Father and Son

"Lead the way."

Jiang Yifan spoke those two simple words as if they had cost him every ounce of his strength.

Old Chen bowed deeply, his mechanical hand emitting the faint sound of turning gears as he turned around.

Feng Qingping quickly stowed the array disk for the soundproofing array and whispered, "Your father..."

"It is fine," Jiang Yifan interrupted her, his voice as cold as ice. "Stay close to me."

The four of them followed Old Chen through a winding corridor. The night dew dampened the bluestone slabs, and the moonlight cast mottled shadows between the pillars. Suisui suddenly stood up on Li Nanzhu's shoulder, its soul fire flickering slightly.

"What is it?" Li Nanzhu asked softly.

The small skeleton tilted its skull, its bone claws pointing toward a pavilion at the end of the corridor. Inside the pavilion, a figure could be seen playing a game of Go alone.

Jiang Yifan's footsteps faltered noticeably.

"The head of the family is waiting for you all." Old Chen stopped thirty feet from the pavilion and bowed as he stepped aside.

The person in the pavilion placed a stone, the crisp sound of jade hitting stone ringing clearly in the quiet night.

"Come here."

That voice carried a natural authority. Jiang Yifan's back visibly tensed.

He strode to the pavilion but stubbornly stopped at the bottom of the steps. "Clan Leader."

Only then did Li Nanzhu see the appearance of the man in the pavilion—his face was seventy percent similar to Jiang Yifan's, only colder and more austere. Silver threads were visible in the hair held up by an ebony hairpin. The fingers holding the chess piece were long and powerful, with several old sword scars on the knuckles.

Clan Leader Jiang did not even look up as he placed another stone. "What is the punishment for tampering with the ancestral temple restrictions according to family law?"

"Three years of confinement," Jiang Yifan said stiffly. "But this time it was—"

"An accident?" Clan Leader Jiang finally looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone like lightning, lingering for a moment on Suisui. "A dao-protecting bone spirit from the Five Elements Dao Sect?"

Li Nanzhu subconsciously pulled Suisui closer to her chest. "Greetings, Senior Jiang. This is my dao-protecting bone spirit, Suisui."

Moonlight filtered through the wind chimes at the corner of the pavilion, casting fragmented spots of light on the ground. Jiang Yifan's Adam's apple bobbed, but he said nothing.

"Sit." Clan Leader Jiang pointed to the stone benches. "Since you have returned home, you should at least have a cup of tea."

Old Chen had prepared the tea set at some point, and it was now steaming. Jiang Yifan remained standing. "You knew we were coming?"

"I guessed." Clan Leader Jiang poured himself a cup. "The Sword Heart Sect caused such a stir in Chishui City. Given your personality..." He gave Li Nanzhu and the others a meaningful look. "You would certainly take your fellow disciples through the safest route."

Suisui suddenly jumped down from Li Nanzhu's lap and clattered over to the edge of the board, tilting its head to look at the interlacing black and white stones.

Clan Leader Jiang's gaze finally showed a flicker of emotion. "It has good spiritual nature."

"Clan Leader," Jiang Yifan said, cutting straight to the point, "we need to use the Jiang family's teleportation array to return to the Five Elements Dao Sect."

Clan Leader Jiang toyed with a piece in his hand. "A reason?"

"The Sword Heart Sect is investigating something..." Jiang Yifan weighed his words, "that has nothing to do with us."

"Nothing to do with you?" Clan Leader Jiang chuckled softly. He took a white jade piece from the jar and pressed it onto a spot on the board. The moment it landed, the entire board glowed faintly, revealing a projection of Chishui City.

In the projection, more than a dozen Sword Heart Sect disciples were searching, led by Li Nanyi.

"The Sword Heart Sect has made such a commotion," Clan Leader Jiang said calmly. "And you call this unrelated?"

Feng Weilan suddenly gripped the hilt of his blade. "Senior Jiang, we—"

Clan Leader Jiang raised a hand to stop him. His fingertip tapped the board again, and a black piece suddenly popped up, landing precisely on the center point.

Light shimmered on the board's star positions, revealing phantoms of various Jiang family buildings.

"The moment the ancestral temple restriction was touched, the communication jade slips of the seven elders were delivered to my desk." His tone was flat, yet it made Jiang Yifan's back tense further. "The Third Elder even suggested activating the great array."

Suisui's soul fire jumped, its bone claws unconsciously mimicking the arrangement of the star positions on the board. Clan Leader Jiang caught this out of the corner of his eye, the corner of his mouth twitching imperceptibly.

"The teleportation array opens once every ten days." He picked up his teacup. "The next time is in three days."

Jiang Yifan frowned. "Three days is too long. The Sword Heart Sect—"

"This is the Northern Territory," Clan Leader Jiang interrupted him, setting his cup down heavily on the stone table. "Not Chishui City."

The night wind suddenly turned biting, making the wind chimes ring.

Li Nanzhu noticed that when Clan Leader Jiang spoke, the place where his thumb rubbed the rim of the cup corresponded exactly to the border between the Jiang family and the Sword Heart Sect's influence on the map.

"Father." Jiang Yifan suddenly took a half-step forward. "I was the one who brought them back."

Clan Leader Jiang's gaze finally fell completely on Jiang Yifan. He had not expected his son to use that form of address—one he hadn't heard in a long time—for the sake of his fellow disciples.

As the two locked eyes, Li Nanzhu felt as though invisible sparks were flying.

"That is why you are sitting here drinking tea," Clan Leader Jiang said, turning a white jade piece between his fingers, "instead of being interrogated in the Hall of Punishment."

Suisui suddenly clattered onto the board, its bone claw pointing at the phantom representing the ancestral temple. Clan Leader Jiang's eyebrows twitched, but he did not scold it for its impulsive behavior.

"The little fellow knows how to pick its spots," he hummed. "One step, and it lands right on the array eye of the great array."

Feng Qingping's pupils contracted sharply.

Li Nanzhu only then noticed that where Suisui stood was exactly the node where the star power was strongest on the board.

Clan Leader Jiang tapped the board lightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Jiang Yifan's face. "Three days." He stood up, his robes carrying a scent of pine. "Stay in Tingxue Pavilion during this time."

...

As Clan Leader Jiang turned to leave, the breeze from his robes brushed the board, making several pieces tremble.

"Old Chen," he instructed without looking back. "Take them to Tingxue Pavilion."

Old Chen's mechanical hand clicked faintly. "Yes, Clan Leader."

Only after the figure disappeared at the end of the corridor did Jiang Yifan's tense shoulders relax slightly. He stared at the pieces Suisui had disturbed, his brow furrowed.

"Follow me."

Tingxue Pavilion was located in the most secluded part of the western courtyard. Surrounded by ancient pines, moonlight cast mottled shadows through the branches onto the stone path.

"Do not leave the courtyard for these three days," Jiang Yifan said in a low voice. "There will be guards patrolling outside."

Feng Weilan leaned against the door, holding his blade. "Your father clearly knows we were forced into the forbidden grounds..."

"Precisely because he knows, he must follow the rules," Jiang Yifan interrupted him, his fingers unconsciously tracing the patterns on the window lattice. "The Jiang family is not his alone to command."

"Senior Brother Jiang," Li Nanzhu asked, "actually, we don't necessarily have to rely on the Jiang family's teleportation array..."

"The teleportation arrays in our Northern Territory are special," Jiang Yifan shook his head. "They only open once a month. It will be at least half a month before the next opening..."

They all understood what that meant.

No one could be sure if more accidents would happen during those two weeks.

Suisui suddenly jumped down from Li Nanzhu's arms. Its bone claws tapped the ground, and the bluestone tile emitted a hollow echo. Jiang Yifan crouched down and pressed lightly on the edge of a certain brick.

With a faint click, the brick flipped over, revealing a hidden mechanism compartment. Inside, several scrolls and a small wooden box were neatly placed.

"This is..."