Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

"My lord."

That day, Wang Chen was cultivating in his quiet room when He rushed to the door and whispered, "Chief Chen has just sent someone to invite you to the Three Names Ancestral Hall."

Wang Chen's eyes snapped open and he asked, "Did they say what it's about?"

He replied, "It's about a matter concerning Old Man Chen's family in the east of the village; they need you to make a judgement."

Fighting over inheritance…

Wang Chen's lips twitched.

There he was, a Purple Mansion Superior, expected to meddle in the household matters of others. Really, where was his dignity?

But as the village head, such affairs indeed fell within the scope of his duties!

"Mhm, I understand."

After letting He send the messenger away, Wang Chen did not hurry to get up.

He changed into a new set of robes and then gracefully left the house, mounting his big green donkey.

He made his way to the Three Names Ancestral Hall at a leisurely pace.

More than ninety percent of Datian Village's residents belonged to the Huang, Chen, or Xu families. It was said that their ancestors were sworn brothers who founded the village together.

Therefore, the ancestral hall was built and shared communally.

By the time Wang Chen arrived at the hall, it was already filled with villagers eager to watch the spectacle.

Chen Anhe was among them.

"Greetings, Chief."

This elderly cultivator with white hair hurriedly paid his respects to Wang Chen, "It shames me to trouble you with this matter, my lord."

He had that look of "I'm ashamed and uneasy, but I'm left with no choice."

This old fox!

Wang Chen waved his hand and asked, "What exactly is the matter that you can't resolve?"

Normally, matters concerning their own clan and family name were resolved internally within each of the three families of the village.

Instead of involving outsiders.

Wang Chen was an outsider!

Chen Anhe, as Patriarch Chen of the Chen family, had prestige in Datian Village, especially within his own clan, that far surpassed Wang Chen, the foreign village head—even if Wang Chen was a Purple Mansion cultivator.

As the saying goes, one's dirty linen should not be aired in public. To be honest, Wang Chen was quite curious.

He didn't believe this old fox really couldn't handle Old Man Chen's family affair.

"It's about the two brothers..."

Chen Anhe, with a wry smile, pointed to the two men standing nearby and said, "Both brothers claim they're getting the short end of the stick in the inheritance division, and they won't listen to my arrangements. They've caused such a commotion that we had no choice but to ask you to arbitrate."

He bowed again, "Please forgive us, my lord."

"Forget it."

Wang Chen replied indifferently, "Now, you two talk."

His gaze shifted to the two brothers from Old Man Chen's family, who involuntarily shivered and subconsciously lowered their heads.

Wang Chen's stare was too sharp, making them unable to meet his eyes.

The surrounding villagers also closed their mouths, and the vast hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The atmosphere turned eerily strange.

"Ahem!"

Chen Anhe suddenly coughed loudly twice, saying, "The Chief has told you to speak, what are you waiting for?"

The Chen brothers snapped out of it and hastily recounted the whole affair.

It turned out that a few days earlier, Old Man Chen had fallen gravely ill and passed away without leaving a will, sparking a dispute between the two brothers over the division of property, which had escalated to the clan level.

And neither was satisfied with the distribution proposed by Chen Anhe, refusing to settle the matter amicably, almost coming to blows over it.

That's all?

Wang Chen scoffed, "Can't you just split it evenly between you two?"

Chen Anhe replied helplessly, "Some things are hard to divide equally, like the farmland is manageable, but the house can't be cut in half, can it?"

Beyond the houses and farmland, there were also furniture, livestock, provisions, and spirit stones, among other things.

For instance, there was a storage bag left by Old Man Chen, which both brothers wanted, but how could you split one bag?

That was the crux of their relentless argument.

The eldest of the Chen family was somewhat haughty, "Village Chief, all I ask for is justice!"

Elder Chen wasn't easy to push around either, "That's right!"

The two brothers glared at each other with anger.

"Since that's the case..."

After hearing them out, Wang Chen spoke emotionlessly, "Then we'll distribute according to my plan."

He didn't allow for any interjections, pointing to the eldest Chen and saying, "You do the dividing."

Just as the eldest Chen's face showed a hint of pleasure, Wang Chen continued, "Divide it into two parts, then you choose first."

He pointed towards Elder Chen.

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"Ah?"

The two brothers were simultaneously taken aback.

They were, in fact, stunned.

There's an old saying that even a fair official would find it difficult to settle domestic affairs, and dividing family assets is the most troublesome domestic affair of all.

Who would have thought that Wang Chen's solution would be so simple?

But after careful consideration, no one could say his plan was unjust!

Both brothers subconsciously looked towards Chen Anhe.

"Cough!"

Chen Anhe coughed again, "I support the Village Chief, it's settled then."

Wang Chen chuckled and turned to leave.

It was still the same thought: he simply did not believe Chen Anhe couldn't handle the two Chen brothers.

Chen Anhe wasn't just Patriarch Chen, but he also had a cultivation level of Qi Cultivation Nine Layers.

Despite the two brothers appearing strong and fierce, their cultivation level was far inferior to Chen Anhe's.

Most importantly, their heads didn't seem too bright either.

They were particularly suited to be used as pawns!

Wang Chen couldn't fathom what kind of game Chen Anhe was playing.

But he was truly annoyed.

Since Wang Chen took office in Datian Village, the villagers had isolated and even rejected him, and apart from the one hundred mu of land allocated for village use, he had never exercised any power as the Village Chief.

He didn't mind this, and instead thought it was not bad, as it allowed him to cultivate peacefully.

But it seemed some people didn't want Wang Chen to live comfortably. Based on today's events, the probing intent of the other party was too obvious!

Then the question arose, Wang Chen had no intention of taking control of Datian Village; Chen Anhe and others could surely see this, so why were they still targeting him with their schemes?

Wang Chen believed that this was just the beginning, and surely more troubles were waiting for him.

For what purpose were they so wary of him?

"Why?"

After the villagers in the ancestral hall had dispersed, Chen Anhe came to the inner room and asked in puzzled bewilderment, "Didn't we agree before that as long as he keeps to himself, we wouldn't need to bother with him?"

"There's been a change."

Sitting in the inner room, Huang Deqi said gravely, "We might have to replace the Village Chief again!"

Chen Anhe was shocked, "But he's only been here for just over a month, do you have a way to transfer him out?"

"Transfer?"

Huang Deqi laughed, "Why would you think like that? If I could transfer him, the position of Village Chief wouldn't have been vacant for two years, you're overestimating me."

Although the Village Chief was a minor position, it involved the entry assessments of the West Sea Sect, which was beyond his connections to influence.

To move Wang Chen, there was only one way!

Chen Anhe fell silent for a moment before saying, "I don't think that's a good idea."

Now he had an indescribable wariness towards Wang Chen.

"It's not the first time."

Huang Deqi disdained, "Patriarch Chen, you and I are in the same boat, I won't harm you!"

He looked down on Chen Anhe, viewing him as greedy yet cowardly, always looking to save his own skin.

To think someone already knee-deep in the mire could still hope to come out clean was simply laughable!

"Don't bother yourself with this, I'll make the arrangements for this matter."

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