In the side hall of the ancestral shrine—also known as the Council Hall—
Chen Yu sat at the head seat. Presenters were Chen Wenchao, Ling Yunxiao, Chen Cong, Mu Lingyun, and Chen Hanxin. Chen Wu sat in the back row. Chen Yu arranged for Chen Xiao-Jun to sit beside Ling Yunxiao, which was his father's former position. The First Elder Chen Hong and the Young Clan Leader Chen Xun were currently away from the village.
It was obvious this meeting was convened due to yesterday's incident. As for why Chen Xiao-Jun was allowed to attend, Chen Yu explained that any child who could quote "All the bustling under heaven is for profit's sake" deserved to listen in—and there was something today that concerned him as well.
The others gave the boy meaningful looks.
Once everyone was seated, Chen Yu began, "Now that we're all here, let's get started. What's the situation following yesterday?"
Chen Wu reported, "Uncle Yu, I tracked the remaining Gale Wolves. They've retreated to Qianqiu Ridge on Shaolin Mountain. There are no longer any large soul beast groups near the Black Moon Forest."
"What do you all make of this?"
Chen Yu glanced around and then stopped Ling Yunxiao from speaking. "Xiao-Jun, why don't you give your thoughts first?"
Chen Xiao-Jun pondered for a moment, then said, "There are three possible causes for this incident: First, some fool provoked the Gale Wolf pack and led them here. Second, someone did it deliberately. Third, something happened in the mountains that we don't know about."
The room fell silent for a moment before he continued, "It probably wasn't the first reason. Even if someone angered them, it would only affect a portion of the pack—not cause the whole pack to move. What about their den? Would they just abandon it?
"As for the second reason—do other forces even know our Chen clan is hiding here?"
Chen Yu smiled slightly and said, "Chen Wu, show him."
Chen Wu activated his Seven Killing Sword martial soul. The sword was bright silver with a blue spine and elegant curves along its guard. The ancient design carried a refined feel. As the soul power surged, the sword emitted a clear cyan light and transformed into a large green-blue greatsword with a longer guard and blade.
Even the usually composed and clever Chen Xiao-Jun was stunned speechless in front of the elders.
Chen Yu chuckled and said, "Our ancestors speculated: if the true form of a martial soul can be materialized and expanded, and can incorporate all sorts of Soulforce secret arts, then why not add a layer over the original form? Like putting a scabbard over the sword. This led to the development of this secret technique—we call it the Sword Sheath.
"This is one of the reasons we can live in seclusion safely. To the locals, we're the mysterious 'Greensteel Sword Chen Clan'—a small but advanced martial soul family. We're even considered one of the prominent families of Wushan Prefecture. So most local factions have no idea who we are.
"Other than your Grandma Mu's Mu Clan, who have been our allies for generations and know we are the Seven Killing Sword Chen Clan, no other family in the region should know.
"Of course, we've always been careful. But whether larger powers are aware—or how many of them—Grandpa can't say for sure. After all, we've lived here for several hundred years."
"No wonder the Chen Clan can keep things secret. Anyone activating their martial soul would give it away. Damn… this is intense. Sword sheaths? Like Transformers. The heritage of a millennia-old clan is truly unfathomable," Chen Xiao-Jun murmured as he tried to process the revelation.
"So, based on what Grandpa said, the second possibility—deliberate provocation—is also unlikely.
"First, we've done a good job hiding over the years and haven't had any notable conflicts with neighboring powers.
"If it were a major faction behind this, they wouldn't bother. The wolves might be strong, but to us, they pose little threat. They wouldn't be so foolish as to alert us."
"That means the third possibility is most likely. I encountered a lone Gale Wolf the day before—it might've been an advance scout.
"Also, even though Gale Wolves and Blackwind Wolves are enemies, to mount an attack of this scale and wipe out the Black Moon Wolves suggests they were aiming for extermination.
"Could be a turf war, or maybe something else is happening in the mountains. Odds are high something's gone wrong up there."
Ling Yunxiao nodded. "Brother Yu, Xiao-Jun's reasoning makes sense."
Chen Wenchao stroked his beard and gave the boy a look of admiration.
Chen Yu spoke slowly, "According to Lao Hei, it's been restless lately. It increased patrols and guard duties. Though it didn't expect such a massive attack and was caught off guard, it still managed to respond quickly and mobilize for battle.
"Lao Hei said this unease may be due to sensing some distant danger in the mountains.
"Wenchao, send more people to scout the mountains—be careful. If you're short-handed, borrow men from Yunxiao.
"Lingyun, contact your family and see if they've noticed anything unusual."
Mu Lingyun came from Qinglian City beneath Qinglian Peak—one of the Five Peaks of Wushan. Her family, the Mu Clan, wields the high-level plant-type martial soul Qinglian and dominates that region.
"Yes, big brother," Mu Lingyun replied.
"Understood, Brother Yu," Chen Wenchao answered quickly.
"Wenchao, how's the search for the Pegasus soul beast going? For Xiao-Jun."
"Brother Yu, I asked Ma Kui. He said that in the northern region of the Xieluo Mountains, about 200 li (100 km) into the mountains from Babel City in the Kingdom of Haagen-Dazs, there's a small basin called the Mustang Plains, home to various horse-type soul beasts—including Pegasi. A few days ago, I had Cheng Yun send Ma Fan, who's based in Haagen-Dazs, to scout the area."
Ma Kui and Ma Fan are from the Ma Clan, loyal followers of the Chen family for generations. They hail from the Redblood Horse Clan.
"Tomorrow I'll take Xiao-Jun there myself. Give me the geomantic map. We'll go and return quickly. You all hold the fort while we're gone."
—
A note here: the Xieluo Mountain Range is the third-largest mountain system on the continent. It stretches east-west for over 2,000–3,000 kilometers, and even its narrowest north-south segment is over 100 kilometers wide—about 200 li. Longer portions like the mountain's tail end stretch over 400 km and, together with the opposing Tianyun Mountains, form the well-known Barak–Southern Corridor Pass, often called Baran Pass for short.
(PS: You can loosely compare it to China's extended Qinling Range—from the Kunlun Mountains in the west through Longnan and southern Shaanxi, to the Dabie Mountains and Zhangba Ridge near Bengbu in the east.)
The Xieluo range can be divided into western, central, and eastern segments, which serve as natural boundaries separating the Kingdom of Haagen-Dazs, the Fasno Province, and the Barak Kingdom.
Each segment has countless subranges. There are 200 to 300 well-known ones—including the Five Peaks of Wushan, and Babel Mountain within Haagen-Dazs territory.
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