Chapter 622
: The Elite Forces Were Actually Pawns?
It was late at night, and deep within the clan compound, the light was still on in Chi Lingxiao's study.
Chi Cangmei walked through the deep and quiet corridor and arrived at the door of the study.
She took a deep breath, and the coldness and sharpness on her face that she had shown in front of others receded quickly like the tide, replaced by a calm and gentle expression, before gently knocking on the door.
"Come in."
A steady voice came from inside the door, devoid of any emotion.
Chi Cangmei pushed open the door and entered. The study was furnished in a simple and elegant style, filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and the aroma of books.
Her father, Chi Lingxiao, the current head of the Chi family, was sitting behind a large desk, reading an ancient book with yellowed pages by the light of a jade lamp.
He was dressed in a simple dark blue casual robe, his back straight as a pine tree, his face lean and refined, his temperament gentle and mild. He did not look like a great man who held power in the Forbidden City, but rather like a well-read scholar.
Chi Cangmei walked to the desk and bowed respectfully.
"Father."
Chi Lingxiao's gaze did not leave the pages of the book; he simply hummed in acknowledgment, signaling her to speak.
"Today... confirmed news came from the front lines that the three thousand Blackscale Guards sent to intercept the boy, along with the six 'Azure Fu' warships that accompanied them, were almost... completely wiped out."
Chi Cangmei's voice was steady, but every word carried weight.
"Only less than five hundred people escaped, and of the six warships, five were confirmed to have been destroyed, and one... was hijacked by that boy and its whereabouts are unknown. The operation was a complete failure, and the losses... are incalculable."
She omitted the chaos in the council chamber and her own sharp words, stating only the coldest outcome, awaiting the expected outrage or at least heavy questioning.
However, Chi Lingxiao merely turned a page of the book without even frowning, as if he had only heard trivial matters. After a while, he closed the ancient book, gently placed it aside, and looked up at his daughter.
His eyes were calm and deep, like a still well.
"understood."
Chi Lingxiao's voice remained calm.
"This matter ends here. Subsequent compensation and war damage assessments will be handled as usual. As for those who escaped back, there's no need to investigate further; let them go where they need to rest."
Chi Cangmei was stunned.
She had imagined all sorts of possible reactions from her father, but she never expected it to be so completely... understated.
A strong sense of bewilderment and a hint of suppressed grievance welled up in her heart, and she couldn't help but take half a step forward, raising her voice slightly.
“Father! The three thousand Blackscale Guards are the culmination of many years of hard work by the Chi family, and the six ‘Azure Fu’ warships are the most important weapons of the clan! Now they have all been lost in one day, and we haven’t even been able to find out the details of that young man. How can we… how can we just give up like this? This is not something that can be dismissed with the words ‘insignificant’?”
She stared intently at her father, trying to find even the slightest trace of pretense on his face.
Chi Lingxiao looked at her, a subtle complexity in his eyes, not a reproach, but more like an understanding and a faint sigh.
He pointed to the chair opposite the desk.
"sit."
Chi Cangmei sat down as instructed, but her back remained ramrod straight, revealing the turmoil within her.
"Mei'er".
Chi Lingxiao spoke slowly, his voice deep and clear.
"You only see the losses, you see the failures. But have you ever considered why this operation started? What were the objectives? And who truly set them?"
Chi Cangmei's brows furrowed slightly.
"Naturally, it's because that unidentified youth trespassed on the borders of our Forbidden City's territory and damaged the outpost. To uphold our dignity, the family has decided to eliminate him. I'm in charge of the operation, and the details have been reviewed and approved by my father."
"Approval upon review does not imply initiation."
Chi Lingxiao interrupted her, gently shaking his head.
“In this matter, from beginning to end, my Chi family has only been a ‘knife’. The one wielding the knife is someone else, and where to cut it is not entirely up to my Chi family.”
Chi Cangmei was startled, and a vague yet startling guess emerged in his mind.
"Father means... this interception wasn't the Chi family's intention? But... what's above...?"
She did not give a specific name, but her gaze was already fixed on the roof of the study, the location that symbolized the supreme authority of the Forbidden City.
Chi Lingxiao neither agreed nor disagreed, but continued speaking.
"Early on, a conclusion was reached. The two sides... or rather, the multiple parties, reached a fragile balance. That is, this matter is limited to the scope of 'the younger generation' and 'conventional forces'."
Our side is prohibited from deploying high-level cultivators of the fifth realm or above to directly intervene, and from using strategic magical artifacts exceeding the level of the 'Azure Fu' warship. Similarly, the other side… or rather, certain potential protective forces related to that youth, will not directly intervene either.
He paused, looking at his daughter's bewildered yet confused eyes.
"Now, do you understand? From the very beginning, this was not a pure hunt, but a test of 'qualification,' a 'game' laid bare. The forces we deployed were the limits allowed by the rules."
If the boy can overcome this obstacle, then he will have earned the 'qualification'. If he fails... everything will vanish, and those who hoped for his return will have nothing to say.
"So, the seeds of victory and defeat were sown long ago when the rules were established?"
Chi Cangmei murmured, feeling as if he had touched the vast and dark outline beneath the iceberg.
"Victory means the death of that young man, the side that opposed his return gets what it wants, and my Chi family is the effective 'knife' in carrying it out. Defeat, on the other hand, means he has proven himself and gained the 'qualification' to enter the Forbidden City, and the side that hoped for his return... has achieved its goal."
And the losses suffered by my Chi family... are merely the price we must pay in this game, a price no one will care about?
She spoke the last few words with some difficulty. She thought of the Blackscale Guard cultivators who fought valiantly until their bodies were reduced to dust, and of the warships and crew members who were turned to ashes in the explosion.
They fought with everything they had, perhaps even to their death believing they were fighting for the honor and disgrace of their family, unaware that they were merely pawns on a chessboard, manipulated at will and whose value could be measured.
Chi Lingxiao acquiesced.
His silence was more chilling than any words of affirmation.
"Who exactly is that boy?"
Chi Cangmei's voice trembled slightly. She recalled the young face in the dark of night, the calm yet chilling gaze, as she looked at the pearl.
"Why would his life or death affect the power struggle within the Forbidden City's upper echelons, to the point that my Chi family would pay such a price just for a test of 'qualification'?"
She astutely grasped the key point in her father's previous words.
“You just said, ‘I hope he comes back’… He should belong to the Forbidden City, right? More than ten years ago… Father, could it be that he… was related to that ‘upheaval’ that shook the whole city back then?” Chi Cangmei’s memories flashed back rapidly.
More than ten years ago, she was still a child, but a major event did happen in the Forbidden City. Although the details were heavily shrouded in secrecy and vague, she still had a vague impression of the somber and tense atmosphere that permeated the entire city, as well as the quiet disappearance or silence of some important figures afterward.
It is said that it involves someone who was once prominent but suddenly collapsed...
Chi Lingxiao's eyes suddenly became extremely deep, and he raised his hand to stop his daughter from asking further questions.
"His identity should not be revealed by me before he truly steps into the Forbidden City and stands before certain people. Knowing too much will not benefit you or the Chi family. You only need to remember that this boy's return is by no means accidental. The unresolved grudges from more than ten years ago, and the lingering mystery, will likely be stirred up again because of him."
He looked at his daughter, his tone softening, even showing a rare gentleness.
"In this operation, you commanded effectively and acted decisively. Even in the face of failure, you managed to stabilize the situation and suppress those incompetent and noisy individuals. As an 'executor,' you have done a good enough job, perhaps even... above average. Leave the rest to your father. A storm is brewing, and our Chi family must first seek stability before considering anything else."
"Qualified...or above?"
Chi Cangmei pondered these four words, but felt no joy, only a profound sense of absurdity and coldness.
Three thousand elite troops and six warships for a rating of "above average"? The price is far too heavy and too ironic.
But she knew that her father had said all he could, and there was no point in asking any more questions.
She rose and bowed again.
"I understand, daughter. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
"Go ahead and get some rest. Keep a low profile for now."
Chi Lingxiao waved his hand and picked up the ancient book again, as if they had just discussed only a story from the book.
Chi Cangmei silently left the study and gently closed the door. The moment the door closed, all the gentleness and calmness on her face vanished, replaced by a sharp probing and a deep chill.
She walked slowly along the corridor, the night breeze slightly cool, fluttering her clothes.
"They'll understand once they enter the Forbidden City?"
She repeated her father's words in a low voice, a hint of coldness appearing at the corner of her mouth.
"No, I can't wait. By the time he steps into the Forbidden City, and everything settles down or chaos erupts, my Chi family, my Chi Cangmei, will probably just be a 'knife' passively waiting to be used by others."
She stopped and looked towards the most magnificent and splendid palace complex deep within the Forbidden City, her eyes resolute.
"An old story from over a decade ago... a shocking event that shook the entire city... a child who should have died..."
She pieced together these fragmented clues.
"We must find out! Only by knowing who our opponent is, why they came, and what they are carrying can I assess the situation and... ensure that the Chi family is not just a 'knife' in this impending turmoil."
She turned and walked towards the "Hanhai Pavilion," where the clan kept its internal books and secret documents. Night had fallen, and the Hanhai Pavilion was surely closed, but as the daughter of the clan head, she had her own way of getting in.
She wanted to access all the records she was allowed to see concerning major events in the Forbidden City more than a decade ago, even the most peripheral accounts and fragmentary rumors, to find any clues.
The smile beneath the boy's calm gaze was like a thorn, piercing her heart. Until she pulled it out and understood its origin, she couldn't eat or sleep properly.
While Chi Cangmei was spending the entire night poring over old documents in the Chi family's Hanhai Pavilion, a brief conversation had just ended in another completely different place in the Forbidden City—the deepest part of the Dark Night Fortress.
The Dark Castle is not a real castle. It is a special architectural complex that occupies a vast area in the northwest corner of the Forbidden City. Its style is gloomy and heavy, mainly in deep black and dark purple tones. Its towering spires pierce the night sky and are shrouded in a hazy, dim light that seems to absorb light itself.
This was the power center of the "Dark Night" faction within the Forbidden City.
The most central palace inside the fortress is spacious and empty, with almost no superfluous decorations.
The floor was smooth, mirror-like black stone, reflecting the pale flames flickering on the walls. At the far end of the palace, atop nine steps, stood a colossal throne carved from a single piece of "Shadow Jade."
At this moment, a woman was leaning lazily against the throne.
She wore a uniquely styled, ornate robe in deep purple and black, the hem of which trailed down the steps.
Her face was covered by a silver mask that revealed only her jawline and lips, the patterns on which were intricate and eerie.
Her long, purplish-black hair, reaching her waist, seemed to have a life of its own, moving and swaying gently even without wind.
She was one of the most powerful people in the Forbidden City, the Queen of the Night.
Below the steps, an elderly man with a hunched back, wrapped in a heavy black robe, stood with his head bowed, reporting respectfully.
"...Chi Zangmei, daughter of the Chi family, has returned to the clan and is presumably reporting the details to her father, Chi Lingxiao. The Chi family has indeed suffered a considerable loss this time."
The old man's voice was hoarse and dry, like rusty iron scraping against each other.
"loss?"
The Queen of the Night's voice came from behind the mask, carrying a unique, magnetic, and cold quality, as if it echoed.
"That old fox Chi Lingxiao probably anticipated this outcome long ago. By using some low- to mid-level cultivators and a few outdated warships, he not only fulfilled his duty but also tested the child's abilities and, incidentally... eliminated some of the clan's less obedient or near-exhausted forces, achieving multiple goals at once."
This loss is probably nothing to him, not even a drop in the ocean.
She shifted to a more comfortable position, her fingertips lightly tapping the armrest of the black jade throne, producing a crisp "tap, tap" sound.
"What I care about is the result."
That child…really survived? And caused such a commotion?”
"Yes."
The old man in black robes confirmed.
"Based on the fragments of the last message and the remaining traces of the aura left by the escapee, it is undoubtedly the target who hijacked the 'Qingfu' warship and caused the destruction of the other five warships."
His combat prowess, decisiveness, and grasp of opportunity far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators of his age, and even... many seasoned veterans. Most importantly, he did indeed... survive the final interception line and was heading towards the Forbidden City.
"hehe…"
The Queen of the Night chuckled softly, the sound echoing in the empty hall, yet it brought no warmth whatsoever.
"As expected... even if someone with that kind of blood is thrown into the mud and tortured in the most cruel way, as long as they don't die, they can always climb out and... become even more unexpected."
"To stand alone? Perhaps. I'm more looking forward to seeing the expressions on the faces of those old fogies when he actually enters this city."
She seemed to remember something and asked. (End of Chapter)