Snake Faction

The sky above Beast God City had already darkened. A few lanterns illuminated the brick-paved pathway that led to a small manor. The double doors were shut and a few words adorned the gate. It read the Wei Clan.

A tall figure approached and knocked on the door with the metal knocker three times. After waiting a few breaths, the door creaked open just enough for an old face to peek out.

"Ah, it is Sir Qu! What does Sir Qu wish with the Wei Clan at this time?"

Chen Wentian, via Qu Jing, smiled and bowed slightly, "Qu Jing wishes to see junior sister Wei Peng. She was heavily injured during today's Fox Volant of Beast Mountain. I have brought some special medicine for her."

"Ah! I see, I see. This way, Sir Qu. The first miss is resting and I am not sure if she has gone to sleep yet. I can take you to Master Wei."

Chen Wentian followed the doorman into the manor. He was received by another servant who led him to a sitting room to meet the elder Wei. The Wei Clan used to be under the snake lord and this Wei Peng used to be a disciple of Immortal Embracing Python Mei Qiaofeng. By some way or another, they had survived the purge and fallen under the eagle lord. This was one of the mysteries that he wanted to unravel.

The elder Wei graciously received the unexpected guest. He became very excited when Chen Wentian showed him the medicine. It was an incredibly high-class healing salve that cost over a hundred thousand taels of gold and was usually available to immortals.

"Senior." Chen Wentian said, "Letting Junior Sister Wei showcase her beast transformation art was the eagle lord's intention. Since she was hurt so badly, the eagle lord has sent me to administer the medicine so that she may recover quickly."

"Of course, Sir Qu. This way!"

Chen Wentian's words were as good as gold. He was a direct descendant of the eagle lord Qu Shen. Within the eagle lord's faction, besides the immortals, few had as much power and influence as Qu Jing.

"We're here. Little Peng is inside. She should still be awake. I will leave you to it then. Please thank the eagle lord on the Wei Clan's behalf!"

With that, the elder Wei disappeared as quickly as a gust of wind. Chen Wentian was slightly amused. That old man left just like that, leaving a stranger to enter his daughter's chambers without supervision. Even if the Beast God Sanctum had a less modest view on relationships between men and women than the rest of the subcontinent, this was still way over the line.

Chen Wentian shook his head. Wei Peng was still unmarried. It was clear what her father's intention was.

"Junior Sister Wei? It's Qu Jing." He called out.

"Ah… cough, cough. Senior brother, come in…"

He opened the door and slipped inside. The interior was sparsely decorated, uncommon for the eldest daughter of a noble clan. Although the Wei Clan was not too large or powerful, they still had the means to give their offspring a comfortable life. However, Wei Peng seemed to have abandoned most of the benefits that came with such an upbringing.

A lonely figure sat on the bed. Her body was covered in bandages. Her right arm was still broken and she was holding herself up gingerly with her left.

"Senior brother… I apologize that I can't greet you properly… cough, cough."

Chen Wentian frowned. Her condition was quite bad.

"Did the people at the medicine pavilion give the right medicine? How are you still in such a condition? Tell me truthfully. Senior brother will punish them!"

Wei Peng smiled weakly, "Senior brother, I am okay. Since you've visited, I'm already much better."

The Wei Clan had no power in the eagle faction. It wasn't difficult to guess that they were bullied by the other clans. Although they had pledged their loyalty to the eagle lord, it didn't mean much for the established hierarchy that didn't want to share power and cultivation resources.

"Here, take this first." Chen Wentian and fed her a high-quality recovery pill.

After a few moments, her complexion visibly improved as her internal injuries stabilized. Whatever she had received from the medicine pavilion was obviously junk.

"Thank you, senior brother." She said emotionally.

Her eyes became misty and she avoided his gaze.

"That's alright. I have brought some medicinal salve for your external injuries. It should help you recover in two or three days." He said.

Her cheeks became tinged with pink color as she mumbled, "Thanks… could you put it on the table? I can manage myself…"

Chen Wentian hid a smile and did as she asked. "There's something else I wanted to ask. During the fall of the snake lord several years ago. How did it happen and how did the Wei Clan survive the calamity?"

"This…" Wei Peng's expression became pained, "This… senior brother, it is not that I don't want to tell you. When the Wei Clan joined the eagle lord, we all took a spiritual oath to keep this matter secret and never do anything that would betray the eagle lord. So… I really can't tell you."

He nodded and asked, "Then what about the oath you took in the past in front of your master Immortal Embracing Python Mei Qiaofeng? Does the eagle lord's spiritual oath override hers?"

"I… I don't know. Please, senior brother, please don't force me!"

She tugged on his arms pleadingly.

He shrugged her off and retrieved an item from his spatial bag, it was oval-shaped and looked like a piece of scale. It was engraved with tiny characters as well as a central character of Mei that was much larger than the rest. It exuded a warm aura as if everything and everyone in the room was being embraced by a strong, irresistible force.

"Master…" Wei Peng muttered.

"So, you still know what this is. Good." Chen Wentian raised the scale toward her, "Disciple Mei Peng, your master Mei Qiaofeng's badge is present. Where here badge goes, so does her will and command."

Wei Peng hurriedly kneeled on the bed, "Disciple Wei Peng greets master, please instruct me."

"Sit up." He said and she quickly obeyed.

Without explaining, he pressed the scale against her breast, right above her heart. It glowed pink and emitted a profound spiritual energy that quickly entered her body and her spiritual sea.

"Ahh…" She moaned softly and slumped over.

After a long moment, she raised her head and looked at him with teary eyes, "The… the eagle lord's spiritual oath is gone. How… I don't know how but master's power overrode it."

Chen Wentian nodded, "That's natural. The oath between you and your master was performed many years ago and had seeped deeply into your body, mind, and spirit. The eagle lord's oath came later and could never overwrite that fundamental oath. If I had to guess, the eagle lord's oath was carefully worded so that it did not interfere too much with your master's oath."

Wei Peng thought about it, "That's probably right. But, senior brother, how did you get master's badge? What is going on?"

"Simple. I am part of a secret movement to reestablish the snake lord's faction. I was always against the senseless killing and have deep regrets about what the eagle lord did. Your master Mei Qiaofeng is hiding in a safe place and is gathering allies. Since her badge is in my hands, I hope you can trust my words and help me."

Wei Peng knelt down again, "Senior brother, until I see my master again, I shall take your words as hers. I am at your command."

"Good, now, tell me everything you know about how the Wei Clan turned to the eagle faction."

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