The side hall of the Ancestral Hall was also known as the Council Hall.
Chen Yu sat in the seat of honor. Chen Wenchao, Ling Yunxiao, Chen Cong, Mu Lingyun, and Chen Hanxin were all present. Chen Wu sat in the back row. Chen Yu had Chen Xiaojun sit beside Ling Yunxiao, in the seat below him-the seat of his father. At that moment, Grand Elder Chen Hong and Young Chief Chen Xun were both away from the village.
This meeting had clearly been called because of what had happened yesterday. As for why Chen Xiaojun was there, Chen Yu felt that any child who could say, "The world bustles for profit; the world rushes for gain," was old enough to sit in. Besides, there was something today that concerned him.
The others gave Little Xiaojun meaningful looks.
Once everyone was seated, Chen Yu began, "Everyone's here. Let's begin. How did things go afterward yesterday?"
Chen Wu replied, "Uncle Yu, I followed the remaining Gale Wolf Pack. They've retreated to Qianqiu Ridge on Shaolin Mountain. There are no large Soul Beast Groups left near the Black Moon Woods."
Chen Yu looked around. "What do you all think about this?"
He suddenly had a flash of inspiration. First, he stopped Ling Yunxiao from speaking, then said, "Xiao'er, why don't you tell us what you think?"
Chen Xiaojun was taken aback. After pondering for a moment, he said, "There are only three possible causes for this incident. First, some little fool provoked the Gale Wolf Pack and led them here. Second, someone did this on purpose. Third, something happened in the mountains that we don't know about."
Everyone fell silent for a moment. Chen Xiaojun continued, "It probably wasn't the first possibility. Even if some little fool provoked them, only part of the pack would have come. They wouldn't have sent such a huge pack out together. Would they just leave their den unguarded?"
"As for the second possibility, we, the Chen Clan, have been living in seclusion here. Do the other forces know about us?"
Chen Yu smiled faintly. "Chen Wu, show Xiao'er."
Chen Wu activated his Seven-Kill Sword Martial Soul. The Seven Kill Sword had a bright silver blade, a blue spine, and gracefully curved crossguards. Its ancient design had a substantial feel, and the long sword gleamed with a clear blue light. It radiated an azure, crystalline hue, then finally transformed into a large blue sword with an enlarged blade, straight crossguards, and an extended hilt.
Though Chen Xiaojun was always clever and quick-witted in front of his elders, he was now left staring in stunned amazement.
Chen Yu smiled and said, "Our ancestors thought: if a Martial Soul Avatar could be transformed into energy, enlarged, and imbued with all kinds of Soul Power Secret Techniques, then could they also add another layer over the Martial Soul itself? Like putting a scabbard over a sword. That's how they developed this Secret Technique, which we call the 'Sword Sheath.'"
"That's one reason we've been able to live here in seclusion without trouble. In the eyes of the locals, we're the mysterious 'Azure Steel Sword Chen Family,' a small family with an Advanced Martial Soul. We're also one of the prestigious families in Wushan Prefecture, so it's generally unlikely that any Local Forces know about us."
"Other than your Grandma Mu's Mu Family, which has been on friendly terms with us for generations and knows that we're the Seven Kill Sword Chen Clan, the other families in this prefecture probably don't know."
"Although we've always been cautious, Grandpa can't be entirely sure whether those major forces know about us, or how many of them do. After all, we've lived here for several hundred years."
Chen Xiaojun tried to take it all in. So that's how the Chen Clan managed to keep its secret. We'd be exposed as soon as we summoned our Martial Souls. Damn, no wonder they're so formidable-they even use Sword Sheaths. They're like Transformers. The foundations of a Thousand-Year Great House really are unfathomably deep.
A short while later, he continued, "If that's what you think, Grandpa, then the second possibility-that someone did this on purpose-probably isn't very likely either."
"First, we've done a good job of staying hidden all these years, and I haven't heard that we've had any conflicts with the nearby forces."
"If it was one of those major forces, there'd be no need. The wolf pack may be strong, but it's no real threat to us. They wouldn't be so foolish as to alert us."
"It seems the third possibility is more likely. I encountered a Gale Wolf the day before yesterday. It might have been sent ahead to scout the area."
"Also, although the Gale Wolves and Blackwind Wolves don't get along, an attack on the Black Moon Wolves on this scale was clearly meant to wipe them out."
"They probably wanted to claim their territory, or had some other reason. It's more likely that something went wrong in the mountains."
Ling Yunxiao nodded. "Brother Yu, Xiaojun makes sense."
Chen Wenchao stroked his beard and gave him an approving look.
Chen Yu spoke slowly. "Old Black said it's felt restless lately and stepped up the pack's defenses. It didn't expect such a large-scale attack, so it was caught off guard, but it still reacted quickly, rallied the pack, and joined the battle."
"Old Black said that feeling of unease probably came from some kind of danger far away in the mountains."
"Wenchao, send more people into the mountains to investigate. Be careful. If you don't have enough hands, ask Yunxiao to lend you some."
"Ling Yun, contact your family and ask whether they've noticed anything unusual on their end."
Mu Lingyun came from another city in Wushan Prefecture: Green Lotus City, at the foot of Green Lotus Peak, one of the Five Mountains. The Mu Family had inherited the Plant Type Advanced Martial Soul, the Azure Lotus. They were a prestigious family in the prefecture and virtually unrivaled in Green Lotus City.
Mu Lingyun answered, "All right, Big Brother."
Chen Wenchao also replied promptly, "Understood, Brother Yu."
Chen Yu turned and asked, "Wenchao, how did things go with finding the Pegasus Soul Beast Xiaojun is looking for?"
Chen Wenchao reported, "Brother Yu, I asked Ma Kui. He said that in the northern part of the Xieluo Mountains, two hundred li into the mountains from Babel City in the Häagen-Dazs Kingdom, there's a small basin with a place called Wild Horse Plain. It has all kinds of horse Soul Beasts, including a Pegasus Herd."
"A couple of days ago, I sent Cheng Yun to find Ma Fan in Häagen-Dazs. She's already gone to investigate."
Ma Kui and Ma Fan were members of the Ma Family, a family of Red-Blood Horse Soul Masters who had followed the Chen Clan for generations.
Chen Yu nodded and smiled. "Tomorrow, I'll take Xiaojun straight there. Give me the map, and we'll make a quick trip there and back. Thanks for holding down the fort at home all this time."
Before you continue