During the most chaotic era, some clans expanded at extreme speed and eventually transformed into nations. The Sima clan was one of the more famous among them. They took the Sima lineage as the foundation and established the Kingdom of Jin, once a strong nation that reached great heights.
The Sima clan’s Clan Deity, it was said, was not a good-tempered being. Very few people had ever seen him. The most widely spread and longest-lasting thing about him was not his personality, but one single sentence he once said.
This ancestor once said: “My Sima clan, for generations, has liked salted fish.”
The term “salted fish” at that time, among the common people, referred to those who muddled along without ambition, failing to seize opportunities to turn their life around, and who enjoyed comfort and were content with their current state.
Of course, some say this was merely a misunderstanding passed down later. This sentence was not actually spoken by the Sima Clan Deity, but by a monarch of the Sima dynasty.
At the height of the Sima clan’s glory, several formidable monarchs appeared in succession. Those monarchs, intelligent and each possessing their own means, all happened to favor women who were like salted fish — ordinary, plain, without any distinguishing qualities. In short, incredibly unremarkable. The records of these empresses of Jin in the official histories were extremely simple.
Rumor had it that these generations of monarchs were influenced by their Clan Deity, because at that time, the Clan Deity himself had just found a beloved Clan Deity wife. When he bestowed blessings upon them, he accidentally passed along this particular inclination, resulting in their unusual preferences.
Because of that sentence, a farce once occurred. It was said that a wealthy merchant by the sea, who rose to fortune by selling fish, heard that the emperors of Jin favored salted fish for generations. Not knowing the true meaning, he only understood it literally, so he specially purchased a huge amount of salted fish and traveled to Jin to present them as tribute. This incident was recorded in the Records of Jin, known in history as the “Salted Fish Tribute Incident.”
【Shui Clan】
The Clan Deity of the Shui clan was a woman — a guardian and pioneer of astonishing presence and strength. Unlike most Clan Deity who only protected the clan while not limiting its direction of development, the Shui Clan Deity possessed extremely strong control over her family.
The Shui clan also established a nation, named the Kingdom of Yin. However, unlike other nations, this was a country where women held supremacy.
Famous empresses appeared frequently in history; within the six hundred years of Yin’s existence, there were five such empresses. They governed diligently, and the women under their rule held extremely high rights. In an era when women were generally oppressed, the Kingdom of Yin was a holy land in the hearts of countless women.
Up to the present day, although the Shui clan has long perished, their ancestral land — the Yinshui District — remains the region where girls receive the highest level of education. At the annual Eastern Continent Military-Political Assembly, female officers from just the Yinshui District alone make up one-fifth of the total number of female officers across the thirty-six provinces.
Moreover, due to various causes and effects, the Yinshui District is also known for producing good men.
However, the Shui Clan Deity was always immersed in the construction of her nation and family. At a time when most Clan Deity already had companions, she was one of the famed old bachelors, alongside the Clan Deity of the Qin clan, the Luo clan, and others.
【You Clan】
The Clan Deity of the You clan, before becoming a Clan Deity, when she was still a shentai, was known as a “beauty in a jar.”
Many shentai are born with various physical defects. The You clan’s Clan Deity was especially terrifying and pitiable at birth — more than half of her body failed to properly form. At that time, a witch doctor claimed she could only survive if submerged in a jar filled with medicinal liquid. Thus, from the moment she was born, she remained inside that jar all the way until her teenage years.
Because only half of her body could be seen from within the jar, the appearance was both seductive and frightening. Coupled with her identity as a shentai, even those assigned to care for her were afraid and dared not stay long in her presence. She was confined in the jar alone, placed in a grand yet empty and silent room.
When she turned eighteen, she was finally to be made into a Clan Deity. The clan carried her out and placed her in an exquisite and luxurious flower carriage to parade through the You clan’s city. It was an extremely lively scene — everyone cheering and celebrating. It was the first time since birth that she saw so many people.
Halfway through the parade, an accident occurred. A wealthy businessman in the city planned to take a wife on this auspicious day. But the bride had been sold to the old rich man by her family and did not wish to marry him. The woman, surnamed Chi, was fiery and unyielding. On the wedding day, she found an opportunity to escape and happened to crash headfirst into the You clan’s flower carriage, dressed in blazing red wedding attire, her head breaking and bleeding.
Faced with such an ominous event, everyone present turned pale. Amid the loud clamor, the Clan Deity in the jar looked at the beautiful woman on the ground, her wedding gown like flames, and asked:
“Is she going to be married today?”
You Clan’s clan head said: “Yes, but now she is nearly dead, she likely cannot be married.”
The You Clan Deity thought for a moment, then said: “Why not marry me instead.”
“Are you willing?” she asked the woman.
That near-death woman nodded as if possessed by spirits, and then she became the wife of the You Clan Deity — dying on the same day, and being reborn in fire on the same day.
“They all say you pitied me, that seeing someone die right in front of you for the first time was why you gave me the position of divine wife and allowed me to be reborn. What do you say about that yourself?”
“I think… you looked truly beautiful wearing that wedding gown.”
“Pfft, it’s only because you were treated like an antique display for more than ten years, your experience is lacking.”
“But now, I still think so.”
This Clan Deity and her wife stayed together for a long time, their feelings deep and profound.
【Xin Clan】
The Xin clan’s ancestral land was in Bazhou — mountains stretching endlessly, a thousand miles of green bamboo, rich in talented people, and not only humans but non-human beings as well. Several thousand years ago, it was a place that produced many yaogui and other non-human creatures.
The Xin Clan Deity’s wife was said to be one of these yaowu — a ferocious beast from the bamboo forest who took human form. The Xin Clan Deity was an exceptional woman, the only one among all Clan Deity who did not follow the usual path, but instead found a non-human being as a partner — truly a genius of unconventional ways.
Because the Xin Clan Deity’s beloved liked bamboo, there were vast seas of bamboo surrounding the Xin clan’s ancestral territory. Every generation of Xin clansmen would consciously plant more bamboo. After many years, even when the Xin clan perished, the great bamboo forests remained preserved. They became a famous tourist attraction and film-shooting location in the present day. Just two mountains away, there was even a panda conservation base.
Additionally, because of the large bamboo forests, people from centuries ago earned a living by producing and selling bamboo shoots. Bazhou dried bamboo shoots — a brand with hundreds of years of history.
【Zhang Clan】
The Zhang clan’s ancestral land was in Nanyue. The Zhang family that produced a Clan Deity did not participate in the fierce struggles for dominance like other clans. They quietly occupied Nanyue, rarely drawing attention, extraordinarily low-key. Although their numbers were small, every Zhang clansman possessed exceptional ability.
If one were to see stern-faced teenagers in dark fitted garments, silent and unsmiling while training in the mountains around Nanyue, those must be the Zhang clan’s younger generation. Perhaps because their Clan Deity was unreliable, the clan held extremely high standards for themselves.
Most clans’ Clan Deity would remain peacefully within the ancestral shrine, but the Zhang clan’s Clan Deity disliked seeing people. Clan members often went many years without spotting him. He would randomly hide himself inside a coffin underground, shutting himself in for decades, never appearing unless something major happened. And each time he rose from the coffin, he barely remembered what had happened before — his memory was terribly poor.
Once, the Zhang clansmen believed that since their ancestor was so withdrawn and even mute, he was likely to be a lifelong bachelor like the Clan Deity of the Qin clan and others. Who would have thought that he would suddenly find a wife — one who had delivered herself to his doorstep.
It happened on a dark, windy night. A criminal suspect surnamed Wu, following an elder in his family, went to rob a tomb. They happened to dig up the coffin containing the Zhang Clan Deity. Wu initially thought he was being haunted by a ghost. After suffering many shocks, he finally understood the situation, and in the end, he and the Zhang Clan Deity joyfully formed a marital bond.
A cause for celebration.
【Zhu Clan】
At birth, the Zhu Clan Deity already liked wearing bright and vivid robes. Though he was male, his appearance was beautiful and he was a renowned beauty. Because of his preference, many members of the Zhu clan imitated him, loving to wear colorful clothing. Within the Zhu clan’s territory, it nearly became a fashion trend.
Thus, Jinchuan, where the Zhu clan was located, once became the greatest center of silk production. Various silk fabrics, woven textiles, and all kinds of beautiful patterns and materials were produced here and sold everywhere. The people of this region took pride in dressing vibrantly.
There was an embroideress in Jinchuan — her hands were skillful and clever. Any garment she embroidered, any clothing she made, would be especially favored by the Zhu Clan Deity. Over time, the Zhu Clan Deity developed a particular fondness for her and hoped she could become his wife.
