Vol. 1 - Chapter 169 - Divide

“The Shillin clan is powerful. To set up just one ambush, they sent two Inborn Realm martial artists. That alone shows how many such experts they have at their disposal.”

“Our clan may have the help of the elders and the Divine Tree, but those elders who’ve passed on can only act at night. Besides, the Shillin clan has their own totem—something that shouldn’t be underestimated.”

“No matter how you look at it, this isn’t the right time for a direct confrontation. We must think long-term and act with caution.”

After Chen Xingzhen laid out his reasoning, silence spread among the gathered clansmen.

“But, Chief,” one of them finally spoke, “are we just going to let this go?”

Chen Tianmo and a few others wore expressions of deep reluctance.

Chen Xingzhen let out a cold snort. “Since the Shillin clan dared to strike at us, how can we simply let it slide? The clan will rest and recover for now. But when the time comes, we will make them pay.”

Though many felt frustrated, they knew he was right—their clan, as it stood, wasn’t the Shillin clan’s equal. Without the Zhou clan’s name backing them, they might’ve already been pushed to the brink.

Sensing the low morale in the room, Chen Xingzhen added, “While we can’t retaliate outright, there are other moves we can make. For instance, we can adjust how we handle the sale of blood rice.”

In the past, the clan had no intention of making enemies of the four great clans. The slight preference shown in blood rice sales was due in large part to the Shillin clan’s intermediaries. But now that the Shi clan had taken hostile action, the clan could no longer afford to supply them—doing so would be aiding the enemy.

This was one of the few steps they could take in response.

Many of the clansmen nodded in agreement.

“We absolutely must not sell blood rice to the Shillin clan!”

“Exactly. I'd rather sell it at a loss to the other three than give it to them!”

Across the room, Chen Tianyu’s expression darkened slightly.

“Chief, the four major clans have coexisted in Yong’an City for many years. They may not get along, but there’s always been a delicate balance. What if the Shillin clan convinces the others to stop buying from us? What then?”

His words cast a shadow over the room. The clansmen's earlier resolve began to waver.

Indeed, the clan’s blood rice seemed easy to sell now, but that was only because it was in high demand among the four clans. Should that demand vanish—or worse, be deliberately choked off—they could be left holding a product no one wanted.

Worse still, Yong’an City was the only major settlement near the Chaotic Burial Mountain. Traveling beyond would mean long distances and the risk of complications along the way.

But Chen Xingzhen smiled calmly. “There’s no need to worry. The letter we received didn’t mention the sender’s name, but whoever it was knew a great deal about the Shillin clan’s actions and passed that information to us. That strongly suggests it came from one of the other three clans.”

He looked around.

“If one of them is trying to extend goodwill, then we should return the favor.”

Chen Tianyu and the others turned their eyes toward the stone table, where the letter lay. They seemed lost in thought.

If the four clans were truly working together, then the clan would be helpless. But this leak suggested a crack in their unity—perhaps one of the clans was dissatisfied with the current power structure in Yong’an and wanted to shift it.

That, too, was an opportunity.

After all, how could a calm lake ever raise a giant turtle?

“That’s enough,” Chen Xingzhen said at last. “We won’t pursue the matter for now. Once we put blood rice up for sale again, we’ll naturally find out which clan it was.”

He turned. “Tianjing, show us what you brought back in this exchange.”

The others shifted their attention toward Chen Tianjing with anticipation.

“Yes, Chief,” Tianjing replied. “This time, the clan sold one thousand catties of blood rice. All of it was exchanged with the four great clans for cultivation resources.”

He continued without pause. “The Xie clan offered the most rootless lotus—eight in total. Then there was the Gan clan’s mountain elixirs—four plants. The Shen clan provided nine branches of heavenly insects. And finally, one piece of purple ganoderma and one Bodhi Fruit.”

Chen Xingzhen nodded as he listened. Based on what they’d expected from each clan, the exchange value seemed fair.

However, according to their prior intelligence, the other clans rarely traded these resources in large amounts. The Shillin clan, in contrast, hadn’t strictly regulated such goods. That in itself was suspicious and suggested there might be things going on that the clan hadn’t uncovered yet.

Regardless, after today, the Shillin clan likely wouldn’t be trading such items with them again.

The others were already crowding around, intrigued by the contents of the packages.

The rootless lotus was oval and about the size of a finger. What made it particularly strange was its perfectly smooth surface—no stems, no tendrils. It looked like something formed whole by nature rather than grown from a plant. No one could quite explain how it came to be.

Then there was the heavenly insect—its root half insect, its upper half grassy. It had a strange, hybrid appearance.

The mountain elixirs, meanwhile, looked like flowering herbs, somewhat resembling the Gan Leaf Flower.

None of the present clansmen had ever seen such things before. They marveled at the oddities, unable to hide their awe at nature’s creations.

Chen Xingzhen, too, was clearly pleased.

Though these materials only helped martial artists in the Blood Coagulation Realm boost their qi and blood, they were still crucial for the clan.

While blood rice worked well enough for tempering the body, its effects weakened significantly at the Coagulation stage. The previously discovered Gan Leaf Flower had been a step forward, but its growth was far too slow to keep up with demand.

This bottleneck had led to a situation where the clan had over a dozen martial artists in the Blood Coagulation Realm, but very few who advanced beyond its early stages.

With these new resources, their rate of progress should improve considerably.

“There aren’t many in the clan at the Blood Coagulation Realm yet,” Chen Xingzhen said after a pause, “so take these and divide them among yourselves.”

He gave the order without hesitation.

All those present were at that realm—they were the clan’s core strength. And now that the clan’s priorities had shifted, there was no need to hoard or gatekeep resources. If it suited someone, let them use it.

The clansmen didn’t decline. The stronger each of them became, the stronger the clan would grow. They had the will to improve—and that, more than anything else, was how the clan would thrive.

Soon, the clan members had finished distributing all the items among themselves. Afterward, Chen Tianyu brought out another package and said, “Chief, this is from the two innate-realm martial artists.”

Chen Xingzhen looked slightly surprised. He already knew the pair had been sent by the Shillin clan. But if that were the case, why would they be carrying a package? Were they planning to retire after completing this mission?

“Open it and see!”

Chen Xingzhen spoke without a trace of caution. He showed no concern about potential danger inside the package—for obvious reasons. After all, the clan’s Divine Tree was still standing behind them.

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