Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

Song Changsheng’s impassioned voice echoed throughout the council hall. Everyone looked at each other, and then, as one, turned their gazes to the Grand Elder, who had been resting with his eyes closed the entire time.

Among the Elders present, the Grand Elder was the most senior and had the deepest understanding of the clan’s affairs. Whether Song Changsheng’s proposal was feasible would depend on his opinion.

Song Xianyun was well aware that everyone was waiting for him to speak. But he was getting on in years, and his thoughts weren’t as sharp as they used to be. He reflected for a moment, then finally nodded. "I believe what the Young Clan Leader has said is feasible.

The population is the cornerstone of our clan’s growth and strength. The clan’s Cultivators are the pillars supporting our development and stability. To raise these pillars, we must first lay a solid foundation. Lifting the restrictions on childbirth is imperative.

Moreover, in the Mortal Realm, the prevailing belief is ’more children, more blessings.’ The birth restrictions over these years have caused considerable discontent among our people. Lifting them now will be a welcome development for everyone."

With Song Xianyun so clearly stating his support for Song Changsheng’s position, the matter was settled. Barring Song Xianming’s exit from seclusion, there was no possibility of it being changed.

At this, Xia Yunxue stood and added, "Lifting the birth restrictions is a good thing, but it will also increase the burden on our people. I propose that the clan provide some form of compensation to those who have many children, whether they are Mortal Clan Members or clan Cultivators. This applies to everyone. We must free them from any future worries."

"Mother makes a good point. Let the Garrison Mansion oversee this in the Mortal Realm. Every household shall be rewarded with gold, silver, land, and medicinal powders for each new son or daughter. The Garrison Mansion will draw up the specific regulations for these rewards.

The Minor Affairs Hall will be responsible for the clan’s Cultivators. The woman will be rewarded with cultivation resources. If her child is later discovered to possess a Spirit Root, an additional reward will be granted."

When Song Changsheng finished speaking, many in the hall looked stunned. He had specified a reward for "each new son or daughter," not just for a new male heir. Furthermore, among the Cultivators, only the woman would be rewarded; the man was excluded.

Song Changsheng took in their expressions. A moment’s thought was all it took for him to understand their shock, and he couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

In the Cultivation Realm, the status of women was slightly inferior to that of men. This was because there were fewer powerful female experts than male ones, but the difference was, at least, not too pronounced.

In the Mortal Realm, however, the gap in status between men and women was far greater. The preference for sons over daughters was a widespread phenomenon. This problem had been exacerbated by the clan’s birth restrictions, to the point that it had even indirectly influenced the very Elders present in the hall.

Song Changsheng’s body housed a soul from Blue Star, so he knew full well that this path of development was perverse. If rewards were given for sons but not for daughters, who would be willing to have girls? Incidents of secret infanticide were not unheard of.

The reasoning for rewarding only the woman among the clan’s Cultivators was even simpler. After all, it is the woman who carries the pregnancy and gives birth to the child.

Childbirth damages a woman’s Primordial Qi, affecting her cultivation during pregnancy and for several years after. If there were no reward, who would be willing to have children?

By the same token, not rewarding the man was to prevent him from using procreation as a tool for profit, which would defeat Song Changsheng’s original intention of encouraging childbirth.

One should never underestimate the depravity of human nature. In the Cultivation Realm, nothing was impossible.

As for whether this would affect the men’s enthusiasm, Song Changsheng believed it wouldn’t. A husband and wife are one. As long as the couple was harmonious, the reward would ultimately belong to them both.

If they weren’t harmonious, then there was nothing more to say.

After Song Changsheng explained his reasoning in detail, comprehension dawned on everyone. A look of gratification appeared in the Grand Elder’s eyes. Though Song Changsheng was young, his vision was far more forward-thinking than that of these old-timers.

With that matter settled, Song Changsheng moved on to other detailed arrangements for the clan’s future development, such as improving the welfare of clan Cultivators and increasing investment in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation.

For the clan to develop and grow stronger, empty words were not enough. It required a tangible investment of True Gold and Silver.

Song Changsheng knew full well that the cultivation resources for the clan’s lower-level Cultivators were scarce. This forced them to expend more of their energy on searching for resources, which in turn delayed their cultivation progress.

He already had a plan for this. He looked around at everyone and said, "The clan’s income has increased over the years, so it’s time the stipends for our Cultivators were raised as well. The Minor Affairs Hall will be responsible for drafting a proposal on the specific increase, based on the clan’s revenue."

At these words, everyone in the hall beamed. After all, who would complain about a higher stipend?

’Fifth Uncle will probably throw a fit when he hears about this,’ Song Changsheng thought, laughing to himself. He had deliberately left Song Luzhou, the Elder who controlled the clan’s finances, to oversee the Marketplace for this very reason.

There was no other way. Trying to pluck a feather from an Iron Rooster is far too difficult. It was better to make the decision a done deal. When Song Luzhou found out, all he could do was hold his nose and accept it. The worst that could happen was Song Changsheng would face some personal backlash, but he already had a solution for that as well.

Tapping the table to quiet everyone down, Song Changsheng continued, "I’ve also decided to increase the supply of Spirit Rice. At the very least, we must ensure our clan Cultivators can have Spirit Rice Porridge for every meal, instead of going hungry for two meals a day."

"While a few extra bowls of porridge a day might not have a huge effect on cultivation speed, it’s the steady, long-term accumulation that counts. Over days and months, the benefits become substantial and cannot be ignored."

Song Changsheng was keenly aware that the Spirit Rice supply for Cultivators was inadequate. When he had been a Foundation Establishment Seed, his own monthly allotment had been just enough for him to have porridge. It went without saying that the other Cultivators had it even worse, able to eat only one meal a day.