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The three of them chatted while eating, discussing the appearance of cultivators. For the first thirty years, cultivators looked no different from ordinary people, but after reaching thirty, the signs of aging for both men and women slowed down. Cultivators generally had longer lifespans, with the highest recorded age being one hundred and five. However, they could still fall ill; under normal circumstances, they wouldn't catch minor ailments like colds, but rather suffered from difficult-to-cure diseases caused by genetic mutations.
When the conversation turned to marriage, it was noted that cultivators typically began their training in the Six Elements between the ages of twelve and fifteen, maturing around eighteen. Because many cultivators also pursued cultural education and other studies, late marriage became a common characteristic among them, with the average marriage age being around thirty. However, the Four Great Families had exceptions. The Lineage referred to those who might inherit the family headship, usually spanning three generations. For instance, if three brothers were involved, and A became the family head, then B and C's children would be part of the Lineage. Once A's son inherited the family headship, B and C's grandchildren would no longer belong to the Lineage but would be considered collateral branches. The family head was elected from those listed in the clan genealogy, but candidates could only be chosen from within the Lineage. It was no wonder that Ding Ze remarked on how complex the internal relationships within wealthy families were.
Many claimed to belong to noble families, but everyone recognized only the Four Great Families. For example, the Ding Family would select two or three unmarried individuals deemed most outstanding by the current elders of their Lineage as prospective heirs. Ding Ze was one such prospective heir. They would then choose female cultivators from other noble families of similar age; these women did not need to belong to a Lineage and could come from collateral branches. Marriages typically occurred between the ages of eighteen and twenty. This next step was crucial: if a couple could produce a prospective cultivator, that child would qualify for inheriting the family headship and become one of the candidates. Generally speaking, family heads were replaced every twenty to thirty years.
Due to Ding Ze's connections, Beiyue had learned about the Four Great Families through books; each step in their hierarchy was quite complex. Cui Ming and Mi Xiaonan listened with heavy eyelids. What benefits did being part of a noble family bring? Aside from those in the Lineage, collateral branches had a lower sense of belonging to their clan; however, being part of the Lineage was already significant since there were quite a number of them.
Research breakthroughs over twelve years indicated that if both parents were cultivators, there was a 50% chance their children would also be prospective cultivators. If two individuals with a 50% chance married each other, their children's likelihood of becoming cultivators dropped significantly to about 30%. If two individuals with a 30% chance married, that probability decreased further to 10%. How could this situation be avoided? The only solution was for those with a 50% chance to seek out someone with a one in five hundred thousand chance. Currently, noble families were undergoing reforms; intermarriage among the Four Great Families might soon be abolished. The assessments held every two years also carried an element of matchmaking as some families sought out individuals with that rare probability.
In Beiyue's team, Beiyue's father was a cultivator, giving Beiyue a 10% chance of becoming a prospective cultivator. While this was inferior to someone with a one in five hundred thousand chance, it was better than a 50% likelihood. Mi Xiaonan belonged to a special species where regardless of whether they were cultivators or not, there was only a one in a thousand chance for their children to become prospective cultivators. Ding Ze fell into the 50% category. Only Cui Ming and Li Qing belonged to that rare one in five hundred thousand group.
Cui Ming asked with a smile, "Does this mean there will be matchmaking?"
Beiyue replied helplessly, "Cui Ming, don't think too much about it. Men can indeed be chosen as well; however, would you be willing to become part of another family? You definitely wouldn't have inheritance rights; it all depends on whether your children have any."
Mi Xiaonan reflected deeply, "Life as an adopted son-in-law is quite difficult."
"How do you know?" Cui Ming asked curiously.
Mi Xiaonan responded, "My mother came from a wealthy family but was an only daughter; my grandfather insisted that my father become an adopted son-in-law."
Cui Ming nodded, "Your father married in the spirit of love, but after a year or two, he regretted it decisively."
"How do you know?" Mi Xiaonan asked in surprise.
"Decisions made against one's principles because of love will lead to regret when that love fades," Cui Ming explained. "I read that in a book. The author is Xia Xie."
Beiyue added, "If you don't make sacrifices for love, you'll regret losing it later. That's also written in the book. The author is Xia Xie as well."
Mi Xiaonan sighed, "Indeed, authors are the least principled beings; everything is just what they say."
Beiyue continued, "The book also says that judging by the outcome, if the result is good, then it's right; if the result is bad, then it's wrong. So whether the sacrifice was worth it depends on how things turn out."
Cui Ming nodded, "For example, Mi Xiaonan's dad just married in, and Mi Xiaonan's grandfather's whole family because..." Mi Xiaonan shot him a glare; he knew what example Cui Ming was about to use. Cui Ming laughed and changed the subject.
The three chatted; aside from introducing basic knowledge, it was mainly Mi Xiaonan and Cui Ming who were engaged in light conversation while Beiyue listened and chimed in occasionally. As night fell, they had to figure out how to share a single tent. Ultimately, Mi Xiaonan and Cui Ming ended up inside while Beiyue sat outside alone for the night. Practitioners have deep and restful sleep; by five in the morning, the two were awake and tidying up. Mi Xiaonan hoisted the wild boar onto his shoulder and they continued onward.
Around ten in the morning, they finally reached the mountain valley.
At the bottom of the valley was a small stream covered with pebbles; during rainy seasons it became a riverbed, while in dry times it was merely a trickle. Nestled against the mountain was a small hunter's cabin with its door tightly shut.
Mi Xiaonan leaped across the river and as soon as his feet hit the ground, he shouted, "Hey!" He turned to run, but just as he did, an explosion erupted beneath him. The shockwave propelled him toward Cui Ming. Quick on his feet, Cui Ming sidestepped and pushed with his right hand, sending Mi Xiaonan crashing against the mountainside. Mi Xiaonan flipped over and stood up cursing, "Wild Boar, come out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone jumped out from behind the cabin's fence with a hearty laugh: "Pumpkin! You've gotten quite nimble." He was a typical Yorkian but had a relatively large head; when he smiled, his perfectly white teeth showed along with his gums. This was Mi Xiaonan's friend, Mi Xiaoji. Mi Xiaoji pulled out a stick and planted it into the ground, shouting, "Pumpkin! Let's see how many bombs you need to take before you can grab this stick. Come on, show me what you've got!"
"Can Force not sense the landmines?" Beiyue asked.
"This is a Force mine. Once it senses something, the landmine will fly towards the source of Force and explode. He's joking right now. If that last landmine had been his real Level, I would definitely be injured," Mi Xiaonan said. "You all wait here; I'll be right back."
"Wait a minute." Cui Ming looked at the pebbles scattered across the riverbed, uneven and clearly disturbed by an explosion. He whispered, "Is your friend a Virgo?"
Beiyue countered, "What's wrong with being a Virgo?"
"Nothing, it's not about zodiac discrimination. Virgo represents a certain personality type, not that all Virgos have that personality. To put it simply, it suggests a slight tendency towards obsessive-compulsive behavior. Look at the explosion points around us; isn't there a pattern? One in the center and five surrounding it," Cui Ming explained. "Theoretically, if you know the position of one landmine, you can deduce the positions of the other five, right? So if we set off another explosion, you could determine the spacing between the landmines."
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