LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 63: Wang Xi's Announcement
Chen Wei looks at an arm, pale as a sheet of paper, making anyone question whether a single drop of blood flows through its veins. And Chen Wei's answer would be, yes, there isn't a single one.
But in an instant, with a wave of his right hand, that changes. Several Gu, in the form of droplets of blood, enter this severed arm of a corpse lying on his experiment table. The arm regains its color, now appearing to belong to a living person, though it remains slightly pale.
His expression remains neutral as he calmly attempts to control the blood droplets running through the arm's veins, commanding the severed limb to move. With some effort, he succeeds, as the fingers twitch slightly, moving just a few millimeters.
Observing this, he continues diligently for several minutes, directing the blood flow within the arm's veins to move the fingers more effectively. He uses his acquired experience and intuition, derived from his understanding of the Blood Path, to make progress. However, the results remain minimal.
"Hmm, it doesn't seem like the lack of control is due to insufficient manipulation of the blood in the arm..." Chen Wei mutters, rubbing his temple with his right hand. "...Or maybe I'm focusing on the wrong type of vein?"
"Perhaps what people in my past world called nerve pathways could also be seen as a type of vein here?" His voice is soft as he reaches for a knife and begins cutting into the arm at points he imagines might correspond to nerves, though he isn't certain.
Unsurprisingly, the arm doesn't move at all as Chen Wei pierces it indiscriminately, blood oozing irregularly depending on the depth and proximity of the cuts to its veins.
This was expected, as the nerves in the arm aren't connected to a brain due to its severed state. However, the experiment gives him a valuable insight.
Yesterday, when he began working on creating a Blood Path Gu, his greatest initial challenge was forming blood into the shape of an arm and maintaining it in a solid state—not as hard as stone, but comparable to a real arm. The other issue was controlling it naturally, as if it were his original arm.
To address both problems practically, he ordered the Chen family servants to gather fresh mortal corpses that had recently fallen victim to the wolf tide and weren't too devoured.
"I need some needles..." he murmurs, seemingly to himself, though that's not the case.
Squeak, squeak!
A large albino rat with red eyes and the size of a small dog, named Queek, stirs from its resting spot on a nearby table. Hearing Chen Wei's words, it searches the table for a moment before heading towards him, its hairless tail carrying several needles of different sizes.
A faint smile crosses Chen Wei's face, pleased with the rat's assistance. Ever since losing his left arm, he's come to appreciate Queek's help in retrieving materials or performing tasks that require an extra hand. He's even begun considering keeping the abnormal rat as his lab assistant, even after obtaining a new arm, as its timely aid has proven invaluable.
"If I mark all the points where nerves run through the arm with needles..." he thinks, recognizing that in this world, mind, will, and intent are more tangible forces.
This is the realization that led him to consider not just blood-carrying veins but also pathways for intent. "...The only problem is how to achieve this?"
This question doesn't discourage him. On the contrary, it fuels his determination. He quickly begins testing theories, trying one after another, continuously experimenting and using the lessons from both his failures and successes as stepping stones. Time slips away from him until he's snapped out of his focus by Queek's help as a light knock echoes from the other side of the door.
Chen Wei carefully places the arm into a wooden box filled with ice, which he obtained with the help of one of his Ice Path subordinates. The ice keeps the limbs of the deceased from rotting. With a quick wave of his hand, he cleans both the room and himself of the blood splattered everywhere during his experiment.
A soft, delicate voice—Wang Mei's—follows shortly after.
"The news has already spread that my father has officially taken the position of clan leader..."
He swiftly walks to open the door to speak directly with Wang Mei.
"...he sent a servant to notify the Chen family and all the elders' families, so we know it's not just rumors."
"Your grandfather and father want to discuss something with you about this, but they didn't tell me what it is..."
Opening the door, Chen Wei sees the short girl standing there. She's wearing a light blue silk dress, richly decorated, which perfectly complements her natural beauty. Her face is lightly made up, and her bright blue eyes shine with happiness at the sight of him.
The reason she came to deliver this news personally instead of a servant was simply because Chen Wei doesn't like having servants constantly watching or reporting to him here.
And since he believes that Wang Mei is the most suitable person for such tasks, he asked her to do it for him. Of course, if the matter were urgent, his father or grandfather would come directly or send a trusted servant. But in situations like this, that are not urgent, he much prefers being greeted by his wife's sweet smile rather than a bunch of stern old men.
"Oh, I was also worried about how long you've been here, so I made us some tea to drink while you rest!" she says with slight concern, as if this is the most important part of her message.
"Thank you for letting me know, Mei'er. I had lost track of time while working on Gu... Ahhh, it'll be great to relax my mind a bit," he replies calmly, his words clearly satisfying her.
She wraps her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to give him a gentle kiss for a few seconds.
'I'll have to talk to my grandfather about this,' he thinks quickly as he shuts the door behind him and walks alongside Wang Mei, who begins chatting about her day. He responds lightly while keeping his train of thought. 'It seems the clan leader was more hesitant and cautious about making this decision than my grandfather anticipated.'
His grandfather had mentioned during their discussion that the clan leader would most likely make the decision on the same day or, at most, within a few days. It turned out to be the latter, as two days had passed since that conversation, and only now had the clan leader officially informed everyone of his decision.
This delay was a bit of a help to Chen Wei, who spent most of yesterday on the clan walls, giving orders and slaying wolves with blood blades to project an image of heroically fighting for the clan. Meanwhile, Wang Xi had spent his time scheming to take the official position of clan leader from his father in a completely unfilial manner.
'But things are as they are, I will need my grandfather's help to start these rumors.' He lets out a small sigh, not overly bothered, and continues speaking lightly and cheerfully with Wang Mei as they walk together.
---
'...By this letter, I acknowledge Chen Wang's cultivation as having reached the level necessary to warrant recognition of higher level of subordination to me. Thus, as stated by the clan's laws and traditions, I have ordered him to assume the position of vice leader under my command.'
Chen Wei finishes reading the clan leader's announcement letter. It had not only been sent to his grandfather but also distributed throughout the clan on this day.
Under normal circumstances, this announcement, combined with Chen Wang's breakthrough to Rank 4 as a clan elder, would undoubtedly be the most discussed news within the clan. However, due to Wang Xi's announcement of officially becoming the clan leader, it's debatable which is causing more shockwaves within the clan.
"Hmm...did he announce that he would officially grant you the position of vice leader to sacrifice some power, so he wouldn't appear overly ambitious in consolidating power after his recent actions?" Chen Wei asks his grandfather, who had handed him the letter and asked him to read it to form his own conclusions.
He thinks this because, according to the words of the old clan leader himself, he was stepping down due to his declining health and advancing age, which had rendered him incapable of leading the clan, while passing the title to Wang Xi.
However, those with deeper knowledge of clan politics weren't convinced. Since this had been the case for nearly a decade, yet no action was taken until Wang Xi felt genuinely threatened by Chen Wang and the Chen family.
This made the old clan leader's words seem more like a father trying to save face for his son, even after the latter had acted unfilially and schemed against him. Seeing this many now considered the old clan leader more virtuous and honorable while feeling the opposite toward Wang Xi.
Of course, this change in perception wasn't shared by all clan members but primarily by those who were not part of the clan leader's faction or stood to lose from his attempts to consolidate power. Chen Wang himself had also been subtly fueling these rumors.
Thus, Chen Wei believes that Wang Xi took the initiative to grant the position of vice leader to Chen Wang to appear as though he was voluntarily relinquishing power and influence, thereby reinforcing the narrative that the old clan leader's decision to step down was legitimate and not part of Wang Xi's schemes.
"Firstly, yes, your reasoning is correct," Chen Wang says after a moment of silence following Chen Wei's question. "But there is also a second, deeper reason."
"There's an unofficial, tacit distinction in how one becomes the clan's vice leader..." Chen Wang points to the letter in Chen Wei's hand.
"He sent me this letter, granting me the position as if it were a magnanimous act on his part to reward a competent vassal. You'll notice the emphasis on subordination in the letter."
Chen Wei nods in understanding. Framed this way, Wang Xi's act of voluntarily granting his grandfather the position of vice leader seems more like delegating inconvenient tasks to a subordinate.
"If I had formally requested the position of vice leader, even if the letter used similar subordinate language, it wouldn't have emphasized it as much. Furthermore, my position would be perceived more as one earned rather than one given..."
Chen Wang pauses briefly before continuing. "...It's a small and subtle difference, but you understand its implications, correct?"
Chen Wei does, of course. This is a strategic move by both sides to gain even the slightest political advantage, which can grow over time into something crucial. Wang Xi could eventually claim narratives like, 'The position of vice leader is not of paramount importance. Since it is granted by the clan leader, it cannot surpass the leader in any aspect and must remain subordinate to the clan leader's authority,' if he manages to establish the necessary narrative and political leverage.
"What will our official stance be?" Chen Wei asks, though he already has a guess.
Chen Liang, who had remained silent until now, paces briefly before speaking. "Since Wang Xi did not hold a ceremony to commemorate officially becoming the clan leader, it would not be appropriate for us to hold one either. Instead, we should formally acknowledge this in an official letter—not only addressed to the clan leader but also distributed to all elders and throughout the clan as a whole..."
Chen Wei listens intently, remaining serious as his father and grandfather discuss how to handle the situation. The discussion continues until nearly sunset, after which Chen Wei returns to his quarters.
For the next two hours, he diligently completes his administrative duties as an elder before lying down beside Wang Mei. She doesn't let him rest for a good half-hour, with acts more "intense" than just teasing him playfully. Only after that does he finally fall asleep, utterly exhausted, as she nestles into his arms with a satisfied smile.