In the residence of Zhuge Feng within the Wuhou Sect, in the basement.
A small brazier burned with sandalwood, its delicate fragrance filling the air.
Zhuge Feng stood in the center of the basement, a Qimen formation manifesting beneath him, flowing with peculiar patterns.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhuge Feng gazed at the surging golden sphere of light before him with a solemn expression, his eyes filled with worry.
At that moment, a middle-aged man appeared out of thin air behind Zhuge Feng. He knelt on one knee before Zhuge Feng and said respectfully, "Patriarch, the sect leaders from various factions have arrived in Pingyuan City these past few days and are currently residing at the Golden Bamboo Grand Hotel outside the Wuhou Sect. Our clan disciples are responsible for ensuring the hotel's security."
Zhuge Feng turned around and said, "This banquet will gather all the prominent figures in China's supernatural community. its influence will surpass even the Celestial Master Ordination Ceremony of the Zhengyi Sect. Any slight misstep could cause tremors throughout China, so you must handle this banquet with utmost caution."
"Zhuge Ning will dedicate himself fully to ensuring the Patriarch's centennial birthday banquet is a success," Zhuge Ning said respectfully. He then glanced at the Qimen formation on the ground, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, "Patriarch, what are you doing now?"
Zhuge Feng explained, "The dragon脉 has been unstable recently, and I am helping to stabilize it."
"The dragon脉 is unstable?" Hearing Zhuge Feng's words, Zhuge Ning's pupils contracted sharply, "How could this be?"
The dragon脉 was related to the fortune of a nation. Their Zhuge family had been responsible for guarding the dragon脉 for nearly a century without any errors. Now, for the dragon脉 to have problems at such a time, didn't it signify that the nation was about to face turmoil?
"Why did it have to happen at this time?" Zhuge Ning immediately realized the gravity of the situation, his brows furrowing.
Currently, with the Patriarch's centennial birthday, sect leaders from supernatural organizations across the country would be coming to pay their respects. Pingyuan City would be a mix of dragons and fish, and their Zhuge family would have to expend considerable effort to maintain order.
The Wuhou Sect's strength was limited. If they sent disciples to maintain order in Pingyuan City, they would not be able to spare any attention for the dragon脉...
Zhuge Ning said worriedly, "Patriarch, the matter of the dragon脉 is of great importance. We are now..."
Zhuge Feng: "You don't need to worry. I have already notified the old guys in the Dragon Department. This birthday banquet is a crucial event to showcase the majesty of our Wuhou Sect, a great sect of a thousand years, and it absolutely cannot be interrupted."
"Moreover, the invitations have already been sent out. If the banquet is canceled midway, not only will our Wuhou Sect become a laughingstock in the community, but if those with ulterior motives guess that the dragon脉 is in trouble, it will be troublesome."
"Do not spread the news of the dragon脉's instability. Focus on having your disciples protect the safety of the sect leaders. The matter of the dragon脉, I will handle."
Hearing Zhuge Feng's words, Zhuge Ning didn't know what else to say, only managing to reply, "I understand..."
Indeed, the dragon脉 was of great importance. Once the news of the dragon脉's instability leaked out and was exploited by those with ulterior motives, not only would their Wuhou Sect suffer severe damage, but China itself would also incur heavy losses.
Concealing the instability of the dragon脉 and entrusting its handling solely to Zhuge Feng was already the only viable solution.
After arranging Zhuge Ning's work, Zhuge Feng asked again, "By the way, I just sensed spiritual energy fluctuations outside the Wuhou Sect, as if someone was fighting. What happened?"
Zhuge Ning replied, "Wang Die suddenly arrived and encountered Zhuge Bai at the entrance. A conflict erupted between them, and Wang Die single-handedly knocked out over ten of our disciples."
"It's that girl Xiao Die..." Hearing Zhuge Ning's words, Zhuge Feng murmured softly, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes.
Ever since Zhuge Die was forced to her death, this matter had become a persistent worry for Zhuge Feng.
Every time Wang Die appeared, he was reminded of his daughter, Zhuge Die.
Zhuge Ning, however, did not understand why Zhuge Feng was so lenient towards Wang Die. He said, "Patriarch, Wang Die has repeatedly damaged the reputation of our Wuhou Sect. Last time, she smashed our Zhuge family's ancestral shrine and insulted our ancestors thoroughly. This time, she severely beat Xiao Bai at our doorstep. Why do you indulge her time and time again?"
"If you give the order, we can capture Wang Die immediately!"
Zhuge Feng said sternly, "Back then, Zhuge Die was the only genius in our Zhuge family whose talent could compare to our ancestor Wuhou. She was supposed to be the hope for our Wuhou Sect to regain its glory, but in the end, she was forced to her death by some corrupt family rules."
"Wang Die inherited her mother's talent. Although she hasn't received systematic training, her mastery of Qimen formations far surpasses that of any Zhuge in the clan. Moreover, she has now become the leader of the Cloud Palace branch, and her backing is even stronger than our Zhuge clan. Think about it again, why do I indulge her?"
Zhuge Ning said, "But Wang Die, after all, does not have the surname Zhuge..."
"Prejudice based on lineage..." Zhuge Feng sighed heavily and waved his hand at Zhuge Ning, "I am a bit tired. You may withdraw."
Seeing that Zhuge Feng still had no intention of holding Wang Die accountable for her actions, Zhuge Ning was extremely vexed.
However, although he was displeased, he did not dare to disobey Zhuge Feng's orders. After respectfully saluting Zhuge Feng, he withdrew.
For Zhuge Ning, there were more important matters to attend to than Wang Die.
After Zhuge Ning left, Zhuge Feng sighed heavily again and refocused his energy on maintaining the dragon脉.
The worry in his eyes grew more intense.
"The future of the Zhuge family... where does the path lie?"
...
At the Wuhou Sect, although Wang Die's appearance caused a minor disturbance, the preparations for the banquet continued in an orderly fashion.
After shaking off the pursuers from the Wuhou Sect, Wang Die brought Ye Ling back to a villa she owned in Pingyuan City.
Upon returning to the villa, Wang Die said to Ye Ling with some apology, "I apologize for making the Emperor see a joke, but there are still two days before the banquet begins. Please bear with me at my humble abode for these two days."
Ye Ling glanced at Wang Die's villa, which was several hundred square meters, and teased, "This place can hardly be called a humble abode. But speaking of which, why did you insist on waiting until the banquet began to have me go to the Wuhou Sect?"
"If the goal is to stop the Shadow Hall's conspiracy, I could go to the dragon脉 now and plant a protective formation, which would fully safeguard the dragon脉. There would be no need to specifically wait for the banquet to start and then passively defend after the Cloud Palace intervenes."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Wang Die realized she could no longer conceal it and honestly told Ye Ling, "It seems nothing can be hidden from the Emperor... Indeed, protecting the dragon脉 is my main reason for seeking the Emperor's help, but it also includes a small selfish motive of mine."
Ye Ling raised an eyebrow, "Selfish motive?"
Wang Die said, "The Wuhou Sect has guarded the dragon脉 for a hundred years, offending countless overseas forces during this time. Even domestically, there are many opportunistic individuals eyeing the Wuhou Sect, waiting for a chance to strike."
"When the Wuhou Sect was at its peak, perhaps they wouldn't fear those opportunists. However, Zhuge Feng is now a hundred years old. If he doesn't break through to the Red Dust Immortal realm, he won't live much longer."
"Once Zhuge Feng dies, the Wuhou Sect will lose its protection and will inevitably be devoured by various forces, and the dragon脉 will also be lost."
"Therefore, I want to use the Emperor's prestige to let the supernatural beings in the circle know that the Wuhou Sect is under the Emperor's protection. This way, even if Zhuge Feng dies one day, the Wuhou Sect can still rely on the Emperor's prestige to eke out an existence."
Ye Ling looked at Wang Die curiously and asked, "Didn't the Wuhou Sect force your parents to their deaths? Why are you helping them so much?"
Although Ye Ling didn't mind others benefiting from his name, he was very curious why Wang Die would do this.
After all, judging by the attitude of the Wuhou Sect disciples towards Wang Die earlier, from Ye Ling's perspective, Wang Die had no reason to do this.
If the Wuhou Sect was to perish, let it perish.
Wang Die said with a wry smile, "I used to wish to exterminate the Wuhou Sect... But after I encountered that incident, my thoughts changed."