83: Chapter 83: The envoy is suspicious, and the great clans become more interested.

The gold-patterned flying carriage tore through the clouds, its spiritual light bursting apart before the mountain gate.

The envoy stumbled as he landed, the hem of his purple robe stained with dust, his hand still tightly clutching the jade talisman at his waist.

He didn't wait for the welcoming Disciple to announce him, instead pushing open the side door of the Council Hall directly.

"Where are they? Where are the tribal Elders?" His voice trembled, as if he had just been pulled from icy water.

In the side hall, five figures sat in a circle. The white-haired, white-bearded Elder in the main seat lifted his eyelids: "In such a rush—what did the Chen Family do to you?"

The envoy caught his breath and recounted the events on the flying carriage from the beginning.

When he spoke of Chen Wuwang's words about the "price of flipping the table," he paused himself, as if he could hear those three metallic strikes again—they were too precise, like some kind of signal, or perhaps a countdown before the war drums beat.

"He is not afraid of us." The envoy lowered his voice, "Instead... it feels like he is waiting for us to make a move."

An Elder with a hooked nose sitting below sneered: "Coming from a minor clan, winning a few lucky matches, and now their tails are wagging in the sky? The strange phenomenon in the Medicinal Field is solid intelligence. Does he think he can brush us off with a single phrase like 'plants and trees meeting spring'? Absurd!"

"But the spies reported that there are indeed abnormal fluctuations deep in the Medicinal Field." Another short, stout Elder stroked his beard, "The Spiritual Qi readings are more than three times higher than normal. If it truly is the revival of an ancient forbidden technique, we must have an explanation."

"Forbidden technique?" The hooked-nose Elder scoffed, "Don't you know the background of the Eastern Wasteland Chen Family? Three generations ago they were still mining and refining slag; what kind of great power could they possibly cultivate? I think it's just bluffing, deliberately putting on that act to scare people!"

"What about those three knocks?" The envoy suddenly spoke up, "It was no coincidence. I was only three steps away from the flying carriage, and that sound came from the Artifact Refining Workshop. The rhythm was consistent, the interval precise. That was a response, a signal."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The Elder in the main seat finally moved, his fingertips lightly tapping the table: "If he truly has no backing, how dare he be so insolent? If he does have backing, what could it be?"

No one answered.

Because no one could answer.

The short, stout Elder frowned: "Could it be that someone is supporting them from behind? The Celestial Court has been acting frequently lately, could it be..."

"Impossible." The hooked-nose Elder interrupted, "If the Celestial Court were involved, they would have sent an imperial envoy long ago. Is a minor clan that doesn't even have a Nascent Soul worth an immortal official descending in person?"

"But we cannot let our guard down." Another woman who had been silent for a long time spoke slowly, "The Seven Clans Alliance has been formed, and the Chen Family is now the co-leader. This concerns our face, and even more so, our interests. If we really let them dig up something good, our say in the future will no longer be in our hands."

The envoy lowered his head: "They have blocked it off very tightly. When I left, there were still mechs patrolling the direction of the Medicinal Field, and the earth vein detectors had not been withdrawn. Clearly, they are guarding against us probing further."

"Then don't probe anymore." The hooked-nose Elder stood up abruptly, "Send troops directly to the border! Investigate them to the bottom! Let's see what else he can use to make excuses!"

"Fool!" The Elder in the main seat suddenly scolded, "Do you think the Seven Clans are just decorations? If a real fight breaks out, once the flames of war rise, the dozen or so vassal clans around us will all fall into chaos! Who will provide resources then? Who will guard the borders for us?"

The hooked-nose Elder's face flushed red, but he dared not retort.

The Elder closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his gaze was like a knife: "Our biggest problem right now is not whether the Chen Family has secrets, but that we—know nothing."

Everyone was silent.

This was what made people the most uneasy.

A minor clan should have been trembling with fear, acting obsequious.

But Chen Wuwang was different. He was calm, unruffled, and even... had a sense of certainty.

It was as if he knew something that they did not.

"We can no longer rely on spies." The Elder said in a deep voice, "Short-frequency scanning cannot enter the core area; last time we were almost counter-tracked. This time, someone must approach the Medicinal Field personally to collect breath samples and bring them back for analysis."

"Who will go?" The woman asked.

Before the words had faded, footsteps were heard outside the hall.

A person walked in, tall and straight, his face covered by a bronze mask, with only a pair of eyes exposed.

Those eyes were so calm they didn't seem human, but rather like a snake staring at its prey.

"I am willing to go." He said.

The Elder examined him: "You are... Zhao Jiuyuan?"

"Exactly. Three years ago I infiltrated the outskirts of the Eastern Wasteland and am familiar with their patrol patterns. The gap during the night shift change is at the second quarter of the Yin hour, and there is a three-breath blind spot in the northwest corner. Although their mech detection range is wide, their recognition rate for wandering Cultivators with low spiritual fluctuations is less than 40%."

He spoke very steadily, enunciating every word, as if reciting a plan he had long ago memorized.

The Elder nodded: "Good. I will give you a specially made Spiritual Message Talisman that can penetrate interference and connect directly to the ancestral temple. You have only one mission—disguise yourself as an alchemist, approach the edge of the Medicinal Field, collect the residual breath in the air, and report back within three days."

Zhao Jiuyuan reached out to take the jade talisman and pressed it to his chest.

"What if I encounter resistance?" He asked.

"Come back alive." The Elder stared at him, "Nothing else is important."

Zhao Jiuyuan nodded slightly and turned to leave.

The hall returned to silence.

The hooked-nose Elder was still unwilling to give up: "Are we just letting him go alone? What if he also fails..."

"He is already more clear-headed than you." The Elder said coldly, "Do you know what is most terrifying about Chen Wuwang's last sentence?"

No one answered.

"It is that he is not afraid of things getting out of hand." The Elder slowly stood up and looked out the window towards the Eastern Wasteland, "The more someone is like this, the harder they are to mess with. They are either crazy, or—they truly have a trump card."

The short, stout Elder rubbed his hands: "But if they really obtained some treasure... wouldn't we be..."

"That is why we must investigate." The Elder interrupted, "Only after investigating clearly can we decide whether to swallow it or destroy it."

The woman whispered: "The Seven Clans Alliance... I'm afraid they won't be able to stop us, right?"

"They can't stop us now." The Elder's mouth twitched slightly, "But once a war breaks out, other great clans will also move. By then, we won't have eaten the fish, but will have gotten ourselves covered in stench first."

He paused, his voice lower: "Let's see what Zhao Jiuyuan can bring back first. If it is an ordinary mutation, send troops to take over immediately; if there is a strange energy reaction... then contact the people 'above'."

Everyone's expression tightened.

Even the hooked-nose Elder shut his mouth.

On the outer corridor of the side hall, the envoy stood alone.

The wind blew from the cliff, carrying a chill. His fingers inside his sleeves trembled slightly—not from the cold, but from lingering fear.

He remembered the look in Chen Wuwang's eyes when he turned around—not fierce, not cruel, yet it seemed to see through everything.

That person didn't care at all whether they came or not.

He was waiting.

Waiting for them to jump into the pit themselves.

In the distance, a stream of light streaked across the sky.

It was Zhao Jiuyuan setting off.

The envoy watched that light disappear into the end of the clouds, his throat moved, but he didn't say a word in the end.

Inside the hall, the Elder closed his eyes to rest.

The other four Elders rose one after another and left.

When they reached the door, the short, stout Elder suddenly stopped and whispered to the woman: "Do you think... he will really be the next 'taboo'?"

The woman looked back at the direction of the main seat, her voice barely audible: "I don't know. I only know that thirty years ago, the first person to say 'technology can be Heaven-Defying' also died this way."

The two looked at each other and fell silent at the same time.

The footsteps faded away, and only the Elder was left in the Council Hall.

He still kept his eyes closed, but his fingertips tapped the armrest of the chair three times.

Two short, one long.

Exactly the same as the signal in front of the Chen Family Main Hall half an hour ago.