Chapter 49: The Misty Cloud Secret Realm

Looking at his son's puzzled expression, Elder Ning felt his blood pressure soaring.

"If Qingyun were close to the family, that would naturally be a tremendous blessing. But look at Qingyun's attitude! This clan meeting was tricked into happening by his reckless biological mother—did you not know any of this?" Elder Ning glared at Third Master Ning, whose face was blank, his anger flaring up uncontrollably.

"All these years, you've only grown older without growing any wiser. Out of all the ladies with spotless backgrounds and gentle temperaments, you had to find that scourge Ying Cai'e to be your mistress. If Qingyun had grown up properly at home, or if Ying Cai'e had raised him right, I would have gone to offer incense of gratitude to our ancestors long ago." Elder Ning's expression was one of profound heartache and disappointment.

"Even if there were grievances from scuffles among the children, they should be water under the bridge. We are all flesh and blood; how could it possibly escalate to wanting each other dead? It must be those scheming boys from the eldest and second brother's households who refuse to tolerate Qingyun." Third Master Ning was the third among his full brothers, and tenth in the broader family generation; the eldest and second brothers he referred to were his biological older siblings.

"Do you really think your own son Qingsong had no part in this?" Elder Ning gave him a sidelong glance.

"How could Qingsong do such a thing? They are biological brothers..." Meeting Elder Ning's expression, which clearly urged him not to deceive himself, Third Master Ning trailed off, unable to continue.

"Dad, I don't expect you to punish them for this, but surely you can at least issue a strict ban forbidding them from slaughtering each other!" Third Master Ning was already in his fifties, yet he was practically on the verge of acting like a spoiled child.

"Enough. I've already considered this. Let Qingyun take a trip to the Misty Secret Realm. Once he emerges and renders a meritorious service to the family, we will hand the family's Ciyu Hall over to him. With an official post, his own staff to cultivate, and a sphere of influence to prop him up, naturally no one will dare lay a hand on him." Elder Ning sighed and said helplessly.

"Dad, are you serious?" Third Master Ning's heart surged with excitement. Ciyu Hall! That was one of the family's three major factions!

"Your old man is getting on in years; do you take me for a liar? Look, here is the appointment scroll, jointly signed by the Family Council. You surely can't doubt this now!" The old man pulled a flexible parchment scroll from his sleeve.

"It's real! Even I have never received such an appointment." Third Master Ning gazed at the scroll, instantly plunging into a state of self-pity and grievance.

Third Master Ning left the main hall, thoroughly satisfied with the appointment scroll in his grasp.

At some point, a middle-aged man who bore a strong resemblance to Third Master Ning, though slightly older in appearance, had appeared in the hall.

This man was the current head of the Ning clan, Third Master Ning's eldest brother, Ning Zhici.

"Dad, isn't the bait you threw out a bit too big? I think Third Brother was on the verge of swallowing it whole." Ning Zhici was born with a perpetual smile, and no other expression could ever be seen on his face.

"Old Three is simple-minded. At his age, what does he want with that position? Leaving Qingyun aside for a moment, Old Three is your biological brother. No matter what, you are not allowed to harbor any malicious thoughts toward him," Elder Ning warned sternly.

"How could I, Dad? I never expected those little brutes to be so audacious and cause you such a headache," Ning Zhici said with an ingratiating smile.

"I know this has nothing to do with you. Handing that out was merely to give Old Three some peace of mind, after all, Qingyun might never return from this trip. It truly is a great pity. If not for this mess, had he been properly nurtured, within ten years at most, the terrifying potential of such a supreme genius would be immeasurable." Elder Ning felt a genuine pang of sadness. Of course, what grieved him was not the fate of an unvalued grandson, but the family's loss of a powerful bargaining chip.

"If Qingyun actually manages to come out alive, this appointment scroll can't be retracted, you know," Ning Zhici said pointedly.

"What? Are you afraid of a junior with shallow foundations?" Elder Ning asked with a cryptic smile.

"The times have changed, and the rules of society and laws of survival have changed right along with them. As I grow older, inevitable anxiety creeps into my heart. If I were twenty or thirty years younger, I'd probably be filled with passion right now rather than cowardice," Ning Zhici said with a somewhat wry smile.

"Ever since the secret realm opened, the military, research institutes, parliament, and various clans have sent a hundred people in, and not a single one has come out. Reconnaissance equipment with wireless controls lost connection the moment they entered the realm, and the data transmitted by wired drones was destroyed on the spot the moment we viewed it—the footage was simply too shocking to describe. You needn't dwell on it further; you only need to know that Qingyun goes to certain death. My arrangement is merely to avoid the stigma of having family members slaughter one another." Elder Ning's mind wandered, seemingly still immersed in the horrifying imagery he had once witnessed.

"However, I heard that Qingyun has been making a fuss about returning to Chongzhou. I'm afraid he won't be willing to go on an expedition into the Misty Secret Realm. Isn't it said that one must use their own spiritual Qi to resonate with the entrance in order to enter the secret realm? If Qingyun is unwilling, there is nothing we can do," Ning Zhici noted.

"That will depend on Old Three and Ying Cai'e. Speaking of Chongzhou, do we have any news on that mother and her two sons?" Elder Ning suddenly asked.

"No news yet. Back then, Qingyun's status was low, and the covert agent sent to watch over him held too low a clearance level without emergency contact methods, so he remains out of contact. However, I have already dispatched men to find him. As long as that fellow isn't a complete fool, he should be with Qingyun's wife by now!" Ning Zhici replied.

"Nothing in this world is absolute. In the unlikely event that Qingyun does emerge from the secret realm, his strength will likely be vastly superior to before. After all, that place is filled with heavenly treasures and blessed lands. If it weren't for the current rule of 'no return,' I'd want to send all the children of the family in there. Remember, we must keep that mother and her two sons in Chongzhou under our control. Only people with weaknesses are easy to manipulate," Elder Ning said gravely.

"I understand, Dad." Acknowledging the order, Ning Zhici also withdrew from the room.

Elder Ning let out a long sigh, his expression complex.

Earlier, his son had mockingly blamed his caution on old age and growing anxiety.

What Elder Ning was really sighing about was that the resurgence of spiritual Qi had arrived too late for him. His innate talent was merely mediocre, and though he practiced spiritual arts, it only served to nourish his physical body in hopes of squeezing out a few extra years of life.

He longed to witness this changing world. The images of the Misty Secret Realm filled the heart with longing: towering trees piercing the clouds, unknown minerals glowing with brilliant light, vibrant and flamboyant exotic flowers and plants, and colossal beasts exhaling mists—all of it stirred boundless curiosity in an octogenarian who had seen everything the mortal world had to offer.

How he envied those youths.

"Qingyun, the clan has decided to send you to the Misty Secret Realm. As long as you bring back anything at all from the secret realm, you can claim the family's appointment scroll—an official appointment to Ciyu Hall, no less!" A slender, beautiful woman said with a radiant smile on her face.

Her facial features were striking and her demeanor graceful, save for the faint fine lines at the corners of her eyes that betrayed her advancing age.

"I won't go. Let me out," Ning Qingyun stared expressionlessly at Ying Cai'e, his face—so similar to hers—set in a wooden, vacant mask.