Chapter 568: Chapter 568: Tribute
The family eting continued.
At first, so family mbers really thought that the ancestors had appeared, but after careful consideration, they found this hard to believe and accept.
After all, the ancestors hadn’t shown themselves for thousands of years, so why had they suddenly appeared today?
Furthermore, even if the ancestors had appeared, they wouldn’t favor an outsider, would they?
If they sought to protect soone, it ought to be a descendant of the Ying Family! Why would they strike their descendants for an outsider?
‘There’s sothing off with Aoshan’s husband,’ the Ying Family Head thought as he stared intently at Huang Xiaolong from across the room. ‘Could he possess so dark magic? Nevermind, the family eting can’t be delayed… after this, I will investigate this issue properly. If I find out that he’s up to no good, hmph!’
A touch of murderous intent rose in the Family Head’s heart.
The second part of the family eting proceeded.
The presentation of gifts.
This presentation typically involved clan mbers contributing items to the family. On one hand, it served as a form of reciprocation for the nurture and support received from the family. On the other hand, it was also a testant to the clan mbers’ achievents and gains over the year.
This event might seem insignificant, but in this world, power, influence, and wealth were often directly proportional. Without significant power and influence, it was impossible to amass considerable wealth. Moreover, for ordinary people who happened to acquire wealth or treasures by luck, such fortune could in fact be a disaster. The adage “possession of a treasure brings trouble” has been relevant since ancient tis – without the power to protect one’s wealth, one would be dood to failure and end up enriching others.
The family’s higher-ups often assessed the value of the wealth contributed by each lineage.
At this point, each lineage’s mbers handed over their prepared items to their respective lineage heads.
For instance, mbers of Ying Xiao’s lineage handed their prepared items to Ying Xiao, who would then take them to the Elder Group’s seat for registration, identification, and value assessnt.
Ying Aoshan also brought out her carefully prepared gift – an ancient scroll radiating an intense aura of history. Huang Xiaolong glanced at it briefly and knew it was an antique with at least a thousand years of history.
“Little Long, I won’t keep you in suspense. This is an ancient piano score that Aoshan spent a lot of effort to acquire from a group of tomb robbers,” Ying Aoshan said with a slight smile, before handing the scroll to her father, Ying Xiao.
Huang Xiaolong also smiled.
A score?
The value of such an item is indeed in the eye of the beholder. Music enthusiasts would consider it a treasure, while others might just treat it as an antique collection.
During this gift-presentation segnt, so clansn presented precious gemstones, so offered original shares of public companies, others bestowed overseas properties, and so even brought rare dicinal herbs…
Ying Chong’s lineage had been ticulously preparing for this event for a full year. As such, the value of their offerings was firmly at the forefront among all lineages!
Their contribution significantly overshadowed that of Ying Xiao’s lineage!
This made Ying Xiao feel sowhat deflated, as if he’d been outdone.
“Ha ha ha ha~~ So, third brother, the wealth you and your lineage are contributing to the family this year seems a bit ager, doesn’t it?” Ying Chong said smugly as he looked at Ying Xiao. “Wealth is power. It seems that the ability of your lineage’s mbers is sowhat inadequate. All else is irrelevant, this gift presentation is a tangible demonstration of each lineage’s foundation.”
“Big brother, you…” A blush crept up Ying Xiao’s face, and he was sowhat at a loss for words.
“Third brother, my son Qingfeng has not yet presented his gift. His business has been flourishing this year, and he has had several strokes of good fortune. The wealth he offers to the family is bound to be a sensation!” Ying Chong said proudly. “I’m afraid that the wealth offered by Qingfeng alone will surpass the total contribution of your entire lineage! Just one person, Qingfeng, will make your whole lineage pale in comparison!”
“That’s utter nonsense!” Ying Xiao burst out in anger.
At this mont, Ying Qingfeng stood up, holding two small boxes carved from jade.
Inside the boxes were the items he was going to offer to the family this year.
Just by looking at these two jade boxes, one could tell that they are priceless. Hence, one could imagine the preciousness of the items inside them!
Earlier, when other clan mbers were presenting their gifts, Ying Qingfeng hadn’t made a move. Now that he was presenting his gift at the very end, this was clearly an act of saving the best for last.
With jade boxes in hand and an air of arrogance, Ying Qingfeng glanced provocatively at Huang Xiaolong. “I don’t seem to see you preparing any gifts… Hmm, you’ve just joined the Ying Family and you’re here for this grand family gathering. Didn’t you prepare even one decent gift?”
“Cousin Qingfeng, Little Long is Aoshan’s husband. As the saying goes, husband and wife share everything. Aoshan has already offered a gift to the family. You don’t need to pick on Little Long,” Ying Aoshan replied lightly.
“Ha-ha-ha~~~ That may be true, but not even preparing a single gift, that’s a bit uncouth, isn’t it?” Ying Qingfeng laughed haughtily.
“Well~~ now that you ntion it, I do feel a bit embarrassed,” Huang Xiaolong said lazily. “Actually, I don’t need to prepare anything at all. Because any gift I bring out casually could overshadow everything else here and beco the most precious gift. It seems like you’ve gone to great lengths to prepare two items this year, hoping to steal the show? Unfortunately for you, I could bring out anything casually and it would outshine your two little items. In simple words, even a single hair of mine is thicker than your thigh.”
“Ha ha ha ha! What a smooth talker!” Ying Qingfeng sneered. “Do you even know what’s in my jade boxes? If you don’t, you’re in no position to make such outrageous claims!”
“Well, it seems you just refuse to shed tears until you see the coffin…” Huang Xiaolong stood up with a playful expression on his face. “How about this, let’s make a bet and see whose gift is more precious. Do you dare to take this bet?”
“Qingfeng, this kid’s quite crafty,” Ying Chong warned him in a low voice. “Don’t fall into his trap.”
Ying Qingfeng gave a cold laugh. “Dad, you don’t need to worry about this. As you know, these two gifts are beyond worldly wealth. I refuse to believe that soone looking as poor as him could possibly produce anything that would catch the Elders Group’s eye.”
“You’re right. Your two treasures are indeed priceless. They won’t lose to anyone,” Ying Chong nodded in agreent, and said nothing more.
“What do you want to bet on?” Ying Qingfeng asked confidently. “But I advise you not to humiliate yourself.”
“Pfft~~~ Okay, let’s go present our gifts at the sa ti. Let the Elder Group and old patriarch Ying decide which is more valuable. The person who brings the more precious gift wins. The loser must apologize to the winner in front of everyone. How about it? Do you dare to bet?” Huang Xiaolong smiled playfully.
Ying Qingfeng’s eyes flickered as he looked Huang Xiaolong up and down, especially the shabby canvas bag slung casually over his shoulder, which further deepened his disdain.
“Sure! Let’s bet! Let’s go present our gifts together!” Ying Qingfeng said with a self-satisfied smirk. “Later, in front of all the clan mbers, you will have to apologize to ! Ha ha ha ha!”
“We’ll see,” Huang Xiaolong replied casually with a smile on his face. “Well, since soone’s offering up their face for to slap, I might as well oblige.”
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, the two n walked together toward the podium where the Elder Group sat at the middle of the square.
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