CHAPTER 2089: CHAPTER 2087: STIRRING THE BLOOD WITHIN

"You..." The second elder glared, but quickly calmed himself and swiftly gave a look to the ninth elder beside him.

The ninth elder stood up and loudly said, "Since we’re talking about the second elder’s family affairs, has the eighth elder’s household been managed well?"

Bai Ruozhu saw Elder Su’s expression change, and her heart sank as well. It seemed that Elder Su’s family really had troubles.

It’s a pity she knew too little, otherwise, she would have used different words just now.

"The eldest son of the eighth elder left the clan without permission and has not returned. Who knows if he defected from the clan? You keep accusing Du Fei of being a traitor, what about the eighth elder’s son? If there’s nothing wrong with him, why hasn’t he returned all these years?" The ninth elder questioned loudly.

The eighth elder’s face grew darker, and after a long pause, he finally said, "I failed to teach my son properly."

There was a sigh from the audience below. Back then, the eighth elder’s son took advantage of others going out to train and slipped out with them, and hadn’t returned for many years with not a single word. The eighth elder had left the clan several times to find him, but unfortunately, there was no news at all.

Jiao Ling quickly explained the situation to Bai Ruozhu on the side. Bai Ruozhu pursed her lips. In such a situation, either he was hiding and unwilling to return to the clan, or had already died outside.

But no one wanted to say that the eighth elder’s eldest son was dead, not even the eighth elder hoped for that.

"If the eighth elder couldn’t even manage his own son, if he became the clan leader, wouldn’t the young people in the clan follow his son’s example and go out on their own, causing chaos?" The ninth elder pressed on relentlessly.

Bai Ruozhu was truly furious, stood up and shouted, "Going out without permission is nonsense. Now that the Barrier jade plates have been stolen, how can anyone leave? This clearly is a problem with the Jiuli Clan’s rules. You’re all living, breathing people, out there is a vast world, why keep people locked up in this valley? It’s normal for young people to be curious about the outside world and want to go explore it."

She grew more and more agitated as she spoke, "They say reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Does practicing behind closed doors here make you invincible in the world? Rules are dead, people are alive, it’s about time they changed!"

Many young people in the clan became excited upon hearing this. When had they not longed to go out and explore, that’s why those young women envied Bai Ruozhu.

"Bai Ruozhu is right. Some of the clan’s rules need to change." Fen Jizhi stood up and said, "Back then, the Jiuli didn’t allow marriage with outsiders, but after hundreds of years, the Jiuli clan has been marrying closely related within, which is not beneficial for the development of descendants. Clan leader Wei Aofeng proposed intermarriage with other clans. From the Bai siblings, we can see this change was correct. Even if they are the bloodline resulting from intermarriage with outsiders, they are still excellent!"

Many people looked at Fen Jizhi with admiration in their eyes. Bai Ruozhu also admired him from the bottom of her heart. The original Jiuli bloodline should have looked down upon those with non-pure blood resulting from marriage with outsiders, but Fen Jizhi had the courage and integrity to publicly acknowledge the excellence of Bai Ruozhu and Bai Zepei.

"This is a matter of the rules, it’s not Elder Su’s fault. If it were me, I would also yearn for freedom." Bai Ruozhu said.

The ninth elder snorted coldly, "What do outsiders like you know? The Jiuli bloodline is noble, the outside is dangerous everywhere, and we have the constant threat of the Quanrong Clan. How can one casually go out? What if you perish outside?"

Bai Ruozhu sneered, "Afraid of dying and not daring to leave home, no wonder the Jiuli Clan has declined and is threatened by the Quanrong Clan. Look at the Quanrong Clan, they never hide in one corner nor stop their clan members from going out. Last year, the Quanrong Clan attacked the southwestern part of Danliang, causing considerable trouble for Danliang. Even though I don’t have a good impression of them, I have to admit they are getting stronger."

"Back then, the Jiuli could annihilate the Quanrong Clan, and now they’re afraid of the Quanrong Clan’s raids everywhere. Aren’t Jiuli people supposed to be descendants of gods? How can they live so disgracefully?"

The last words were almost shouted, angering a crowd, but they also hit like a hammer, pounding heavily in everyone’s hearts.

"How dare you, the Jiuli Clan is not for you to insult. Guards, take Bai Ruozhu away and lock her in the Disciplinary Hall!" The second elder shouted loudly.

"I’m still here, Second Elder, are you going to overstep me now?" The great elder’s voice was slow, yet carried undeniable authority.

"Great elder, you are too biased towards Bai Ruozhu!" The second elder cried out.

The great elder smiled slightly, "I am not biased towards her. Originally, I didn’t like her coming into the valley, but now I realize that Elder Su was right to bring them back."

He sighed, "Because of the last clan leader’s affairs, the clan was severely hurt, and in these decades, we have been overly cautious, forgetting even the pride of Jiuli people. Where once stories of the Jiuli people were told everywhere outside, now how many people know of the Jiuli Clan?"

Many people lowered their heads. Indeed, they had been too careful these years.

Fen Jizhi suddenly stood up, "I also think Bai Ruozhu’s words are correct. I would rather go outside to face risks, even to lose my life out there, than hide in a corner and become the laughingstock of the Quanrong Clan!"

His friend Ye He also stood up with him, "The road is beneath our feet, we should venture out!"

Immediately many young people stood up with great enthusiasm, echoing Fen Jizhi’s words.

Bi Tao and those young women also stood up, saying they were willing to see the world and make themselves stronger to better protect the Jiuli.

"These youngsters are indeed impressive, we are getting old." Said an elder emotionally, but his eyes were slightly red.

"The Jiuli Clan has successors. Change is due."

"If I were twenty years younger, I would surely be like them, but unfortunately, we didn’t have their courage back then."

"..."

The second elder and the ninth elder were furious, their faces turning blue on stage. They didn’t expect Bai Ruozhu to cause such a large wave, and even the second elder had to pay attention to her influence in the clan.

Actually, Bai Ruozhu didn’t think she had any influence; she just spoke the things young people thought about, igniting the passion deep within their hearts.

"We’ll discuss this matter later; for now, we’re talking about selecting a clan leader, I still think Elder Su is not suitable." The ninth elder shouted to calm the people.

"The separation is already painful enough for the ninth elder. If there were no harsh rules, perhaps such a thing wouldn’t have happened." Bai Zepei spoke up.

The great elder turned to him, "You are the one with the best results in the Enlightenment Tablet trial to date; what’s your opinion?"

"I support Elder Su as clan leader!" Bai Zepei said firmly.

"What about the others who have been to the Enlightenment Tablet?" The great elder asked again.

A seemingly inconspicuous middle-aged man stood up and said in a deep voice, "The second elder has always diligently contributed to the clan. According to the rules, he should succeed the great elder’s position. Without rules, there can be no order. How can it fall to the eighth elder?"