Inside the Jun Prince's Mansion, Li Yaowen and Feng Qingyang sat facing each other in silence.
New pieces had been added to their chessboard. This time, the board was in disarray, and neither of them had made a move for a long time, simply staring at the board in contemplation.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Hurried footsteps approached.
It was Feng Chunlin, Feng Qingyang's only son. As he entered, he saw the two of them facing each other across the chessboard, just like when they first started playing.
But as he approached, Feng Chunlin's eyebrows furrowed into a frown.
Something felt different now.
He didn't know why, but he sensed a tense atmosphere between his father and Li Yaowen, a subtle undercurrent of hostility and even a hint of killing intent.
He briefly wondered if it was because his children's plot to kill Li Changsheng had been exposed, leading to this current tension. But then, Feng Chunlin shook his head.
He knew clearly that his old father was a rare benevolent person in this world, who cared deeply for his children and was very generous towards the Li family. With his father's character, he would never hold a grudge against Li Yaowen because of this.
Taking a deep breath, Feng Chunlin stepped forward and bowed to Feng Qingyang, paying no mind to Li Yaowen's presence.
He grinned and announced, "Father, there's been a change in events!"
Seeing that his father was ignoring him, his attention still focused on the chessboard...
Feng Chunlin continued his report, his smile widening. "Excellent news!" he exclaimed. "There's a rumor that the nine major forces obtained a secret treasure from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, capable of tracking down the Li family bloodline."
"But for some unknown reason, their compasses have all malfunctioned, and they can no longer locate the Li family members."
Upon hearing this...
"Clack, clack, clack..."
Feng Qingyang, who had finally picked up a Go stone, froze with his hand in mid-air. The white stone fell onto the board, making a clear sound in the snowy silence.
Feng Chunlin glanced at the white stone, then at his father's slightly stunned expression. His smile widened.
"And there's even better news!" he exclaimed.
"Our in-laws seem to have been prepared for this."
He glanced at Li Yaowen, who remained calm and composed, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. "There are intelligence reports," he began, "indicating the presence of Nascent Soul cultivator in the direction where the Long family went to the Li family."
"Some have even found the corpses of Long family members who fell from the sky."
"The Sword King, Li Yaozu's, rainbow of sword energy has appeared, along with countless flying corpses. Even Elder Tianqing of the Azure Cloud Pavilion is aiding the Li family!"
Looking again, his father had already picked up the fallen white Go stone, gripping it tightly in his hand. His expression had returned to its usual calmness.
Feng Chunlin frowned slightly. He finally sensed something amiss. Based on his understanding of his father, he should be jumping for joy at this news...
But he didn't dare to dwell on it and continued his report.
"From the Golden Dipper Forest," he continued, "there are also reports that the Li family's red-crowned giant tree has appeared."
"The inheritor of the long-lost Divine Beggar has also appeared there. His Golden Source barrier formation, along with various trapping formations from the Li family, have trapped Abbot Wuyou."
"Someone saw the Li family's old grandmother. She's outside the formation, while inside, the battle is raging fiercely. The Golden Dipper Forest has even been razed to the ground."
"I believe that once Xu Cuihua joins the battle, it will be the end for Abbot Wuyou!"
With the report finished, silence fell over the room for a while. Feng Qingyang finally spoke, his expression slightly grim. "What about the other seven major forces?" he asked.
"This is strange."
Feng Chunlin frowned. "According to my intelligence," he reported, "our in-law, Li Dalong, was outside the Azure Cloud Pavilion. After the Sword King arrived, they left together. That was also when the major forces were besieging the Li family."
"The nine forces also gathered at that time, confident in their ability to crush the Li family."
"But the moment Abbot Wuyou and Long Xuankong encountered trouble, those seven forces vanished without a trace at the same time, as if they had planned it in advance."
As he spoke...
Feng Chunlin's expression grew serious. "Father," he asked, "could this be... another one of their schemes?"
Feng Qingyang remained silent.
Now, it was Li Yaowen who seemed intrigued. She asked with a smile, "They? You wouldn't be referring to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, would you?"
"This..."
Feng Chunlin hesitated for a moment, waiting for Feng Qingyang's nod of approval before replying, "Yes, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is the most mysterious force in our Azure Cloud region. For hundreds of thousands of years, they have been scheming to destroy the Azure Cloud region. They were even responsible for the great calamity that befell Azure Cloud region in the past."
"Of course, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's target isn't just our Azure Cloud region. Since the establishment of the dynasty, they have been trying to destroy it everywhere. As for their reasons, those remain unknown."
At this point...
Feng Chunlin's eyes flickered. "Actually, the Li family's current predicament is also the fault of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."
"But now that the Li family and our Feng family have formed a marriage alliance, the Li family's crisis has been resolved. We, the Feng family, will certainly help our in-laws eliminate these schemers who plot in the shadows!"
"They think they're so clever with their schemes, but they never expected the Li family to be one step ahead. I imagine they must be stamping their feet and fuming with rage right now."
"They brought this upon themselves..."
Before he could finish his sentence...
"Have you said enough?" a voice interrupted.
Feng Chunlin's voice was cut off by Feng Qingyang. Feng Qingyang's expression was grim, and he even crushed the white Go stone in his hand.
"Father..."
Feng Chunlin wanted to say more, but Feng Qingyang simply uttered the word "Scram," and he hurriedly retreated.
As he left...
Feng Chunlin murmured to himself, "Did I say too much? Why was Father acting so strangely just now?"
Then, he shook his head and said with a smile, "Well, it's fine. Now that the dust has settled and the Li family is safe, we, the Jun Prince's Mansion, can work with them to gradually persuade the major forces. Azure Cloud region will once again be united, impenetrable to any outside enemy."
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