socalfunplaces 656.3 people's meeting
656.3 people's meeting
The core of the Spirit Clan, the residence of the Supreme Elder Ling Haonan.
The setting sun was like blood, and the pavilion was always filled with the faint herbal fragrance of soothing tea, but today it was unusually strong.
"Supreme Elder." Two calls rang out almost simultaneously, breaking the silence in the pavilion. Ling Yuan, the patriarch of the Spirit Clan, and Ling Xuanmo, the deputy patriarch, stood side by side. Even though they held the two most powerful positions in the clan, they still maintained heartfelt respect and solemnity in front of the figure sitting quietly behind the small table.
In the Spirit Clan, Ling Haonan's status is equivalent to that of the clan leader, and his actual prestige is even greater. This is not only because he is the most senior, but also because of the legendary life he led in his youth, a life stained with blood and glory.
Ling Haonan's contributions to the Spirit Clan are beyond question. In his youth, he slaughtered countless enemies of the Spirit Clan with his own hands, earning him a fearsome reputation. He was also the idol of Ling Yuan and Ling Xuanmo.
However, Ling Haonan later suffered a severe and incurable injury that cut short his path to further advancement, forcibly dragging him down from his peak. Forced to halt his life in its prime, and watching helplessly as rising stars like Ling Yuan and Ling Xuanmo emerged, he slowly retreated into the background, filled with endless resentment and deep-seated regret.
That is why, when this reclusive elder took the initiative to invite them today, the two clan leaders did not hesitate to put aside all their affairs and come on time—Ling Haonan's summons itself represented the highest level of will in the clan.
Ling Xuanmo had sharp eyes; he immediately noticed the cup of soothing tea on the table. The tea had lost its steam and was served cold in an antique teacup, clearly having been left out for a long time. A barely perceptible surge of anger crossed his brow.
He immediately stepped forward and respectfully and deftly refilled Ling Haonan's teacup with fresh, steaming tea, saying in a low voice, "These servants are probably living too comfortably. They even dare to ignore the tea offered by the Supreme Elder. I'll replace it with a fresh batch later."
Ling Haonan stretched out his withered hand and gently moved it towards the only open window in the attic, where the last rays of the setting sun softly streamed in. He seemed to want to capture that faint but warm light, his fingers slightly bent and extended, carrying a hint of lingering affection and bewilderment, but in the end, he simply let the light slip silently through his fingers.
"It was my request, so don't blame them."
"Did the Supreme Elder summon us here today for the matter of the Pill Tower?" Seeing that he was in relatively good spirits, Ling Yuan felt somewhat relieved and took the initiative to ask.
"Yes." Ling Haonan, whose eyelids had been slightly lowered, also lifted them. "There are only two years left until that so-called Pill Gathering."
"The clan meetings have discussed it several times, but the final result is always undecided," Ling Xuanmo added.
A hint of almost painful disappointment appeared on Ling Haonan's face: "The clansmen are too complacent. They feel constrained by their status and don't want to fight a real battle. In addition, everyone is arguing endlessly about who will succeed the next clan chief."
"They're all short-sighted fools." Although Ling Xuanmo is the deputy clan leader, he is the most straightforward person among all the Ling clan members.
"Xiao Yuan, what do you think?" Ling Haonan looked at Ling Yuan, who was always more composed and reserved, his reliance on him was self-evident.
Ling Yuan took a deep breath and straightened his back. He understood perfectly what the Supreme Elder's summons meant, and he knew that his attitude towards that audacious plan was key. Meeting Ling Haonan's gaze, he spoke earnestly and without hesitation: "Supreme Elder, as the clan leader, I am very aware of the Ling Clan's predicament, and I fully support making changes. However, isn't it too risky to directly target that ninth-grade Xuan Dan in the Pill Tower?"
He emphasized the word "adventure" heavily, looking directly at Ling Haonan with an honest gaze, clearly having given it considerable thought.
Ling Hao, though not angry, smiled faintly, his lips twitching slightly upwards, forming a very subtle yet clearly visible smile: "Continue."
Lingyuan composed himself and explained his worries, which had been on his mind day and night, in detail: "The first is the internal one."
"Our goal in taking action against the Ninth-Rank Profound Pill is not simply a matter of using force. It requires mobilizing the clan's elite combat power and core resources. It's a high-stakes gamble with an extremely low margin for error, a gamble that involves the entire clan working together as one. The difficulty is self-evident, especially with only the three of us here. I'll be frank: even if we all demand it, some will inevitably slack off and fail to give their all!"
"Secondly," Ling Yuan's expression grew even more serious, "when we go to retrieve the Xuan Dan, the people from the Pill Tower will definitely be determined to fight us to the death. Facing a Pill Tower that has been driven to the brink of defeat, we might even be the ones who end up at a disadvantage."
"Thirdly, with the major imperial clans surrounding us, will they intervene when we make a move on the Ninth-Grade Profound Pill? For example, the Medicine Clan, their relationship with the Pill Tower has always been rather ambiguous. Although they are certainly not open allies, their relationship is at least much closer than ours."
"Even if we take a step back and assume that no other imperial clans assist the Pill Tower, isn't there always someone lurking in the shadows? If any imperial clan were to attack both of us while we and the Pill Tower are locked in a fierce battle, they would end up gaining nothing, while their entire clan would suffer a devastating blow in this high-stakes gamble. If our strength were to weaken further, the Spirit Clan would be in even greater danger."
"These three points, both internal and external, constitute my opinion."
Having said that, Ling Yuan straightened his back once more, his gaze open and honest as he met Ling Haonan's unfathomable eyes. He saw the smile on the Supreme Elder's lips and understood that the smile signified approval of his sense of responsibility. However, he still felt the need to emphasize his position again to avoid any misunderstanding.
"Of course, please believe me, Elder, that Lingyuan's blood is still hot. As long as it truly benefits the Spirit Clan, I will do it without hesitation, even at the cost of my life. However, as the clan leader, I have no choice but to say these things!"
Ling Haonan listened quietly, his eyes, weathered by time, calm and undisturbed, as if he had already anticipated what Ling Yuan would say. He had already revealed his plan to seize the ninth-grade Xuan Dan from the Pill Tower to the true decision-making core of the Ling Clan on several occasions, with clansmen expressing their opinions and engaging in endless debate. Much of the content had, in fact, been discussed more than once before.
"I have never worried about your passion. It is because there are people like you and Xiao Mo in the clan that I feel there is still hope for the Spirit Clan." Ling Haonan finally spoke again, his voice deep but containing a rare warmth and approval.
He sat up a little straighter, his voice carrying a distant reminiscence, and posed a seemingly unrelated question.
"Do you still remember the Xiao clan?"