from this world.

But in Song Changsheng's opinion, Song Xianyun would not, because what he did would make the Song clan members remember him from generation to generation.

As long as the Song family survives, he will never disappear!
After the funeral, Song Changsheng returned to Song Xianyun's courtyard, where Song Qingyang was leading people to clean up Song Xianyun's belongings.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a drawer out of the corner of his eye. Before Song Xianyun passed away, he had pointed there, but Song Changsheng was not in the mood to pay attention at that time.

He reached out and opened the drawer, and found a brocade box inside. Under the box was a piece of red paper with densely packed small characters written on it.

Song Changsheng picked up the red paper and read softly:

"My grandson, by the time you read this letter, I will probably be dead, so don't be too sad.

With my qualifications, there is no hope for me to break through the Purple Mansion realm in this lifetime. Rather than wasting another thirty years, it is better to be free as soon as possible.

I feel relieved that the family has you and all of you. I firmly believe that you will lead the family to glory.

However, there is still one big regret in my heart, which is that I was not able to drink at your wedding.

I know you already have someone you love, which is great. You want to take things step by step, which is also great. It’s a pity that I don’t have much time left, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to see your wedding day.

But it doesn’t matter. I have already prepared your wedding gifts long ago.

What is in the box is a piece of [Heart Stone] that I got accidentally in my early years. I wish you will be together forever and grow old together.

When the time comes, don’t forget to pour a glass of wedding wine in front of my grave.”

"Clap."

Teardrops as big as beans fell on the red paper, quickly staining a corner of the red paper.

I don’t know when it started, but tears have blurred Song Changsheng’s eyes.

Song Changsheng didn't expect that at the last moment, Song Xianyun was not concerned about his descendants or family, but his marriage.

"Grandpa Twenty-One, why can't you wait a little longer..."

Holding the brocade box in both hands, Song Changsheng burst into tears...

The first clan meeting after Song Xianyun's death was a bit depressing as everyone was still immersed in grief, like a heavy lead cloud pressing on everyone's hearts.

After a long while, Song Changsheng took the initiative to break the silence and said, "Grandfather Twenty-one has passed away. Who in the family can take on the responsibility of passing on the skills?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. The elder who passed on his skills was in charge of the Sutra Repository and was in charge of the education of the younger generations of the family. Although the authority was not heavy, it was a very important position. Not only did he need profound cultivation, but he also had to be a person of high moral character and respect.

Among all the elders in the family elder council, in terms of seniority, only Song Luzhou and Xia Yunxue are qualified for this task.

However, one of them is the elder of general affairs, and the other is the elder of all arts. Both of them have important responsibilities and cannot be easily transferred.

Below the two of them, Song Lutong is barely qualified, but his character really makes everyone feel uneasy. If all the younger generations of the family are handed over to him to teach, won’t they all grow up astray?

Apart from him, there is no one else. The others either do not have enough cultivation or do not have enough prestige in the family.

For a moment, no one knew how to answer Song Changsheng's question.

Seeing this situation, Song Changsheng sighed deeply.

If one of Song Luyao and Song Luhuai were still alive, the result would not have been like this. The old generation of cultivators in the family had died off so severely.

"How about this, Brother Chang'an will be transferred to the position of the elder who teaches the skills."

For now, Song Changsheng has no choice but to boldly use the new generation of elders.

Song Changan is a straightforward person who does things meticulously. He has served as the punishment elder over the years and has accumulated a lot of reputation in the family. It is quite a stretch for him to serve as the power transmission elder, mainly because his cultivation is far behind.

But there is nothing that can be done about it, after all, the time he has to grow up is too short.

There were no good candidates around, and everyone had no objection to this. Compared with Song Lutong, Song Changan's character was at least much stronger than his.

"Then who should take the position of Punishment Elder?" Song Luzhou frowned.

The Punishment Elder is in charge of the Law Enforcement Hall. It is true that he holds a high position and has great power, but the pressure he faces is also enormous. After all, he has to deal with people of the same clan, and it is difficult for him to be impartial.

Therefore, this position must be held by a ruthless person.

Song Changsheng had already considered this. He looked past the crowd and fixed his eyes on a figure near the corner.

"The position of Punishment Elder will be taken over by Qing Xing!"

...(End of chapter)