Chapter 77: The Twin Stars of Beiye

He had only recently broken through the fifth limit, so it would be difficult for him to make significant progress in his energy and blood in the short term. It would be better to invest everything into improving his martial arts. Furthermore, he still possessed a Dao Food, left unused from before. With the addition of the Dao Book, his Barbaric Elephant Form should be able to reach the unity of man and martial arts in a short time.

As expected, after the Dao Book devoured it, the progress of the Barbaric Elephant Form reached fifty percent mastery. After that, Lu Yan stopped his martial training to let the energy from the martial food be fully absorbed by the Dao Book. In this way, the progress of the Barbaric Elephant Form doubled.

Night fell, and the world was shrouded in darkness, yet the Liu Clan’s martial guards could still be seen patrolling. "I wonder where my parents are being held," Lu Yan murmured, gazing up at the towering ancient fortress on the mountain with a frown.

He tried to make his way up, but found that martial guards and Liu clan members patrolled everywhere, making it impossible to approach. He had considered asking Shen Yinuo for help, but quickly dismissed the thought. Though Shen Yinuo’s movement techniques were formidable, the security here was so tight that even she might not be able to infiltrate the Liu Clan’s headquarters. Moreover, even if they discovered where Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui were imprisoned, it would be impossible to get them out.

There was nothing to do but wait and look for an opportunity. For the time being, it seemed the Liu Clan only intended to use his family to threaten him into cooperating, and their lives were not in immediate danger.

...

A dozen miles south of Longwind City lay a first-grade blood vein, the headquarters of the Wu Clan.

At this moment, in the council hall, a burly old man with snow-white hair and beard sat at the head of the table. This was the Wu Clan’s patriarch, a peak Martial Marquis, Wu Daoyuan. Though his face was ruddy and his skin firm with few wrinkles, he was in fact over a hundred years old. His energy and blood were already waning, and his life was nearing its end.

A Martial Marquis might live to around one hundred and twenty years under ideal circumstances, but martial artists are constantly embroiled in strife and battle, inevitably sustaining hidden injuries. In reality, very few actually reach such an age.

On either side below him sat five towering figures, each over two meters tall, as robust as bears, exuding a powerful presence. These were the Wu Clan’s five Martial Marquises. With Wu Daoyuan himself, that made six.

Originally, counting Wu Daoyuan, the Wu Clan had only five Martial Marquises. But last time, after keeping three jin of mutated heart meat for themselves, they managed to gather auxiliary spiritual herbs and even spent a fortune to invite a master martial chef from Nanyi Prefecture to help them cook the nine-section mutated heart meat. In the end, two of the three portions succeeded; two clan members at the peak of fivefold breakthrough each consumed one, and one of them successfully advanced to the rank of Martial Marquis.

The atmosphere in the council hall was heavy, all six Martial Marquises of the Wu Clan looking grim.

"Why is no one speaking? Let's hear your thoughts—what should we do now?" After a long silence, Wu Daoyuan finally spoke.

"In my view, there is no need to worry. Even though the Liu Clan has obtained the Phoenix Blood Worm, to actually cook 'Phoenix Blood Heart-Guarding Soup' is no easy feat. Even a master martial chef may not succeed—it requires a grandmaster. In the six counties of Lingdong, how many martial chef grandmasters are there? They are not so easily found," said a bald-headed Martial Marquis in his forties.

"I disagree," countered another Martial Marquis in his fifties. "This is the Liu Clan’s chance to rise. They will surely mobilize the entire clan to cook the Phoenix Blood Heart-Guarding Soup. If they succeed, it increases the chance of breaking through to Internal Force by forty percent. Should they succeed, our Wu Clan will face annihilation. None of us will survive. Is that a risk you’re willing to take? Do you dare gamble with our clan’s fate?"

His words made all the Wu Clan’s Martial Marquises look troubled.

This was exactly what they feared.

They dared not gamble.

If the Liu Clan put all their resources into it, it was not impossible to invite a martial chef grandmaster. Once the Phoenix Blood Heart-Guarding Soup was made, the success rate would rise by forty percent. Coupled with the Liu Clan patriarch’s own foundation, the chance would exceed fifty percent.

With such odds, could they afford to risk it?

"To do nothing is to await our doom. I, Wu Fuhai, refuse to sit and wait. What about you? Who among you is willing to just wait for death?" Wu Fuhai’s words rang out forcefully.

"No one is willing to do nothing, but what can we do? Launch an all-out war against the Liu Clan? Our strength is nearly equal to theirs. Though we now have one more Martial Marquis, the Liu Clan might also have new additions. If we fight openly, both sides will suffer, and the Wei Clan in the prefectural city will be the ones to profit," said the bald-headed Martial Marquis.

"You all make good points. So, what is the plan?" Wu Daoyuan asked. He understood all these arguments perfectly well. What he needed was a solution.

The others fell silent, except for Wu Fuhai, whose expression was calm and confident. "If we fight the Liu Clan with our current strength, it will indeed end in mutual destruction. But what if we have reinforcements?"

"Reinforcements? From where? The surrounding noble families would love nothing more than to see us and the Liu Clan destroy each other so they can reap the benefits. Why would they help us?" The bald-headed Martial Marquis voiced the sentiment of the others.

Wu Fuhai shook his head and smiled. "Have you heard of the Northern Wild Twin Stars?"

"You mean the Bei brothers from Northern Wild City in Qingfeng Prefecture?" Wu Daoyuan’s eyes flashed.

"Exactly. When I was young, I traveled in Qingfeng Prefecture and became close friends with the Bei brothers, sharing life-and-death bonds. A few years ago, Qingfeng Prefecture was struck by disaster—scorched earth for a thousand miles, even some blood veins dried up. The resulting resource scramble led to war among the noble families. The Bei Clan was wiped out during that conflict, but the Bei brothers escaped with a group of followers. Recently, they arrived in Longwind City and are currently guests at my residence.

"Both brothers are at the fourth stage of Martial Marquis—deep-level Martial Marquises. If they join forces with our patriarch, besieging the Liu Clan patriarch will be no problem," Wu Fuhai finished.

"Two deep-level Martial Marquises." Everyone present, including Wu Daoyuan, was visibly excited.

The Martial Marquis realm has five stages. The pinnacle is the fifth stage—Abyss-level Martial Marquis, the level of the Wu and Liu patriarchs. With two deep-level Martial Marquises joining forces, they might really be able to slay the Liu patriarch.

"We’ll tie down the other Liu Clan Martial Marquises, while the Bei brothers and our patriarch join forces to besiege the Liu patriarch. Once he falls, we can then turn on the remaining Liu Martial Marquises, securing victory," Wu Fuhai emphasized.

The other Martial Marquises looked tempted. Wu Daoyuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, considering the feasibility of the plan.

"Fuhai, your plan is indeed workable, but we must consider the aftermath. The Wei Clan will not sit by and let us dominate. If we truly destroy the Liu Clan, we may draw the Wei Clan’s ire."

"Patriarch, if it comes to that, we can cede one or two blood veins to the Wei Clan to show our submission. At least we would retain our current status. But if we wait for the Liu patriarch to become a grandmaster, we will all be doomed.

"Furthermore, once we destroy the Liu Clan, we’ll obtain the Phoenix Blood Worm. If we secretly cook the Phoenix Blood Heart-Guarding Soup, you could use it to become a grandmaster yourself. Then what need would we have to fear the Wei Clan?" Wu Fuhai continued.

This time, Wu Fuhai’s words truly struck a chord with the Wu patriarch, prompting him to make a decision.

"Fuhai, why not introduce the Bei brothers to us first? I’ll ask them what conditions they require," Wu Daoyuan said.

"Very well, I’ll go at once," Wu Fuhai replied, rising to leave.

...

"How do you all see this matter?" Wu Daoyuan asked after Wu Fuhai left.

"Patriarch, if the Bei brothers agree, they will certainly have demands. We should first hear what they want."

"Patriarch, I think it’s feasible. Perhaps our Wu Clan can use this opportunity to rise and become a grandmaster clan."

Several Martial Marquises spoke in turn, all expressing agreement, even the previously skeptical bald-headed one.

There were only two paths left for the Wu Clan: sit and wait for destruction, or destroy the Liu Clan and at least preserve their current status, perhaps even advance further. The choice was clear.

Soon, Wu Fuhai returned, bringing with him two burly men—both around fifty years old, their features seven or eight-tenths alike. They were the Bei brothers.

"Greetings, gentlemen," the Bei brothers saluted with cupped fists.

"Please, have a seat," Wu Daoyuan gestured. The Bei brothers sat to the side.

"I trust Fuhai has explained the situation. What are your thoughts?" Wu Daoyuan asked.

"We’re willing to act, but our opponent is an Abyss-level Martial Marquis. This battle will be perilous. Even with our bond with Fuhai, we cannot risk our lives for nothing," said Bei Chen, one of the brothers.

"What do you want?" Wu Daoyuan asked, feeling relieved. Demands were welcome—no demands would have been suspicious.

"Silver. One hundred thousand taels each," Bei Chen said, holding up a finger.

One hundred thousand per person—two hundred thousand in total. An enormous price. But if it meant destroying the Liu Clan, it was worth it.

"Agreed," the Wu patriarch declared, slapping the table and rising to his feet. "Gentlemen, a pleasure to work with you."

"You won’t lose out. Besides the two of us, the Bei Clan has dozens more experts with us. We’ll bring them to join the battle. The Liu Clan will be annihilated," Bei Chen replied with a smile.

"Good. The sooner the better—any delay may bring change. Prepare yourselves. Seven nights from now, we’ll strike the Liu Clan’s blood vein by surprise," the Wu patriarch decided.