Late-Night Family Talk

The room fell silent for an instant. Then the voice from the Heavenly Communication Crystal sounded, asking calmly: "Changtian, how did you come to know the name of this cultivation technique?" Hearing this, Xu Yuan let out a long sigh of relief in his heart. He had genuinely feared that his old man wouldn't know either, but Xu Yinhe was truly worthy of being the final boss who had run rampant across a dozen world routes. After a brief pause, he said in a low voice, "From Ran Qingmo." "Ran Qingmo... Ran Jianli's disciple?" A thoughtful murmur came through. As if struck by some realization, the voice faded, and the Heavenly Communication Crystal temporarily fell silent in the room. Taking advantage of his father's contemplation, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Xu Changge and whispered, "Xu Changge, is Ran Jianli the Imperial Preceptor?" Xu Changge shot a look at this third brother of his—who called him 'Eldest Brother' when he needed something and 'Xu Changge' when he didn't—snorted coldly, and nodded. "Yes." "By the way, did you tell Father earlier that Ran Qingmo came to Jingjiang Prefecture?" "I did not." "Just asking, did you tell Father that Ran Qingmo and I get along really well?" "No." "And did you tell him that Ran Qingmo and I..." "Tsk." Xu Changge took a deep breath and gave Xu Yuan an indifferent look. "Why all this nonsense? Speak plainly before Father." "Tsk." "What is that click of your tongue supposed to mean?" "..." Xu Yuan gave a dry cough. "Ahem... Nothing." Listening to the deliberately hushed conversation from the other end of the Heavenly Communication Crystal, a strange hint of a smile appeared on the Great Yan Prime Minister's usually stern, somber face. Setting the memorial in his hand onto the desk, Xu Yinhe shook his head and said, "I roughly understand. "Changtian, let us take things one by one. First, tell me: how did that girl surnamed Ran bring this matter up to you?" Hearing this, Xu Yuan gathered his thoughts and carefully weighed his words, giving his father and Xu Changge a concise overview of the little girl named Tianyan. Naturally, he only shared details about the girl herself and the most surface-level information. He had promised Ran Qingmo to speak of nothing beyond that. As Xu Yuan's voice fell silent, both Xu Changge and Xu Yinhe briefly fell into silence. Xu Changge's sword-like brows knitted tightly. He was disinclined to believe in claims of deducing heavenly secrets. Rather than someone being able to directly divine heavenly mysteries, he was more inclined to believe that these matters were fabricated by someone exploiting circumstances for their own gain. Disasters and celestial phenomena like earthquakes and snow in midsummer could be engineered with enough resources and manpower. As for the Barbarian army marching upon Hanbei City, that was even more laughable; the Chancellor's Manor had foreseen it years ago. The other prophecies could likewise be accomplished through human effort if one were determined to do so. Yet compared to Xu Changge's skepticism, Xu Yinhe's response was ambiguous: "I have never heard of this woman called Tianyan, but the Heaven-Deducing Art does indeed exist." He said 'woman', not 'girl'. Clearly, Xu Yinhe did not believe that the woman named Tianyan was as she appeared on the surface. Cultivation techniques for eternal youth, rejuvenation, or controlling one's physical age all existed in this world. Pausing for a moment, Xu Yinhe seemed to think of something, his voice drifting over languidly: "Heh... It seems there truly are quite a few mice hiding in the dark. "Changtian, "you brought up Ran Qingmo just now because she told you something else as well, didn't she?" Xu Yuan nodded and said, "Yes, Father. But didn't you say to take things one by one?" Xu Yinhe's voice carried a trace of amusement as he countered, "Could it be that you haven't finished with this matter yet?" "..." Xu Yuan blinked. He had finished his part regarding Tianyan, but wasn't his father going to show any reaction? At least give a general direction or plan of action? In the silence, Xu Yinhe seemed to guess Xu Yuan's thoughts and chuckled softly. "Changtian, you need not worry yourself over this matter. Your father will handle it." Because he knew about it now, there was no need to worry. Hesitating for a moment, Xu Yuan chose to trust his Prime Minister father. If even someone like him couldn't handle a figure outside the original plot, then Xu Yuan would be completely helpless anyway. "Mm, all right." Xu Yuan lightly rubbed his thumb and index finger together, weighing his words before speaking: "Regarding Ran Qingmo, I would like to ask you for a chance, Father." "Mm? What kind of chance do you want?" Xu Yinhe's voice revealed no emotion. Xu Yuan was blunt and clear: "A chance regarding the Tianyuan Sword Sect." He had promised Ran Qingmo to ask for a chance for her. The moment these words left his mouth, Xu Changge immediately looked up at Xu Yuan, thoughtful contemplation flashing across his narrow eyes. Xu Yinhe did not reply immediately either. The attic fell into dead silence. After a dozen breaths or so, Xu Yinhe let out a soft sigh. "So that was it... No wonder that girl surnamed Ran kidnapped you back then. If I had not learned of this Heaven-Deducing Art beforehand, I might have truly fallen for such crude sowings of discord." The moonlight was pure and clear, the two brothers in the attic harboring their own thoughts. Certain things suddenly clicked into place for Xu Changge. When he returned to the capital back then, he had proposed a thorough investigation into the possibility of a mole within the upper echelons of the Chancellor's Manor, only to be stopped by their father. Because Father trusted those old veterans in the manor implicitly. Looking back now, however, it must have been more or less due to this Heaven-Deducing Art. In that case... Could there really be someone capable of deducing the future? Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. His father and eldest brother indeed knew Ran Qingmo's purpose, and had likely even considered rooting out a traitor. Thinking of this, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and asked to confirm: "Father, was what Tianyan said true?" Xu Yinhe's deep voice remained steady and unhurried: "Which matter?" "The Tianyuan Sword Sect, of course," Xu Yuan said. Xu Yinhe gave a faint, elusive chuckle. "You didn't mention anything about that just now, Changtian." "I deduced that you already knew, Father." "Oh? And how did you deduce that?" "Xu Changge held back twice and didn't make a move against Ran Qingmo." Ran Qingmo had certainly passed this news along beforehand. For decades, officials belonging to the Chancellor's faction had consistently submitted memorials demanding the rectification of the sects, and many decrees had ended prematurely before being enacted, long creating a 'boy who cried wolf' effect among the sects. Thus, even though Ran Qingmo knew, she was allowed to live. The sects would find it difficult to believe her word alone. Yet if she died—and died at the hands of the Prime Minister's eldest son at this particular juncture—it would very likely arouse the suspicions of Great Yan's sects, leading them to wonder whether the Chancellor's Manor was silencing a witness. After all, everyone knew the Sword Sect sect master's prized disciple was looking for evidence. Pausing, Xu Yuan spoke once more: "Father, I have an alternative way of handling the Tianyuan Sword Sect matter. Could you give me a chance?" Upon hearing this, an inscrutable look flashed across Xu Yinhe's sharp eyes. When that girl Xinyao left the capital, she had said something similar to him. She had also wanted a chance—a chance for peace. Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Xu Yinhe's tone took on a solemnity that carried natural authority without anger: "Changtian, do you know what this chance you are asking for represents?" Xu Yuan felt a chill in his heart. After two seconds of silence, he replied, "I know." Inside the study of the Chancellor's Manor, wisps of sandalwood incense drifted through the air. Time trickled by. Xu Yinhe tapped his fingers lightly on the memorial before him. After a long silence, he sighed: "Changtian, Xinyao asked me for this chance before as well, but your father cannot give it." He could not give it, not that he did not want to give it. Was the Chancellor's Manor powerful? Rumors circulating from the bustling streets to the imperial court—such as 'Without the Chancellor's nod, no decree leaves the Golden Throne Hall'—already made that abundantly clear. Furthermore, the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce with its wealth rivaling nations, the Tian'an Martial Halls spread across every prefecture and county of Great Yan, and the Black Scale Guards that inspired more dread than the imperial court's Secret Investigation Bureau all bore witness to the height of the Chancellor's Manor's power. Even so, the warning of past failures from over a decade ago remained fresh in memory. Times had changed, and the Chancellor's Manor was not what it used to be, yet everything they did was still like treading on thin ice. Therefore, Xu Yinhe rejected his third son's request, just as he had turned down his adopted daughter, Xu Xinyao, back then. The room fell dead silent, though the refusal came as no surprise to Xu Yuan. Wiping out the Sword Sect was no child's play; it was not something as trivial as picking up a teacup from a desk and setting it down. Accumulating power over a thousand years, the sects of Great Yan had long become immovable colossi—suffocating behemoths where a single misstep in any link could lead to total ruin. After a long silence, "Father..." "Changtian," Xu Changge suddenly spoke up. Xu Yuan looked toward him. Xu Changge shook his head gently at him. Seeing this, Xu Yuan merely smiled at his eldest brother. He realized that his father and eldest brother seemed to have misunderstood something. He was not Xu Xinyao, nor was he an idealist like his fourth sister. The Chancellor's Manor's objective to eradicate the Sword Sect and Ran Qingmo's duty to protect it appeared irreconcilable. Yet there was clearly ample room for maneuver. Because Ran Qingmo only wanted to protect the Sword Sect; she did not care what means were used to protect it. After his smile faded, Xu Yuan composed himself and continued: "Father, the chance I am asking for will not interfere with your plans. Nor am I trying to give the Tianyuan Sword Sect a way out—I want to offer them an alternative choice." Xu Changge's eyes flickered for a moment. Having roughly understood Xu Yuan's intention, he let out a soft sigh and said nothing more. He did not look favorably upon his third brother's idea. Xu Yinhe's voice remained low and measured: "You wish to use that Ran girl to make the Sword Sect cooperate with me?" "Yes, roughly that." "A whimsical, naive notion," was Xu Yinhe's assessment. Seeing this, Xu Yuan was not discouraged: "I know you must have attempted it before, Father, but I imagine you didn't have a bridge like Ran Qingmo back then, did you?" The sects were not a monolithic entity. If they were, then no matter how powerful the Chancellor's Manor was, it would not stand a chance against them. In the plot of his past life, after the Tianyuan Sword Sect was wiped out, quite a few sects had chosen to turn traitor and defect to the Great Yan Prime Minister's side. And if those sects could defect, why couldn't the Tianyuan Sword Sect? "Heh." Listening to his third son's words, Xu Yinhe gave a low chuckle. After several breaths of silence, Xu Yinhe suddenly asked pointedly: "So, the reason you told your brother earlier that you wanted to travel outside was to do this?" "That is part of the reason." Xu Yuan did not deny it. Pausing, he added in a clear voice, "Aside from that, Changtian also wishes to see this vast world." Hearing this, Xu Yinhe suddenly sighed. "Back then, I did not agree to your sister's request, yet I permitted her to travel outside. Changtian, do you know why?" Xu Yuan recalled relevant memories in his mind. After Xu Xinyao left the imperial capital, she traveled while making friends, doing good deeds, and punishing evil. Three years had passed, and while her renown did not thunder across the realm like her eldest brother Xu Changge's, she had gained quite a reputation throughout Great Yan. And once fame came, the deeds she performed naturally spread. Just as in Xu Yuan's memories of his past life, this fourth sister moved between various factions within Great Yan, mediating their conflicts in her own way. Laughable, yet admirable. Pondering briefly, Xu Yuan said in a low voice: "Just like your memorials to rectify the sects, Xu Xinyao is your adopted daughter; what she does outside represents the stance of the Chancellor's Manor to a certain extent. Mediating like that can numb the sects and noble clans to some degree." Hearing this, Xu Changge shook his head gently at the side with an inscrutable expression. In the next moment, Xu Yinhe softly corrected him: "That is the consequence your sister brought about, not the cause." Xu Yuan was slightly puzzled. "Hm? Then why..." "Because that was the choice she made for herself." "..." Xu Yuan was speechless. Standing before the window lattice of his study and gazing out at the Imperial Capital, Xu Yinhe's voice was gentle yet earnest: "Changtian, all four of you siblings are free to choose your own lives. Whatever you choose, your father will do his utmost to help. "In the past, you chose to indulge in worldly desires, and those things your father could provide. "But with your current choice, it will be very difficult for your father to offer you assistance. "Changtian, are you certain you wish to take this path?" "..." Xu Yuan stared blankly for a second, then, amid tangled emotions, broke into a grin: "Of course." "Heh." Xu Yinhe smiled, but his tone suddenly shifted: "Changtian, can you tell your father what brought about such a drastic change in you?" The moment those words were spoken, before Xu Yuan could open his mouth to answer, Xu Changge shot him an imperceptible glance. Under that glance, the space around Xu Yuan seemed to freeze instantly, and a colossal pressure crashed down like toppling mountains and overturning seas. Feeling the suffocating discomfort, Xu Yuan didn't even hesitate—he whirled around, glared at Xu Changge, and cursed: "Xu Changge, are you out of your damn mind?" "..." Xu Changge stared at Xu Yuan for two seconds. A hint of embarrassment gradually surfaced on his handsome face, and he casually brushed nonexistent dust off his green robe. The pressure vanished. His breathing returning to normal, Xu Yuan snorted, retracted his gaze, and took a deep breath. His heartbeat remained steady as before: "Father, there's no other reason, really. It's just that after obtaining the Innate Dao Body, I figured a few things out." "Figured out what?" Xu Yinhe murmured. Xu Yuan looked through the window lattice at the full moon hanging high in the night sky: "Only mediocre fools trouble themselves over the opinions of mediocrities. Bullying the weak just to satisfy one's self-esteem is truly a laughable thing. With my current constitution and ability, I am finally qualified to pursue what I actually want to do." Under the night moon, silence reigned for a long time. A smile touched Xu Yinhe's lips. "In that case, go and do it. Once this matter here is concluded, your brother will give you the soul ring. That is the limit of what your father can do to help you."