The patriarch stroked his long beard, his voice sounding strong and steady, "Xiao Ting, haven’t I always reminded you that everything has been arranged by the heavens? In this world, perfection is impossible to achieve. If you sacrifice so much just to seek perfection, you’ll only lose everything. Why bother?"

"But patriarch, the civil Songs are almost extinct. How can I not worry?" replied Song Heting.

"The Jiangbei Daggers are bitter enemies of the Song family. They’ve almost destroyed the entire clan several times. Even though...