"Quan'er, You Are the Future Heir to the Chen Family"

Jiangbei City. This city, famed for the Jiangbei Market, had not yet seen its floodwaters recede before the clamor of the day had already begun. Murky streams flowed down the streets toward their far ends. Barefoot vendors deftly rolled their trouser legs up to their knees, stepped into the ankle-deep water, and began propping up their stalls. Before long, the shouting and hawking of merchants gradually overtook the sound of rain, and the city stirred awake as the Eternal Night receded. Amid the fresh, muddy scent in the air, a hint of steaming food vapor arose. The morning market was open. Even an early arrival of the rainy season did not stop the morning market from opening. People still had to eat, after all, not to mention that ordinary folk could do nothing in the face of such adversity but leave their fate to heaven, powerless to change a thing. Yet inside a residence beside the market district, everything was remarkably quiet, starkly out of place compared to the bustling commotion just a street away. This grand manor nestled in Jiangbei City was the seat of the Jiangbei Chen family— One of the three great powers of Jiangbei City. ... In a secluded courtyard enclosed by several wing rooms in the rear of the Chen manor, a middle-aged man clad in martial robes stood solemnly in the pouring rain. His eyes were shut tight and his palms pressed together as if rooted in deep meditation. The next instant! His eyes snapped open, a sharp glint bursting forth. Several Level 2 ghost stones in his palms shattered at once, turning into an eerie green liquid that drifted through the air. "Go!" With a low bark from the middle-aged man, his finger thrust forward. As though summoned, the eerie green liquid darted swiftly through the air, gradually sketching out an arrow tower phantom formed of pale green fluid. Throughout the process, traces of the pale green liquid continuously dissipated into the air. "Rise!" A few breaths later, the man clenched his fist once more. In the torrential rain, the phantom of the arrow tower rapidly solidified until it stood tall and firm in the courtyard. A servant holding an oiled-paper umbrella beside him to block the rain offered a fawning smile. "Retainer Liu, your energy efficiency with ghost stones is growing ever higher. Now you need only five Level 2 ghost stones to craft an arrow tower. "On the open market, hiring an architect to construct an arrow tower for a camp costs at least a hundred and fifty ghost stones. "Their material costs alone hover around a hundred ghost stones. "Even the Level 4 architect the Chen family had in the past needed seventy ghost stones' worth of materials to build a single arrow tower. "Yet now, Retainer Liu, crafting an arrow tower costs you merely fifty ghost stones, and your success rate is as high as seventy percent! "Before long, Retainer Liu, you will undoubtedly be the undisputed number one architect in Jiangbei!" "Hmph." The middle-aged man gave a cold snort, a flash of arrogance surfacing in his eyes. As a Level 5 architect serving as an enshrined retainer to the Chen family, he had his pride. But after glancing around, his brows knitted slightly. "Where is the Family Head? Doesn't he usually join me here for morning practice?" "This servant does not know." "Step down. I will go see the Family Head myself." ... Jiangbei Chen family, side courtyard, the council hall. The current primary heir of the Chen family—the young man who had personally exiled Chen Fan to the wilderness—had hastily gotten dressed and climbed out of bed upon receiving word of an emergency council this morning, braving the downpour to hurry over. Stepping into the council hall, he found the Family Head already seated at the head of the table, flanked on both sides by the five elders who held real power in the Jiangbei Chen family. "Father." The young man bowed respectfully before taking his seat. The atmosphere today felt faintly off. His father's expression was grim, tinged with anger, resentment, and... disbelief. Had something happened to the family? "Quan'er is here. Everyone has arrived. This morning's emergency council concerns the future direction of the Chen family. Speak freely, everyone. Whatever thoughts you have, lay them out." Quan'er was the youth's childhood name; his full name was Chen Quan. The primary heir of the Jiangbei Chen family. *Everyone has arrived?* Chen Quan was taken aback. His gaze subconsciously lifted toward the empty chair across the table. That was the seat reserved for Retainer Liu. In the past, no matter how great or small the matter, Retainer Liu was always invited to attend. Retainer Liu had complained about it many times, insisting he was merely a Level 5 architect who understood nothing of clan governance and shouldn't be dragged into every trivial matter, as he needed time to cultivate and had none to squander. Yet today, they hadn't invited Retainer Liu at all? What kind of matter had to be kept even from the Chen family's sole architect? He keenly sensed an unsettling air. At once, he adopted a picture of quiet compliance, eyes cast down toward his nose and nose toward his heart. Young and lacking seniority, whatever was happening surely had nothing to do with him; he need only stay quiet. Yet— A single sentence from his father instantly broke him into a cold sweat. "Chen Fan, my son. "A few days ago, someone dispatched him to the wilderness to serve as stationmaster at Jiangbei Chen Family Outpost No. 37. "His sole companion was a personal servant named Quehou, trained by the family three years ago. When setting out, he carried a mere three ghost stones." As the words fell, Chen Quan's face changed drastically. He rose instinctively, not daring to look his father in the eye, his voice trembling slightly. "Father, according to the Chen family rules, sending Chen Fan to the wilderness for tempering conforms to ancestral precedent. Everything followed proper procedure—" Before he could finish, he was cut short by the tapping of fingers on the table. Over the past several days, his father had never once brought this up. Chen Quan had assumed his father was entirely unaware, never imagining he knew every detail so clearly—even the name of a lowly servant, a name Chen Quan himself barely remembered. Who would ever pay attention to a servant's name? The middle-aged man seated at the head had deeply furrowed features, heavy bags under his eyes, and a tightly pressed mouth as he lightly tapped the tabletop. Leaning back in his chair, his eyes were weary, yet his head remained held high out of long habit. His hair was entirely white. His face was marked by years of weathering. He was the kind of man whose very presence radiated overwhelming pressure at a single glance. Like an aging lion. "The rainy season came early. Today is its third day. "Among all the outposts in the wilderness that failed to evacuate in time, only two have survived. One is Qiuhe Wang Family Outpost No. 16. "The other— "Is Jiangbei Chen Family Outpost No. 37. "The very outpost where Chen Fan resides." He tossed a ghost-skin map onto the table, leaned back against his chair, and half-closed his eyes as he gently rubbed his temples, his voice raspy with fatigue. "What do you elders have to say about this? Let us hear your thoughts. "Quan'er. "You are the future heir to the Chen family. Ponder it first; I will want to hear your thoughts in particular shortly." "This..." "How is this possible?" The moment the Family Head finished speaking, the Chen family elders exchanged stunned glances in disbelief. In truth, they hadn't known Chen Fan had been banished to the wilderness, but seeing Chen Quan's reaction, they quickly grasped the situation. It was ordinary enough. Within a clan, such machinations were all too common. The only thing that defied reason was... How could Outpost No. 37, where Chen Fan was stationed, possibly have survived into the third day of the rainy season?