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墨書 Inktalez
Chu Wei Lan naturally noticed that someone in the distance was observing him. He turned his head to look in that direction and saw an old man conversing with a woman before hurriedly leaving.
"These people seem familiar..."
He furrowed his brows, pondering who they might be when suddenly someone interrupted his thoughts.
"Chu Wei Lan." A middle-aged man dressed in a brownish-green Samurai Outfit approached the entrance. Accompanied by four or five attendants, he called out to Chu Wei Lan, who had been waiting at the door. The guards, who had been diligently watching over the area, stepped aside to allow him entry.
"San Uncle."
Chu Wei Lan walked inside, showing a degree of respect towards this middle-aged man. His name was Chu Qiuyun, and he was Chu Wei Lan's San Uncle. Over the years, he had taken great care of him, earning Chu Wei Lan's deep respect.
After all, he was the second-in-command under his strict father, and compared to his second uncle, who rarely involved himself in worldly matters, San Uncle had dedicated himself to the Chu Family and treated Chu Wei Lan as if he were his own son.
"Mm." The middle-aged man assessed Chu Wei Lan and gestured for him to enter further.
Chu Wei Lan nodded and followed him into the courtyard without further ado.
They entered the largest wooden villa in the courtyard while the guards of the Chu Family remained vigilant about their surroundings.
Once inside the villa, Chu Wei Lan noticed that it even had a soundproof Data Analysis System. This indicated that the construction of these individual villas must have been quite expensive and meticulously detailed.
It was precisely due to its luxury and uniqueness that it had been rented out by various business associations and families as an office space, becoming a temporary base for their practical Unified Examination. This arrangement allowed them to scout talented individuals for potential support and recruitment—a well-understood norm among them.
In the Free Federation, as long as there was an urgent need during wartime, any group or family must unconditionally comply with resource allocation from their Fusers or other assets; otherwise, they could forget about thriving within the Free Federation. However, during peacetime, these groups and families could pursue their interests with relative freedom, as authorities tended to turn a blind eye.
Thus, many business associations and influential families had gathered at this villa courtyard for the purpose of recruiting talent during this practical exercise. Of course, some families were also there to evaluate their own young members.
Chu Wei Lan and Chu Qiuyun sat down in the conference hall. After a moment, two attendants dressed like ceremonial ladies entered, bringing with them a fragrant tea, and then gracefully retreated, closing the door behind them, leaving Chu Qiuyun and Chu Wei Lan alone.
“San Uncle, is there something you wanted to discuss with me…” Chu Wei Lan spoke first.
“Chu Wei Lan, I understand your temperament and know you dislike being forced into anything,” Chu Qiuyun said earnestly. “However, this time, San Uncle advises you to remain calm.”
Chu Wei Lan was somewhat bewildered by these words, looking at his San Uncle with a puzzled expression.
“Your mother has fallen ill,” San Uncle stated.
Chu Wei Lan sprang to his feet, his face turning pale.
Chu Qiuyun waved his hand, signaling him to sit down.
“The illness has been controlled and is basically stable now. There’s nothing serious to worry about. You know your mother has never been in great health; her current condition is due to certain circumstances…” At this point, Chu Qiuyun paused.
Chu Wei Lan sat back down, relieved to hear that his mother’s condition had stabilized. However, he quickly asked, “San Uncle, what exactly caused my mother to suddenly fall ill?”
Chu Qiuyun sighed and then turned to leave the room. After a moment, he returned holding a delicate square box made of ancient dark wood. The box was intricately carved with elaborate designs and adorned with golden floral patterns around the edges, indicating that it was quite extraordinary.
Chu Qiuyun placed the box in front of Chu Wei Lan and said, “Open it and see for yourself.”
Looking at the box, Chu Wei Lan felt an ominous premonition but managed to calm himself. He pressed a switch on the side of the square box, which clicked open to reveal two layers of wooden panels, exposing a rolled-up golden silk document inside.
Chu Wei Lan recognized this document… it came from the Royal Archive of the Alliance Empire!
Chu Wei Lan steeled herself as she picked up the document, carefully opening it to take a look. The few lines of text inside were concise and clear.
After reading, she tossed the document back into the wooden box and slammed her hand on the table. "Hmph! Isn’t this just Prince Sahe looking down on me, Chu Wei Lan? Does he really need Emperor Baldwin of the Alliance Empire to personally issue an order to change the marriage contract?"
Chu Qiuyun seemed to have anticipated Chu Wei Lan's anger, but his expression hinted at something more troubling.
"What’s wrong, San Uncle? Is there something else you haven’t told me?" Chu Wei Lan noticed the unusual look on San Uncle's face.
"Well," Chu Qiuyun nodded. Since she had seen through him, he decided not to hide it any longer. "Prince Sahe has personally sent a delegation to annul your engagement with Haya Princess. He hopes to form a marriage alliance with the Jin Family instead..."
"This..." Chu Wei Lan was momentarily at a loss for words. She had always been headstrong, and this year, her family's business had been declining. If this marriage could go through, it would naturally open up commercial channels for the Chu Family in the Alliance Empire and would surely garner Prince Sahe's strong support. But now, it seemed they had handed a great advantage to their rival, the Jin Family.
Her hands gripped the edge of the table tightly, causing it to creak under her pressure as she struggled to calm her emotions, feeling a pang of guilt and self-reproach.
"Your mother fell ill after hearing this news; she is more worried about you..."
"San Uncle, I’m fine." Chu Wei Lan felt as if she had been severely humiliated or even slapped in the face. "I never liked this marriage in the first place. Now it’s good; I don’t have to worry about it anymore."
San Uncle nodded, not wanting to say much more. After all, he had opposed her marrying Haya Princess last time. Many uncles in the family hoped that Chu Wei Lan would agree to this marriage, which led her to leave home quietly and participate in the Unified Awakeners Examination. The qualification for the elite elimination round of the Lian Family had been stripped away by those old fellows in her family.
"San Uncle, if my second uncle and my dad were here, the Chu Family wouldn’t be in such a predicament," Chu Wei Lan suddenly lamented.
"Sigh, it’s been so many years since your second uncle and father disappeared after that incident... They’ve been missing without a trace," Chu Qiuyun sighed. "At least your elder brother and Sister Two are holding things together. You need to work hard as well. However, your uncle has been trying to persuade those uncles in the family to select a new clan leader since your father has been missing for so long..."
"Hmph! As long as my father's death isn’t confirmed, he is still the current clan leader of the Chu Family. My elder brother, Sister Two, and my mother won’t agree to appoint a new clan leader either. What is my uncle scheming?" Chu Wei Lan snorted coldly.
“Your uncle is doing this for the good of the Chu Family. A leader is essential; after all, we are all family…” Chu Qiuyun could only offer words of persuasion to prevent further misunderstandings between them.
“Alright, San Uncle, it’s getting late. I need to head back and prepare for the Ming Practical Assessment,” Chu Wei Lan said, raising his hand to signal that he was clearly not interested in continuing the conversation.
“Ah, fine then,” San Uncle conceded, no longer pressing the matter. “Are you really set on not joining our Chu Family team for the hunt?”
“No, it’s better to work alone; too many people complicate things. I can handle it myself,” Chu Wei Lan replied, showing no interest in the assessment team from the Chu Family. Although hunting in a group would significantly increase their chances of success, he remained steadfast in his decision.
“Wait a moment. I have something for you,” Chu Qiuyun said, clapping his hands. A servant entered through the door.
“Third Master, what can I do for you?” the servant asked.
“Go and bring me that item I had brought over,” Chu Qiuyun instructed.
“Yes, sir.” The servant turned and left.
Chu Wei Lan was curious about what his San Uncle wanted to give him.
After a short while, the servant returned, carrying a wooden box wrapped in black cloth. Chu Qiuyun stepped forward to take the box and handed it to Chu Wei Lan with both hands.
“This is something your mother asked me to bring you. It belonged to your father,” Chu Qiuyun explained.
Chu Wei Lan opened the cloth wrapping to reveal an antique wooden box. He glanced inside but found nothing, so he closed it again and strapped the long box onto his back before walking straight out of the hall.
Chu Qiuyun watched him leave without trying to hold him back. The servant leaned in to ask what was on his mind.
"Third Uncle, aren't you going to stop him? It's too dangerous for him to participate in the Practical Assessment alone."
"Chu Wei Lan has always been straightforward. If he is confident he can accomplish something, it shouldn't be too difficult for him." Chu Qiuyun said, watching as the figure turned and entered the house.
Chu Wei Lan walked out of the building without looking back. Just as he was about to exit the courtyard, he unexpectedly ran into two familiar faces.
"Hey, isn't this my good cousin, Chu Wei Lan?"
"Brother, he never considers himself our cousin."
"Hahaha, true enough."
Blocking Chu Wei Lan's path were his two cousins. The taller one with a round face was his eldest cousin, Chu Feng, while the shorter and slightly slimmer one was his second cousin, Chu Feng Cheng. It seemed that their teasing of Chu Wei Lan was not a new occurrence.
"Move aside," Chu Wei Lan said coldly.
"Oh? Are you getting fierce with us? What are you going to do if we don't let you pass?" Eldest cousin Chu Feng stepped forward defiantly, puffing out his chest.
"You can pass if you want, but first we have to spar a few rounds. If you win, we'll let you go," Second cousin said as he cracked his knuckles, eager to stretch his limbs.
At that moment, an elderly man appeared before them.
"Ahem. You young masters are truly full of vigor. Since you want to spar, why not have a match with this old man instead?"
"Fu Bo, you..."
"Forget it, Fu Bo. You know very well that none of us can match you. Let's just consider this a favor to you, and we'll leave now."
With that, Chu Feng and Chu Feng Cheng shot a reluctant glance at Chu Wei Lan before brushing past him and walking away.
"Thank you, Fu Bo," Chu Wei Lan said sincerely as he approached Fu Bo.
"What are you thanking me for? Those two arrogant fools are no match for you. If I hadn't intervened in time, the Ming Chu Family's Practical Assessment team would have lost both of them, and your uncle would surely have come down hard on me, the old man in charge of security," Fu Bo replied leisurely.
Chu Wei Lan forced a smile and said, "Don't worry, Fu Bo. I know how to handle things."
"Well, looking at your Pulse Energy, it's clear you've made some progress since leaving home. Keep up the good work; you're already much better than those two wastrels," Fu Bo said before turning to leave as well.
Chu Wei Lan respectfully bowed to this elder who had acted like a mentor and then hurriedly turned to leave.
As he made his way here, he noticed a dazzling phenomenon caused by the Mai Quan resonance in the direction of his camp. Curiosity got the better of him, and he wanted to investigate further to see what had triggered such an anomaly.
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