Chapter 51: The Masters of Hearth City

As Situ Yan and his companions journeyed towards their destination, in a secret chamber within Hearth City, Situ Yan senior sat at a round table, deep in discussion with the representatives from various Holy Lands.

“I have deployed my informants across Hearth City, searching everywhere according to the portraits and intelligence you provided,” Situ Yan senior began, his voice cutting through the silence around the round table.

“However, we have not yet found any trace of them.”

“They certainly know how to pick their moments,” a middle-aged man, radiating demonic energy, remarked with a frown.

As the head of the Demonic Cult, he added, “With the Grand Hearth Feast just beginning, the city is packed. Even with all our manpower, we can’t guarantee that some haven’t already blended into the crowds.”

“If only we knew their objective,” a Daoist-robed figure lamented, his brow furrowed in worry. This was Zhang Shouwang, the representative of the Dao Sect.

“Amitabha,” a bald monk, clad in a kasaya, offered with clasped hands. Liaokong, the Buddhist Sect’s representative, intoned, “The safety of Hearth City’s inhabitants must take precedence. Perhaps we, too, should dispatch our people to patrol. Though our numbers are few, we can still offer some meager assistance.”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

Not everyone shared Liaokong’s concern for the lives of Hearth City’s common folk, yet their desire to maintain the city’s peace was genuine.

Each Holy Land had invested countless years in Hearth City, pouring immense effort and resources into their schemes and arrangements.

If the Body-Eating Serpent were to disrupt everything, centuries of painstaking work would be utterly wasted.

Even if they wished to undermine the Situ family, they would never resort to a tactic that harmed them a thousandfold while damaging themselves three thousandfold.

Indeed, it was three thousandfold. They were the true masters of Hearth City, from ancient times to the present. The Situ family was merely a hired hand, thrust into managing the city a few centuries ago.

Despite the Situ family’s prestige in Hearth City, which rivaled that of the major Holy Lands, every facet of the city was overseen by individuals aligned with their Holy Lands and other influential forces—such as Yuan Xing, or the Tianyuan Kingdom, or even the Body-Eating Serpent itself.

So, what exactly did those wretched people want? To meticulously build something up, only to destroy it?

If it were merely about smashing their own stalls, that would be one thing. But why drag everyone down with them? Had they offended them?

However, the Body-Eating Serpent’s erratic behavior was not new. Though resentment simmered, everyone knew this was not the time for grievances. Help was still necessary.

The Nether Sect and the Demonic Cult felt weary. They had intended to swiftly dismantle the Situ family, hoping to claim a larger share in the distribution of benefits during this leadership transition.

They had expended considerable manpower and resources, only to end up aiding the Situ family.

What, then, had all their previous efforts been for?

And that fool, Situ Yan—had he gone mad? Seeking out the Body-Eating Serpent? Were they truly inferior? This was no way to play the game. Wouldn’t it be better to remain a docile chess piece?

Perhaps then, they might have treated him better. But to seek out someone who overturned the chessboard entirely? Did he not know they were infamous for betraying allies?

Although Situ Yan’s whereabouts remained uncertain, their intelligence agencies had confirmed his profound connection to the Body-Eating Serpent.

“Thank you, everyone. My Situ family, on behalf of all the people of Hearth City, is endlessly grateful to you,” Situ Yan senior declared, rising and bowing deeply to the representatives.

Perhaps after this crisis passed, these allies would become a deadly poison, but Situ Yan senior still did not wish for the place where his family had thrived to suffer a great calamity.

The others, too, offered a respectful salute to the Situ family head, the administrator of Hearth City, using their respective sects’ customary greetings.

It was undeniable that the Situ family was their most satisfactory manager. The previous administrators of Hearth City had started diligently but, over time, grew arrogant and ambitious, plunging the city into chaos.

Only the Situ family, for four hundred years, had remained true to their original intentions, working conscientiously. This was precisely why they had tolerated the Situ family’s growth to this day.

However, this was where it ended. Hearth City could no longer accommodate the increasingly powerful Situ family. They needed to secure their own interests in Hearth City before bestowing favors upon others.

The meeting’s agenda was largely concluded. All eyes turned to the most senior elder present: Zhang Xiaoyou, the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Palace Institute.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaoyou bore none of the unreliable, playful old man persona he displayed before Xiaoke and Wang Yu. Instead, he exuded profound composure and gravitas.

He slowly began,

“Then it is settled. Each sect shall dispatch additional personnel to assist the Situ family in patrolling Hearth City. However, do not relax your own vigilance. No one knows the true objective of the Body-Eating Serpent, so be prepared for all contingencies.”

“Yes,” everyone responded, bowing to Zhang Xiaoyou before retreating.

Only Zhang Xiaoyou and Situ Yan senior remained in the secret chamber.

Zhang Xiaoyou spoke to Situ Yan senior, “As the City Lord of Hearth City, you have done exceptionally well.”

Situ Yan senior quickly bowed in礼, saying, “Thank you for your praise, Elder Zhang.”

Zhang Xiaoyou pondered for a moment, then said,

“Your youngest son, Situ Yi, is also a diligent genius at our Heavenly Palace Institute. I am very fond of him. He is quite safe there; no one will harm him. However, though he is sensible, he is still very young. Take some time to find a few relatives to look after him. We have plenty of vacant spaces.”

Situ Yan senior expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, Elder. Thank you, Heavenly Palace Institute.”

“Mm, that will be all,” Zhang Xiaoyou said, waving his hand. “You may go and attend to your duties.”

“Yes,” Situ Yan senior replied respectfully, then withdrew.

“Alas,” Zhang Xiaoyou sighed, rubbing his head. He knew many things, but more knowledge did not always mean better.

Where there was light, there was shadow—an unavoidable truth for Holy Lands without the protection of a Daoist Venerable.

When the Demon Venerable and Nether Venerable were alive, who dared to speak ill of the Demonic Cult or the Nether Sect? They did as they pleased.

But once the Daoist Venerable returned home, within a century, the Demonic Cult and Nether Sect were forced into reclusion by the whispers of the world, no longer operating openly.

The Heavenly Palace Institute was no different.

When Haotian Daoist Venerable was present, their institute established academies, teaching people across the land without regard for status, truly teaching all without discrimination.

They studied all the world’s secret manuals, even daring to openly discuss the cultivation methods of other Holy Lands. Forbidden techniques were never avoided, and Haotian Daoist Venerable himself took the lead.

Yet, who dared to speak out? Who dared to intervene? The saying, ‘All beneath the Daoist Venerable are ants,’ was no mere exaggeration.

There was no such thing as challenging someone beyond one’s own realm.

It was like a two-dimensional character in a comic book, no matter how powerful, unable to harm an ordinary three-dimensional person in the slightest, while even a three-dimensional child could easily tear them in half.

When Haotian Daoist Venerable returned home, Zhang Xiaoyou directly felt the immense pressure the Heavenly Palace Institute endured.

Beneath its glamorous exterior, undercurrents surged. Even as a child then, he felt utterly lost. Fortunately, the Heavenly Palace Institute was blessed with a constant stream of talented individuals, both righteous and wicked.

Through their efforts, and with the relics left behind by Haotian Daoist Venerable, they engaged in continuous exchanges and negotiations with other Holy Lands.

This led to the Heavenly Palace Institute’s current standing.

Even so, the former elders of the Heavenly Palace Institute passed away one after another in the subsequent turmoil, while he, under their protection, watched these events unfold step by step.

His threat to retaliate against Xiaoke was merely a fit of pique; he harbored no such deep-seated grudge for a thousand years. He shouldn’t interfere with the Situ family’s affairs, as he was a figure of public standing.

Yet, he made that promise anyway, simply to ease his conscience. Zhang Xiaoyou scoffed at himself, ‘This is what a hypocrite feels like.’

Zhang Xiaoyou shook his head, casting aside these irrelevant thoughts. The most crucial matter now was how to deal with the Body-Eating Serpent.

***

In Hearth City’s Grand Hearth Feast Square, the teleportation gate now stood empty. The participants would return in a day or two, or perhaps even longer, or perhaps never at all.

The once bustling Hearth City now appeared eerily deserted, much like a first-tier city during the Spring Festival.

Guards from the Situ family and the various Holy Lands patrolled everywhere, their expressions grim. The residents of Hearth City, witnessing this, felt a surge of unease.

They quickly packed up their stalls and closed their shops, plunging the city into a state of apprehension.

Meanwhile, in a secluded cottage in Hearth City, a benevolent-looking old man, his face etched with wrinkles that spoke of the passage of time, observed everything through an ice mirror.

Beside him stood a stunning young woman with blue hair. Her exquisite, captivating face and fiery figure, accentuated by her ample bosom, were impossible to tear one’s eyes from, yet her cold gaze compelled onlookers to keep their distance.

“Truly worthy of the Second Pillar’s Ice Shard Mirror,” the old man praised, “to peer into most of Hearth City without leaving this room.”

“A minor technique,” the woman calmly stated. “Fourth Pillar, there is no need to dwell on it.”

The old man shook his head, long accustomed to her cold demeanor. “It seems the major Holy Lands are well-prepared, after all. This is not the Tianyuan Kingdom, that mere imitation.”

The Second Pillar watched everything in the mirror, stating, “The Situ family’s guards are not worth worrying about. However, these Holy Lands, though fewer in personnel, are not simple. At the very least, our trained teams would not be their match.”

“They are disciples of Holy Lands, having received teachings and cultivation methods far superior to what the four-hundred-year-old Situ family can offer.

Moreover, their outdoor trials within their sects were genuine, vastly different from guards who only train and rarely engage in actual combat.”

“Regardless,” the Second Pillar continued, manipulating the Ice Shard Mirror to observe several locations and the deployment of patrolling personnel.

“Their various sect members are intermingled, meaning our teams will face combined attacks from various sects. We cannot target them individually. Furthermore, their patrol routes…”

“…are basically the critical areas where our people would launch their attacks. If we could control these regions, we could create far greater chaos,” the old man praised.

“These truly are the real masters of Hearth City. The results of a millennium of management mean they know Hearth City like the back of their hand, and they have a large number of brilliant minds to strategize.

The Situ family simply cannot compare. The Situ family’s advantages in Hearth City are merely what those people allowed them to perceive as advantages.”

“However, we are also one of Hearth City’s masters,” the Second Pillar stated indifferently, showing no reaction to the old man’s words.

“Indeed,” the Fourth Pillar’s eyes gleamed with fanaticism.

“Previously, we only clashed with those pseudo-Holy Lands, engaging in mere skirmishes with these true Holy Lands. We never truly fought them. This time, we can genuinely experience the methods of these Holy Lands.”

“So?”

“Inform the executors: the plan begins!”