Chapter 86 - 85: Next stage Planning

Chapter 86: Chapter 85: Next stage Planning

"Then, I suppose the reason you told us about this was to discuss how we should adjust the script, no?"

Chen Feng was the first to ask, having understood where Chen Yuan was trying to lead the discussion.

"More importantly, the Royal Family..." Chen Yueran interjected, her expression turning thoughtful. "They might know something, wouldn’t they?"

"I doubted it if they claimed they have no knowledge over this since their family is quite old."

"We should investigate them... "

Chen Yuan nodded, and gestured to the two of them, "Indeed. We need to revise the script, and we also need to investigate what the Royal Family knows about the broken path."

"However, those are not the only matters we need to consider." He paused briefly before continuing, his expression growing more serious. "We also need to find a way to establish an entirely new path to the next realm."

Chen Feng and Chen Yueran exchanged glances with each other, their previously thoughtful expressions giving way to visible unease.

Neither had expected Chen Yuan to propose something so outrageous so casually.

Forging a new path?

What insanity!

"Are you insane?" Chen Feng blurted out, unable to contain himself. "Such a feat is almost impossible! Every cultivation path, no matter how unusual, ultimately leads back to the Dao."

"The laws governing our cultivation, the breakthroughs between realms, and even the limits of our potential are all connected to it."

"If the path beyond has been severed, then something must be wrong with the heavens themselves!"

"How can we, as insignificant as we are, would be able to create a new path? On what foundation can we even do it?"

His voice grew heavier.

Creating a new path was one thing, but creating one that could lead cultivators beyond their current limits was an entirely different matter.

Even if they possessed the knowledge and resources of the entire Chen Family... No, even the whole world, he could hardly imagine where they would begin.

He even doubted whether anyone would be able to do it in a thousand years. Even his sword qi path was based upon the original framework of the cultivation path.

Chen Yueran, who had remained silent until then, also frowned.

"Chen Yuan, perhaps we should investigate first rather than jumping to conclusions. We don’t even know what caused the path beyond to break, let alone whether it can be restored."

"Trying to create an entirely new path to the next realm before we understand the situation seems rather premature, don’t you think?"

Chen Yuan listened to their objections without interrupting, allowing both of them to finish before he finally spoke.

"Your concerns are.... Reasonable..."

"We know too little about what happened to the path beyond the heavens, Yes... "

"And rushing into something we don’t understand could lead us nowhere."

"However, there is one thing we cannot afford to overlook... "

He raised his gaze toward them.

"Even if we manage to discover the truth behind the broken path, what then?"

The two was silence by this...

And Chen Yuan continued.

"Suppose the path cannot be restored."

"What then?"

"Suppose the heavens are truly damaged beyond repair, and the Dao itself can no longer support the cultivation paths we have relied upon for generations since ancient times."

"What should we do then?"

Neither Chen Feng nor Chen Yueran could answer it. Chen Yueran hesitated even, but in the end, she swallowed her words.

"We should investigate, of course," Chen Yuan continued. "But investigation and preparation are not mutually exclusive, no?"

"While we search for answers, we must also prepare for the possibility that there will be no answers capable of solving our predicament."

His gaze briefly swept across the two of them.

"The younger generation still has a long way to go, and the family cannot remain stagnant forever. We have already come this far. Are we supposed to stop simply because the road ahead has disappeared?"

Chen Feng fell silent, his brows drawn together as he considered the argument.

Chen Yueran was similarly quiet.

She had initially wanted to persuade Chen Yuan to take a more cautious approach, yet the longer she thought about it, the more she realized that his proposal was actually...

The right way.

"Besides," Chen Yuan added, his tone becoming somewhat more decisive, "this is something we must do, regardless of how difficult it may be. Whether we succeed or fail is another matter entirely."

"I would rather die trying rather than waiting for a miracle to happen."

He had made up his mind, and the two realized it.

Chen Feng let out a long sigh, rubbing his forehead as though he could already foresee the trouble that would follow.

"...Fine. I understand your reasoning, even if I still think you’re asking for the impossible."

Chen Yueran glanced at him before giving Chen Yuan a resigned smile of her own.

"Since you’ve already decided, I suppose there’s little point in trying to talk you out of it."

Neither of them was particularly happy with the idea, but in the end, they accepted his decision.

After all, Chen Yuan was still the center of the family.

Chen Yuan seemed satisfied with their response and did not press the matter further.

"As for creating a new path, I’ll handle that myself for now."

"You two don’t need to concern yourselves with it. Focus on the investigation and the family’s preparations. If I discover anything worth sharing, I’ll tell you."

Chen Feng raised an eyebrow but ultimately chose not to question him. He had already guessed that Chen Yuan’s so called experiment just now had something to do with the current topic.

Chen Yueran thought the same, the two were no fools, they can tell that Chen Yuan might’ve already discovered something.

Slowly, Chen Yuan shifted his attention toward Chen Yueran.

"Speaking of other matters, what happened with the Luo Family?"

Since Chen Yan was not present, Chen Yueran naturally took it upon herself to provide the report.

Her previously relaxed expression grew a little more serious as she recalled the events.

"The Luo Family was infested with demons, your guess was right, there is something wrong with that woman."

"The woman Chen Yan encountered was a demon herself, a strange one that I had never seen before... "

"Like a bewitching creature that is extremely fatal for male cultivators."

"And the situation had already deteriorated considerably by the time Chen Yan intervened. Under Qingxue’s permission, he wiped out the entire Luo Family"

She paused briefly, watching Chen Yuan’s expression for any sign of surprise.

"There wasn’t much left to investigate after that. But Chen Yan said there are reasons to suspect that there were several more families that had been infested in the imperial city."

"Even the King himself had came to the front to resolve the issue, suppressing the news and making sure everything went smooth along the way."

Chen Yuan’s expression remained unchanged.

He had already suspected that something was wrong, and the confirmation did little more than fill in a missing piece of the picture.

The Luo Family’s fate was unfortunate, but given the circumstances, he understood why Qingxue had authorized such a decision.

"I see."

He did not ask for further details, "We will deal with them slowly. After all, I don’t want to poke the whole nest and start another huge war for our kingdom."

Chen Yuan turned toward the two of them, his eyes settling on Chen Feng before moving to Chen Yueran.

"It’s time to bring the Royal Family into the picture. While we’re at it, we should find out as much as possible about what they know regarding the broken path beyond the heavens."

A faint smile appeared on Chen Yueran’s face.

Whatever Chen Yuan had planned, she seemed more than willing to participate, and the prospect of another performance appeared to have lifted her spirits considerably.

Chen Feng, on the other hand, could only sigh again.

"It’s time to act once more, huh..."

"It’s time to bring the two little girls into the script..."

Chen Yuan folded his arms and began explaining the general outline of his plan, his tone returning to its usual unhurried calm.

"This time, I want it to be grandder, we will create an incident that will pull everyone in. We’ll give them a reason to embark on a journey of their own."

"I doubt those independent cultivators won’t be tempted to have a try at the tomb. Before, there aren’t many opportunities in the kingdom, but now... "

"We are presenting them with a huge surprise."

Chen Feng looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"The two girls will become involved in the discovery of the tomb, but I don’t want their journey to revolve entirely around the tomb itself. "

"If everything happens too quickly, the entire affair will feel contrived."

"When they finally arrive at the tomb and encounter the other forces gathered there, their reactions should come naturally from everything they have experienced before that point."

Chen Yueran’s smile widened slightly.

"So, another journey scene? With all the little encounters, unexpected troubles, and emotional moments you enjoy arranging?"

"Something along those lines," Chen Yuan replied without denying it. "Except this time, we won’t be guiding through a dangerous place."

"Their journey will eventually converge with those of other families and factions, each of whom will have their own reasons for coming to the tomb."

"The four major families, the imperial court, and even those hidden hermits... "

"I want them all to come... "

"To feast upon my performance... "

"Our performance to rewrite the world... "

He turned toward Chen Feng, his hand raised...

"You will be my main supporting character from the side, just make sure to cooperate with my plan whenever I tell you to."

Chen Feng nodded slowly, beginning to understand the arrangement.

"And you?"

"I’ll be the one interacting with them the most."

Chen Yuan answered without hesitation.

"The journey needs a central figure who can accompany them through its various stages."

Chen Yueran tilted her head, her expression growing increasingly interested.

"Then where does that leave me?"

"You’ll be the enemy."

The answer came so smoothly that Chen Yueran blinked before breaking into a delighted laugh.

"Oh? And here I thought you would give me something more interesting than that!"

"Don’t misunderstand. You won’t simply appear at the end to fight them." Chen Yuan glanced at her. "Your presence should influence their journey even when you’re not directly interacting with them."

"Come and give it a try at me... "

Chen Yuan smiled, "I hope you can surprise me... "

Chen Yueran rested a hand against her chin, already contemplating the possibilities.

"So I get to oppose you, interfere with the girls, and occasionally make things difficult for everyone else?"

"Within reason."

"That’s hardly a restriction at all!"

Chen Feng sighed at their exchange.

He had a feeling that giving Chen Yueran permission to play an antagonist would create more trouble than Chen Yuan anticipated, especially considering how enthusiastically she approached anything that allowed her to experiment with different identities.

Nevertheless, he understood the purpose behind the arrangement.

"There’s one more thing," Chen Yuan added, drawing their attention back to him. "We must leave enough room for the other forces to act independently."

He glanced between Chen Feng and Chen Yueran.

"We’re creating the conditions for a story to unfold, not forcing every character to follow a predetermined sequence of actions."

"The more naturally they respond to their circumstances, the more convincing the entire affair will become."

Chen Feng gave a thoughtful nod, while Chen Yueran’s playful smile gradually returned.

"Well, then," she said, clasping her hands together, "I suppose I should start thinking about what kind of person I want to become this time."

Chen Yuan shook his head faintly.

"Just remember what I said. You can make adjustments to your character, but don’t interfere with the main elements of the plan."

"Of course, of course. I wouldn’t dream of it."

Her cheerful response did little to reassure him.

Still, Chen Yuan decided to leave the matter there.

They had already established the broad direction of the next stage, and the remaining details could be worked out as the preparations progressed.

The two girls would begin their journey. He would accompany them, Chen Feng would provide support, and Chen Yueran would introduce the opposition that would keep their path from becoming too straightforward.

Eventually, their journey would lead them to the tomb, where their paths would cross with those of the other families.

Chen Feng watched Chen Yueran’s increasingly excited expression and let out a quiet sigh before turning his attention back to Chen Yuan.

"Let me ask you something." He paused, studying Chen Yuan’s face with a look that was difficult to interpret. "This journey of yours... will it be another emotional one?"

Chen Yueran turned toward them, her curiosity immediately piqued.

Chen Yuan, however, didn’t answer immediately. He looked at Chen Feng for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face.

"I suppose so..."

Then, before either of them could say anything more, his figure began to dissolve.

Tiny specks of crimson light emerged from his robes and skin, drifting into the air like a swarm of fireflies awakening beneath the evening sky.

His silhouette gradually lost its shape, breaking apart into countless flickering lights that danced around him before slowly dispersing.

Chen Yueran watched the familiar sight with a hint of disappointment.

Chen Yuan’s voice came from among the fading lights, carrying the same faint amusement as before.

"We’ve discussed enough for now. I’ll leave the preparations to you two."

The last remnants of his figure scattered into the air, leaving only a few crimson fireflies drifting lazily before they, too, vanished.

A second passed, and neither Chen Feng nor Chen Yueran spoke for a brief moment under the silence. Then, as though recalling something, Chen Feng shook his head and sighed.

"Another emotional one, huh..."

He couldn’t help but wonder what Chen Yuan had in mind this time.

After the incident with Xiaoyu, he had hoped the man might exercise a little more restraint when arranging these elaborate performances.

Yet judging by that smile, Chen Feng suspected his hopes were misplaced.