The uneasy atmosphere within the room, the unadulterated sourness etched on the faces of the other two within the room, I'd have had to have been a fool not to realise that something wasn't quite right with this situation.

So, of course, I spoke up.

"Huh, so from the looks on all your faces, I imagine we're in the usual.

"Deep shit.

"Any chance you could fill this good brother of yours in on the details?"

While I talked, I took strides towards where Chen Fei was seated and plopped myself down on a seat opposite and stared straight at the boy whose face was drenched in sweat and nervousness.

Seemingly hearing my question, he stopped talking to himself like a delirious man and promptly looked me in the eyes with a grim expression that screamed 'The end of the world is near'. Then he let out a long, drawn-out sigh and shook his head and responded in an almost incredulous tone,

"Do you really not know the implications of this action?

"Are you that ignorant of the current royal family?"

Hearing this, my lips couldn't help but quiver and I snapped back defensively,

"Hey, you bastard!

"I may be smart, intelligent, quick-witted, handsome and elegant, but unfortunately I'm not quite omniscient just yet!

"So wipe that damned judgemental look off your face, and get on with explaining this hole we've gotten ourselves trapped in!"

Having one, singular goal that superseded almost everything else in life, came with a whole host of pros and cons.

To throw myself headfirst into the practice known as 'cultivation' and reach where I am now, I've been forced to stick aside all my familial responsibilities and ignore the ones who raised me.

To bring myself to set a target on Long Tian's head, I've had to forego the moral code that I had stuck to my whole life.

And, similarly, to familiarise myself with this world's history and structure fairly well and learn a variety of different skills and tactics, I've failed to acquaint myself with the intricacies of politics here- After all, it is one of the factors I deemed least important, considering no type of argument or political plot would allow me to bring the guillotine down on Long Tian's head, as I was certain his luck wouldn't allow him to get into such a precarious situation.

Due to this, I was only aware of surface-level information surrounding the royal family which brought me to the extent of knowing the names of the direct descendants and other such trivial info.

I had no clue what their exact personalities were like, what the public perception of each and every member was, nor the relationship the current emperor had with each of the seven families and their heads.

Hearing my reply and realising that I was truly in the dark, Chen Fei shook his head once more before saying,

"Fine, I'll explain it to you, so you are aware of how dire the situation really is. Let's see, where should I start?"

He took a brief pause to organise his thoughts, then continued on saying,

"The fifth prince... is trash, through and through.

"There is no way around it, that boy hasn't got a single good bone in his body nor does he have a sliver of talent in anything except being unreasonably irritating. Trust me, I've seen him myself.

"Now, say for instance that this 'black sheep' of one farm is forcefully paired with the finest sheep of another farm. This would adversely affect the flock that the finest sheep is part of by putting their standing within the entire farm in jeopardy.

"So then what does this tell us about how the shepherd who orchestrated this pairing, knowing full well the troubles it brings to the farm from which the finest sheep is from?"

After he finished speaking, he looked over at me with a profoundly depressed expression on his face, clearly expecting me to also don a similar expression, and waited for my response.

And I gave a response.

"You do know I'm not very well versed in the thoughts of shepherds and the partnering problems of sheep.

"And you're also self-aware that your analogies are shit, right?"

Hearing me joking around at such an instance, seemed to have blown Chen Fei's fuse as he stood up and shouted with rage,

"You inconsiderate piece of shit!

"I'll give it to you straight then!

"The engagement to Wu Hai means trouble. The stable dominance of our 'Neutralist' faction which has lasted generations is going to be shaken due to it, and the 'Bloodline Supremisicst' faction will pounce at this chance to knock us down and try their damnedest to reinstate themselves as the controlling faction within the clan!

"I'm unsure of what brought it about, but the emperor's intentions to cull us are already clear as day by how ruthlessly he already decreed that there will be an engagement ceremony.

"But I know that you know that this isn't about sheep, so stop fucking around and-"

"And what?!

"Sit down and murmur to myself like someone who's just entered a whole new level of Qi deviation?!

"Or maybe I should wallow in grief about how unfair life is and that the emperor is a cruel tyrant, and throw a hissy fit while I'm at it!

"Stop being irrational and calm yourself, panicking won't solve anything!"

After finishing my words, a chilling silence fell as both he and I stared at each other with furrowed eyebrows and deep frowns.

Soon, however, Chen Fei's face adorned a spiteful smirk and the silence was overturned by the scornful words that came out of his mouth,

"Of course, you can remain calm and collected. After all, you think you won't be endangered by this ordeal!

"You think that it won't really matter to you too much what will become of this political scuffle!

"Hah, well you're sourly mistaken!

"The last precedence of the 'Bloodline Supremasiscts' being in power led to the suffering of common people like there was no tomorrow!

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"All who were not of blood relation were considered servants and treated like pests, stripping the lives of multiple for the hell of it was commonplace. And let me tell you now, this was just what people who had no relation or issues with the faction members would be graced with.

"You, who has drawn the intense ire of the entire faction and is treated as a stain on the Clan's reputation, will be subjected to something far, far worse. Plus even though I, and the rest of my family, will get out of this with our lives.

"It won't change the fact that I will have lost my position, family honour, my sister and... my best friend."

With the speech coming to a close, Chen Fei slumped back down on his chair with a saddened look in his eyes.

"..."

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!

What is this about, why have I encountered such a calamity?

Although I hate to blame everything bad on Long Tian's bullshit luck, but could things really escalate to such an extent if not for its interference?

Fuck! There is surely a way out of this.

I just need to wait for Chen Long's answer, that old monster must have some way out!

As the irritating feeling of uneasiness and nervousness crept up, I couldn't help but speak out again to Chen Fei and ask anxiously,

"Is this really a done deal, Chen Fei?"

His head turned up to me once more, his face was solemn and his eyes slightly shaken, yet the words that came out his mouth left with resolution behind it,

"Though I may not be able to think of one, it does not mean there isn't one.

"My father, the patriarch, has gone through countless tribulations and calamities to solidify his position. I'm certain that if anyone can find a way, it'll probably be him."

Hearing his words that were eerily similar to lines I had read in a book before, I couldn't help but... flinch.

Damn, here I thought I helped him escape the caricature life, but he's gone ahead and thrown me a curveball!

Seems like we still need some work on that.

Just as I was about to return to pondering what my choices were, a sudden flicker appeared behind Chen Fei's chair that caught my eye.

The phantom-like flicker had the silhouette of a tall man with broad shoulders and an elegant bearing, and as the flicker solidified a slight chuckle resounded in the room and words followed,

"Haha, It brings great joy to me seeing that my son has such faith in this father of his!

"Don't you worry boys, I have this little situation we've been embroiled in under control."

Hearing the sudden voice of Chen Long, both of us jumped up from our chairs and glanced over at the source.

Upon noticing that he truly was there, both of us promptly prepared to enact customary greetings before being interrupted,

"Enough. Hurry up and sit down.

"There is no need to go through such trivialities, as we have things of much greater importance to tend to as of the moment."

With the greetings caught in our throats, we hastily threw ourselves back down onto the seats.

During this time, Chen Long also decided to make his way over to a nearby couch and elegantly seated himself.

As he sat there, with a straight, overbearing posture, crossed legs, and his emerald eyes gazing down at us, I couldn't help but feel an unknown pressure fall descend upon me.

It genuinely felt like I was in the presence of an unfathomable existence- This fact, my senses seemed to scream at me.

And this unknown feeling seemed to freakishly affect me.

Though I was almost uncontrollably joyful after hearing the fact that Chen Long had a way out of this, I couldn't seem to express it at the moment.

It was strange, it was a tad... scary.

Was this the extent to which high-level cultivators were fundamentally different to humans?

Could they really grasp and influence such intangible things?

Just from existing?

I took a sideward glance at Chen Fei, who I was certain would be in an emotional whirlpool at the moment, just looking up at his father with a flicker of admiration and anticipation in his eyes.

In that instance, a cold shiver ran through my spine.

However, that was for merely a brief moment as I was forcefully snapped out of my contemplative state by the sound of Chen Long speaking once more.

"I'd like to discuss the intricacies of this matter with both of you first and my thought process of coming to a probable solution, before we make a move to stop this. This is because I believe this will provide some insight and experience into the rationale and nature of cultivators of the higher rung, and also educate you more on how to combat seemingly inevitable tragedies."

As Chen Long's words registered in my brain, my windpipes seemed to clog and I became breathless.

The atmosphere within the room seemed to have dropped by multiple magnitudes.

A nugget- or perhaps a boulder- of wisdom from a centuries-old Clan leader who's been through it all?

The value of such a thing need not be said.

Even more so for a fledgling transmigrator like me, who will have to go through more worlds in the future and tackle various tricky problems and unknown dangers.

Spotting that both Chen Fei and I were now intently awaiting his next words, a smirk appeared on his face as he continued on,

"First of all, I'll start by verbally introducing you both to an old-time friend of mine, someone who I have known for centuries and the reason behind our current crises, Emperor Wu Kang.

"Once being the successor of the clan myself, I was also burdened with the task of associating myself with the royal princes and befriending them, and just as you both have Wu Yan, I had Wu Kang.

"Out of all the other royal descendants, I and Wu Kang were the most similar from both an age aspect and personality aspect, therefore we both hit it off rather quickly and soon became good brothers.

"And even though there were some ups and downs throughout the many years, it was overall a smooth and tight friendship.

"Was being the keyword. You see, time changes people in ways a mere man cannot ever anticipate.

"It twists some parts of one's personality to the extreme, whereas it wears off and dulls other parts. Then, just like that, my passionate brother became unrecognisable.

"His previous compassion and scruples had vanished, leaving behind a power-hungry husk. One that would not think twice before committing atrocities for his own gain."

Stopping there for a moment, the man who I had only ever known as steadfast and composed, let out a heavy sigh.

Then after that brief moment of respite, he continued on,

"Anyhow, since I am well aware of this friend of mine's ambitions that border insanity, I always prepared for the instance he would point his sword at me.

"I'd planted ears within the palace, I patiently observed his stance on certain issues and how he decided to deal with them from the sidelines, and, though I'm not very proud to admit it, I also probed him multiple times by setting up various scenarios. All this to understand what my friend had become, and what measures he could go to.

"Perhaps the only thing that was outside of my expectations, was that I didn't imagine he would turn on me so soon.

"Remember, in the cultivation world where a comrade can become your worst nightmare in a mere whim, utmost prudence is a must."

Both Chen Fei and I nodded like chicks pecking seeds, whilst also gazing at Chen Long with wide eyes, stunned by the extent he went to just so that he could ascertain whether someone he considered his very best friend had any nefarious intentions.

Apparently, the angst was on the verge of killing Chen Fei, as he was unable to hold himself back from blurting out,

"I get that the Emperor strives to become powerful, but what do we have that is so vitally important to him that he could resolutely forsake your long-standing friendship and throw us into the trenches like this?

"I simply can't comprehend why he would suddenly turn his back on us, and support the Bloodline Supremacists!"

Hearing this, a bitter smile appeared on Chen Long's face as he said.

"Your Uncle Chen Fu, the leader of the Bloodline Supremasicst faction, shamelessly broke the deal we made to keep news about the Inheritance Secret Realm on the low, and graciously 'gifted it' to Wu Kang. Of course, now that Wu Kang has heard that I've tried to hide such an incredible thing from him, he is quite clearly furious and has decided to cut me off."

*BANG!*

The moment Chen Long stopped speaking, Chen Fei seemed to no longer care that he was in his father's presence, as he struck the table with huge force and shouted angrily with spit coming out his mouth as he talked,

"Those traitorous rats!

"Though all they preach about all day long is bloodline this, bloodline that, they quite clearly don't give a singular fuck about the wellbeing and greater good of the Clan!

"I mean, what the fuck!

"It was the Inheritance Realm of a pseudo-Immortal!

"Pseudo-Immortal!

"Someone one step from ascending!

"Couldn't they see the bigger picture and understand that if we acquired it, our strength and authority would leap bounds above what it is currently?!"

Even as he finished his emotion-fueled rant, Chen Fei was still shivering from rage and his face hadn't gotten any less redder than it had been when he first heard the news.

Meanwhile, this happened, and all I could do was massage my glabella and inwardly scream in indignance.

Of course.

Of fucking course it's a damn secret realm!

How could I possibly be so stupid as to forget law twelve of Xianxia 101?

'Wherever an MC may travel, a secret realm stuffed with plot armour must always follow close by'.

Haaaa, god damn it.

I knew all this trouble couldn't have suddenly smote me all at once, if not for Long Tian's bullshit plot being knee-deep in it.

Could this really get much worse?

...Fuck! I shouldn't have thought that either as things seem like they can always get much worse in this world!