I Was Forced To Marry The Phoenix Empress-Chapter 160: Discussing the Past

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Name: Feng De

Age: 75 years old

Strength: 470

Cultivation: Ninth Level of [Qi Absorption Stage]

Qi Nature: Fire

Extra: Conscientious, wants the clan to prosper.

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"Yes,"

Feng De acknowledged Yi Chen’s greeting with a nod and said while patting him on the shoulder.

"You performed excellently today. I’m glad you joined our clan...it seems your master has a knack for taking in talented disciples."

A subtle smirk formed on his face as he finished his words.

"Thank you, Fourth Elder," Yi Chen accepted the praise naturally. The Patriarch’s words from earlier had made him realise that it was indeed better to accept praise from now on.

"Good," Noticing the change, the Fourth Elder nodded in appreciation and was about to say a few more words to Feng Ning when a little figure rushed toward him from behind and hugged his back.

"Father!" Feng Min exclaimed with a bright smile.

"Min’er," Feng De brought her in front of him and caressed her head with a smile, "It seems that you enjoyed today’s matches a lot."

"Yes! Brother Chen was so amazing throughout, and at the end, when everyone was cheering for him, Brother Qin and I cheered the loudest. It was very fun!" Feng Min answered excitedly.

"It’s good that you enjoyed," Feng De nodded with a smile and said while glancing towards Feng Ning, "I’ll be going now. Spend some time with your teammates before returning home. We still have a banquet to attend in the evening."

"Yes, father," Feng Ning agreed with a nod.

"Alright."

With a nod, Feng De turned around and glanced at the teammates who were waiting to congratulate them.

Seeing him turn around, they all bowed and greeted simultaneously.

"Yes."

With a subtle smile on his face, he nodded towards them and went towards his carriage.

The very next instant, Yi Chen was surrounded by his teammates as words of praise bombarded his ears.

"Thank you...thank you, everyone," Yi Chen replied with a happy yet embarrassed smile.

"Brother Chen, you were so great today that many women from the clan had approached me," Qin Yao nodded with a trace of pride on his face.

"Approached you? Why?" Yi Chen asked in confusion.

"Yes," Qin Yao nodded and said proudly, "They asked me so many questions about you that I was a little overwhelmed. However, don’t worry, Brother Chen, I made sure to answer every question of theirs to the utmost detail."

Hearing this, Yi Chen gently flicked Qin Yao’s forehead with his index finger and the next moment said with an amused frown, "You brat, don’t do unnecessary things."

"A-Ah..." Qin Yao rubbed his forehead bitterly, but seeing Yi Chen’s expression, nodded while saying, "I-I’ll keep that in mind."

A few giggles were exchanged seeing this scene, and after everyone had caught up with each other, they finally dispersed.

On their way back to the Feng Clan, Yi Chen asked Feng Ning about something which he had earlier heard the elders mentioning.

"The elders mentioned earlier that our clan was once one of the noble clans... I didn’t know that we had such a past."

He asked with a puzzled expression. At that time, because the situation wasn’t appropriate, instead of asking, he had buried this doubt for later.

"Well, it’s natural for you to not know this since this is an issue which is not widely talked about by the clan members. The elders had only raised it because the current turn of events had rekindled all their hopes," she explained.

"Oh? Then could Miss Ning tell what exactly happened back then and how we lost our position?" Yi Chen asked curiously.

This conversation had made him realise that there was still a lot about the Feng Clan he didn’t know.

’Maybe this will also give me some hints regarding Feng Yu’s mother and what had happened with father-in-law,’ he thought to himself while glancing towards Feng Ning.

"Sure, since you’re a clan member, it’s only natural that I should tell you this." Feng Ning nodded and continued.

"Our clan actually has a thousand-year-old history and was among the first clans that took root in the White Jade Kingdom.

It was because of this early start that we were able to become a noble clan with time and effort, and eventually rose to the eighth rank among the noble clans.

We weren’t the strongest, but within the White Jade Kingdom, we held a respectable position for hundreds of years.

However, that changed on that particular night two decades ago."

Feng Ning’s eyes dimmed when she reached this point.

"Two decades ago? What had happened at that time?" Seeing her intense switch in emotions, Yi Chen asked immediately.

"...since I was born much later, I’ve only heard a few tales from my father and read the few unclassified documents which are available at the Clan’s archives."

Feng Ning explained.

"At that time...the conflict started because of some misunderstanding between the elders of our clan and the Huo clan. This misunderstanding turned into hatred, which eventually led to our clan being preemptively attacked by the Huo Clan.

While we ranked eighth among the Noble clans, the Huo clan ranked fifth.

There was an obvious difference in capabilities between us, and thus on that night, the battle that ensued could only be described as a one-sided massacre.

Hundreds of our cultivators were slain and brutally beheaded. Especially the higher echelons of the sect, every one of them was killed.

Our clan was on the brink of extinction, but thankfully, the Imperial family appeared before that and saved what little was left of the Feng Clan.

Later, an intense mediation was carried out by them, and a deal was signed between the Feng Clan’s representative and the Huo clan’s patriarch.

As for the details of the deal, we do not know. However, after that day, the Huo Clan had never bothered with the Feng Clan.

Later, when the death toll was counted, the result came out to be something which everyone was worried about."

Feng Ning continued with a serious expression.

"All of our Core Building Stage Experts were annihilated, almost all of our Ninth Qi Absorption Stage cultivators were dead, leaving only a few alive, but they too were grievously injured.

And with no Core Building Stage cultivator to take the helm, our clan was demoted from the status of a Noble Clan.

After that, it was just a downward spiral as our situation kept worsening over time, and we became a clan that was struggling to keep the twentieth rank of the Major rankings.

When Feng Ning finished conveying everything, a long sigh escaped her lips.

"So that’s what had happened..." Yi Chen muttered.

Seeing Feng Ning’s dull mood, he wanted to give some words of consolation, but they didn’t seem to come to his mind.

However, the next moment, Feng Ning soon readjusted her mood.

"Therefore, I’m glad and utterly grateful to you," She said the next instant, "It was your actions alone that were able to put a stop to that downward spiral.

And as if that much wasn’t enough, you went another step further and helped us secure the first rank, thus making us enter an upward spiral."

Seeing the immense gratefulness in her eyes, Yi Chen answered with a polite smile.

"I’m glad I could be of help."

He wasn’t a saint. His motive for getting up in rankings was solely to get as many benefits as possible. However, when faced with such emotions by not only Feng Ning but also the other clan members...he had started to feel good about his actions.

At the same time, another thought was going through his mind. A thought which, unlike the previous one, belonged to the darker side.

’The Huo clan, huh? Was it they who gave those injuries to father-in-law?’ his eyes shone with cold light.

However, that lasted for only a moment as he soon shook those thoughts away.

’I still have too little information to jump to conclusions. When Elder Lei returns, I’ll ask him about this in more detail.’

The deal which had taken place between the Huo and the Feng clan, which was completely shrouded in mystery, had piqued his curiosity, and he would also be inquiring about its details at that time.

’With all my achievements now, Elder Lei won’t continue to keep everything to himself, will he?’

Yi Chen thought while turning his head to the side and observed the familiar rows of buildings going past him.

Soon, they were dropped off outside Elder Lei’s residence.

"Let’s have a light lunch today so that we have enough space for the banquet, alright?" Yi Chen suggested.

"Uhm! That would be great!" Qin Yao exclaimed with a smile as they walked inside. However, a contemplative expression soon formed on his face.

’The banquet will be a good opportunity...so, should I?’

Qin Yao contemplated that question again and again while bathing and seemed to have finally made a decision.

A while later, the two prepared and had their lunch before going to their rooms.

Unlike usual, Yi Chen decided to rest because of how mentally exhausted he had become after engaging in such risky battles today.

"When I wake up, I’ll have to get ready for the banquet..." he thought with a bitter expression and soon closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, Qin Yao left for the market to buy a few things.