Vol. 1 - Ch. 328 - Unfilial

If the opportunity arose, it might be worthwhile to engage in a deeper exchange with the Chen Clan to learn their methods of taming ferocious beasts.

Of course, he doubted the Chen Clan would simply hand over such secrets for free.

As Zhao Kuangyi considered this, a thought suddenly struck him, and his eyes lit up.

"Well?"

In the clan's secret chamber, Zhao Kuangyi rifled through a stack of letters on the bookshelf and asked the question.

Behind him stood Zhao Qimeng, who had just returned.

"Reporting to the clan head, Chen Tianyu has finished paying his respects and left the ancestral shrine. He's now touring Yunmeng City with the other Chen clansmen who accompanied him."

Zhao Kuangyi paused and continued questioning.

"Did he display any unusual behavior while inside the shrine?"

Zhao Qimeng shook his head.

"After I brought him in, I kept my eyes on him the whole time. Once inside, he simply lit incense, paid his respects, and left after roughly the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea. I didn't notice him behaving unusually at any point during that time."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuangyi's brow furrowed.

"Then why did it take so long to pay his respects?"

Zhao Qimeng also recalled the scene from earlier and scratched his head helplessly.

"It seemed like he paid his respects to each of our Zhao ancestors individually, which is why it took so long."

Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyi froze for a moment.

Could there really be something wrong after all? After all, he himself, the clan head, never spent nearly those long paying respects on an ordinary day.

A look of deep contemplation crossed Zhao Kuangyi's face, and he asked again:

"Did you notice anything out of the ordinary during that time?"

"No."

"All right. Elder Qimeng, I'll have to trouble you to keep a close eye on things over the next few days. Keep watch on the Chen Clan's movements while they're in Yunmeng City."

"Rest assured, Clan Head. I understand."

After Zhao Qimeng took his leave, Zhao Kuangyi lingered in the chamber. A moment later, another figure arrived in the secret room.

The newcomer wore simple, unadorned robes. Though his spirit remained sharp and vigorous, the white hair atop his head betrayed his considerable age.

Upon seeing the man, Zhao Kuangyi bowed respectfully.

“Second Uncle, did you notice anything unusual?”

"No."

Having expected some kind of discovery, Zhao Kuangyi froze for a moment upon hearing this. His fingers stroked his beard as he murmured in astonishment,

"Could this truly be a long-standing tradition passed down within the Chen Clan?"

"Second Uncle, that Chen Clan member spent an unusually long time paying respects at the shrine. I don't think that's normal."

The old man had expected his reasoning to earn his second uncle's approval, but instead, his second uncle let out a cold snort.

"What's not normal about it? Do you have any idea how much longer the clan used to spend paying respects to our ancestors in the old days? Only in recent years has the clan produced so many unfilial descendants, to the point where they can't even match the sincerity of an outsider!"

With that, the old man swept his sleeve and departed.

This left Zhao Kuangyi with a bitter, wry smile on his face. Yet, even as clan head, he found himself with nothing to say in response.

His second uncle had always been blunt and outspoken, never holding his tongue when something displeased him.

Thinking about it now, the clan's descendants had indeed grown unfilial.

But then again, if his own clan had grown unfilial, there was no reason to assume that other clans would necessarily be any better.

At that moment, another possibility occurred to Zhao Kuangyi. The Chen Clan clearly had considerable background and pedigree. Could their clan totem be an Incense Totem?

Could this visit to the ancestral shrine have been a deliberate attempt to secretly siphon some of his Zhao Clan's Incense Aura?

But then Zhao Kuangyi shook his head, dismissing the thought once more.

For his Zhao Clan to have carved out a place for itself in Yunmeng City, it was clear that they were no third-rate clan. They had more than a passing understanding of Incense Totems. Setting aside the question of whether his clan's shrine retained any Incense Aura, the key issue was that Incense Aura couldn't be stolen. In all his years, he'd never heard of another clan stealing Incense Aura.

But if it wasn't the Incense Aura they were after, then what exactly had they been trying to steal?

Zhao Kuangyi couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Yet, no matter how long he mulled it over, he couldn't find a single concrete flaw.

After a moment, Zhao Kuangyi finally muttered to himself,

"Forget it. The clan hasn't suffered any loss, and Second Uncle said there was no problem, so there probably isn't anything wrong. It was likely just genuine filial devotion, plain and simple."

If he dwelled on it any further, his second uncle would probably call him an unfilial descendant again.

"Wow!"

"Elder, this Yunmeng City is so huge!"

"Though it's not quite like what Cousin Qingyu described — the women here are actually wearing clothes."

Several clansmen couldn't help but stare at the passing courtesans with open curiosity, drawing sharp, indignant glares from the women in return.

Chen Tianyu shook his head. The clan really needed to broaden its horizons.

At the same time, however, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. Yunmeng City was truly far more prosperous than their clan's current home, Yong'an City.

Though Yong'an City called itself a "city," it could barely be considered more than a small county town by comparison.

Still, Chen Tianyu didn't let this dampen his spirits. Beneath the surface of this splendor and prosperity, as dazzling as it appeared, countless undercurrents of hidden tension surely ran.

Though the Zhao Clan had managed to prevail in the competition among the various great clans and secure a foothold here, their victory was far from absolute. Yunmeng City was still home to numerous other powerful factions and forces.

Perhaps, in time, the clan could gradually expand into this region?

It was still far too early to think along those lines, though. The clan needed considerably more time before that could become a reality. After all, the Zhao Clan surely had at least one Qi Manipulation Realm martial artist among their ranks, quite possibly more than one.

As for his visit to Yunmeng City, Chen Tianyu hadn't come merely to sightsee. He intended to seize the opportunity to gather information about the current state of affairs in the city and see if he could find a suitable shop for the clan to use as a foothold.

For the clan to expand its reach, it was essential to stay well-informed. Chaotic Burial Mountain behind was more than just the clansmen walking out.

The clan itself had to genuinely step beyond its former confines to truly leave Chaotic Burial Mountain behind.

The next day, Chen Tianyu and the rest of his clansmen said goodbye to the Zhao Clan, preparing to leave the city and meet up with Chen Tianquan before returning to the clan.

Outside the city, Zhao Qimeng saw them off in person, and the two groups conversed warmly.

Just as Chen Tianyu and the others were mounting their Azure Wolves, ready to depart, Zhao Qimeng suddenly spoke up.

"Elder Chen, my Clan Head also asked me to give your clan a gift. He hopes you will accept it. Should your clan have any thoughts on the matter, we would be more than willing to lend our assistance."

A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Tianyu's face, but he accepted the letter Zhao Qimeng handed him and opened it at once.

After reading the letter, Chen Tianyu's gaze narrowed slightly. He then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and replied,

"I will report this matter to my Clan Leader once I return. The decision will rest entirely with him. That said, please allow me to extend my thanks to Clan Head Zhao for his generous thoughtfulness on our behalf."

"Farewell."

Under the watchful gaze of Zhao Qimeng, the Azure Wolves disappeared one by one into swirling clouds of dust.

"Qingmeng, your father and the others are finally back!"

At the crossroads, Chen Qinghe, who had already received word and been waiting, spoke excitedly as he watched the Azure Wolves approach in the distance.

With the two groups reunited, over a dozen Azure Wolves surged forward in a mighty procession, racing toward Yong'an City.

Freed from the burden of carrying the Blood Rice, the Wolves no longer held back. Even the most complex and treacherous terrain could not contain their wild pace.

Along the way, Chen Tianquan and Chen Tianyu shared information, recounting how their respective trades had gone.

Both men also carried the gains the clan had secured on this trip.

With this fresh batch of resources, the clan no longer needed to worry about the advancement of their Innate Realm martial artists, at least for the time being.

In half a year, the clan would be able to trade again. This trade had thoroughly opened up new prospects for the clan.

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