Chapter 695 Feeding and Whetstone

"Who?" Raven asked briefly.

The Chief Councillor softly uttered a name.

The moment he heard the name, Raven was obviously stunned, and his face under the mask was full of surprise and confusion.

He looked at the Archon in confusion and couldn't help asking:

"You...you put so much thought into it, what exactly do you want to do?"

The consul smiled but said nothing.

Seeing that he couldn't get any results from asking, Raven stopped wasting words and asked:

"Then you can always tell me, how long exactly is this 'period of time' you mentioned? I can't protect you indefinitely."

The Archon smiled intriguingly and said:

"You'll know when the time comes. Don't worry, it won't be long."

This vague time limit made Raven extremely irritated, and he felt as if he was being led by the nose.

But he needs "red wax".

He took another deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and said in a deep voice: "After it's done..."

Before he could finish, the consul replied:

"I'll give you another piece of 'red wax'. It's a fair trade, no cheating."

Raven originally wanted to try to bargain and see if he could get more.

But when he met the Consul's wooden eyes that showed no emotion, the words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back into his stomach.

He said nothing more, turned around abruptly, and with a whirlwind of cold wind swirling around his black robe, he strode towards the door.

This time, the consul did not call him back.

The door closed gently behind him.

Silence returned to the office, with only the desk lamp remaining lit.

After a long time, the Chief Consul slowly stood up, walked to the window, lifted a corner of the heavy curtains, and looked down at the city below, which was illuminated by the lights of the upper city.

"A delicious meal requires careful preparation, just like the growth of the people in the lower city depends on the feeding from the upper city."

The faint whisper echoed in the room...

……..

Upper city.

The Song family mansion, as one of the ancient sacred bloodline families, is not a simple building, but a perfect fusion of ancient architectural aesthetics and cutting-edge technological protection.

The glazed tiles gleam with a moist luster under the cold light, but underneath lies an invisible energy field; beside the vermilion pillars, there are not only auspicious beasts carved in stone, but also defensive puppets standing quietly with red light flashing in their eyes.

The "Jingsi Hall" where the third branch of the family lives is located on the west side of the family building complex. Although it is not as majestic and domineering as the "Qingtian Hall" of the first branch of the family, it also has its own elegant and noble aura.

The hall is paved with "Tranquil Jade" tiles produced by a hidden sect. They are so shiny that you can reflect your reflection in them. When you walk on them, you will feel a coolness on the soles of your feet, which has the effect of calming the mind and tranquilizing the spirit.

Ancient ink paintings with profound artistic conception are hung on the walls. The mountains, rivers, and clouds in the paintings seem to be still slowly flowing. On the rosewood stand in the corner, there are unknown strange bonsai. The plants are as clear as glass and emit faint bioluminescence.

However, all this carefully constructed elegance and tranquility were completely destroyed by the low pressure emanating from the beautiful woman sitting on the main seat.

The mistress of the third house, Song Cao, whose maiden name was Guanyin, was sitting on the main seat at this moment. She was wearing a floor-length dress embroidered with intricate cloud patterns. The fabric was some rare biological velvet, which would flow with different colors as the light changed.

She wore a completely transparent round cover on her head, made of material that looked like crystal or tempered glass. It fit her hair bun delicately, like a miniature sky.

Beneath the crown was a well-maintained and still charming face, but at this moment, this face was covered with frost, her brows were furrowed, and her beautiful eyes were filled with suppressed anger and deep worry.

The fingernails painted with bright red cardamom tapped on the armrests of the rosewood chair, making a dull "thump thump" sound. Each sound struck the hearts of the attendants in the hall, making them dare not breathe.

Sitting beside her was her eldest son, Song Kuangyi.

He also wore a sky crown, a moon-white robe, and a dark blue satin waistcoat, and had a handsome face.

He has always been known for his friendly personality and generosity, and has a very good reputation both inside and outside the family.

However, at this moment, the face that always wore a gentle smile was rarely shrouded in a layer of gloom, and his brows were twisted into an unsolvable knot.

Song Kuangyi stood up and bowed to his mother who was sitting on the main seat.

"Mother, please don't worry too much, take care of your health.

My younger brother...he's always lucky, maybe he's just temporarily trapped somewhere, nothing serious will happen to him."

Song Cao suddenly raised her head, a fierce look flashing in her eyes:

"How can I not be worried? Your brother is missing, and those idiots in District Nine don't even know who kidnapped him.

They can't even find out whether Kuang Yan is dead or alive. What a bunch of incompetent people!"

Song Kuangyi sighed and tried to keep his tone calm:

"Mother, please calm down. This incident really happened suddenly. District Nine of Lower City couldn't figure out the cause right away. Perhaps... it's understandable."

"excusable?"

Song Cao seemed to have heard something ridiculous, and suddenly slapped the rosewood coffee table beside her.

"I know you're kindhearted, but now your own brother has disappeared in District 9, and his fate is uncertain. Are you still going to make excuses for those losers?!"

Song Kuangyi shook his head and said:

"Mother, you misunderstood. I'm not trying to excuse them. What I meant is..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the bowed servants in the hall. Song Cao understood and waved her hand impatiently. The servants, as if granted amnesty, quickly left the hall.

Song Kuangyi took a step forward and continued in a low voice:

"What I mean is that District Nine hasn't found any conclusive information yet, and there's no clue about Kuang Yan's whereabouts. This is actually the best news."

Song Cao's anger was slightly suppressed by these words, and a trace of inquiry flashed in her beautiful eyes:

"Oh? What do you mean, my son?"

Song Kuangyi's eyes were calm as he analyzed:

"If there's no information, it means Kuang Yan is probably still alive, and someone wants to use Kuang Yan to make a fuss."

Song Cao's face showed a thoughtful look, and she asked again:

"My son's words make sense. Who do you think this person is?"

Song Kuangyi did not answer immediately. He pondered for a while, as if he was considering his words:

“Kuang Yan was assigned to District 9 as a special commissioner, a position of immense respect.

Those local tyrants in District 9 might pretend to obey and do their job perfunctorily, but as for whether they would really have the guts to take action against him... my son thinks that it is unlikely.

Therefore, there may be something else behind this matter. The root of this matter may not be in District 9, but rather... around us."

Song Kuangyi's words were suggestive, but Song Cao immediately understood the eldest son's hint.

She subconsciously glanced in the direction outside the main hall, which happened to be the area where the main branch of the Song family was located.

A chill quietly rose from the bottom of her heart.

Just as the mother and son understood each other tacitly, an old man in black clothes walked quickly into the hall and bowed respectfully to Song Kuangyi and Song Cao.

Song Kuangyi immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously:

"Teacher, what's the situation? Can you find any clues?"

The old man in black clothes said with a serious expression:

"Sir, Madam. I have just discovered through some secret channels that two of the eldest young master's close associates have disappeared in the past two days..."

Song Kuangyi's expression suddenly changed, and he asked:

"Teacher, can you confirm? Who are these two people? Why did they suddenly disappear?"

The old man in black nodded affirmatively:

"This is a matter of great importance. I have confirmed repeatedly that two people are indeed missing. However... I have yet to find out where they went or why they disappeared.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that he has gone…”

The old man in black hesitated and did not continue speaking.

Song Cao's face instantly became extremely gloomy, as if water could drip out of it.

She slammed her right hand on the rosewood coffee table beside her. There was no sound at all, but the next moment, the entire extremely hard coffee table seemed to be disintegrated from the inside by an invisible force, silently turning into powder and scattering on the carpet.

She uttered a meaningless sneer, and the temperature of the entire hall seemed to drop suddenly. Even the flowing clouds in the dynamic ancient paintings on the wall seemed to freeze for a moment.

After a while, Song Cao stopped laughing and turned her gaze to her eldest son:

"My son, what do you think?"

Song Kuangyi's face showed an extremely complicated expression, including shock, anger, but more of it was deep embarrassment and pain.

Given his usually kind and harmonious character, it was difficult for him to directly accuse the eldest branch of the family with whom he was related by blood.

He gritted his teeth, as if he had gone through a fierce struggle in his heart, and finally said:

"Mother, this matter... this matter has not yet been determined. Just because two close relatives of the eldest wife are missing, we can't directly conclude that they were responsible.

Perhaps it's another mission, or perhaps it's just a coincidence. If we rashly suspect it, it will only exacerbate the disputes within the family..."

Seeing his mother's face becoming increasingly gloomy, Song Kuangyi said again:

"So, my son would like to ask for permission to personally go to District 9 in the Lower City to thoroughly investigate this matter and rescue his brother."

Song Cao's expression turned from gloomy to bright, a hint of relief flashed in her eyes, but more of it was still worry:

"No, absolutely not. If the eldest wife really wants to harm your brother, District 9 will be in great danger. I can't let you take risks again. If something happens to you again, how can I bear it?!"

Song Kuangyi took a step forward and actually disobeyed his mother's wishes, which was rare:

"No, Kuang Yan is my brother. No matter what dangers lie ahead, I must go to District 9 to rescue him. Only if I go will there be the best hope.

I wouldn't feel comfortable with anyone else going."

Song Cao still refused:

"I said no, I'll send someone else..."

Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Song Kuangyi's action.

He bent his knees and knelt heavily in front of his mother, his head lowered, his voice deep and firm:

"Please grant me your permission, mother. Kuang Yan is my most beloved brother. He is in danger now, and his life or death is uncertain. How can I, as his elder brother, sit back and relax in the upper city?

I can't be at peace with this! I have to do this, and I have to save my brother."

He raised his head, looked at his mother with burning eyes, and continued to analyze:

"My son knows what I am worried about, but please think about it carefully...

Firstly, it might not be the eldest wife's doing. There might be other hidden secrets. I'm going there just to find out.

Secondly, if it's really the eldest wife's doing, I personally going there to make them hesitate. After all, if Kuang Yan and I both get into trouble, it means the third wife's hope is gone, and the eldest wife will be the most panicked."

Song Cao could also understand this logic. The first wife had been suppressing the third wife openly and secretly, as if she wished the third wife would die out, but she certainly did not dare to let the third wife die out.

A half-dead third wife is a good third wife. Otherwise, the first wife will be truly unable to sleep or eat.

Song Cao showed some hesitation on her face. At this moment, Song Bangyan, the head of the third branch, walked quickly into the hall.

He also wore the Sky Crown, and his temperament was handsome and elegant, but there was an aura of majesty between his brows.

After he walked in, he glanced at his eldest son who was kneeling on the ground and said directly:

"There's no need to argue. I've already reported the situation to the head of the family. Kuang Yi, get ready and leave for District Nine in Lower City as soon as possible."

Song Cao stood up quickly. She had a thousand words to say, but in the end she only managed one sentence:

"My son, please be careful, and be sure to bring your brother back."

Song Kuangyi stood up and took the order, looking at his father at the same time:

"Yes, mother, I will definitely fulfill your mission. Father, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Song Bangyan looked at his son, whom he had the highest hopes for, with a deep gaze. He pondered for a moment and said:

“You should be aware that due to certain historical reasons, it has always been inconvenient for the Upper City to directly intervene in the specific affairs of the Lower City districts.

So, when you go there, you must not only rescue your brother, but also make good use of this opportunity, do you understand?"

Song Kuangyi showed a thoughtful look on his face and nodded solemnly:

"My son understands. He will seize the opportunity."

Song Bangyan nodded. He has always been confident in his eldest son's understanding and ability.

He waved his hand and said:

"You have always been prudent and careful in your work, and you always plan carefully before taking action. Your father is relieved. Go ahead and prepare well."

"Yes, father, mother, I'm leaving now."

Song Kuangyi bowed again and performed the ceremony meticulously. Even though he was very excited, his etiquette was still impeccable.

He took a few steps back, then turned around and walked out with steady steps.

The old man in black also bowed and followed him out.

Only Song Bangyan and Song Cao were left in the hall. Song Cao's beautiful eyes were filled with worry, and she couldn't help but complain:

"Why must Kuang Yi go? If anything happens to him, our Third House will..."

Song Bangyan said in a deep voice:

“It may seem dangerous, but it’s actually safe. Unless the eldest wife goes completely crazy, or District Nine wants to revolt and establish itself, Kuang Yi’s trip will be safe.

Besides, unlike Kuang Yan, he already has considerable strength, and he has been cultivating a group of talented people around him over the years. It’s time to send him out to see the world.”

He paused, his tone revealing the ruthlessness and foresight of a powerful family:

“If a young eagle doesn’t leave the nest, it will never learn to fly; if a tiger doesn’t enter the forest, it will always be just a cat in captivity.

Without experiencing the decisiveness of killing and seeing the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, no matter how sharp your claws and teeth are, they are just decorations. Without being stained with blood and dust, no matter how good your character is, you will be of little use.

This turmoil may be the best whetstone for Kuang Yi."

(End of this chapter)