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

Chapter 1657 The Marquis of Jiannan's Residence
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Xingluo City is one of the three major capital cities on the continent. Its gray city walls, like the spine of a sleeping ancient beast, protect the layered, ring-shaped urban area.

Its layout is quite different from the square and orderly Tian Dou City. Seven concentric rings spread outwards from the inside, becoming more and more open and vast as you go outwards. In the end, it forms the largest city on this continent, exceeding the size of Tian Dou City at 2,500 square kilometers.

In the Third Ring Road area, on Tangfeng Street, stands a marquis's mansion.

In front of the mansion, two metal pillars shaped like the Seven Kill Swords, made of strange materials and with a silver base but flowing with a cold blue light, are deeply embedded in the stone slab like silent sentinels.

On the dark plaque, the two characters "Jiannan" are written in bold, powerful strokes, announcing the Chen family's stronghold in this foreign capital.

This is indeed a genuine marquis's mansion, its size comparable to that of the Heavenly Dust Mansion.

The Chen clan's operations in the Star Luo Empire have only truly taken root in the last two or three hundred years. Before that, they were just scattered and unsystematic, starting much later than other ancient families.

Moreover, the family's foundation and focus are not located here. The property and power here are mainly maintained by the "Guang" branch of the five branches of the Chen family.

This marquisate title was earned by generations of the Chen family members through their military exploits and achievements, accompanying the foreign legions under the command of the Duke of Zhennan of the Star Luo Empire in their campaigns across the north and south.

Without this golden plaque symbolizing imperial recognition, the obstacles Princess Zhu Qianqing would have faced when marrying Chen Yinzu, the head of the Chen family, would have been unimaginable.

At this moment, the Jiannan Marquis's residence was shrouded in a deathly silence of pure white.

Huge white curtains hung from the beams and pillars, white paper lanterns hung under the eaves, and the air was filled with the faint bitter smell of burnt incense and the scent of ashes—a grand sacrificial ceremony had just ended.

However, beneath this solemn mourning, the depths of the mansion were a scene of devastation: numerous dilapidated houses, broken walls, and piles of rubble were starkly exposed, the horrific marks left by the Scarlet Church's raid seven days earlier, silently recounting the bloodshed of that day.

Beyond the devastation, in the central courtyard of the Marquis's mansion, white curtains hung low, and the lights were dim.

A group of figures dressed in plain white sat silently.

Two people sat side by side in the main seat: Shen Tianjun and Feng Tonglong.

This patriarch of the Wind Sword Sect should have been peacefully cultivating in Chenlin Village, the ancestral homeland. However, this blood calamity has almost completely destroyed the Sword Rain Academy, which was established based on the Wind Sword Sect. How could he sit comfortably in the distance?

Moreover, the Soul Douluo Feng Yangbo, who fell from his position as an academy advisor, was Feng Tonglong's youngest son!

The agony of a parent outliving their child had long since transformed into a red-hot iron rod, scorching his heart and soul day and night, causing him to set foot on this blood-soaked land of Xingluo City far earlier than Chen Hua.

Shen Tianjun's gaze swept over Chen Hua on the left below: "Chen Hua, you said you wanted to designate July 5th as 'Red Calamity Day' to commemorate it."

Chen Hua, dressed in plain white, though his face was as handsome as jade, could not hide his exhaustion (as he presided over the ceremony). Upon hearing this, he bowed and said, "Yes, Uncle."

"The Crimson Church's actions this time were clearly a deliberate choice to launch simultaneous attacks around July 5th, targeting multiple foundations of my Chen Clan."

"As the head of the organization department, I believe that we should use this day every year as a memorial to remember the blood feud and be vigilant against the shame."

Across from him, Chen Yinzu frowned slightly.

He was completely different from Chen Hua's handsome appearance. His short beard was like iron, his black hair was neatly cut, his face had sharp angles as if it had been cleaved by a knife and axe, his nose was high and straight, and his eyes were as sharp and bright as dark crystals.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, with strong arms honed from years of practicing the Horizontal and Vertical Sword Techniques—a disciple of the Light lineage, who followed the path of proving the Way through force.

"Sixth Brother," he looked at Chen Hua, his arm resting on the armrest of the chair. His commanding tone carried weight in his words. "The name 'Red Calamity Day' is direct, but it seems hasty." "Why not set it today, the twelfth? We could use 'Dust Tragedy Day' to commemorate the heroes' blood and courage, or 'Sword Sharpening Day' to warn future generations to strive for self-improvement."

“Wouldn’t it be more comprehensive to link it with the family memorial service on the fifteenth of July, forming a series of remembrances and reflections?”

Chen Hua was slightly taken aback, then her eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment's thought, a self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips: "Uh... that makes sense. I was too naive."

Shen Tianjun nodded calmly: "This is a minor matter; Chen Hua, you can decide for yourself."

He turned his gaze to Chen Yinzu, "Tell me about the current situation. Yinzu, you are familiar with Xingluo City, have you heard any rumors outside?"

Chen Yinzu sat up straight and glanced at everyone in the hall: "The Marquis's mansion has been attacked, and the outside world is indeed in turmoil."

"The three main elite forces under Crimson's command—Devouring, Demon Bull, and Black Crow—launched a fierce attack but failed to achieve complete success—this in itself is enough to shock all parties."

He paused, his knuckles tapping lightly on the armrest. "But even bigger waves are yet to come: Fifth Uncle's (Chen Qiu Jun) titled cultivation level has been exposed."

"Now, throughout Xingluo City, the way the court and all the various forces are looking at us has become... subtle."

"It's simply because they're wary of our growing influence."

His gaze deepened. "To make matters worse, details of the fierce battle at the Heavenly Dou Chen Mansion have begun to spread throughout the city in the past few days."

"What's more, news from the ancestral land, such as the situation of Grandma Ruxin and Uncle Qingqiu of Moonbeam City... this information only arrived here yesterday."

The hall was silent.

Without him needing to say anything more, everyone understood the unspoken deterrent: including Chen Qiujun, Xia Ruxin, Zhu Hongzhen, Leng Qingqiu who had been exposed... plus those already known, the Chen family had nine titled Douluo standing under their command!

Nine mountains stand in the distance, enough to overwhelm any force.

The qualitative change resulting from this quantitative change is something that the chessboard of Xingluo will never know how the Chen family will view their moves.

Shen Tianjun slightly raised his eyelids, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick wall and landing in the distance: "Hmm."

"No wonder Xiang Renyu's expression was so subtle during the memorial service today; the Xiang family must have been affected as well."

He was of the same generation as Xiang Renyu, so he addressed him by his given name.

Chen Hua turned her gaze to Feng Tonglong, who had been silent and had a gloomy expression since he sat down, and continued the conversation: "That's natural."

"Although the Xiang family and my Chen family have always been on good terms, the Xiang family still holds the prestigious title of the Duke of Xingluo's Mansion."

"The most dangerous thing in this world is to be on the wrong side of things."

"With such momentum, if the Xiang family doesn't change at all, they are not worthy of sitting in that position."

Shen Tianjun's fingers gently traced the smooth rosewood armrest, as if brushing away an invisible layer of dust, his tone still leisurely: "It's alright."

He looked up, his tone carrying an almost silent certainty: "They'll get used to it."

(End of this chapter)