Chapter 162 – Full Support

  The heavy doors of the Hall closed behind Shen Weifeng with a soft thud, sealing away the murmurs from the outside. At the far end of the chamber, upon a raised dais, Shen Hongda regarded him from his seat.

  The Clan Head’s bearing was calm and steady, with eyes as sharp as polished jade and the spiritual pressure of a Core Formation Expert surrounding him. Although he allowed Shen Weifeng to speak with him and treated him with the formal respect due to a high-standing member of the Clan, this wasn’t going to be a warm welcome home.

  “Weifeng. It has been many years.” Hongda said at last, his voice loud enough to carry the distance between them. His tone wasn’t filled with reproach, merely a statement of fact.

  Weifeng stopped in front of the Clan Head and momentarily observed that Shen Ruolan and her father, Jiuyang, were present at this meeting as well. His relationship with Jiuyang was complicated. As the newest rising star in the Clan, Weifeng could understand the pressure Jiuyang felt when he was in the Clan’s compound.

  He admired Jiuyang for putting aside ‘face’ and asking him privately to look after Ruolan when she had first entered the Sect. He would have done it without asking, but Weifeng appreciated the gesture.

  Shen Weifeng inclined his head, bowing to acknowledge the Clan Head’s status, but not so deeply as custom demanded from a member of the Clan. The gesture was polite, but restrained. It said that Weifeng remembered where he had come from, but that it was no longer the entirety of his identity.

  He had spent far longer on the Tranquil Mountain than he had in the Shen Clan, and he knew where his loyalties lay.

  “Clan Head, it has indeed been a long time.” Shen Weifeng replied. When he had left the Shen Clan for the Tranquil Mountain Sect, Shen Hongda was only an Elder at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

  Hongda studied him for a moment as his fingers tapped against his knee idly.

  “Over five entire decades have passed since you last set foot in the Clan. So much time has caused the younger generation to forget the name ‘Weifeng.’ Tell me, what brings you back to the Clan after abandoning it for the Tranquil Mountain Sect all those years ago?”

  Weifeng’s eyes didn’t waver. Instead of responding directly, he slowly lifted his right hand and allowed the sleeve of his blue robes to fall back to reveal the skin beneath. It was rough and uneven, a web of scars that pulsed faintly with residual spiritual energy.

  It was the remnants of a wound caused by a backlash from a technique, one that barely healed. The silence in the hall was broken by a murmur from those gathered, but it was quickly stifled by a harsh look from the Clan Head.

  A flicker of understanding crossed Clan Head Hongda’s features, and he leaned back slightly.

  “The World-Breaking Fist. You were forced to rely on our techniques after all, Weifeng.” Hongda said at last, his tone low and thoughtful.

  Weifeng lowered his hand, covering his scars with the sleeve of his robe once again.

  “During an ambush by the Demonic Cultivators against the Tranquil Mountain Sect, I faced an opponent far beyond my own cultivation.” Shen Weifeng explained, and Ruolan shivered as she recalled the battle.

  Lianxue snuck a glance at her cousin, and she wanted to know more about what had happened there, but she kept silent.

  “I was trapped by her, but I knew that if I fell, she would kill the Disciples under my care. I had sworn when I left the Clan that I would never use the Shen Clan’s techniques again, but at that moment, an oath meant less than the lives around me.”

  From his seat upon the dais, Shen Hongda regarded him in silence for a long while. Then, he nodded.

  “When you left the Clan, you were barely more than a youth. You were full of fire, spitting words of defiance while you swore you would never again touch anything the Clan had given you. Yet, here you stand, bearing the marks of our technique.”

  Hongda’s eyes sharpened on Weifeng.

  “You must have faced quite an opponent to break such a vow.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Weifeng shook his head.

  “No, she was just a Demonic Cultivator who gained her strength by draining the essence of others. If I had been less arrogant in the past, I might have surpassed her long ago.”

  Hongda’s lips curved in something between approval and amusement.

  “Your years as a lowly Outer Sect Elder have taught you wisdom, Weifeng. Perhaps your time there was not a waste as so many others have suggested.”

  Hongda paused for a moment, considering Weifeng carefully, before continuing.

  “What is it you seek from the Shen Clan?”

  Shen Weifeng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, while his expression was calm and composed as though he were about to discuss the weather rather than anything important. He cleared his throat before speaking.

  “Clan Head. As you may have heard, I have recently come into conflict with the Zhang Clan. One of its members, Zhang Yuehong, has publicly challenged me. We are to compete against each other in the upcoming Tranquil Mountain Inner Sect Ranking Competition.”

  Shen Weifeng explained in an unhurried tone, while a number of the Clan members began to whisper quietly. The wager between Weifeng and Yuehong was well known, and even though Shen Weifeng was estranged from the Shen Clan, they still kept their ear out for rumours regarding him.

  “I am aware of the details and the fact that you have drawn others into this ‘wager’ of yours as well.” Hongda glanced at Jiuyang, who was frowning as he snuck a glance at Ruolan.

  The young woman was blushing slightly under the scrutiny, as Jun De was also involved in the wager. She had told her parents everything about Jun De’s conflict with the Zhang Clan, but she hadn’t realized that her father had informed the Shen Clan as well.

  “The Zhang Clan have become a thorn in our side. Their business interests in Yunlai City have been expanding, and several contracts made with them regarding spiritual mines have been ‘renegotiated’ over the past several years.”

  “We will support you in this matter. What precisely are you requesting?”

  Weifeng smiled faintly, as though pleased with the response.

  “I request the Clan’s full support. Cultivation resources, talismans and medicines for body refining and training. I intend to crush Zhang Yuehong during the competition, but he is no doubt being supported by the Zhang Clan in a similar manner.”

  Hongda studied him for a long moment, and his fingers resumed tapping lightly on his knee as he thought over Weifeng’s request.

  “You also wish to resume study of our family techniques, I presume?”

  Weifeng nodded.

  “Very well, but you will stay in the Clan to train. You have been gone far too long, and the Clan’s techniques are harmful to the user if used improperly. As you have seen for yourself.” Hongda declared, and Shen Weifeng flinched slightly before nodding.

  “Agreed.”

  “You are all dismissed.” Hongda said, before disappearing in a flash of light. With him, the intense spiritual pressure he emitted vanished in an instant, and Ruolan breathed a sigh of relief.

  With the Clan Head’s departure, the atmosphere within the hall eased like a bowstring slowly being released. The air, which had been heavy with ceremony, softened a bit as the Elders resumed their quiet murmurs amongst themselves, and the lower-ranked Clan members left.

  Ruolan rose gracefully from her seat, straightened her robes and approached Shen Weifeng as quickly as she could without appearing to be in a rush. She could feel Lianxue’s eyes on her the entire time, watching for the slightest flaw.

  “Uncle Weifeng. I was surprised to see you here! How are you?” She greeted him with a smile and a respectful bow.

  “I’m as well as I always have been. And, truth be told, I am as surprised as you are to find myself here. Are you enjoying the City Lord’s Mansion?” Weifeng asked, and Ruolan nodded. She was aware that her father and Lianxue were nearby, and she was wary about saying what she truly felt about it.

  “Of course!” Ruolan lied, and Weifeng chuckled softly as he reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. He turned over her hand to reveal ink-stained fingers.

  “You don’t strike me as the type to love calligraphy, Ruolan.” Weifeng chided, and Ruolan blushed slightly as he released her hand.

  “And before you ask, Jun De is fine. He has entered seclusion to attempt Foundation Establishment. If all goes well, he will emerge in a few months' time.” Weifeng added, with a touch of pride in his tone.

  Before Ruolan could respond, Jiuyand approached the pair. His manner was reserved, but respectful. He gave Weifeng a slight nod before speaking.

  “Uncle Weifeng.”

  “Jiuyang. You have grown steadier since the last time I saw you. The Core Formation Heavenly Tribulation will soon come, whether you want it to or not.” Weifeng replied, referring to the fact that Jiuyang was clearly on the brink of attempting Core Formation.

  The only thing currently holding both him and Ruolan’s mother back from the attempt was Han Zhengwu’s recovery.

  Jiuyang gave a small smile at the compliment, and Ruolan seized the moment of silence to speak.

  “Uncle, about the offer to let me observe the Inner Sect Competition, does it still stand?”

  Weifeng smiled and nodded.

  “Of course, you may attend, along with Lin Yue, when the time comes.”

  At that moment, Lianxue, who had been lingering near the side of the hall, stepped forward.

  “Uncle Weifeng. I am Lianxue of the Snowcloud Pavilion. I would also like to watch this competition you speak of. I’ve heard the name ‘Jun De’ several times already, and I confess that I am rather curious to see what sort of talent he possesses.”

  Weifeng’s expression cooled slightly, replaced by the composed detachment of a senior cultivator speaking to a junior.

  “That would not be possible. The Inner Sect Competition is a matter internal to the Tranquil Mountain Sect. I am not permitted to authorize outsiders to attend.”

  Lianxue blinked in surprise, and her composure faltered a little. She was completely unaccustomed to being told ‘no’ to any of her requests.

  “Ah, I see.” A hint of a pout touched her lips, and while she was still graceful, there was an unmistakable petulant attitude about her now.

  Ruolan hid a small smile behind her sleeve as she enjoyed her cousin’s discomfort.