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Hearing this, the middle-aged man raised his head and looked at Pei Zi Yun. He then understood, "Free Cloud Sect’s Leader?"

Pei Zi Yun revealed a smile which showed his teeth. He then looked into the eyes of the middle-aged man, "I know of your identity. Your illness is not of a physical illness. Should I continue?"

The middle-aged man who was lying down had a dramatic change to his expression as he looked intently at Pei Zi Yun before he calmed down. He then turned to his wife and daughter and spoke to them; his tone became much warmer. "You and the girl, leave us."

Hearing her father’s sudden change in tone, the young girl paused for a moment and didn’t speak. She hesitated but managed to drag herself up as the middle-aged woman held her hand while they walked out of the room.

Pei Zi Yun sat down on the stool next to the bed. The young girl kept turning back to look at him as she left the room, trying to read what’s going on from the faces of this young man and her father.

"You have been intentionally mean and evil to your daughter, so as to sever the relationship between yourself and her. You do this so that she will not suffer the same fate as you and would be disconnected from the curse. But have you ever spared a thought for how your daughter would feel?" Pei Zi Yun glared at the middle-aged man and looked him deep in the eye.

The middle-aged man coughed violently and shouted in a coarse voice, "What do you know? Do you know of the deep-seated hatred between both our families? Do you know what my family has been through?"

Pei Zi Yun laughed once, "I don’t know? It seems to me like you’re the one who doesn’t know?"

There were no lamps or lanterns lit up within the house and the foul stench lingered. The light was somewhat dim. After he spoke, Pei Zi Yun placed his hands behind his back and paced around the house. He spoke slowly, as though emphasizing every single word. "Between the heavens and earth, fate isn’t fixed. However, defying the will of heavens and altering the fate is something one should never do."

"The previous dynasty lasted for three hundred years and was about to reach an end. The world was in chaos and many innocent people lost their lives daily. If allowed to continue, these people wouldn’t be able to survive for much longer before all of them were wiped out."

"With the cries and laments of these hundreds of millions of people, a revolution would gradually happen, that’s the power of the masses." At this point, Pei Zi Yun looked around worriedly, "You are a scholar, and the disciple of a high ranking official, you should know this."

Hearing these words, the middle-aged man started to tremble in fear.

Of course, the middle-aged man knew that revolutions always started with discontent from the masses. Every single dynasty had also relied on the failure of the previous dynasty and started a revolution in order to cement their place as the new monarch and the new dynasty. That was how new eras were ushered in.

"It wasn’t that the old dynasty was beyond redemption but because the people had gotten tired of the dynasty. With the power of the masses, insurgence would form, and this is common in every era."

"Once the revolution began, it would be hard to stop."

Pei Zi Yun sighed as he recalled the important uprisings throughout history. Although to most people of the later generations, this didn’t matter to them, he was aware of how success or failure was determined by such a small margin.

"Even if the previous dynasty was truly beyond redemption, as faithful and loyal citizens of the nation, an uprising was necessary to eradicate the monarchy and place a more suitable Emperor on the throne. Although the new dynasty had killed off the Emperor of the previous dynasty, he wasn’t the least in the wrong."

"Now, your father committed numerous atrocities and yet his name wasn’t on the list?"

"That’s because your father has no regard for heaven, and doesn’t listen to men."

"If he had any regard for heaven, would he interfere with the Will of Heaven by attacking the Latent Dragon, which was a symbol of power sent from above?"

"If he listened to men, he should’ve used the tactics of war and shown bravery and courage by leading the men in rebellion. That would’ve been the proper way."

"But your father as the Imperial Tutor used the rules of geomancy to destroy the Dragon Veins. That is extremely taboo and defied the laws of both heaven and men!"

"Of course, there’s no need to speak of the cruel ending he suffered. But how many more men had to die because of what your father did?"

"You screamed out, calling it an injustice. But have you heard the cries of those who suffered as a result of your father’s actions?"

Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly as he continued to pace. He then frowned when he smelled the pungent odor once again and pushed open the windows. A ray of sunlight entered the room, and some of the stench dissipated out of the window.

The middle-aged man behind had turned pale from what Pei Zi Yun had said, as his lips moved faintly. He was so stumped he couldn’t even speak. He then said, "You…. You know about what my family did."

"Of course, your surname is Du not Cao." Pei Zi Yun looked into his eyes before he took another few steps forward. "This world has always operated in such a way where the winner becomes Emperor and the loser is deemed a traitor. You father broke the Dragon Veins, and he’s been subjected to the necessary punishment. You, are another case altogether."

"You came from a good sect, your family background was considered high which meant you were educated. This means that you knew that what your father did deserved punishment. Hence, he had five horses rip his body apart. As his son, you deserved to be punished as well. However, you managed to acquire the Daoist’s map, which gave you a lifeline. You then moved here to the refuge point, and thus didn’t get the intense retribution deserved."

"You are, after all the son of Du Zi Nong. Although I can tell that you’ve received the curse as well, there’s still some aura of fortunes around you. If not, you would’ve died a long time ago."

"When I came, I noticed that the few houses around were all empty, and nobody lived around here. There were several graves around as well, and the entire area reeked of the curse. I figured that the houses around probably belonged to your brothers. After their deaths, the curse wasn’t lifted, and they’re still suffering in the underworld."

"The few people who managed to escape to the refuge point, led bitter lives till the end due to the gravity of the crime. Now, you’re the only one remaining, am I right?"

Pei Zi Yun glared at the middle-aged man, who wailed and cried. His face was stained with tears and all the ferocity in him and disappeared. Now, all that remained were the scars left behind by the decades of living under the curse.

"Ai!" Pei Zi Yun sighed, unsure whether he was sadder for the middle-aged man or the entire Du family. He paced for several steps before he spoke, "Your daughter’s trace of the curse is less than yours, but is still there. Since you are directly related by blood, the curse has wrapped itself around her as well. If nothing else happens, the curse will not get a chance to spread to the fourth generation, for everyone in your family would’ve died."

"Without anyone to continue your family line, to burn incense for your family, who would save your father’s soul from the pits of heavenly wrath? Can you bear to let your family go extinct? What happened to your filial piety?" Pei Zi Yun asked.

Hearing Pei Zi Yun berate him, the entire room was filled with sobs. Before long, the middle-aged man raised his head and looked at Pei Zi Yun and asked, "What should I do then?"

Pei Zi Yun then spoke plainly, "In actual fact, what you have in mind would work. As long as your daughter continues the family line, the curse will weaken with each passing generation. Once several hundred years has passed, the price would’ve been paid. Then, your father’s sins can be washed away."

"But the sin flows deep, and is worse than you imagined. It seems like the only plan now is to use blessings to counter the curse."

Hearing these words, the middle-aged man laughed bitterly, "Blessings? How can blessings ever befall my family with the curse looming over us? How can blessings ever be attracted to my daughter?"

Pei Zi Yun raised his head and whispered, "Your words do make sense. But for your curse to be washed away, you should marry your daughter into a family whose blessings run deep. Now, which family who’s deeply blessed would want to marry your daughter? Even if a family didn’t know they were blessed, someone would remind them just before they would commit their son to this cursed family."

As soon as he heard this, the middle-aged man didn’t speak as he lowered his head.

"You’ve changed your family name and yet the Imperial Fang family still know that your surname is Du?"

"Do you know that Fang Yong Jue carries with him the blessings from his ancestors? He loves and admires your daughter. Should he marry your daughter, the curse can be countered. I’ve counselled him to accept your daughter and to give you a house to live in, and he will ensure that incense is burnt for your ancestors as well. He is the last chance for your Du family."

"Besides even if the blessings aren’t able to cancel out your father’s curse completely, it can definitely reduce it. Your future generations will not be implicated as badly as a result. When the curse is over, someone from your future generations will be able to become an official, and might beg for a conferment of title for your father. When that happens…. Do you know what that means?"

Pei Zi Yun spoke coldly. In actual fact, he knew that Fang Yong Jie knew about this. However, to the Fang family, they didn’t feel like they were shortchanging the Du family. Although everyone knew that if the marriage was approved, the middle-aged man might die. He wouldn’t be allowed to taste good fortune in this life time ever, and as soon as something joyous befell his family, he could die.

When the people being murdered numbered in tens of thousands, killing one more or one less wouldn’t make a difference.

It’s just that they didn’t know it then, but it would’ve been good to say it now.

For some time, nobody in the room spoke. The sound of the middle-aged man’s violent coughs could be heard. Even when the windows were opened, the room had a particularly strange stifling quality to it. A gust of wind blew in, and the sun shone down across the trees. Even from afar, many other houses could be seen. There was nobody who had lived in those houses for a long time.

A swallow flew past, and landed within its nest.

The middle-aged man wanted to say something, but always choked and swallowed on his words at the very last moment.

"Are you moved? It seems like you still can’t arrive at a decision." Pei Zi Yun then thought to himself, "But it truly seems like you don’t have much of a choice."

"You should consider this. Would you wish to use the Fang family to wash off your curse? Although you might die once there’s a change in fortunes, your daughter doesn\'t have to die. In fact, she can still be saved now. Once you let this chance slip by, your family line would inevitably end." Pei Zi Yun spoke as he walked out through the door.

Pei Zi Yun knew that he mustn’t let the middle-aged man think that Pei Zi Yun needed his help. Doing that might cause someone to baulk and resist. Instead, he gave the person sometime to think about the only choice he has, most people would accept it.

The middle-aged man was left alone in the room, as he breathed heavily and fell deep into thought.

"Ah!" Pei Zi Yun came out from the room and immediately heard the sound of anguished cries and of a porcelain bowl that crashed to the ground and shattered.

When the middle-aged woman heard this, her face fell, as she charged into the room.

"Father!" The young girl eyed Pei Zi Yun once before she rushed in as well. Seeing the girl cast him a wary glance, Pei Zi Yun stroked his own face and mumbled, "Do I look like a bad person?"

The room was filled with the sound of the three of them speaking, before wailing sounds could be heard.

After a long time, the door was pushed open. The young girl walked out, eyes red and puffy. She was still crying. Pei Zi Yun didn’t know what the middle-aged man said, but she wiped her eyes and spoke, "Father asked you to go in."

Pei Zi Yun walked in, and the middle-aged man glared at Pei Zi Yun and asked, "Can you promise me it will work?"

Pei Zi Yun then knew he had relented, and agreed to marry his daughter off to his sworn enemy’s family. This was a hard and painful thing to do, and yet it was his only option.

Pei Zi Yun sighed deeply, "I can’t promise you that. I can say that there’s a 70% chance it will settle your family’s problems. Of course, I also cannot say that there’s absolutely no way."

"I am Free Cloud Sect’s Leader, and an Imperial Court ordained Dao Master. If you are willing to sacrifice, there are two or three methods which we can use."

"But what do you have left for me to sacrifice?" Pei Zi Yun smiled, "Do you still think you are from the mighty Du family from decades ago?"

On paper, several decades ago, this family was extremely wealthy with plenty of officials and oxcarts serving under them. More than a hundred-people served them at one point and now all that had passed.

The middle-aged man trembled as he bit his lips, he tried to say something, but couldn’t say anything. He started to cough violently once again before he sighed, "Since that’s the case, this is the only way."

Pei Zi Yun nodded his head, as his voice turned gentle, "A little while later, I shall send some people over who will bring some silver, rice, and cloth."

Seeing that the middle-aged man wanted to speak again, he waved his hand, "Since you are now related and you wish to use the Fang family to wash away your curse, if you continue to bear grudges or hatred, it would be akin to hating yourself."

"You daughter is about to get married and your wife was also from the same prestigious sect as yourself. They’ve both been suffering greatly over the past few years; can you bear to watch them suffer more?"

"What about yourself? You should sustain yourself till you see your second grandson born, and acknowledge his maternal parentage. Only then can you answer to your ancestors that you’ve continued the family bloodline."

These words were spoken to the middle-aged man, who had no retort. With a face filled with tears, he turned to look at Pei ZI Yun, who had already walked out. With a sigh, he felt his heart go soft. He had already been prepared to give up his life and yet it seemed like there wasn’t a need for him to do so anymore.