Chapter 386: So What if the Act Becomes Real?

Chapter 386: Chapter 386: So What if the Act Becomes Real?

After sending his confidants to spread the rumors, Daru had been waiting at home.

Only a day and a night had passed between the rumors starting and Enke giving the order to stop them with bloodshed.

During that day and night, many people tried to visit Daru, but he turned them all away on the pretext of being unwell.

On the night of the third day after Chu Fan had met with him, Daru finally received the person he had been waiting for.

This person was one of the Tributors of the Cage Clan. In terms of seniority, Daru had to address him as Great-Uncle Zeng.

And this man was one of the four Half-Saints of the Cage Clan.

He naturally didn’t need to be announced to enter Daru’s courtyard. In fact, he arrived so silently that no one noticed.

"I greet you, Great-Uncle Zeng!"

Seeing the old man arrive, Daru cupped his fist and bowed.

"I have come to see you today. You are not to speak of this to anyone." Though the old man’s voice was soft, it carried an undeniable authority.

"Yes!"

"The rumors in the city... you were the one who had them spread, weren’t you?" the old man asked, his gaze burning as he stared at Daru.

"I am horrified, Great-Uncle!"

The old man waved his hand. "Enough. I didn’t come here to condemn you. After holding absolute power for so many years, your father has indeed grown arrogant and willful. I just never expected that you’ve been hiding yourself so deeply all this time."

"I don’t understand."

"Then tell me about the matter of the White Wolf King."

"Great-Uncle Zeng, are you asking about what happened that night in Vast Sea City?" Daru asked.

The old man nodded.

"That night, in the Hanmo Clan’s compound, many people were poisoned. The Southern Domain People then charged into the compound, catching everyone completely off guard..."

Daru recounted the events of that night in detail while the old man stood to the side, listening quietly.

When Daru finished, the old man remained silent for a long time.

Just as Daru was starting to feel uneasy, the old man finally spoke. But his first words made Daru’s heart leap into his throat again: "That man, Huo Er... is he in Cage City?"

"I dare not hide it from you, Great-Uncle Zeng. He is indeed in the city."

"Can you arrange for me to meet him?" the old man asked.

Daru shook his head. "I have no idea where he is. His movements are completely unpredictable. The day he came to see me, he appeared before me in an instant, like a phantom."

"Then what did he say to you that day?"

"Well..." Daru hemmed and hawed.

"If I’m not mistaken, he must have promised to make you the next Clan Leader, didn’t he?"

"Great-Uncle Zeng..." Daru didn’t know how to respond.

"He wants our Cage Clan to fall into chaos and slaughter one another so he can pull his own chestnuts from the fire! Child, you’ve been duped."

"Great-Uncle Zeng, that’s not it. He told me to kill Father within five days and hang his head on the city wall. Then, I am to purge the clan of its criminals and villains. He said only then will the White Wolf King’s wrath be appeased, and after that, the White Wolf King will descend upon Cage City."

"Oh?" The old man looked at Daru with some surprise.

"Yes. That day, Huo Er listed all of Father’s perverse and tyrannical deeds over the years—he even knew of many things that I was unaware of. He also described, down to the last detail, how my elder brother and his sons treat human life as worthless. The White Wolf King’s intention has always been to punish only the prime culprits. Great-Uncle Zeng, I’m not doing this to become Clan Leader! I just don’t want Father to drag our entire Cage Clan into the abyss!"

"I may not be as capable as my brothers, but I can tell right from wrong. I’m no fool, either. I can tell whether or not he is the real White Wolf King. Huo Er instantly killing two Mahayana Realm masters cannot be faked, and the White Wolf King leading hundreds of thousands of beasts to flood Vast Sea City cannot be faked either."

The old man murmured, "So he told you to kill Enke... It seems I was overthinking things."

Daru looked at him without speaking, but a wave of joy was already rising in his heart.

’I bet on the right horse.’

The old man clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Enke’s actions over the years have indeed incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. It is truly time for a new Clan Leader. However, you are still Enke’s son. The crime of patricide will tarnish your reputation. If you truly become the Clan Leader in the future, it will become a reason for others to criticize and even slander you. I will handle this matter for you. Let me ask you, once Enke is dead, how confident are you that you can keep the Cage Clan from falling into chaos?"

"If I have the Profound Iron Order, I am one hundred percent confident. Without it, I have sixty percent at most," Daru said.

"The Profound Iron Order... I will retrieve that for you as well," the old man said.

"I swear I will not let the people of the Cage Clan suffer any unnecessary bloodshed," Daru immediately promised.

"Whether the White Wolf King is real or not is unimportant. What’s important is that our Cage Clan desperately needs to change. I trust your character. When you become the Clan Leader, do not follow in your father’s footsteps. I hope you will strive to govern well and lead our people. Otherwise... just as I can kill Enke, I can also kill you."

After the old man left, a look of excitement finally appeared on Daru’s face.

Enke had no idea that death was so close. He was still investigating the source of the rumors.

The jails of Cage City had been filled to bursting these past two days. Some of the prisoners had been caught red-handed, ignoring the warnings and still discussing the rumors in secret. Others were simply members of merchant caravans that had traveled from the direction of Vast Sea to trade in Cage City.

Of course, as the Clan Leader, he couldn’t possibly investigate such matters himself. He simply arranged for his subordinates to do it.

However, three days had passed, and they still hadn’t found the source. A sliver of unease began to grow in Enke’s heart.

Tonight, Chu Fan used his Inner Binding Seal Divine Technique to also make his way into the Cage Clan’s compound.

Looking at the grand halls and pavilions of the Cage Clan, Chu Fan noted that they were clearly far more ostentatious than the Hanmo Clan or the Lindi Clan.

It was no exaggeration to say that their compound was even larger and more luxurious than the former Royal Palace of the Shuoyue Kingdom.

The reason he had come here tonight was actually for the Profound Iron Order. He was worried that Daru might kill Enke and forget about the order. Since Enke was the one who had hidden it, failing to find it later would be a real problem.

With the Inner Binding Seal Divine Technique and his Level 39 Spiritual Power, he was fully capable of using certain methods on Enke to make him mentally reveal the location of the Profound Iron Order.

Just as he reached the rear courtyard, Chu Fan was drawn by two incomparably powerful auras. He followed the auras and saw two old men drinking wine under a grape arbor.

’Half-Saints?’

Chu Fan immediately judged their level of Cultivation.

The two were trading cups of wine, seeming to banter about embarrassing incidents from their youth.

Chu Fan found it boring and was about to leave, but he had not gone far when a sentence from one of the old men drew him back.

"Old brother, it’s been three hundred years since we first met, hasn’t it? Back then, the Clan Leader, Liao Yidat, was my nephew. We even got into a fight over a girl."

"Yes, it’s been three hundred years. That woman has long since turned to dust," the other old man sighed.

"Back then, there was still a distinction between master and servant between us. But we’ve both dedicated our entire lives to the Cage Clan. Have you thought about the clan’s future over these years?"

"Why would I need to think about that? I knew you didn’t invite me for a drink tonight for anything good, you old coot. If you have something to say, just say it."

"I just came back from seeing Daru."

"Ah? Did you ask him about the White Wolf King?"