Douluo: A Century-old Legend I Am the Second Uncle Chenxin

Chapter 1590 The Prestigious Family of the Continent—The Ji Family!
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……

In the main hall of the Ji family's backyard, morning light pierced through the window paper, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick floor.

Jixiang sat in a huanghuali armchair, a few dark red spots seeping through the white hemp bandage wrapped around her right shoulder.

"Seventh Brother, what happened last night?" The eldest brother, Jian, frowned at the glaring bandage across from him. "Your arm is injured?"

Ji Rui, who was standing next to him, immediately chimed in, tapping his knuckles on the table: "Yeah, it was quite a scene last night. I'm lucky that you only got a few injuries in that situation."

Jilan sat upright in her armchair, her fingertips lightly touching the carvings on the back of the chair: "Father has also made a move."

His words were calm, yet they drew everyone's attention to the person in the main seat.

Ji Xiang also looked up at his second uncle, Ji Hongming, who was sitting at the head of the table. His refined face was like a taut bow, especially when he thought of Chen Zhang patting his shoulder before he left and saying, "Brother-in-law, I believe in you."

—Believe it?!
On one side are her own blood relatives, and on the other side are the Chen family relatives whom the lady has recently recognized. Caught in the middle, every word she utters is a delicate matter, like walking on a knife's edge.

Ji Hongming is the head of the family (he took over the Ji family after his elder brother died young), and he is also the pillar of the family—titled Wenxin!
His palms were slightly sweaty: "Second Uncle, brothers and sisters, this is what happened..."

His voice was hoarse from exhaustion, "Last night, the eight titled leaders of the Crimson Church launched a surprise attack on the Dust Mansion..."

The air in the hall instantly froze.

The previously calm crowd's expressions changed slightly. Jireh's eyes suddenly bulged, and his voice rose: "Eight?!"

He leaned forward, almost collapsing onto the table. "Good heavens, this is terrifying! If half of the titled individuals attacked our Ji family, we'd probably be finished."

Jixiang's lips twitched, and she glanced helplessly at her outspoken younger brother: "Watch your mouth."

“Indeed,” Gilan replied calmly, “the Crimson Church’s lineup is a catastrophic disaster for a top family like ours.”

"It's a miracle that the Chen family was able to hold on. It seems they were well-prepared."

"Chen Hong, Yang Jingxue, Zhu Hongzhen, and Zhuo Qianren..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ji Hongming, sitting in the main seat, suddenly sharpened his gaze: "Little Seven (Jixiang), you said Chen Hong and the others chased after them?!"

“Yes, Second Uncle,” Jixiang affirmed, “Since I left the mansion, none of the princes have returned, only Prince Longma has returned.”

Jilan immediately turned to Ji Hongming: "Father, didn't you manage to stop the Crimson Bandits last night?!"

Ji Hongming picked up the teacup, his fingertips rubbing the warm porcelain, and a soft sigh escaped his lips: "Your father's cultivation is not good enough."

"Even with the combined efforts of the Ge family scoundrel and the old man Qinghuang, Ming Xiangyun still managed to escape through the Shadow World."

"So, they have a way to pursue us?" Gillan asked, her brow furrowed with lingering doubt.

Ji Hongming put down his teacup with a soft thud: "Who can say for sure?!"

He turned his gaze to Ji Xing, who sat upright with a stern expression, and asked, "Ji Xing, how was the court today?"

The fifth-ranked auspicious star stood straight, his cold, handsome features unwavering: "Of course it's causing a huge uproar."

"After a century of peace, such a major event occurred last night in Tiandou City, especially the Xuan Niao Division, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Military Advisory Bureau, which are facing criticism from all sides."

Jilan snorted coldly, her words sharp: "Serves you right! The responsibility for the Three Affairs Bureau's dereliction of duty cannot be escaped no matter what!"

Ji Xing nodded slightly: "The emperor is furious. It's impossible for them not to suffer a heavy blow."

The brief silence in the hall was broken by Ji Hongming's deep voice: "I'm afraid it's more than that..." Ji An looked up sharply: "Second Uncle, are you worried that this will cause a major upheaval in the court, leading to a reshuffling?"

Ji Hongming tapped his knuckles unconsciously on the table: "In recent years, the court has been treacherous, and undercurrents have been surging beneath the surface."

“With the Chen family in trouble, at the very least, Zuo Tinggang’s Silver Feather Alliance will not let this go.”

Ji'an frowned in confusion: "Wasn't Zuo Tinggang on duty yesterday? He must have had a tough time too, right?"

“He is a titled Historian,” Ji Xing analyzed calmly and decisively, “and he is not usually in charge of intelligence, so it’s hard to blame him.”

Ji Xiang took a deep breath and carefully spoke: "The royal family's power over the world is immense, and His Majesty Tianfu is a branch of the royal family. The Silver Feather Alliance is neutral and growing stronger every day."

"At this point, if any force were to launch an attack against the Silver Feather Alliance, it could retaliate significantly."

Birds chirped outside the window, but inside the main hall, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

At the head of the table, the white porcelain cup in front of Ji Hongming held a cup of tea. The surface of the water was calm, yet it rippled with fine, delicate waves.

"Let's wait and see," he said, his eyelashes lowered, his gaze falling on the tea leaves floating in the soup. "Xiao Qi, Tian Tian... has the matter of recognizing her ancestors been settled?"

Ji Xiang remained silent, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, but he did not speak.

"What do you mean by recognizing one's ancestors?!" Jilan suddenly looked up, her eyebrows raised sharply. "Isn't Tiantian Seventh Brother's biological daughter?"

“Ninth Sister,” Ji Rui’s voice was deep, “Tian Tian… has twin martial souls.”

"What?!" Jilan's pupils suddenly contracted, and her eyebrows shot up. "I, as her aunt, had no idea. Seventh brother, this is not fair!"

"Twin martial souls must possess innate full soul power—even if you love Shiqiong as deeply as the sea, don't you know that such a prodigy must be snatched away?! How dare you allow her to change her surname and return to her clan?!"

“I dare not hide it…” Jixiang’s bitter smile spread across her lips, as if it were bitter as gall. “Second Uncle knows about this matter.”

"Father! Are you getting senile?" Jilan's sharp gaze turned to the head of the table. "Shiqiong comes from the Hidden Prince's Mansion, and Xue Chuxin has only just entered the title of her father. Our Wenhua Biji family is one of the twenty-four famous families on the continent. How have we ever been inferior to anyone?!"

“It’s not the Hidden King’s Mansion, Tian Tian’s other martial soul… is…” Ji Xiang’s voice was hoarse as he finally uttered those three words, “Seven Kill Sword.”

"Seven...Killing Sword?!" Jilan's expression suddenly changed, as if struck by lightning. "The Chen family...Seven Killing Sword? How could the Chen family be involved?!"

Ji Rui sighed: "Ninth Sister, it's a case of Martial Soul reversion. Tian Tian's maternal grandfather... is a member of the Chen family."

Jilan's neck tensed like a bowstring, and she suddenly raised it: "Eighth Brother! Even if the Chen family is the most prestigious family, there is still a hierarchy. Our Ji family is the true lineage of her father's family!"

"Father lineage?" Ji Xing asked coldly, his icy gaze sweeping over Ji Lan. "Ninth Sister, in the face of twin martial souls, the struggle between the father and mother lineages is utterly futile."

"Didn't you ever think about... who exactly is Tian Tian's maternal grandfather?"

Jilan gasped for breath: "Who else could it be? Xue Chuxin is clearly unmarried! Sister Shiqiong is just an orphan she adopted... Wait—"

Her eyes widened suddenly, trembling with disbelief. "Isn't it adoption? Xue Chuxin... Xue Shiqiong's father... could it be Chen Yu?!"

Ji Hongming raised his eyelids, his deep gaze reflected in the murky tea: "When Tian Tian was born... the Sword Master Douluo made a special trip to the old Ji family residence... and met with me."

Ji An nodded slightly, his fingertips stroking the smooth rosewood armrest: "In the Ji family, Tian Tian is the main branch; in the Chen family... she is undoubtedly the direct descendant of the family."

“But—” Jilan’s lips trembled, her resentment stuck in her throat.

“You silly girl,” Ji Hongming interrupted her, his voice deepening, “behind this matter is more than just a Sword Master Douluo… the one who truly subdues us… is the Ming King.”

(End of this chapter)