Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting light on his face.
Only fifty years old and a fifth-rank initial stage Gu Master, his hair had long turned white and his face was lined from years of exhausting himself with clan affairs.
Recently, due to the large-scale visit of the Hei clan and the active invitation from Dongfang Yuliang, the clan had split into two factions.
These two factions argued endlessly. One side advocated surrendering to the Dongfang tribe to resolve the old grievances. The other side insisted on aligning with the Hei clan, since the Hei clan was more powerful.
But could surrendering to the Dongfang clan really resolve the old grievances? Thinking of the deep-seated hatred that had accumulated over generations between his family and the Dongfang clan, Patriarch Zhao lost all confidence.
Alliance with the Hei clan was also not an option.
After all, the Zhao clan's home base was right here in Caofu, and the elites of Yutian, represented by the Hei clan, had already established an alliance. As a tribe that joined later, they would inevitably be bullied by the others. How much benefit would they actually obtain? They might even be treated as cannon fodder.
Therefore, Patriarch Zhao was also mired in contradiction and hesitation.
Especially in recent days, when the high-ranking members of the clan had been arguing fiercely, Patriarch Zhao had to deal with external threats, preventing the cunning Dongfang Yuliang from carrying out his schemes. At the same time, he had to maintain internal order and lead the family. Patriarch Zhao felt deeply exhausted.
"Sigh..."
He sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair. His eyes were vacant as he stared at the dust motes floating in the sunlight.
In the bright sunlight, every speck of dust was clearly visible. Patriarch Zhao felt like one of those dust motes: lost, wandering, currently suspended in mid-air, but perhaps a gust of wind would come and he would fall into the dirt on the ground.
And the great war between the Hei clan and the Dongfang clan was the hurricane about to sweep in.
Faced with such a hurricane, where should he and his clan go?
Just as Patriarch Zhao was growing agitated, the sound of crying suddenly came from outside the window.
Hearing this familiar voice, Patriarch Zhao immediately frowned, a look of concern appearing on his face. He immediately asked, "What's the matter?"
The guard outside immediately replied, "Clan Leader, it's the eldest young miss. She was running and slipped on the steps, banging her head."
"Ah!" Patriarch Zhao immediately stood up from his seat, his face full of distress. "My little darling, how did you fall? How much blood is there? Quick, bring her in."
Although Patriarch Zhao had several sons, they had all been killed by the devious schemes of Dongfang Yuliang. Now, he only had this one daughter.
The daughter was only about five or six years old, naturally mischievous, but her features strongly resembled her late mother, so Patriarch Zhao doted on her dearly.
Soon, the study door opened.
The guard brought the little girl into the room.
The girl was like a little doll carved from jade, dressed in beautiful clothes, unbelievably cute. Right now, however, she was sobbing, her arm covering her eyes.
"My little sweetheart, my little Yunyun, where did you hurt yourself?" Patriarch Zhao quickly went over, scooped up his little daughter, and asked with concern.
"Dad, are you blind? The wound is on my forehead!" the girl roared in her heart. On the surface, sitting in the crook of her father's arm, she leaned into his embrace and said coquettishly, "Daddy, Yunyun's head hurts..."
"Oh, oh, oh, let Daddy see, let Daddy see." Patriarch Zhao gently brushed aside the hair on his daughter's forehead and saw a tiny scrape, faintly red, but far from broken skin and bleeding.
But even so, Patriarch Zhao was extremely distressed.
He comforted his little daughter softly, then coldly scolded the old nanny who had arrived shortly after: "Wu Ma, how are you handling things? I told you to stick close to the young miss and watch her all the time. Look at the wound on her forehead!"
"This old servant deserves to die! Please forgive me, Clan Leader!" The old nanny was so frightened she immediately fell to her knees, covered in cold sweat. In her heart, however, she was ruefully complaining. This child was the most troublesome, most difficult little devil she had ever encountered in her life. Usually mischievous and cunning, she would disappear without a trace the moment you took your eyes off her, torturing this adult woman until she was half dead. Yet, in front of the Clan Leader, she put on the perfect act of an obedient, pitiful little thing. She had a born talent for acting! The nanny couldn't even find the slightest evidence of her mischief!
"Daddy, don't blame the nanny. It was Yunyun who wasn't watching where she was walking," the girl said softly.
In her heart, she added, "This old hag is so annoying, following me around all day. Do you think it was easy for your mother to go through the trouble of hurting herself just to get into this stupid study?!"
Patriarch Zhao let out a long sigh, stroked his daughter's smooth, black hair, and said with a look of great relief, "Daughter, you are just as kind as your mother."
The old nanny was screaming in her heart: "Clan Leader, you are completely fooled! This daughter of yours is an absolute little devil..."