Vol. 1 - Ch. 17 - We're Going Too

Ji Yang sensed the family ancestral tablet in the room above the altar, as well as the ancestor lying in the coffin.Inside the Li family, Li Yongcheng sat on the main seat in the middle of the hall, his gaze fixed ahead but unfocused. He was lost in thought. 

At this moment, a clan member entered.

"Reporting to the clan leader, there is still no movement from the Chen family."

As Li Yongcheng gradually regained focus, upon hearing the report from the clan member below, his expression didn't show joy but instead confusion. 

He had thought of the situation of the Chen family.

He had thought that the Chen family would make a desperate last attempt, rallying all their warriors and fighting their way out. 

He had also considered the possibility of the Chen family secretly sending people out to seek external help.

If it was either of these scenarios, it would mean that the Chen family was truly desperate. But regardless of which scenario it was, the current silence was unexpected.

The silence was unsettling, making Li Yongcheng feel anxious. 

He didn't know what the Chen family's plans were. Were they waiting for something? Or did they plan to starve themselves to death?

With the state of the Chen family's provisions, they shouldn't last much longer. In contrast, the Li family had well-fed warriors with plenty of vitality, and abundant food supplies. As time passed, the situation of the Chen family would only deteriorate further. Li Yongcheng pondered left and right but couldn't figure out the reason behind their actions.

He wanted to discuss this with someone, but thinking about the others in the clan, he could already predict their response, "Clan leader, no need to say more. We'll charge straight in and kill them all!"

Li Yongcheng shook his head, dismissing the thought. "Send a few agile individuals to scout nearby, preferably to gather clear information about the situation inside the Chen family and  to observe the condition of their warriors."

"Yes!"

After giving the order, Li Yongcheng chuckled self-deprecatingly. Now that the Chen family was on its last legs, its demise was only a matter of time. Perhaps he was being overly anxious.

Half a day later, news arrived. According to the description from the clan member, the once bustling Chen family square was now deserted, with the few warriors seen looking tense, pale-faced, and visibly worried, presenting a scene of decline in vitality.

Li Yongcheng felt much more at ease upon hearing this situation. In that case, he would wait for another two days, and then it would be easy to wipe out the Chen family. Coincidentally, in these two days, two people in his clan were about to break through! He wondered how the Chen family would respond then!

With this thought in mind, a faint smile appeared on Li Yongcheng's lips.

...

In the pavilion, Chen Qinghe spoke with a puzzled expression. "Qingmeng, do you know what my father and the others have been up to lately? They were all being so secretive and mysterious?"

Normally, at a time like this, everyone in the family should be on edge. He should occasionally see his father and several other elders hurrying around. But these past two days, he hadn't seen them at all. It was too unreasonable.

Without waiting for Chen Qingmeng to answer, Chen Qinghe continued, lost in his own thoughts, "No, I'll have to keep an eye out tonight. Maybe my father and the others are planning something big!" 

Despite his young age and low cultivation level, Chen Qinghe felt it was necessary for him to know about the family's current plans, especially when it concerned the survival of the family.

...

Night fell quickly.

The once quiet ancestral hall now seemed somewhat crowded. In addition to those who had gone hunting yesterday, a few more of the family's cultivators were present today.

Chen Xingzhen stood at the forefront, his inner joy difficult to conceal as he saw new branches sprouting from the family divine tree. This meant that his sacrifice yesterday had been correct, and the changes in the divine tree now represented hope for the family. That's why tonight, he had called in more clan members to hunt more beasts.

"Clan leader, our people discovered that individuals from the Li family had come to spy on us today."

Chen Xingzhen's face showed a relieved smile upon hearing this news, and he nodded saying, "No problem."

This situation was within his expectations. It would be strange if the Li family didn't make any moves.

He wasn't worried. After all, most of the clan members were unaware of the specific situation when they went to hunt in the secret passage. They just needed to act as they normally would.

After the surveillance, the Li family didn't launch an attack either, indicating that they hadn't noticed anything and were waiting for an opportunity.

But this wasn't just an opportunity for the Li family. It was also an opportunity for his Chen family.

As long as they could take advantage of the situation, the clan would surely turn defeat into victory.

Tomorrow's hunt was even more crucial!

Otherwise, the clan would run out of provisions, and the vitality of the clan members would decline. Hunting would be difficult, and the situation would only worsen.

The night was dark and windy, with a crescent moon hanging high in the sky.

A faint glow emanated once again from the branches and leaves of the family divine tree.

Chen Xingzhen's gaze slightly hardened, no longer hesitating. He immediately waved his hand, "Let's go!"

"Clan leader, I want to go too!"

Just as everyone was preparing to enter the secret passage, a figure walked into the ancestral hall.

"Qingyu? What are you doing here?"

Seeing the newcomer, Chen Xingzhen asked with confusion.

"Yesterday, someone from the Li family came to investigate. It's unlikely they'll attack tonight, so I thought I might as well go hunting."

Chen Xingzhen nodded upon hearing this, then hesitated and said, "Even then..." S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Nʘvᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Hmm? Qingyu, have you reached the late stage of the Blood Coagulation Realm?"

Chen Xingzhen's gaze shifted to Chen Qingyu halfway through his sentence. The thickness of his vital energy surpassed even his own, indicating advancement in realm.

"Yes."

Upon receiving Chen Qingyu's affirmative response, Chen Xingzhen's face lit up with joy, nodding repeatedly.

"Great, great, great!"

"With your talent, our Chen family will definitely prosper in the future!"

"Since you want to go, then go!"

The people beside him were filled with envy.

Many of them were also in the Blood Coagulation Realm, but they were Chen Qingyu's seniors, and there was a difference of one major realm between them.

People's talents varied, everyone thought

Even Chen Tianjing and Chen Tianyu couldn't help but sigh.

"Big brother has such a good son."

"What a pity he's gone"

The two of them reminisced for a moment before falling silent again.

The past decade in the family had been tough. They had faced numerous losses.

Hearing the conversation between the two, Chen Qingyu's eyes flashed with a hint of sadness.

The other clan members also fell silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat solemn.

Chen Xingzhen was about to speak to break the melancholy mood when suddenly a scream pierced the air.

Upon hearing the noise, several people turned to see two figures lying on the ground not far away, as if they had fallen from above.

The two individuals were Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation.

Looking somewhat flustered upon being discovered, they scrambled to their feet and boldly declared, "We want to go too, Chief!"

"Yes, we want to go too."

Before the chief could respond, Chen Tianjing at the side scolded, "Nonsense!"

"This is a matter of great importance to the family, not child's play. Hurry up and go!"

Chen Qinghe didn't back down. He snorted lightly, saying, "We are also members of the family and want to contribute to the family. Why can't we go?"

"You dare to talk back!"

Chen Tianjing scanned the surroundings, looking somewhat anxious, before finally turning his gaze towards Ji Yang.

After hesitating for a while, he ultimately didn't dare to take action.