CH 277

The Shang Clan Manor was located in the city center. That point alone spoke volumes about their authority and power. 

Even though Shang Xi was rushing as fast as she could, she had to pass through several courtyards and a small garden.

As she passed through the garden, a shadow emerged from behind a rock formation and it shot towards her.

“Seventh Sister, watch my spear!” A crimson light tore through the air before appearing in front of Shang Xi in the blink of an eye.

“I don’t have time to play with you! Stop messing around!” Shang Xi’s mood was in the gutters to begin with. She became more irritated now that someone was playing around with her.

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A pair of knives appeared in her hands and a frosty light emerged from them to slash at the tip of the spear. A frightening blade light was sent flying into the rock formation at the side.

As a surprised yelp came from behind the rock formation, Shang Yang’s figure emerged.

The moment he appeared, the rock formation was sliced straight through. The cut surface was perfectly smooth, like a mirror.

“Seventh Sister, we’re just exchanging pointers. There’s no need to be so heavy handed…” Shang Yang looked at the smooth surface of the rock formation and grumbled softly.

Who would have thought that Shang Xi’s gaze would land on the spear in his hand at that moment.

“When did you get your hands on this spear?” Her voice turned deep, and she was like a volcano about to erupt.

Jumping in fright, Shang Yang explained, “Please don’t misunderstand. It just came back from the institution after they upgraded it to a mid-grade weapon. I wanted to play around with it and borrowed it from Duan Hong. I’ll return it once Nephew Xia comes back!” 

A smile returned to his face soon after. “Why would I fight with my nephew over a weapon?” 

Nodding slowly, Shang Xi reached one hand out and muttered, “Alright, you can hand it over then.” 

“What… He’s back?” Shang Yang gasped.

With a flick of her wrist, one of Shang Xi’s blades flew towards him. With no time to react properly, he could only raise his hands to protect his face. 

Shang Xi’s figure blurred and appeared right in front of Shang Yang. She grabbed the spear from him before he knew what was happening.

“Seventh Sister, you actually sneak attacked me…” 

Shang Yang couldn’t finish his sentence when Shang Xi strolled away without even turning her head. “Heh, we’re even now.” 

“Hmm…” Closing his palm to realize that the spear was already gone, he could only stare at Shang Xi’s leaving figure with a sad expression on his face.

…

Shang Xi handed Shang Ke a letter with a solemn look on her face.

Even though he barely glanced through it, he tightened his grip on the letter. “Who else knows about the contents of this letter?” 

“Yan Qi looked for me the moment Yan Ni’er returned. I told him to keep it a secret. As of now, the three of us are the only ones who have read this letter.” Shang Xi whispered.

When Yan Ni’er returned with news on Shang Xia, the two of them felt a huge weight lifted off their chests. They nearly burst into celebration at the discovery. However, when they read the letter he wrote, they couldn’t help but rein in their emotions.

Getting to his feet, Shang Ke muttered, “Alright. The implications of this letter are huge. I have to look for Ji Wenlong immediately. You’ll stay in the clan for now.” 

“Fifth Uncle, if what Little Xia said is true, looking for Ji Wenlong…” Shang Xi mumbled.

“Relax. You don’t have to worry about this. I might not return for quite a while. Work with Shang Jian and take care of the clan in my stead.” Shang Ke smiled.

Shang Xi raised both her eyebrows and asked, “Why don’t we wait for the kid to return before doing anything else?” 

A bitter laugh escaped Shang Ke’s lips. “I’m afraid he won’t be able to return for some time. Moreover, the Tongyou City has turned into a nest of thieves. It will be extremely dangerous for him to return now.” 

With her expression changing, she wanted to ask another question but Shang Ke left before she could say anything.

Staring blankly into space for some time, a look of concern eventually formed on her face. Seemingly having made her decision, she turned to leave.

As soon as she left the room, she noticed Shang Yang waiting for her.

“Seventh Sister, did you guys find Little Xia?” 

“You’re not allowed to mention anything about this matter. Do not say anything to anyone!” Shang Xi sighed without looking at him.

He wanted to say something when she walked past him, but she spoke before he could utter a word. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned to stare at him. “Oh, I heard that your family is currently in the Changfeng City right now. Your wife comes from a prominent family in the Ji Continent. Is she part of the three great families?” 

Shang Yang didn’t know why she would bring that up suddenly, and he muttered casually. “My father-in-law comes from the Li Family. They’re not as powerful as the three great families, but they have a connection to the White Deer Paradise. One of their family members is a direct disciple of the White Deer Paradise, and the family is relying on his influence to expand their power. In the past, I managed to benefit from their connection.” A trace of pride could be seen in his eyes when he spoke about his wife’s background.

Nodding slowly, Shang Xi’s expression became a little more complicated when she looked at him. However, she didn’t stay for long. She turned to walk away.

Shang Yang raised both his eyebrows as he looked at her leaving figure. He found it a little weird that she would ask about his wife’s family.

However, a ‘flash of inspiration’ struck him. His Seventh Sister was coming of age too. She was around the same age as the member of the Li Family who was a direct disciple of the White Deer Paradise. Could she be interested in the other party? 

Even though the member of the Li Family who was a direct disciple of the White Deer Paradise had extraordinary status, Shang Yang felt that his Seventh Sister was a suitable match for him. After all, she was a strong cultivator and their Shang Clan could be said to be a powerhouse in their own right. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Shang Xi was a good match for the other party.

If that was truly the case, he felt that it was time for him to pull some strings on the Li Family’s side to get the two of them together. 

If things were to progress smoothly, not only would he be able to help Shang Xi, their Shang Clan would be able to form a closer relationship with the White Deer Paradise. That alone would increase their influence and prestige.

Thinking up to that point, Shang Yang’s heart burned with anticipation. He wanted nothing more than to rush to the Changfeng City to discuss the matter with his wife.

…

When Shang Ke arrived at the institution to meet Ji Wenlong, he saw Yu Chengjin leaving in a huff.

A helpless sigh escaped Ji Wenlong’s lips when he saw Shang Ke. “Because of the Mysterious Coral World’s close proximity to the spatial tunnel, the spatial barrier around our institution is weakened severely. It’s especially obvious around the Thousand Leaf Mountain Range and there are countless freaks traveling to and fro each day.”

A chuckle left Shang Ke’s lips. “Didn’t we already account for that? What’s the matter, did the Jianmen Institution send someone to negotiate with you?” 

“Hmph, they’re not the only ones. The other institutions are of the same stance. In order to prevent us from turning into a holy land, they’re pulling out all the stops. They even hinted to us that we might not be able to protect ourselves in case things go out of hand.” Ji Wenlong growled.

Shang Ke’s expression sank instantly. “Are they threatening us?” 

Ji Wenlong glanced at him once, and his expression turned solemn. “They might not have stated it outright, but that’s basically their idea.” 

“Hmph. They’re outsiders at the end of the day. Luckily we already planned for this to happen. No matter what, we can’t expect them to fight to the death when facing our enemies. It’s good enough for them to share a little of the pressure we face.” Shang Ke snorted.

“Looks like the worst-case scenario has happened…” Ji Wenlong sighed.

Shang Ke changed the topic all of a sudden. “Didn’t it all happen because of the ambush on Patriarch Kou? His whereabouts are unknown, and every single power is doing everything they can to find him. Because of that, the other institutions are reevaluating their choice of supporting us. Oh right, has there still been no news from Patriarch Kou?” 

Shaking his head, Ji Wenlong seemed to have realized that Shang Ke seemed to have come with a purpose. “Oh right, why are you here today?” 

Revealing a bitter smile, Shang Ke handed the letter from Shang Xia over to Ji Wenlong. “I have bad news. We’re facing problems from inside and out.” 

A similar smile appeared on Ji Wenlong’s face when he read the contents of the letter. When he was done, he turned it to ask to prevent the contents from leaking before sighing helplessly, “Regardless, it’s good that the kid is alive.” 

“What should we do about the situation in the Changfeng City? From his description, the White Deer Paradise has chosen to collude with the Changbai Holy Land in the Azure Spiritual World. If Yang Hu chooses to side with the Ji Continent, you know the implications it will bring!” 

Ji Wenlong muttered softly, “Yeah… The Changfeng City’s attitude will certainly affect our plans…” 

“It’s too bad we have to remain in the city. Otherwise, Yang Hu wouldn’t dare to betray our You Continent even if he had balls of steel.” Shang Ke growled.

Turning to stare at Ji Wenlong all of a sudden, he asked, “What other arrangements do we have outside?” 

“What else can we do? Ever since Patriarch Kou was ambushed, the Changfeng City refused any communication with us. It’s been two months since their last report. I’m afraid that all our people in the Changfeng City have been suppressed by Yang Hu.” 

Noticing the sunken expression forming on Shang Ke’s face, Ji Wenlong couldn’t help but add, “Alright. I’ll give you an address. The kid can try his luck there. If he manages to help us out, it’ll be an unexpected surprise. However, tell him to keep himself safe. He definitely cannot compromise himself to carry out the plan.” 

Writing down a place on a piece of paper, he added a line or two that was coded in a secret language before handing it over to Shang Ke.

Looking at whatever Ji Wenlong wrote, Shang Ke kept the piece of paper in his sleeves before turning to walk away.

Before he left, he turned around and asked, “Is there really no news about Patriarch Kou?” 

Ji Wenlong sighed while shaking his head.

A trace of suspicion flashed across Shang Ke’s face as he turned to look outside. He muttered to himself, “Hmph… Why do I feel like all of you are hiding something from me?” 

…

As dawn broke the next day, it marked the start of the third day Shang Xia had arrived in the Changfeng City. Two months had passed since the ambush on Kou Chongxue in the depths of the Thousand Leaf Mountain Range.

Yuanyuan got up bright and early only to notice her Uncle Xia standing under the tree in the courtyard deep in thought.

Waddling over to his side, she tilted her head to the side and mumbled, “Uncle, what are you looking at?” 

Shang Xia lifted her high into the skies before laughing loudly, “I was thinking if I should make a pretty little nest in the tree so that cute little birds can rest here!” 

“Will there be birds in the winter? Will they be my neighbor?” Yuanyuan wondered out loud.

Chuckling in amusement, Shang Xia replied, “Of course they will. Little Yuanyuan is so cute that they’ll definitely like you too!” 

The little lass beamed happily before wriggling free. She ran back into her room in excitement, “Mummy, Uncle said that cute little birds will come over to be my neighbor!”