"Are you unwilling and angry?" Lu Yuan asked with a faint smile.
Lu Yin lowered his head, keeping silent. For sixteen years he had lived, and this was his first meeting with the Lu family's old Patriarch.
The person with the highest seniority he had met so far was the head of the family, Lu Yuanchen.
He only heard bits and pieces about the old man. A martial arts enthusiast, a Grandmaster of the Taiji School, and that he suffered an injury while refining his physical body.
This was a man who didn't give up on himself just because he lacked spiritual roots, but instead, he embarked on the internal refinement path to hone the body and mind.
With all those rumors in mind, Lu Yin thought for a moment and said, "I haven't met the girl before, so I can't say I'm unwilling or angry about it."
Lu Yuan nodded. "We can put the engagement aside for now. Even if you liked her, I won't allow this marriage. No one can look down on the men of my Lu family, we stand proud in poverty and humble in power, always keep that in mind. In everything you do, strive for a clear conscience.
"I'm aware that the family is trying to take away your resources after the engagement is called off, but the engagement is just an excuse. The real reason is you and your sudden problem."
Lu Yin clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, but he didn't say anything immediately.
He calmed down and asked, "What about you, Grandfather? Do you think the same?"
Lu Yuan smiled. "I neither agree nor disagree with them. As a Patriarch, my vision encompasses the entire family, not individual members."
"Don't be too quick to feel slighted," Lu Yuan waved his hand. "The family's resources are finite. The elders shuffle them according to necessity, and they can only invest in something guaranteed to make a return. It's fair to provide more when you have talent at the expense of your clansmen from the same generation.
"To put it bluntly, the extra resources you enjoyed for twelve years were siphoned away from their share. The dispute here isn't about taking away your resources, but how to redistribute the resources going forward.
"I'll make a fair judgment here. They wanted to take away from your original share to compensate their juniors, but I won't allow it. Your resources will be less than usual, but you'll receive equal treatment to your clansmen from the same generation. If you want more resources, strive for them."
The more Lu Yin listened, the less complicated his expression became. He realized the truth in Lu Yuan's words.
He was simply used to getting so many resources to the point where he nurtured a misguided notion. In truth, his share of resources was fixed, and anything extra came at the expense of his clansmen.
No wonder they despised him so much.
Then again, he was no better, already harboring malice in his heart toward them for a similar reason.
At the end of the day, he wasn't any better.
Lu Yin lowered his head, feeling ashamed.
Lu Yuan patted his head and smiled. "Don't look so down, how about you listen to what this old man has to say?"
Lu Yin raised his head, his expression turning respectful. "This junior will listen to you."
Lu Yuan felt gratified, feeling that the young are still teachable.
"This family is already rotten to the core because of benefits and competition, and your uncles aren't an exception. Alas, the human heart is still flesh and blood, and this old man can't be ruthless enough…"
Lu Yuan sighed, closed his eyes, and a hint of fatigue appeared on his weathered face.
He continued, "I will give you half my savings of spirit stones, some treasures, and scrolls with my insights as a Grandmaster. These notes won't be of help to you in the future as you're going to become a cultivator, but they can help you in the early stages.
"Staying in this family that has no ambitions for the immortal dao will only hold you back from advancing. Always keep in your heart, a man's company defines a man's temperament."
Lu Yin opened his mouth to say something, feeling that the Patriarch was chasing him away.
However, after hearing the phrase about the company and temperament, he began to reflect on the overall atmosphere of the clan.
The elders are fighting among themselves, influencing the juniors to fight among themselves, influencing the maids and servants to behave all the same.
He felt it most acutely because he didn't have servants or maids to serve by his side, so he could stand outside the petty competitive circle and watch the spectacle.
Imagining himself growing into a petty and scheming old man, Lu Yin shuddered.
"Besides," Lu Yuan gave him a meaningful glance. "Do you want to be here when the people from the Wang family come with an Immortal's backing to walk all over our dignity? I'll put it straight, this old man can't fight an Immortal yet."
Lu Yin lowered his head sheepishly.
Actually, he kinda hoped to see his old grandfather put up an unyielding stance and speak up heroically, but he quickly realized how foolish this was.
Lu Yuan advised, "Lu Yin, you're pursuing immortal fate, and this fate won't lack in hardships and tribulations. Look at me, I was merely pursuing the Martial Dao, an insignificant Dao, but I could barely hold on.
"When it comes to life and death, many things prove rather insignificant, much less when it comes to pursuing immortality."
"I understand, Grandpa," Lu Yin nodded his head heavily, and even switched to addressing Lu Yuan affectionately.
Lu Yuan sighed and called out, "Someone!"
Whoosh!
A figure walked out from the shadows of the ancestral hall. Cloaked in thick red robes that revealed but his eyes, cold and filled with killing intent, the man bowed respectfully.
"You heard me just now, bring my private spirit stones savings over the years together with Lu Yin's rightful share of resources for the next two years from the family's treasury. Bring them over with the family's accounts book and transactions ledger."
The figure nodded and used a movement technique to quickly depart.
Lu Yuan planned to give half the spirit stones to Lu Yin and use the remaining half to check out his ultimate Golden Finger, the Taiji Space.