Chapter 2145: Deer Call Cauldron

In the Dragon Coiling World, during He Lingchuan’s tenure as Grand Marshal of Jade Pivot City, the envoy and liaison sent from Mount Spirit to Dragon Coiling City was Lu Xun, an ancestor of the Lu family.

That was 160 years ago.

Lu Xun was soon recalled, and Xin Yi took over the affairs of Dragon Coiling City. He Lingchuan never saw him again after that.

The sudden reappearance of an old acquaintance still stirred a sense of emotion in him.

He remembered Lu Xun once saying that the Lu family's Immortal Ancestor originated from the Great Reversion Sect, then traveled the world and established their own lineage after the Immortal-Devil War, eventually joining Mount Spirit.

It was no wonder, then, that a Questioning Dao Tree appeared in his memory.

Everyone stared at the image, riveted. Lu Feiyan quietly asked her father, "Have you seen it?"

Lu Zhenxian shook his head. "Not just me, but even the elders and ancestors probably haven't seen it."

For so many years, the jade pendant had been kept in the ancestral hall or by the patriarch; there was no need to test it this way.

Seeing these illusory images reflected in the water, Lu Zhensheng's heart sank to rock bottom, even though he had prepared himself.

The jade pendant was real; the images it projected had confirmed that.

The Nine Nether Emperor truly was a member of the Lu family! With this confirmed, how would he treat Lu Zhensheng and his son, who had seized the family headship years ago?

As it turned out, before the Nine Nether Emperor could even speak, Lu Zhenxian was already impatient.

"This is truly a great joy! A-Bang, immediately announce to the Hundred Ranks that we welcome the true master of our Lu family back!"

Lu Zhenxian knew his words were too hasty, but what did it matter?

He glared straight at Lu Zhensheng.

"How many years have you usurped the nest? Now that the rightful heir has returned, do you truly have the nerve to hold onto it and not return it? If you don't want to step down gracefully, then don't blame us for helping you do so."

Recalling the suppression he and his son had endured, Lu Zhenxian actually hoped Lu Zhensheng would be ungracious now.

"Yes!" Lu Qingbang turned to leave.

"Wait." Lu Zhensheng knew this was his last chance to turn the tables, and he had to seize it.

He pointed at the jade pendant in the cauldron and said, "The jade pendant is real, but it only proves that His Majesty has the Lu family's bloodline. Even if your birth mother was Lu Xiaoyun from the main lineage, she was still a woman who married into an outside family. Her children would carry an outside surname and thus wouldn't be qualified to inherit the main family's estate!"

Several clan elders exchanged glances.

That was indeed the rule. Family property could not be passed to those with outside surnames; this wasn't unique to the Lu family but a regulation for all families throughout the land.

However, given the Nine Nether Emperor's current stature, seizing control of the Lu family would be done in the blink of an eye, wouldn't it?

Rules were ineffective against individuals who could not be constrained.

If they sided with Lu Zhensheng and angered the Emperor, wouldn't it bring ruin upon the Lu family?

So, they remained silent.

Lu Lianyun said dryly, "Isn't there an exception? The Son of Destiny can inherit the main family's estate!"

What made the Lu family unique was that its main lineage actually shifted with the "Son of Destiny." Even if a Son of Destiny appeared in a collateral branch, they would immediately be recognized as the legitimate heir.

Lu Feiyan raised her voice, "Exactly! Look at the achievements the Emperor has created—who dares say he isn't blessed with great fortune?"

Wasn't great fortune ultimately manifested through establishing great achievements?

The Lu family had produced many Sons of Destiny over the generations, but which one's fortune could compare to that of the Nine Nether Emperor?

"There are countless individuals in the world with great fortune. The Emperor has unparalleled achievements and indeed possesses a powerful aura, but he is not necessarily the Son of Destiny of our Lu family," Lu Zhensheng said, trying to remain composed. "Unless he receives recognition from our Lu family's ancestral spirits!"

Lu Feiyan was greatly surprised. "The Son of Destiny can be recognized?"

"Unheard of!" Lu Zhenxian immediately denied it, then asked the elders, "Second Uncle, Fourth Uncle, have either of you ever heard of this?"

Lu Lianyun shook his head. He truly didn't know.

Lu Lianqing, however, said, "The Son of Destiny is crucial for the Lu family's continuous prosperity and development. If there were no method of recognition, the Son of Destiny would have long since gone to other families; how could they still be inherited by the Lu family? It's just that in the past hundred years, both Sons of Destiny appeared within the main lineage, and their characteristics were very distinct and undisputed, so no additional recognition was needed, and most clan members are unaware of it."

This method of identification itself was designed to resolve disputes. Otherwise, if Lu Laoda and Lu Laoliu both claimed their sons were the Son of Destiny, how would they settle the argument without a standard assessment?

However, in the past hundred years, only two Sons of Destiny had appeared, so most Lu family members were unfamiliar with this process.

Human lifespans were too short, and some knowledge had unknowingly become lost over generations.

Lu Zhenxian asked curiously, "Then how exactly is one recognized?"

"All I know is that it involves an ancestral secret treasure, and the process is conducted behind closed doors," Lu Lianqing said, pointing at the incense burner. "For the rest, you'll probably have to ask the family head."

"Second Uncle spoke fairly!" With someone chiming in, Lu Zhensheng found it easier to continue. "Do you see this brass fragment inside the cauldron? Our Lu family ancestors cast this Deer's Cry Cauldron based on this very fragment. If His Majesty wishes to ascertain if he is the Lu family's Son of Destiny, he only needs to place his hand on this fragment. It will naturally provide an answer."

A brass fragment?

Those standing by the cauldron craned their necks to look inside. Finally, with the help of the daylight, they saw that near the mouth of the cauldron, there was indeed an irregular brass piece, as if broken off from some ring.

He Lingchuan looked at it; it resembled something he had eaten in another world: half a doughnut.

He glanced at Lu Zhensheng, who avoided his gaze in a gesture of respect.

*No rushing, no giving anything away!*

The Nine Nether Emperor didn't immediately reach out as Lu Zhensheng expected. Instead, he first asked him:

"Do you know the origin of this brass piece?"

"The clan history doesn't record much, only that our Immortal Ancestor obtained it during the Immortal-Devil War. It was later used to cast the Deer's Cry Cauldron and became a family heirloom along with the jade pendant."

"Obtained during the Immortal-Devil War?" He Lingchuan asked again. "From whom was it obtained?"

"That's unclear. The clan history doesn't record it, and it happened a long time ago." It had been three thousand years; if the clan history didn't record it, whom could they ask?

He Lingchuan then lowered his head to look at the Deer's Cry Cauldron.

"This fellow doesn't want to give up the position of family head; he's definitely up to no good, Master, you must be careful!" The Soul-Stealing Mirror in his embrace warned him. "This fragment is of unknown origin. Why would the Lu family's Immortal Ancestor inexplicably expand it into an incense burner?"

He Lingchuan secretly snorted. The Soul-Stealing Mirror only told him to be careful without revealing the deeper mystery, indicating that it also couldn't discern anything special about the item.

This large incense burner had been in front of the ancestral hall for too long; the accumulated incense ash completely covered the brass fragment, making it inaccessible to anyone normally.

Perhaps this was also a form of protection.

Every word from the mirror was true; Lu Zhensheng harbored ill intentions.

Lu Feiyan suddenly said, "Wait a minute, if touching the brass fragment can determine things, how many people in our Lu family must have activated it? Why was there never any unusual phenomenon before?"