Chapter 64

(Thank you to Xiao Er for serving tea, Fei Xiong, Zhen Tou, Ta Tian, and all the other brothers for their generous support. I've been writing for two days and am quite tired today, but I'll do my best to update twice tomorrow. To maintain the top spot on the monthly ticket list, please stand with me for the final shift!)

After Chen Lie finished writing the private letter, he came to the hall to meet with everyone. He had just sat down and exchanged pleasantries with Chen Hai, Wu Meng, Zhou Jun, and others when Chen Su, the deputy manager of Tinghou Manor, led three people in.

Seeing Chen Hai sitting between Sun Gan and Chen Qing at a low table, Chen Su's eyes showed a complex expression.

Chen Hai thought that someone must have already told Chen Su about what he said to Su Quan. However, he didn't care what Chen Su was thinking and began to observe the three people Chen Su had led in.

One of them was Jie Wenzhuo, whom Chen Hai had known for a long time. He hadn't expected that this Jie family member, who was close to Chen Qing, would also be on Yulong Mountain at this time.

The other two were a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth with a face that bore a slight resemblance to Jie Wenzhuo, and a middle-aged man in his fifties. The youth, dressed in a white robe, still had a hint of childishness on his face. His bright eyes scanned the hall, revealing a hard-to-conceal arrogance. He carried a black-sheathed sword on his back, which subtly stirred the mysterious forces of heaven and earth, indicating that it was a spirit sword. It was hard to imagine that this young man, at such a young age, had already reached the Spirit Opening Realm.

The middle-aged man, though with a few strands of white hair at his temples, exuded a cold and stern aura, like a pine tree standing on a steep cliff. Chen Hai, sitting nearby, felt a faint pressure on his spirit.

Those who could exert mental pressure on others at the spirit level were usually profound cultivators who had comprehended the true meaning of the Dao, and were typically strong cultivators who had reached the Bright Aperture Realm.

Seeing Chen Su lead the people in, Chen Lie stood up and greeted the middle-aged man, who was leading the group, with a bow: "Brother Quan Ting, please take your seat..."

Jie Quan Ting, a middle-level Bright Aperture Realm cultivator of the Jie family?

The profound cultivators of the Taiwei Sect and the Wuwei Army were as numerous as fish crossing a river, but those above the Bright Aperture Realm were usually high-ranking figures within the sect or the army, and Chen Hai had heard of most of them.

Jie Quan Ting was a member of the Jie family, but he was also married to Chen Jue, the youngest daughter of the Chen family patriarch, Chen Zhiyi, making him a collateral member of the Chen family.

The aristocratic families of the Hexi region, while all recognizing the Wuwei Divine Marquis Dong family as their leader, were also closely linked through intricate relationships of teacher-student ties and marriage.

At the same time, there were many conflicts among the aristocratic families of the Hexi region, and different factions often emerged based on the closeness of these relationships.

Jie Quan Ting was the son-in-law of the Chen family patriarch, Chen Zhiyi. If Chen Lie, representing the Chen family, and Chai Teng, representing the Chai family, were to confront each other at the Yulong Camp, Jie Quan Ting would undoubtedly support the Chen family. However, if Chen Lie wanted to confront Chen Zhiyi within the Chen family, Jie Quan Ting would undoubtedly stand firmly on Chen Zhiyi's side.

These intricate relationships could only be deeply understood by those who were part of them, as they revealed the nuances of closeness and distance.

Chen Hai and the others stood up to greet Jie Quan Ting, but by observing the expressions of the others, he could tell that their attitudes toward Jie Quan Ting were quite interesting. He wondered if the Chen family patriarch, Chen Zhiyi, didn't want his brother-in-law, Chen Lie, to form his own faction, and had sent Jie Quan Ting to Yulong Mountain to restrain Chen Lie from developing his own power base at the Yulong Camp.

However, the fact that Chen Su led Jie Quan Ting in without prior notice indicated that Jie Quan Ting was on the guest list for tonight's banquet.

"Chen Hai..."

Chen Lie introduced Chen Hai, who was not yet familiar with the others, to Jie Quan Ting. Jie Quan Ting's eyes, which seemed to contain lightning, paused meaningfully on Chen Hai's face for a moment before he nodded and smiled, saying, "Wenzhuo, you've known each other for a long time, right? It's a coincidence that Wenchang has also formally entered the Upper Seven Peaks for cultivation. You cousins should get closer and support each other in the inner sect of the Taiwei Sect."

Jie Wenzhuo was a direct descendant of the Jie family and a nephew of Jie Quan Ting. He was also close to the Chen family, having a close relationship with Chen Qing and Chen Zhang within the sect. He had come to celebrate Chen Lie's ennoblement as the Tinghou.

Jie Wenchang was the youngest son of Jie Quan Ting and Chen Jue, and the direct grandson of the Chen family patriarch, Chen Zhiyi, making him even more closely tied to the Chen family. Chen Hai and he were indeed cousins, and Chen Lie was also his uncle.

However, no matter how talented Jie Wenchang was and how much he was favored by the Chen family patriarch, Chen Zhiyi, he could only be considered a collateral member of both the Jie and Chen families. He would need to reach the Spirit Opening Realm to qualify for cultivation in the Upper Seven Peaks.

Chen Hai slightly bowed, waiting to exchange pleasantries with Jie Wenchang, but the arrogant Jie Wenchang simply glanced past him and greeted Chen Qing: "Wenchang hasn't seen Chen Qing sister and Zileng for a long time..."

At seventeen, Jie Wenchang had already reached the Spirit Opening Realm, giving him the right to be proud. However, this made the situation extremely embarrassing for Chen Hai. Many of the generals present were already looking at Chen Hai unfavorably, and some were secretly laughing, while others couldn't hide their amusement.

Zhou Jun, Ge Tong, and Wu Meng, sitting at the lower end of the table, were also angry, but since it was Chen Lie's banquet, they could only suppress their anger.

Seeing Chen Lie's expression darken, Jie Quan Ting, though he also looked down on Chen Hai, knew that his son's rudeness had displeased Chen Lie. He scolded, "Wenchang, you must not be impolite. Come over and apologize to your cousin Chen Hai!" He then smiled to ease Chen Lie's displeasure, "Wenchang has always practiced under his grandfather, and he doesn't understand the ways of the world. I apologize, Brother Lie."

The aristocratic families were intermarried, and while Chen Lie and Jie Quan Ting were not particularly close, they usually addressed each other as brothers.

Hearing his father's reprimand, Jie Wenchang reluctantly turned around, pretending to apologize, but a look of disdain still lingered on his face.

Chen Hai saw that Jie Quan Ting was only trying to ease the awkward atmosphere and wasn't really paying attention to them. He thought that Jie Quan Ting probably felt that reprimanding Jie Wenchang for such a small matter was enough to show respect to his brother-in-law, Chen Lie.

Chen Hai thought that if he let this matter slide today, it would not only affect how others treated him but also undermine the authority of his uncle, Chen Lie, who had designated him as the legitimate son. This was not a good situation.

Seeing Jie Wenchang pretending to apologize, Chen Hai smiled coldly and thought that if he didn't teach this young man a lesson today, he would continue to cause trouble for him in the Upper Seven Peaks. He said with a smile, "I'm already over twenty and haven't opened the secret palace of the spirit sea. My entry into the Upper Seven Peaks is only due to my uncle's favor. I understand why Wenchang looks down on me. But if Wenchang doesn't change his arrogant attitude, he will stumble in the Upper Seven Peaks. I think it's better for me to teach you about respect today rather than let you be humiliated by others."

Jie Wenchang had initially intended to pretend to apologize, but as he listened to Chen Hai, his anger grew. He couldn't understand how this upstart had the audacity to speak to him like this.

Jie Wenchang had always looked down on Chen Hai, and while he was angry at Chen Hai's arrogance, he didn't think it was worth arguing with him. He also didn't find it particularly impressive to outperform Chen Hai in cultivation. He simply looked down on this upstart.

Seeing that Jie Wenchang wasn't taking the bait, Chen Hai smiled and asked Jie Wenzhuo, "Brother Wenzhuo, do you think Jie Wenchang can last ten moves against me?"

When Chen Hai said this, not only did Jie Wenchang's face turn pale with anger, but even the Chen family's subordinates present were taken aback, wondering what gave Chen Hai the confidence to make such a bold claim.

Although Chen Zhiyi's cultivation was not higher than Chen Lie's, as the Chen family patriarch, the Marquis of Kaiyuan County, and the Chief Secretary of the Grand Protector General, the resources he controlled were unimaginable.

Jie Wenchang, though young and just entering the Spirit Opening Realm, had always practiced under the Chen family patriarch, Chen Zhiyi. No one knew how many magical treasures the patriarch had given him for protection. Even Wu Meng and Jie Wenzhuo, who were middle-level Spirit Opening Realm cultivators, didn't think they could outperform Jie Wenchang.

Jie Wenchang's earlier behavior was indeed rude, but everyone thought he had the right to be proud. They didn't expect Chen Hai to be so audacious as to ask Jie Wenzhuo if Jie Wenchang could last ten moves against him.

Jie Wenzhuo had seen Chen Hai's bravery and thought that if Jie Wenchang didn't rely on the magical treasures given by his grandfather, Chen Zhiyi, the outcome of a fight with Chen Hai was uncertain.

Even if Jie Wenzhuo believed Chen Hai couldn't defeat Jie Wenchang, he still owed Chen Hai a debt of gratitude for helping him escape from Yulong Mountain. He didn't want to embarrass Chen Hai and simply smiled without responding.

Jie Wenchang, seeing that Jie Wenzhuo was hesitating and not directly reprimanding him, was even more furious. He took out his black-sheathed spirit sword and coldly said, "Then I will have to teach my cousin Chen Hai a lesson today."

"These young people, they don't know their place!" Jie Quan Ting shook his head and smiled, still showing disdain for Chen Hai's audacity.

Chen Lie frowned. He had been concerned that Chen Hai, with his low cultivation, would be bullied by his peers in the Upper Seven Peaks, affecting his cultivation. He hadn't expected that Chen Hai would face such a situation even before entering the inner sect, and that it would be a member of the Chen family who would embarrass him in front of him.

Chen Zhang and Chen Qing's attitudes were not surprising, but Chen Lie noticed that even his subordinates were looking at Chen Hai with disdain. Only Wu Meng, Zhou Jun, and Ge Tong showed a willingness to stand up for Chen Hai. He frowned and said, "Since Wenchang wants to challenge Chen Hai, let them have a match. It will add to the excitement of the banquet." He then walked out of the hall.

Sun Gan, Su Yuan, and others were taken aback. They had expected Chen Lie to stop the match, but instead, he was the first to agree. Seeing Chen Lie walk out, they felt a chill and secretly worried.

Although they didn't like Chen Hai, he was the legitimate son designated by Chen Lie. If Chen Hai were to be humiliated again in the match, it would damage Chen Lie's authority, which was not what they wanted to see.

Jie Quan Ting was also surprised that Chen Lie didn't stop the match. He thought it might be good for the household guards to see how Chen Lie's favored nephew was so incapable, to prevent Chen Lie from having ambitions within the Chen family...

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